HARLECH

 What can I say about the magnificent spectacle that is Harlech Castle. It can be seen for miles, and the view from the castle is equally magnificent, looking out as it does, over both the sea and land towards the mountains of Snowdonia. The name Harlech has been translated as 'high rock', a name which is oh so apt.

Harlech is inseparably linked in Welsh myth with the tragic heroine of Branwen, the daughter of Llyr, of the Mabinogion. Even after seven centuries, it remains a testament to a military architect of genius, Master James of St. George.  

Harlech was begun during King Edward I's second campaign in north Wales. Following the fall of the Welsh stronghold of Castell y Bere, King Edward's forces arrived at Harlech in April, 1283, and building work began almost immediately. Over the next six years an army of masons, quarriers, laborers and other craftsmen were busily engaged in construction. In 1286, with the work at its height, nearly 950 men were employed under the superintendence of Master James. 

The Welsh weren't about to roll over though. At the start of the 15th. century, Owain Glyndwr became the leader of a renewed fight against the hated English overlords, and in 1404, Harlech fell to Glyndwr.

It is an imposing fortress, standing high on a craggy outcrop above the flat land of the shoreline, and with the mountains of Snowdonia in the distance. The sea, at the time it was built, would have been much closer to the hill that the castle is on. The castle's remarkable feature is the defended "Way from the sea," a gated and fortified stairway plunging almost 200 ft down to the foot of the castle rock. Once, this gave access to supplies from the sea, but the tide level has since receded, leaving Harlech somewhat isolated upon its rock. During Madog ap Llywelyn's uprising of 1294-95, this maritime lifeline proved the saviour of the garrison, which was supplied and victualled by ships from Ireland.

In 1409. Harlech fell to the English again, this time led by Henry of Monmouth, styled as the Prince of Wales, and the future King Henry V. The fate of an independent Wales was now sealed. 

(below) the gatehouse, the main entrance from the very convenient car park

That was not the end of the action at Harlech In 1468, it fell to the Yorkist Edward IV during the Wars of the Roses, following a 7 year siege. And during the English Civil War, on 15th. March 1647, it was surrendered by the Royalists to Parliamentary forces. It was the last stronghold to fly the flag for Charles I. Despite all this history, it is still a magnificent edifice. 

(below) the inner facade of the gatehouse

The picture below, is the toilet, or garde-robe' !

The view from the castle over to Snowdonia is exquisite!

This is the 'Two Kings' statue that stands just outside Harlech Castle.

The Mabinogion story of Branwen is a lament over the folly and carnage of war. Branwen, sister of Bendigeidfran, the King of Britain, departed from the court at Harlech to marry the King of Ireland. Their son, the boy King Gwern, was killed in the war which followed.

In the sculpture, the figure of Bendigeidfran, bearing the body of his nephew Gwern, symbolises the sorrowful burden that love can be.

A little advice - if you intend to visit the castle, don't attempt to walk up the Twtil from the flat plain below. We struggled to get a motorcycle up it, let alone walk. Go past the castle and take the road into the town. There's a car park right next to the castle entrance, and this will leave you with plenty of energy left to explore!