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Castle Travelogues

My Adventures in Castle Hunting

by Jeffrey L. Thomas

 


Going through some old files on my computer recently I came across a couple of essays I had written describing our castle adventures in Wales. (I know, there's nothing more boring than reading about someone else's trips and looking at their photos.) My wife and I have visited Wales several times, although unfortunately, not recently. It’s certainly proved to be our favorite place to travel to, primarily because of the beauty of the countryside, the interesting ancient/medieval history and monuments, and because much of my ancestry is Welsh. My Thomas ancestors were coal and iron miners from Brynmawr, in what used to be Breconshire (now Blaenau Gwent).

The essays mention some castle and site history, but focus more on our impressions of the sites we visited, and the areas where we stayed. I have attempted to use whenever possible photographs that were taken on the trip being mentioned. For earlier trips original photos have been scanned and edited, however they are smaller and lack the quality of later digital photographs. In some cases when photographs are of poor quality or missing altogether, I have substituted photos from later trips or guidebook photos. For most of my earlier essays, you will find better quality photographs by clicking on the links leading to the site's individual pages. I have also included a link to a page listing several of our favorite accommodations, and some of the pubs we've enjoyed over the years. Most are still in business. The completed essays range in length from 2,100 to 29,500 words. Of course I realize that the majority (or perhaps all) of what I have written will be of little interest to most people, and that's OK. As always, I welcome your comments.


1992 Trip: Our very first trip to England and Wales; the trip that sparked my obsession with Welsh castles and Welsh history.
1994 Trip: England and Wales. York, Conwy, and a visit to St. David's and surrounds. Castles, cathedrals, and more.
1995 Trip: Stratford-Upon-Avon, Betws-y-Coed, and Wiltshire. Lots of adventures in Wales with a slice of England on either side.
1996 Trip: An all-Wales Trip. The Gower Peninsula, Snowdonia & Anglesey, Llangollen and the Dee Valley.
1998 Trip: A three-week trip to Britain. A little bit of Wales, along with the Lake District, Northumberland (Hadrian's Wall), and Scotland.
Part I: South Wales → Part II: The Lake District → Part III: Northumberland → Part IV: The Highlands Part V: Stirling
1999 Trip: Ten days in Arundel and London just before Christmas. We loved seeing how Christmas is celebrated in England!
2002 Trip: Exploring castles found in Mid-Wales, Shropshire, and South Wales. Several lesser-castle sites visited.
2004 Trip: Adventures in wild western Wales, off the beaten track. Owain Glyn Dwr trail and native Welsh castles were the priority.
2006 Trip: Castles and other ancient sites found in North Wales, followed by genealogy research trips to Brynmawr, and Shipham. 
2009 Trip: An all-Wales trip, visiting northwest Wales, mid-Wales, and the Dee and Ceiriog Valleys. Beautiful countryside and plenty of castles.
Part I: North Wales  Part II: Mid-Wales   Part III: Dee & Ceiriog Valley
2012 Trip: London, Oxford, The Cotswolds, and North & Southeast Wales.
Hotels Descriptions and photos of some the places we've stayed in Britain over the years. Castles, B&Bs, country houses, self-catering, and more.
Pubs Some of the pubs in Wales, England and Scotland my wife and I visited over the years. I'm sure I've forgotten some!

 


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