| Wales - A Land of Castles and Sheep Wales is an ancient land dotted with castles and blanketed with sheep. Statistics paint the picture-- Wales is home to 12 million sheep, but only 3 million people. If you’re counting, that’s four sheep per person. Much of it remains blissfully rural with narrow lanes and small villages right out of Currier & Ives. Progress comes slowly to her towns and everyone prefers it that way. I imagine it’s like England of one hundred years ago, before tourism left its mark, tranquil and unhurried. Four hundred castles can be found in Wales, in an area about the size of Massachusetts. That is my kind of place. The Northern section of Wales in particular is home to a ring of massive medieval castles built by King Edward I of England. His building efforts, meant to subdue and keep control of the rebellious Welsh, are called the Iron Ring. Stone construction was a wise choice and proved highly durable, as witnessed by the fact they’re still standing over 700 years later. During my 8-day visit I laid eyes on seven castles. The first and my favorite was Conwy. I was heading to the dining room of the Castle Hotel in the city of Conwy still slightly jet-lagged, after a 30-minute nap. Darkness had fallen while I slept. Striding down the hallway, I glanced out the window and was rewarded with an outstanding castle view. Artfully lit up against the night sky, it was much larger than I anticipated. Castle-lover that I am, the view stopped me in my tracks! I even said “wow” out loud, but there was no one to hear. After dinner, I walked down a block, turned the corner and there she was again, a magnificent structure, absolutely magnificent. The eerily-quiet night was an ideal backdrop and a thin mist floated around the top of the towers. It was spooky and enthralling all at once. I could easily transport myself back 500 years and even then this structure was ancient. Whenever I see a sight such as Conwy Castle, I immediately know why I endure long flights with no sleep, rubber airplane food and the stresses of airport security. We have wonderful attractions in the U.S., but none like Conwy Castle. The next day was our official visit inside the castle and it didn’t disappoint, though little is left of the interior. That’s to be expected since many of the inside features would have been constructed of wood. However the view from the upper towers was exceptional. On another day we visited what is perhaps the most famous castle in northern Wales, Caernarfon. Amongst its other claims, Caernarfon Castle was the site of the investiture of Prince Charles in 1968. A small display inside highlights the ceremony when the young son of Queen Elizabeth became Prince of Wales. A round platform of Welsh slate marks the exact spot. We approached from a side road and crested a hill to a breath-stopping view of the castle. It was our driver-guides doing, since as a resident of Caernarfon, she knew just where to take us for maximum, first-look impact. Regardless of how many castles I’ve seen, my first view of Caernarfon still had the power to impress. A bit later, we lunched in a café with the walls in full view and I could hardly concentrate on my cauliflower soup. Adding further intrigue, Caernarfon Castle has the reputation of being haunted. Some have seen the ghost of a figure in a long cloak, wearing a crown and carrying a scepter. I kept my eyes pealed, but unfortunately saw no spirits—too bad, that would have been the icing on the cake. Our time was growing short, so we by passed Harlech Castle, but did see Beaumaris. This castle on the Island of Anglesey is an unfinished masterpiece. As fate would have it, money and supplies ran out before the fortifications reached their full height. On the day of our visit the moat at Beaumaris was being drained. Workmen in coveralls and heavy equipment presented an odd contrast to the medieval building. I was curious about what might be found among the mud and debris. Sticky mud or moat, it is nonetheless an awesome sight, regarded by many as the finest of all the great Edwardian castles in Wales. Begun in 1295, Beaumaris was also the last. The king's military architect, the brilliant James of St. George, brought all his experience and inspiration to bear when building this castle. In pure architectural terms Beaumaris has few equals. The concentric “walls within walls” design, involving no less than four successive lines of fortifications, was state of the art for the late 13th century. If you’re planning a journey to the UK, be sure to put Wales on your “must-visit” list. For travel to north Wales, Manchester Airport is a good starting and ending point. BMI has flights with reasonable rates from Chicago to Manchester. Find them at www.flybmi.com. For general information on Wales click on www.visitwales.com. Kathryn Lemmon is a freelance travel writer, world traveler, and regular contributor to The Traveler.
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