I have finally managed to upload the photos from 2 weeks ago to Flickr. The weather wasn't good, so the pictures needed a bit of tweaking to bring out the detail.

The trip to Llangollen to visit Castell Dinas Bran (Dinas Bran Castle, sometimes translated as "Crow Castle" or "Crow City") was partly for research for the short story I'm writing for the next assignment on the creative writing course and partly because it's one of those places I've driven past for years saying, "I must go and look at that one day." As you approach Llangollen, you can see it perched up on the hill overlooking the town. But it's a fair walk from the centre of Llangollen to the castle and mostly I'm not going to Llangollen anyway, just passing through en route to somewhere else.

For those interested in Arthurian legends, Castell Dinas Bran seems to be the main contender for the site of the Grail castle, the Castle of Corbenic.

Here's a view showing the castle in the distance...



And here's the entrance through a ruined archway.



( More photos here... )
There really isn't much of the castle left standing, unlike the major Welsh castles like Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Harlech etc. but the location is superb, giving excellent views over the surrounding countryside. Or at least it would have, if the weather had been better!

P.S. If you click through to my Flickr page, there are a few more similar ones.

Tags: castle, castles, photography
Current Mood: accomplished

This is me not taking many pictures. *Sheepish grin*

I was delighted when I heard from green_knight last week saying that she was coming to do some fieldwork in the Ardudwy area. We arranged to meet at Harlech Castle and despite the best efforts of the Welsh weather to put us off, we had an excellent afternoon going round the castle and chatting over a cup of tea and a teacake in the nearby tearooms.

Because the weather was foul in the morning, I decided not to take the Canon camera, though I was of course carrying the little Olympus point-and-shoot (which is waterproof!). What is more, when I started taking pictures, I realised the battery was nearly flat. However, I managed to squeeze a few picture out of it.

Harlech Castle keep It was a very grey and damp day, so the photos are not spectacular.

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Harlech Castle -- the classic view I need to come back and try another shot of this classic view taken from the vantage point identified by green_knight. I need a) better weather b) more interesting light c) the other camera.

Oh, there were also lots of droll signs around the castle warning you not to fall off the battlements or bang your head on the low passageways. I've made a few icons out of them, but hopefully I won't need to use them often because they're not suitable for happy posts.

Tags: castles