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Aberystwyth Castle Off New Promenade, Aberystwyth The ruins of Aberystwyth's 13th century coastal castle include the twin-towered Great Gatehouse and several towers. Built on a promontory beside the Rheidol estuary, it was the first castle erected in Wales by Edward I. Aberystwyth grew up around it, and the resort is today the home of a college of the University of Wales, whose older buildings dominate the seafront. The main college houses the Aberystwyth Arts Centre.
Caldey Island Off coast, 3 miles south of Tenby Caldey is a small island with a long religious history. Its abbey is the successor to religious settlements stretching back 1500 years to the earliest Celtic saints. The old priory and St Illtud's Church stand on the site of a 6th century hermit's chapel; the church contains the ancient Caldey Stone, with inscriptions in Latin and Ogham. The monastery was built between 1910 and 1912. Inhabited by Cistercian monks, it is furnished with simplicity and austerity. There are guided tours of the monastery, but for men only. There is a small museum.
Carew Castle On A4075, 4 miles east of Pembroke Gerald de Windsor, Henry I's Constable of Pembroke, founded this castle beside the Carew River around 1100, and his descendants have owned it ever since. A tower built around 1200 is the oldest part of the present castle; subsequent extensions transformed it into a medieval fortress and then into an Elizabethan mansion, with handsome windows. The castle was abandoned around 1690, but is now being restored. Carew Tidal Mill dates from the 19th century and is the only Welsh mill of its kind still intact.
Carreg Cennen Castle Off A483, 3 miles south-east of Llandeilo An English stronghold from 1277, Carreg Cennen was briefly occupied by the Welsh leader Owain Glyndwr during the early 15th century. Later it played a part in the Wars of the Roses, and Yorkists ordered its destruction after taking it in 1462. The demolishers must have been half-hearted in their work, for Carreg Cennen's walls still command wonderful views south-east across the Black Mountain. A passage beneath the foundations leads to a cavern in which have been found the skeletons of prehistoric people.
Dolaucothi Gold Mines On A482, 7 miles south-east of Lampeter Deep in the hills of south-west Wales is the only site in Britain where it is known for certain that the Romans mined for gold. In a wooded hillside jagged bands of rock, hewn by Roman slaves, lie hidden among the foliage, with remnants of an elaborate aqueduct system. Authentic 1930s mining equipment, workshops and trams in full working order show how the mines operated up until the Second World War. Visitors should start at the exhibition centre, then follow the 'Miners' Way'. Guided tours include some of the underground workings.
Graham Sutherland Gallery Off A40, 6 miles east of Haverfordwest The gallery housed within the courtyard of Picton Castle contains a superb collection of works by the artist Graham Sutherland, including large works painted specially for the gallery. Much of Sutherland's work was inspired by the natural beauty of Pembrokeshire. He first worked there in 1934, and throughout his life returned 'to benefit from the clear and transparent light'.
Haverfordwest Castle Museum Off A40, in centre of Haverfordwest The shell of a 12th century Norman castle built to guard the ford over the Western Cleddau river crowns a steep 80ft hill overlooking the ancient town's streets. It was slighted in the Civil War, later becoming the county jail. In 1820 a new jail was built in the Outer Ward; this now houses the Castle Museum, which covers Haverfordwest's great days as a thriving seaport and former county town of Pembrokeshire.
Kidwelly Castle Off A484, in town centre The towering three-storey gatehouse and massive round towers and curtain walls of Kidwelly Castle stand tall and almost complete. The castle was built in the early 12th century on a rocky ridge above the Gwendraeth Fach river, and guarded a ford on the main road westwards. The earliest part of the present fortress - the inner quadrangle - was erected in the 1270s, and a chapel was built out over the river bank in 1300. The outer walls were added soon after to make a concentric 'walls-within-walls' defence.
Manorbier Castle On B4585, 5 miles south-west of Tenby 'In all the broad lands of Wales, Manorbier is the most pleasant place by far.' So said the medieval writer Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales) who was born there in 1146. The castle's mellow limestone ruins crown a steep sandstone spur in a green valley running down to the sea. To Old Tower and hall were later added a vast gatehouse, two towers, the curtain walls and the chapel, which retains some of its painted plaster.
Nant Eos On A4120, 3 miles south-east of Aberystwyth This Georgian mansion completed in 1739 stands in spacious grounds, surrounded by green pastures and low hills. After long neglect, Nant Eos is being restored; it is noted for its magnificent music room, with an Italian marble fireplace and a lovely rococo plaster ceiling.
Pembroke Castle Off B4320, just west of the town Once past the Great Gatehouse of Pembroke Castle, visitors face a large expanse of grass dominated by a massive round tower. This Great Keep, 100ft high, and Norman Hall stand within the inner ward, a defended area at the tip of a promontory jutting into the Pembroke River. The entire castle is contained by well-preserved walls defended by stout towers. There are more fortifications outside, for the town walls were a 13th century extension of the castle defences. The present castle dates mainly form the late 12th and 13th centuries. In 1457 Henry Tudor, who defeated Richard III to become Henry VII, was born in the tower named after him.
St David's Cathedral On A487, in city centre St David's stands on the site of a small monastic community founded in the mid-6th century by Dewi Sant, St David, the missionary-monk who became Wales's patron saint. The present building was begun soon after 1178. Restoration and improvements, especially in the 13th century, produced a magnificent building, predominantly Decorated Gothic in style. The cathedral's neighbour in the walled close is the Bishop's Palace. This is now a shell-like ruin, but in the early 16th century it was a grand and desirable residence.
Scolton Manor Museum On B4329, 5.5 miles north-east of Haverfordwest A well-proportioned late Georgian mansion looks out across a country park. Rooms decorated and furnished in mid-19th century style contain displays relating to costume, photography and medicine and to the house and its owners. In the former stables, the skills of the smith, wheelwright and cobbler are recalled by collections of tools and equipment. In the walled garden an imaginary Pembrokeshire village from bygone times is being created. Displays in the Countryside Centre, which adjoins the manor, provide an introduction to the surrounding country park.
Strata Florida Abbey Off B4343, 14.5 miles south-east of Aberystwyth A boldly decorated Norman archway frames a tranquil scene at this grey ruin, tucked away in the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains. The remains are sufficient to evoke images of the abbey in its medieval heyday, when it was the 'Westminster Abbey of Wales'; several members of Welsh royal houses are buried there. The abbey of Strata Florida - or Ystrad-fflur, 'Plain of Flowers' - was founded for Cistercians in 1164. Despite its remoteness, it suffered in the Welsh wars of the Middle Ages, but its wealth kept it going until the Dissolution.
Tenby Castle Off A478, just south of harbour The remains of Tenby Castle, begun in the 12th century, stand on a headland jutting into Carmarthen Bay. Below, rows of fine Georgian and Regency buildings overlook the harbour. The town walls are the most complete in South Wales, with one gate and six towers surviving. The town's medieval and seafaring past both feature in Tenby Museum on Castle Hill, and seafaring days are also recalled in the Tudor Merchant's House in Quay Hill.
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