Last Friday we had the best day of the week, weatherwise, and drove down into Pembrokeshire for some sea air. We went to one of our favourite places, Manorbier Castle, which is in a little sandy cove.
The gatehouse, with its battlements and portcullis for defence.
Inside the walls, the inner ward is now just lawns and gardens. Little remains to remind you this was once a busy area with kitchens, ovens, storerooms, forges, stabling and other ancillary buildings.
This is now a holiday cottage. What a wonderful place to stay! At a price though (it sleeps 12).
Remains of the Great Hall. What a fabulous fireplace.
This was the hearth from the main kitchens in the 15th/16th centuries.
There were some lovely herbaceous borders here. We had lunch, all home-made food, and it was a peaceful spot to sit and enjoy the sunshine. HERE'S the link to the history of the castle. I am feeling a little brain-weary now, so I will let the link do the work for me!
Then it was down to the beach . . .
Dead spider crabs in a shallow rock pool. Judging by their shells, they must have been a good age.
A paddle was essential . . .
Neolithic burial chamber on the coast path overlooking the bay.
We saw several of these large caterpillars along the path. Can anyone ID this for me? Icould only think Hawkmoth because of its size.
The Thrift was so pretty.
Sorry to be so sparing on the words, but my brain is now in sleep mode and I shall away to my bed.
Hope you fell asleep after weaving us a lovely blog post with the castle in it.
ReplyDeleteI'm up in the middle of he night too, BB. Pain in my hips drives me vertical, out of the tangle of warm blankets into the rocking chair by the heater, to the columns and posts of others who also write to clear their heads...
ReplyDeleteThank you for this tour of the town, the size of the hearth from 500 years ago stuns me, altho with further thought it'd have to be sizable to feed the manor and the help too. I've learned a lot watching Downton Abbey !~! The fields of flowers make for peaceful brain waves and comforting ideas; thanks for sharing.
What a beautiful place, so atmospheric. Hope your sleep patterns settle soon.
ReplyDeleteHope you were finally able rest. Thanks for the lovely photos of Manorbier Castle. My sisters live in Pembrokeshire and I have visited the castle often on my visits from the States. Looking out toward the beach, you can imagine the sentries patrolling the ramparts waiting for enemies attacking from the sea. The gardens in the Summertime are lovely. A walk along the Coastal Path is a soul restoring end to lovely afternoon.
ReplyDeleteTerra - my eyes were shutting as I was loading those last couple of photos!
ReplyDeleteLynda - so sorry to hear that the hip pain is keeping you awake. The castle is a lovely spot, and Gerald of Wales grew up/lived there. He thought it was heavenly too.
CT - It's very peaceful there now, but I should imagine had its moments in the past! I hope I sleep better tonight. I had one less steroid today anyway.
Shadypq - How lovely that you know Manorbier. It has such a wonderful position, and as you say, you can imagine it when it was forced into a defensive position. I agree with you about walking the coastal path - it was magic that day.
What a beautiful place BB. It is interesting the way that hearths and chimneys often survive so well, even in ancient buildings. As the hub of the castle kitchens and living spaces, those fireplaces will have witnessed so much history!
ReplyDeleteIt`s good to know that you did manage some more sleep after some blogging "homework". I hope you dreamed of the sea and the sand on that lovely beach :-)