Tuesday 29 December 2015

A post-Christmas walk - Dinefwr castle and park Part 1


X marks the spot.  Badger paths to and from this set entrance, where it looks like they have been doing some after-Christmas housekeeping - it must have been a good party!


Looking across the Whistle Pond, below the wooded bluff which the castle sits atop.  The Pond (or is it Pool?) got its name from when the train line ran nearby, and the train would sound its whistle as it passed the Pond to let the old Ffairfach Station know it was about to arrive.  The new station is about a mile away, on the Heart of Wales line.


It came on to rain steadily when we reached little Llandyfeisant church, so we sheltered in the entrance to the gated porch, and this was our view.  Surprisingly green underfoot for December, due to the warm weather we've had.


Always a Servant, in life and in death . . .


Another, more indistinct.


A simple stone for a recent Baron Dynevor.


A more elaborate stone for daughters of Baron Dynevor.  (The anglicised spelling).


A slightly blurry picture of the Church, due to rain on the lens.  It was briefly a visitor centre and shop in the 1990s but is now locked up and starting to deteriorate (a few slates missing) - which seem to be a repetition of its state in the past (HERE).


Looking back across the parkland.


A fallen giant on the slopes.


Looking back through the trees.


Looking back through the Tree!


The proof how wet Wales is.  This little tree has become completely overwhelmed by algae and moss.


Spring flowers early - Dog's Mercury, left, and the first leaves of the Wild Arum Lily (Lords and Ladies).


Navalwort spreading happily at the base of a tree.


Journey's end - Dinefwr castle, or rather, the ruins of.  Part 2 tomorrow.

7 comments:

  1. My goodness, everything looks cold and wet.
    Loved the Badger X. Did you see any Badgers or where they sleeping.
    The Church looks so sad but I like very much the Baron's Daughter headstone.

    cheers, parsnip and thehamish

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  2. My goodness, everything looks cold and wet.
    Loved the Badger X. Did you see any Badgers or where they sleeping.
    The Church looks so sad but I like very much the Baron's Daughter headstone.

    cheers, parsnip and thehamish

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  3. parsnip - well, cold and wet = winter here!! We have had storm after storm - since they started naming them a few weeks back we have progressed to Storm Frank, currently raging at the moment. Badgers are nocturnal, so only signs of their night time activities about. I think that is a lovely Celtic design headstone too.

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  4. Lovely post Christmas walk, the church is decaying beautifully, think it needs some tlc. We have a roaring wind through the trees but thankfully no rain at the moment. Happy New Year to you and your family as well, hope everything goes well in the new year.

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  5. What a lovely post and walk :) Good to see signs of an active badger sett :) Look forward to part 2 and hope the weather isn't too awful for you today.

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  6. A lovely walk through a gorgeous part of the world! Jx

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  7. I never tire of your Towey Valley photos. That must have been a lovely walk, despite all the water!

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