Newcastle Castle (Bridgend)

Visit Date : July 2021

I visited another of the South Wales Castles, this time Newcastle. This should not be confused with the towns of Newcastle in the UK or the very famous northern city of Newcastle-Upton-Tyne.

This Newcastle now stands on Newcastle Hill overlooking the town of Bridgend and the river Ogmore that flows through the town.

The Norman castles throughout Wales were built hastily of wood with an earthen embankment but this castle like so many others was later reinforced by stone.

Above you can see the Southern wall incorporating the south tower that is the part of the castle that has survived the best. (In the background you can see St. Illtyds Church).

Click on any image to enlarge

The west tower would have stood here, sadly most of it has gone now but this would have looked onto the keep which is now completely destroyed and there is no visible remains of the keep.

Click on any image to enlarge

On the eastern side, the remains of domestic buildings can be seen.

Although the castle overlooks the strategic River Ogmore which flows down past Ogmore Castle it is more likely that this Newcastle was more of a great residence than a defensive stronghold.

Click on any image to enlarge

After the invasion and conquest of England in 1066 by the Normans, a buffer was created between England and Wales along what is known as the Marchers or Welsh Marchers. The leaders at the time were given authority and were encouraged to take land from any Welsh rulers.

The invasion of South Wales was led by Robert Fitz Hamo and this led to the destruction of the Welsh Kingdom of Morgannwg and the Lordship of Glamorgan was born.

According to legend, The lord was accompanied by a dozen knights who would be later known as the "Twelve Knights" and much of the early castle building was done by The Twelve Knights".

Later in the Castles history, Lord Roberts grandson William died leaving a daughter but no male heir and that led to the Welsh tribes led by "Morgan ap Carradog" (Morgan son of Carradog) to rise up. This disorder was soon quelled and King Henry was forced to take over the rule of Glamorgan in around 1183 and it is likely that the decorated stone gateway was built at this time.

Click on any image to enlarge

Another of the Castles of South Wales which sadly is in ruin but is now protected by Cadw

(Cadw is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. Cadw works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage sites of Wales, so that the public can visit them, enjoy them and understand their significance. )

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Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.50892482554663, -3.583186606287954


Google search:-
Newcastle Castle Bridgend

What Three Words reference: -
///latter.sweat.brings

OS Details: -
OS Grid Ref : SS 90221 80079 :Altitude:159 ft

Additional information.

Parking is not easy here as you will need to park on the street. There is a small lay by (51.50899382089056, -3.5836980556567433) There is plenty of parking in the town if you do not mind a 15 - 20 minute walk up to the castle.

A full list of blogs can be found at my website

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Strumble Head Lighthouse

 

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Strumble Head Lighthouse

Strumble head lighthouse is just one of the many lighthouses that surrounds the United Kingdom

The lighthouse station was built for the greater safety of sea traffic between Ireland and Fishguard Harbour and is located on cliffs and a breakwater three miles to the east. The light also formed a link with South Bishop light, 18 miles to the south-west.

Visit Date July 2021

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This is one of my visits to the Pembrokshire Coast in South Wales.

The day started with bright and hot, however, as we got to this part of the coast the mist rolled in around the headland, the temperature dropped and the visibility got shorter illustrating why this lighthouse is needed here. When I left the lighthouse just a half a mile inland it was like another part of the country with bright hot summer sunshine.

Strumble Head Lighthouse stands on Ynys Meicel (St. Michael's Island), also known as Strumble Head, a rocky island at the northwest corner of Pencaer area, quite near the town of Fishguard, in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

This stretch of coast is very dangerous, and some 60 vessels are known to have been lost along it in the 19th Century alone.

The lighthouse replaced a light vessel previously moored in the south of Cardigan Bay.

The Lighthouse was reached by an iron bridge and is currently off-limits so you are unable to get to the lighthouse unless it is one of the open days or educational tours that happen infrequently.

A plaque in the lantern-room is inscribed with a verse from Psalm 127:

Except the Lord Build the house

They labour in vain that build it

Except the Lord keep the city

The Watchman waketh but in vain

The circular stone tower is 55 ft high and still contains the original lantern complete with Fresnel lens.

Illumination was updated from paraffin to electricity in 1949. The Lighthouse was fully electrified in 1965 when the optical system was also replaced by more compact equipment.

The Lighthouse was fully automated in 1980 but monitored with regular visits made by an attendant from the Trinity House Operations Control Centre at Harwich.

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Visit Information:-

Google Reference:-
52.029738410495085, -5.073602151740549

What Three Words reference:-
///stumpy.regulator.showering

OS Details:-
SM 89239 41270

Additional information.
Visiting is easy but the roads to the lighthouse are quite narrow.
Take the A40 from Haverfordwest to Fishguard , then left on Quay Road and follow signs for Strumble Head
There are two parking areas. The first you will come to on the road is (52.02963342008546, -5.069457876611645) there is rooom for perhaps a dozen cars, however there is also a small car park a little further on but it is not obvious (52.028993841497254, -5.07054577404669)

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Pennard Castle

Visit Date: July 2021

This week I took advantage of the great weather and went to the Gower coast in South Wales and visited the ruins of Pennard Castle.

Pennard Castle is a ruined castle on the Gower Peninsula near the village of Pennard in South Wales. Like many Norman castles built in the early 12th century, it started as an oval shaped timber ringwork and the walls were rebuilt in stone in the late 13th or early 14th century.

The only entrance was through the gatehouse on the east side, which consisted of an archway.

A small settlement grew up around the castle, and to its east, a solitary section of wall is all that is left of St. Mary's church which was the last element of the settlement to be abandoned in 1532. The Castle, village and church were all subsequently overwhelmed by sand.

The castle was listed in a survey in 1650 where it was described as being desolate, ruinous and surrounded by sand.

By the 1920's Penard Golf Club had acquired the site and a beautiful golf course had been developed with the castle ruins at the beachside of the course.

In 1923 funds were being raised to help preserve what was left of the castle but the cost was too high and only some remedial work being "patched" with concrete was carried out.

After the disaster of the remaining southern wall collapsing at the beginning of 1960 a public appeal launched by local newspapers and urgent masonry repairs were then carried out in 1963, paid for by a combination of the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works, the Gower Society, the golf club and the public appeal funds.

Thankfully now The ruins are protected under UK law as a grade II* listed building and a scheduled ancient monument.

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Visit Information:-
Google Reference
51.57650638581841, -4.102301944976939
Google Search reference: Penard Castle
What Three Words reference : ///existence.fluffed.verges


Additional information
Visiting is easy. Take the M4 motorway west Junc 42, Pass thought Swansea and take the Mumbles road . A 483 - A4067 and then B4436.
There is a national trust car park quite close (51.56692601910292, -4.087807245914044) and the charge is reasonable. There is also toilets and a café and restaurant near the car park. The castle can then be reached either by walking the road back to the golf course which is passed getting to the car park and crossing the course. Or if you are fitter from the beach which is down from the car park and across Pobbles bay to Three Cliffs Bay and then up to the castle.

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On the beach Again!

 Can't believe it's been so long since I posted last.

I have been out and about with the camera and took some interesting beach views.

This is a disused lifeguard tower that is on a natural jetty between two beaches in Porthcawl.

(full res image)

And turn just 180 degrees around and this was the coastal scene.

It was a beautiful morning and just 12 hours before I was on a different beach for Sunset.

So all in all a good weekend.

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Coity Castle

 Visit Date: September 2020

Coity castle was erected by the knight Payn de Turberville at the end of the 11th century during the penetration of south-eastern Wales by the Norman conquerors.

Payn de Turberville was one of twelve Knights (known as the Twelve Knights of Glamorgan) who had accompanied Robert Fitzhamon on his conquest of Glamorgan.

The Welsh ruler, Morgan ap Meurig (Morgan Son of Meurig), not being well enough to fight, offered to marry the Norman’s daughter. Payn accepted the offer and became Lord of Coity.

The castle was built in the form of an earth and timber ringwork fortification.

In around 1180, the castle was rebuilt from timber to stone by another heir of Coity, Gilbert de Turberville

In 1384 the lordship and the castle passed to Sir Lawrence Berkerolles.

He made substantial reinforcements to the castle which resisted the sieges during the Welsh rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr in 1404 and 1405 but in doing so took much damage.

From 1584 to the early 18th Century when it was still partly inhabited, it was owned by the Sydney family, however when Barbara Gamage married Sir Robert Sydney, Earl of Leicester they took up residence in England and the castle had fallen into ruin by the mid 18th Century

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Visit Information:-

Google Reference
51.52204438045472, -3.5529992499369496

Google Search reference: Coity Castle

What Three Words reference : ///scars.share.spice

Additional information
This is a great ruin with plenty of room for visitors with a small carpark and also a playground outside.

Inside there is plenty of grounds for family picnics.

I have made a short "Photo Tour" on YouTube that can be found here:-

Images of Coity Castle - YouTube

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A early morning visit to the seashore.

Last weekend I again decided to get up early and go to the coast to see if I could take a couple of shots at sunrise.
I had a good idea of what I wanted the composition to look like but as I got to the location it was soon becoming clear that the sun was not going to rise in the place that I expected.
I still set up and waited and actually got a seascape shot that I liked despite it not being as I planned.
I expected the walk back to the car to be in the good morning sunshine and with some good subjects along the way it all looked fair but after a half an hour after sunrise the clouds covered the morning sun and that put an end to those plans.
On the way back to the car I saw some rocks in the sea and decided to try a long exposure of the rock and that produced some of the best shots of the day for me so I thought I would share it here.

 

 

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Cae'r-hen-Eglwys

Quite close to where I live are these two strange standing stones.

They are in a field close to many pathways and a crossroad.

These two Menhirs are approximately 9 feet apart and 5 foot high.

They look ancient but are somewhat lost in a field.

However, this is not such a random place as it would first seem it has some history and this area has been inhabited for a long time. The stones are on a medieval trackway known as Ffordd Y Gyfraith.

This trackway becam part of a pilgrimage route to the shrine of the Holy Rood of Llangynwyd.

Some time ago there were the remains of two Celtic Crosses found nearby which have been removed and now reside in the National Museum of Wales.

There is not much known about these stones and it is thought that they once formed a gateway to the church of Cae'r Heneglwys that was thought to be on this site. Although I have read that there is supposed to be some slightly raised ground here where the church resided, it is long gone and I could find no evidence of this.

I have also read two reports from visitors to the site that the stones are reminiscent of another bronze age site that is 400 miles away in Northumberland.

Sadly I could find no myths relating to these stones perhaps as they are so poorly documented.

Additional Note: I have seen reference to this site named as Meini Dirion (Gentle Stones) but I can not find any old reference to this name, it is also listed on google maps under this name although the old OS maps clearly state it is the site of Cae'rheneglwys church.

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Visit Information:-

Google Reference

Footer:

Visit Information:-

Google Reference

51.51575293793025, -3.622003925055698

What Three Words reference : ///ears.metals.belts

Visiting is easy but parking not so good. You will need to park alongside the field in this quiet lane.

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Amelia Earhart and Burry Port

Today finally I had the chance to get out and about with my camera.
I went an hour west down the coast to a small town called Burry Port.
I have passed this place many times in the past and not stopped, something I now regret.

 
It is a lovely little town and I will certainly visit again soon.

 
On the harbourside, there was this old Buoy and I was interested to read the story behind it.

 
It seems that on June 17th 1928 Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland and on June 18th, exactly 20 hours and 40 minutes later she landed here in this small Welsh port in a type of seaplane known as a floatplane. This made her the first woman to be flown across the Atlantic.

 
 

 

This is the Buoy that her seaplane named Friendship was moored to.

 
Being interviewed post landing Amelia said "Shultz did all the flying, had to. I was just baggage, like a sack of potatoes" she added "maybe someday I'll try it alone", a feat, of course, she later completed.

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Japanese Bridge

 It's been a funny sort of a weekend with the weather changing rapidly.
It has been changing from bright sunshine to pouring rain in just a few minutes.
Taking walks have been something of a chore but this afternoon I went out to a local nature park and took this image of a bridge in the Japanese garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi-Res Image

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The surprising Science of happiness

 Today I watched, once again, the TED TALKS called "The surprising science of happiness" by Dan Gilbert.
If you have not seen this, and have 20 minutes free, I recommend you take a look at this.
I find Dan's delivery great, despite the fact he talks too quickly.
Straight out of the gate he is interesting and lighthearted and informative.
 A really enjoyable 

 

TED TALKS: The surprising science of happiness

 

If you find yourself enjoying this then stop by his other TED TALK "Why we make bad decisions" his insight once again will get you thinking especially about the trying to work out "value"

 

Pay special attention to the Holiday Offer, and the theatre ticket. Fascinating!

 

 TED TALKS : why we make bad decisions 

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Kenfig Castle

 
A few weeks ago I took a walk to see the ruins of Kenfig Castle.
A more disappointing "ruin" it would be difficult to imagine. There is little left now of the castle other than the top of what's left of the keep showing out of the surrounding vegetation. Because it was a warm summer evening it was very pleasant to be there but the conditions were not right for photography with the sun at a poor angle and the place is overgrown.

I will go back there sometime soon and hope to get better shots.

 I uploaded some images and some of the history of the castle to my "Photoblog"

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First Post

Hello, 

This is my first blog post here.
I thought I would just set out what I will be initially be using this blog for.
Generally, I wanted a blog to bring together my other online content.
My main interest is photography. I am an amateur photographer and I am passionate about photography. I post images to various platforms including Instagram and Youtube but I currently have two favourite places to post images there are Clickasnap and Photoblog.
I use "Clickasnap " more for single images and "Photoblog" for more story-based images (like a blog I guess).
Any updates will be posted here and that is the initial primary reason for having this blog.
I guess anything else I see on-line of interest I will also post.
In time perhaps I will expand on this but for now that's it!

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