A dry New Year's Day walk

 There was even some sunshine today too.  Unheard of.  Apparently we've just had the greyest December for 60 years.  That's no great surprise!

Tam and I had a busy morning, respectively painting bedrooms.  I've painted all the patchy bits on the wall behind the bed and it looks fine now.  I also had to touch up the bits where ceiling meets wall - a few dabs of blue had gotten on the ceiling, and there was also a little staining where the plasterer had wiped the plater off the ceiling.  I papered another wall yesterday, so just have the wall behind the bed, but need to take the heavy oak "headboard" off the wall first.  I may make a start on the hot pink bedroom and cover the top half in white paint, ready to take another colour (it's likely to be yellow in there).

Tam has made a start on decorating her bedroom, which is going to take a while as she has to put a coat or two of matt white to cover the mushroom satin paint currently making the top half of the room look very dull.  The wall behind her bed will be papered, as will below the dado rail.  She chose a charcoal black wallpaper which has sprigs of Wisteria in the lightest grey which goes well with the blue with a touch of green paint she's using.  I'll take some photos tomorrow.  It's not as gloomy as it sounds.

Then we thought we would try a new walk for a New Year, along the Irfon Road, through the grounds of Caer Beris Manor, which is a Hotel and Restaurant on the outskirts of Builth.    The little wooden men and dogs are made by a chap along Irfon Road, and raise a smile.  The seat was put there by the Builth Wells Young Farmers and if you enlarge it, you will see it says Beth am sgwrs? (Let's talk.)  Shwmae?  (How are you?)   What's occurring?  A problem shared is a problem halved.    Ti'n iawn.  (Are you OK?) Time for a chat.  Sit down with me.

Below is Caer Beris Lodge which is the other side of the road/bridge.

One of a pair of splendid lions atop the pillars at the entrance to the Hotel.

The river Irfon, which loops around the site and offered good defence in the past.

The hotel, which I believe dates from 1896.

This was the swinging bridge over the river.  A sign bade no more than two people to cross the bridge at the same time.  Indeed, it was quite swingy!!  I don't know how people bring themselves to cross those huge ones high above a river gorge in South America or similar.  This was bad enough.

Lovely grounds too.  I am looking forward to doing this walk regularly - it's about a 2 1/2 mile circuit.

Caer Beris Castle (Llanganten Castle as it was also known) was the first castle raised in the Builth area by a Marcher Lord.  Philip de Braose had a motte and bailey built in c. 1093, the castle being timber.  It was set on cliffs and surrounded on three sides by a loop of the River Irfon, so had wonderful natural defences.  The Irfon feeds into the Wye about 1/4 mile away and it was the crossing point of the Wye which de Braose wished to control and benefit from taxing those using the river crossing at Builth.  

The castle remained in use for about 70 years, but then the ownership fell into dispute as its ownership was  disputed by the Church around 1098-1102, but Philip de Braose chose to hang on to the site and was still in de Braose hands when the Lord Rhys (of Dinefwr) attacked it in 1168.  It was never rebuilt and the seat of power subsequently became Builth Castle, built (but never completely finished) at the behest of Edward I.  HERE'S the page for it.