- Joined
- Sep 27, 2002
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I took the boys camping in Wales for a few days, where we went for a walk in search of a Castle. Our attempt to find Kenfig Castle ended in failure so we drove in a different direction in search of Candleston Castle. A look at the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 map showed a plethora of footpaths in the area so I parked up and we set of hopefully in what I thought was the right direction. We soon found ourselves hiking through woodland on a narrow path that zig-zagged steeply downhill in what seemed to be about 90 degrees from the direction we should be going. At one point we had to stand aside for a rider on a nervous horse coming in the opposite direction. However at the bottom of the hill we came to a broad, sandy bridle path with a sign:
An indication that we weren't totally lost!
We carried on along the bridle path and after a short while passed the same rider and horse coming towards us again, an indication that there was in fact a more direct route that we'd ignored...
Musketeer on the broad, sandy bridle path. I was wondering where all the sand on the paths had been obtained from. We found out later!
The first Glimpse of Candleston Castle:
Candleston castle was built in phases from the 14th to the 17th centuries. The nearer block seems to be the earliest and the block away to the right the most recent.
A group of people seem to have assembled some fallen stones from the castle and had a barbeque here:
And left the evidence here:
A first floor fireplace:
Whittling:
On guard duty:
Inside the 17th century block:
The block to the left seems to be of middling age.
Coming away from the castle we passed a massive sand dune and could not resist the urge to climb it! Looking back down:
The energy of the young:
Candleston Castle from part-way up the sand dune:
Reload!
At last, the sea!
It was actually still about a mile away in the wrong direction and time was getting on so we headed back in the direction I fondly imagined the car lay.
These dunes have been quarried for sand at some point in the past.
After some panicking we eventually found a path that led back to the car and drove back to the camp site for tea.
An indication that we weren't totally lost!
We carried on along the bridle path and after a short while passed the same rider and horse coming towards us again, an indication that there was in fact a more direct route that we'd ignored...
Musketeer on the broad, sandy bridle path. I was wondering where all the sand on the paths had been obtained from. We found out later!
The first Glimpse of Candleston Castle:
Candleston castle was built in phases from the 14th to the 17th centuries. The nearer block seems to be the earliest and the block away to the right the most recent.
A group of people seem to have assembled some fallen stones from the castle and had a barbeque here:
And left the evidence here:
A first floor fireplace:
Whittling:
On guard duty:
Inside the 17th century block:
The block to the left seems to be of middling age.
Coming away from the castle we passed a massive sand dune and could not resist the urge to climb it! Looking back down:
The energy of the young:
Candleston Castle from part-way up the sand dune:
Reload!
At last, the sea!
It was actually still about a mile away in the wrong direction and time was getting on so we headed back in the direction I fondly imagined the car lay.
These dunes have been quarried for sand at some point in the past.
After some panicking we eventually found a path that led back to the car and drove back to the camp site for tea.
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