After another morning play session it’s time to explore the English-Welsh border region and its castles. It’s a nice drive through the hilly landscape. Our first stop is a bit older, a neolithic stone circle on top of a hill with great views of the surrounding area.
We take turns to walk to the site as the children are sleeping in the car. We continue to our first border castle at the hill town of Montgomery. We go to a grocery store for lunch, but it’s difficult to get anything healthy as most towns don’t have a bakery and only have a gas station like store with snacks and sodas.
As we climb further up the steep hill we pass a sign for emergency road works. Just as we reach the castle there are workers everywhere and we pass the parking space on the one way road. As we saw the ruins as we approached the town we decide to skip it.
Now we are in Wales as we cross the Severn and park on the bottom of the hill at Dolforwyn Castle. It’s a steep climb on foot and we’re glad that it’s only 20 degrees. Dolforwyn Castle was built as a reaction to Montgomery castle from where we just came. The Norman marsher lords put up castles along the border with Wales which responded in kind. When war broke out under Edward I, this castle was besieged and fell due to lack of fresh water.
It’s just a short drive north to Powis castle, a border castle built a Welsh ally of the English king who was rewarded after the English conquest of Wales in the 1280s. The castle design stems from the 1300s but was improved upon throughout the ages. The interior is described as the most beautiful in Wales and we have to agree. The ceilings in most rooms have beautiful stucco work, the walls of the staircase are decorated with huge frescos and the rooms are filled with furniture and art from the period.
But not only the castle is beautiful, the garden is also deemed to be the most beautiful castle garden in England and Wales. It has the only surviving baroque garden and its terraces are filled with blooming flowers. The bottom has a big English landscape garden and a formal garden. The children play on the grass and we enjoy some peace and quiet on a bench.
Back in the holiday park we enjoy our afternoon with books, horses, steps and a play area.
