Wales

Set on the coast of North Wales is this medieval fortification of Harlech castle in its broody glory fronting the old town. One of King Edwards line of fortifications here in Wales. Constructed between 1282-1289 now an empty ruin that is a joy to explore. It is amazing that the sea seen about 2km in the distance here once lapped the base of the rock that castle sits upon.

A very long view of this famous castle with its hinterland of Snowdonia mountains.

I think this is' Russell', (Hunslet 901 built in 1906. A 2-6-2T.

She thinks we cannot see her, surrounded by ferns and with her camouflage on but..........perhaps its simply her necklace!

A HFF to all from the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in Wales. A big fence needed here to stop walkers from falling down this great height. Note, there is only a fence on one side. On the other, there is a 20cm iron lip to stop canal boats going over! The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct at 307m in length, is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in north east Wales. The 30m high, 18-arched stone and cast iron structure, which took ten years to design and build, was completed in 1805. - Another triumph for Telford,

This is actually a weir of 140m in length, designed by Thomas Telford in 1808 to make a lake to feed the nearby Llangollen Canal. In the background we can see the surrounding beautiful countryside that abounds in this part of Wales.

Happy Fence Friday everybody, Sorry this has been posted on Monday but....I'm new to this! This is part of the Chirk castle fence in Wales. Apologies for the big gate too :)

A great place of history to wander around and soak in our heritage and with scenes like this too, how can we be disappointed. Founded in 1201 by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor, this was the last Cistercian monastery to be built in Wales.The abbey is believed to have housed up to about sixty brothers, 20 choir monks and 40 lay-members who would have carried out the day-to-day duties including agricultural work.In 1537, Valle Crucis was dissolved,

One can almost imagine the monks in the year of 1201 having their first meeting in here, Now the chiselled stone has gone green with moss but its still pretty impressive.

Not far from the little railway town of Llnagollen in Wales we have this marvellous old Abbey. More info: cadw.gov.wales/daysout/vallecrucisabbey/?lang=en

This castle was built by ' Roger Mortimer de Chirk' between 1295 and 1310 to guard the Dee and Ceiriog valleys in the days of Edward the First. A castle with real history as five of its owners were executed for treason. Now owned by our National Trust we can walk its grounds for free and gain entry for a small fee. My photo here dose not in fact convey how mighty the walls are at close quarters but it does show its high position and splendid parkland.

There are a couple of tunnels near here, this one being the shorter of the two designed by Thomas Telford: The Whitehouse tunnel, at about 175m long, the building of which commenced in 1802. It is famed for being one of the first canal tunnels in Britain to have a towpath inside.

Looking towards the Offa's Dyke Path along the base of the escarpment called 'Worlds End', near the village of Eglwyseg. This spot is only a few miles from the bustling town of Llangollen.

Back to my roots, so to speak, with pure landscapes. Here we have a rather cloudy view at the top of the escarpment just above the Panorama walk near Llangollen, Wales. From where I am, I can also see the ruins of the old Castell Dinas Bran but that's another story.

A very enjoyable moment here at St Brides in Wales. A rare moment of sun and blue skies in this mid-summer trip.

Taken in the little Welsh bay of Cwmtydu.

At the end of a little road, seemingly in the middle of nowhere is this marvellous little scene and if that was not enough we are treated to the blood-curdling toll of the single bell from the tower every 40 or so seconds. As I sit here, I spy a pleasure boat full of sightseers to go around the island in the hope of seeing the many puffins that give the Island its name. If not they may see the countless other birds or seals

Seen on a walk along the Afon Dwyfor near the Welsh town of Criccieth