Twenty Ten Ryder Cup Bridge

Twenty Ten Bridge

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Wales has a rich history of interesting bridges, Whilst we are here, here are a few of the best bridges in Wales.

Menai Suspension Bridge

Menai Suspension Bridge

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The Menai Suspension Bridge connects the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. It was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, and it is one of the first modern suspension bridges in the world.

The design of the bridge had to allow for Royal Navy sailing ships 100 feet (30 m) tall to pass under the deck at high water slack tide.

Construction of the bridge began in 1819 with the towers on either side of the strait. These were constructed from Penmon limestone and were hollow with internal cross-walls. Then came the sixteen huge chain cables, each made of 935 iron bars that support the 176-metre (577 ft) span. To avoid rusting, each cable was first soaked in linseed oil. The bridge was opened on 30 January 1826, and reduced the journey time from London to Holyhead from 36 to 27 hours, a saving of 9 hours.

In 1893, the entire wooden surface was replaced with a steel deck, but it was not until 1938 that the original wrought iron chains had to be replaced with steel ones. The bridge recieved its first major re-painting in 2005, after 65 years of constant exposure to the elements.

On 28 February 2005 the bridge was promoted to UNESCO as a candidate World Heritage Site.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menai_Suspension_Bridge

Britannia Bridge

Britannia Bridge

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The Britannia Bridge also crosses the Menai Strait, and connects the island of Anglesey with mainland Wales. This was originally a tubular bridge of wrought iron rectangular box-section spans, but is now a two-tier steel truss arch bridge.

After the opening of the Menai Suspension Bridge in 1826, the increasing popularity of rail travel necessitated a second bridge to provide a direct rail link between London and the port of Holyhead. The bridge was designed by Robert Stephenson, son of the locomotive pioneer George Stephenson. He faced the challenge of building a bridge rigid and strong enough to carry a heavy train of many carriages. This was done by making the bridge out of two long iron tubes, rectangular in shape, through which the trains would travel.

Stephenson constructed a bridge with two main spans of 460-feet (140-m) long rectangular iron tubes, each weighing 1,500 long tons (1,700 short tons) , supported by masonry piers, the centre one of which was built on the Britannia Rock. Two additional spans of 230-feet (70-m) length completed the bridge making a 1,511-feet (461-m) long continuous girder. The trains were to run inside the tubes. Up until then the longest wrought iron span had been 31 feet 6 inches (9.6 m).

Four magnificent limestone lions were carved by John Thomas, who had also done stone carving for the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace in London. The lions are almost 4 metres high and guard the entrances to the bridge. The Britannian Bridge was opened on 5 March 1850.

However, the present day bridge has a much different appearance than the original. After a disastrous fire in 1970, the bridge needed to be redesigned and reconstructed. It was proposed that the Britannia Bridge be rebuilt as a two level bridge carrying both trains and road traffic. The new bridge was re-opened in 1980, with the main span now supported by arches.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britannia_Bridge

http://www.anglesey-history.co.uk/places/bridges/

Bridges in Conway

River Conwy Bridges

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There are 3 bridges in Conway, North Wales – the modern road bridge, the Suspension Bridge, and the Conway Railway Bridge.

The Conway Suspension Bridge

Conway Suspension Bridge

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The Conwy Suspension Bridge, was one of the first suspension bridges in the world. It was designed and built by Thomas Telford in 1826 as part of his improvements to the Bangor-Chester road. This bridge became a vital link between East and West, allowing a much quicker and safer passage across the Conwy estuary, and easier access to the ferry across the Irish Sea.

The bridge is situated next to the 13th century Conwy Castle, one of the most impressive of Welsh castles, and a World Heritage Site. Telford cleverly designed the supporting towers to match the Castle turrets. Unfortunately, part of the castle had to be demolished during construction in order for the suspension cables to be anchored into the rock.

Today, the bridge is in the care of the National Trust and at just 2.5 metres wide, is only passable on foot.

photo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Telford%27s_Bridge,_Conwy.jpg

The Conway Railway Bridge

Conwy Railway Bridge

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The wrought iron tubular bridge carries the North Wales coast railway line across the River Conway between Llandudno Junction and the town of Conway. It was built by Robert Stephenson to a design by William Fairbairn, and was officially opened in 1849.

This was the first tubular bridge to be built, and consisted of a tube made of wrought-iron plates, riveted together, and strengthened by irons. Additional strength was provided by a series of cells formed at the bottom and top of the tube, between an inner ceiling and floor and the exterior plates. The space between the sides of the tube is 14 feet, while the height  is 22 feet at the ends and 25 feet  at the centre. The total length of the tube is 412 feet. One end of the tube is fixed to the masonry of the pier, but the other is arranged to allow for the expansion of the metal by changes of the temperature of the atmosphere, and rests upon eleven rollers of iron, running upon a bed-plate.

The current bridge has been reinforced by extra columns under the bridge into the river, but is otherwise virtually unchanged since it was built. It is still in main-line use with a station within the town walls.

Since the destruction of the original Britannia Bridge in 1970, Conwy railway bridge remains the only surviving example of this means of construction undertaken by Stephenson.

The Modern Road Bridge

In addition to a modern bridge serving the town, the A55 road goes under the river by tunnel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conwy_Suspension_Bridge

https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northwest/sites/conwy/pages/telford.shtml

Waterloo Bridge

Waterloo Bridge

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Thomas Telford, built his first bridge in Wales over the River Conwy at Betws-y-Coed. This is the single-arch Iron Bridge known as the Waterloo Bridge constructed in the same year as the battle, in 1815. The bridge was part of Telford’s scheme to link Shrewsbury to Holyhead by a road now known as the A5.

The Bridge bears the cast iron inscription, “This arch was constructed in the same year the battle of Waterloo was fought”. The spandrels above are decorated with rose, thistle, shamrock and leek, representing the Act of Union. They were modelled in relief by William Hazledine. The single span of 32m consists of five cast-iron arched girders at 1.5m centres supporting cast-iron deck plates.

In 1923, the bridge was strengthened by concreting the inner three ribs and adding a 18cm reinforced concrete deck. This was cantilevered to provide new footways and allow the roadway to be widened. In 1978, a new 250mm reinforced concrete deck was added and the original cast-iron parapet fence, visible from outside, was protected by an additional fence inside. The masonry abutments were strengthened on both occasions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterloo_Bridge,_Betws-y-Coed

http://transportheritage.com

Barmouth Bridge

Barmouth Bridge

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The Barmouth Bridge is a single-track railway viaduct that crosses the estuary of the Afon Mawddach river on the coast of Cardigan Bay between Morfa Mawddach and Barmouth in Gwynedd, Wales. A footbridge is incorporated on the landward side and pedestrians can walk by the side of the track across the river. The viaduct carries the Cambrian Railway Line, which runs from Shrewsbury in England to Pwllheli in Wales.

The bridge was opened in 1867, and was originally constructed entirely of wood. It included a lifting drawbridge section to permit the passage of tall ships, but this section was rebuilt in 1901 as a swing bridge with two steel spans.

In 1980, an attack by the toredo marine worm led to serious doubts concerning the safety of the ageing wooden structure under the weight of modern locomotives. This resulted in a ban on locomotive-hauled trains and brought the immediate cessation of the freight traffic north of Tywyn, including explosives traffic to and from the factory at Penrhyndeudraeth.

Following major repairs the weight restriction was relaxed in 2005, and locomotive-hauled trains have again been allowed to cross.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barmouth_Bridge

http://transportheritage.com

The Transporter Bridge

Transporter Bridge, Newport

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The Newport Transporter Bridge spans the River Usk and is a Grade 1 Listed Structure. Its historic importance stems from its very unusual design. There are only two others like it in the UK and seven in the World. It was designed by the French architect, Ferdinand Arnodin, and opened in 1906.

The height of the towers is 242 feet (74 m) and the height of the horizontal beam above the road is 177 feet (54 m). The transporter platform, or gondola,  travels the 645 feet (196.6 m) between the towers at ten feet (three metres) per second, powered from the engine room.

The bridge was shut down in 1985 because of wear, and reopened in 1995 following a £3 million refurbishment. It operated until late 2007 before service was indefinitely suspended. Funding has been approved by the Welsh Assembly for another refurbishment, and the bridge is anticipated to be open again by summer 2010.

The 1959 film “Tiger Bay” was filmed partly on the Bridge.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_Transporter_Bridge

http://www.fontb.org.uk/

Newport City Footbridge

Newport City Footbridge

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The new £5 million Newport City Footbridge was officially opened on 12^th September 2006 – the first project to be delivered as part of Newport’s multi-million pound regeneration programme. The Newport City Footbridge plays a critical part in the city’s accessibility strategy, linking the east and west banks of the River Usk and allowing people to travel quickly and safely between the two. The bridge is located between two older road bridges, approximately 1km apart, immediately to the east of the commercial centre of Newport and is surrounded by future development sites. It takes the number of city centre bridges in Newport to five.

The bridge features four crane-like masts, standing in pairs, which support the bridge from the west bank. The masts are positioned and anchored at ground level by two 120mm diameter cables. The forward mast is 80 metres long (262 feet) and the back mast is 69 metres long (226 feet). Because of the angle at which the masts are positioned, the bridge stands at 70m (229ft) above ground. The deck is five metres wide (16 ft) and 4.1 metres (13.5ft) above water at mean tide. The bridge has a clear span of 145m (476 ft).

http://www.newport.gov.uk/_dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=redevelopment.uskfootbridge

https://www.steelconstruction.org/resources/design-awards/2007/award/newport-city-footbridge-newport.html

Neath River Swing Bridge

Neath River Swing Bridge

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The River Neath Swing Bridge was opened in 1892, and was originally part of the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway. Much of the route is now closed, but the section incorporating the Neath crossing now forms part of a goods traffic route.

The bridge has three steel approach spans on the west side and two on the east. They are of plate girder construction and of through type, and supported on a series of piers. Each pier consists of a pair of cylindrical columns, either of wrought iron or steel plate, which are connected by horizontal and cross bracing. The total length of the bridge is 388ft (118 m).

The 180-foot-long opening span (55 m) is pivoted centrally on a pier consisting of six cylindrical columns placed in a ring. They are capped by a large cylindrical drum containing the supporting rails and the operating mechanism. The swinging span is 27 ft wide (8.2 m).

On 19 March 1985, it was decided to cease operating the swing-bridge over the River Neath. But despite the bridge welded shut to permanently lock it, the section incorporating the Neath crossing still exists, now forming part of a diversionary goods and passenger traffic route over the Swansea District Line. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Swingbridge_over_the_River_Neath

Celtic Gateway Bridge

Celtic Gateway Bridge

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Holyhead is one of Britain’s busiest ferry ports, and is located on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales. The Celtic Gateway Bridge was opened in October 2006, and is a dramatic structure linking the centre of the town of Holyhead with the inner harbour ferry terminal and railway station. The dominating feature of the bridge is its two tubular, load-bearing arches, which first curve over the deck and then swerve upward over a ramp section, joining to form a pointed end. This futuristic stainless steel structure was fabricated in Italy by Cimolai.

http://www.outokumpu.com/pages/Page____35770.aspx

The Bridges at Pontypridd

Old & New Bridges, Pontypridd

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The Old Bridge

In 1746, when William Edwards was just 27 years of age, he was commissioned to build a three-arch bridge across the River Taff. For this he was paid the sum of £500, on condition that he would maintain it for seven years. The bridge was finally completed in1750, but was so long (45 m/140 ft span) that it took three attempts to get it right.

• The first, a wooden bridge was washed away by floods.

• The second, of stone, collapsed during construction because of its weight.

• The third design, also stone succeeded because it included three cylindrical voids (holes) of 2.7 m (9 ft), 1.7 m (6 ft) and 1.1 m (4 ft) on each side on the bridge. This reduced the weight and pressure on the crown.

When completed, The Old Bridge was the longest single span bridge in Britain and remained the longest bridge for another 40 years. It is still one of the few bridges in the world whose span exceeds the 40m mark. The bridge is still in operation today, however it can only be used by pedestrians. The Old Bridge is now a scheduled monument.

The New Bridge

The problem with the Old Bridge was that it was so steep that it made it very difficult to get horse carts to across it. By 1857, a new bridge, called the Victoria Bridge, was built next to the Old Bridge. The Victoria Bridge is a three-arch bridge, that was built by Thomas Jenkins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Bridge,_Pontypridd

http://www.pontytown.co.uk/history.html

Devils Bridge

Devils Bridge

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Devils Bridge is a village in Ceredigion, Wales. Its main feature is the bridge of the same name which spans the Mynach, a tributary of the Rheidol. It consists of three bridges built above each other. The most recently built was an iron bridge in 1901 which was built over a stone bridge constructed in 1753 when the original bridge was thought to be unstable, using the original bridge built (1075 – 1200) to support the scaffolding.

Legend says that the bridge was built by the Devil as it was too difficult for mortal people to build. The Devil built the bridge in return for the soul of the first life to cross the bridge, but the Devil was tricked by an old woman who threw bread onto the bridge and her dog followed, thus becoming the first life to cross the new bridge.

The dramatic view from the three Bridges, the chasm, is known as the Devil’s punchbowl or cauldron.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Bridge,_Ceredigion

http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/Towns_in_Wales/Devils_Bridge_Town.htm

Pont y Pair Bridge

Pont y Pair Bridge

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Betws-y-Coed is a village in the Conway valley that lies in the Snowdonia National Park. Built in 1468, Pont y Pair, the “Bridge of the Cauldron” is a landmark in the village, and also the site of a 53 hole rock cannon.

http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/Towns_in_Wales/Betws_y_Coed_Town.htm

Packhorse Bridge

Packhorse Bridge, River Conway

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Packhorse Bridge, is an Old Roman Bridge that crosses the River Machno to the north of the village of Penmachno in Conwy County.

http://www.pictures.walesdirectory.co.uk/pictures.php?id=1359

Two Bridges at the Ogwen River

Two Bridges at the Ogwen River

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These two bridges (the old packhorse bridge is underneath) cross over the River Ogwen in north-west Wales. The water flowing under these bridges originated from some of the greatest peaks in Snowdonia, before being discharging to the sea on the eastern side of Bangor, Gwynedd.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afon_Ogwen

£2 Million Golf Bridge built for Ryder Cup is a post from: Visit Wales Activity Holidays

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The fires of Eyjafjallajokull are not required to make this delicious foodstuff. Lava bread (sometimes referred to as Laver Bread or Bara Lawr in Welsh) is a seaweed (Porphyry Umilicalis) that’s boiled for several hours until it’s a gelatinous paste that is then rolled in oatmeal and fried. The best laver is said to come from the Gower Peninsula and it’s always been a traditional part of the Welsh diet and is still eaten widely across Wales.

It’s especially delicious when fried in bacon fat, served up with bacon and cockles for breakfast. Swansea market has several stalls selling Lava bread and cockles exclusively from the Gower Peninsula although there are many small producers of Gower Laver bread throughout Wales. Today, most commercial Lava bread is made from seaweed harvested in Western Scotland. Lava bread is a genuine Superfood too thanks to its high levels of protein, iron, and iodine. It also contains generous helpings of vitamins B2, A, D and C.

Iceland’s anti-aircraft, glacier covered caldera is not the only vaguely volcanic association Lava bread has. Historians think Lava bread (or something very much like it) may well have been on the menu in a Pompeii snack bar destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The Thermopolium in question was once owned by Vetutius Placidus and did a roaring trade before it was buried under 60 feet of ash and pumice. The last patrons who stood at the L-shaped counter of Pompeii’s best-known eatery would have enjoyed some form of seaweed concoction followed by the house speciality of baked cheese smothered in honey. After an unforeseen break in business of 1,921 years, this holiday hotspot of ancient Rome’s in-crowd has recently re-opened for business.

You don’t have to indulge in an activity holiday abroad to get a taste of what well heeled Pompeii citizens may have eaten. Pictures of Lava bread may not seem to be that appetising, but they really don’t do this Welsh delicacy justice. And if you don’t feel that gastronomy is a good enough reason to try this stuff, then consider its many potential health benefits.

Margaret Yvonne is a valley girl who authored an eBook “Eczema – Dermatitis – Hives DIY Remedy”. Her eczema condition was so severe she could not follow a career or regular employment nor afford the over the counter charges for creams and skincare products that didn’t seem to work anyway. Using her own experience, she developed a natural skincare regime to treat eczema and hives (urticaria) that was as effective (but didn’t have the same side effects) of strong topical cortisteroidal ointments, prednisone and anthistamine. Lava bread is a very important ingredient in many of those remedies that seemed to have worked extremely well for her at least!

Read more about her treatment regimes at http://welshvillagehealth.wordpress.com

Lava Bread is Hot Stuff! is a post from: Visit Wales Activity Holidays

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Depends on how you define an activity holiday of course: hard aggressive physical activity, leisurely strolling or simply doing something that inspires and relaxes. Let’s take the ultimate budget route and break it down into where to stay on a shoestring and what to do for pennies.

Where to Stay

You won’t get much cheaper than taking your accommodation with you on your back, on your bike or in your car. If you think about it, camping is the oldest way of staying anywhere unless you can find a convenient cave. Camping puts you in touch with some primitive collective racial memory form nomadic hunter gathers (at least I think that what the bloke in the pub next to the campsite said). Even in a commercial campsite (and there are hundreds of excellent ones throughout Wales) you are much closer to nature. You’re not removed from the elements (although that’s not always a good thing!) and come straight out of the tent to walk on grass, to cook in the open air and feel the weather. At times, the camping experience can be almost spiritual, especially if the sky’s clear and thousands of stars are on view. Camping is also good fun for families, taking the kids away from the TV, PC and video games and getting them out of the house. Holidaying in a tent makes them aware of the countryside and builds a lifelong love of animals and nature. Camping also offers the chance to explore places you might not otherwise consider.

What to Do

Seaside: if you want a trip to the seaside to have some action in it for not a lot, then you can don a wetsuit, lifejacket, helmet and trainers clamber up rock faces, ride waves and traverse stretches of shoreline throughout Wales. Learning to surf or just bodyboard is not too expensive either, or just go to the beach for a lazy day of traditional British seaside fun. If you’ve got the gear, then Wales is an excellent spot for fishing or spend a little more money and indulge in SCUBA diving or snorkelling.

Bikes: enjoy a stunning selection of mountains, meadows and moorland to power through. Tracks range from gentle road routes to off-road pathways, forests challenges and can be as gentle of as gruelling as you like. One of the most popular Welsh cycling trails is he Celtic Trail that runs from the Old Severn Bridge at Chepstow to Pembrokeshire National Park. It takes in country lanes, towpaths and disused railway lines. There are a few hills to contend with but on the whole it’s suitable for anyone. There’s a high-level route that climbs to heights of over 600 metres from Pontypridd for mountain bikers. From Bridgend the trail goes on to Swansea Bay and the ruggedly beautiful Gower peninsula, the Millennium Coastal Path in Carmarthenshire, then on up to Fishguard in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

Walking: it costs nothing to use Shanks Pony. There are hundreds of publications on walking in Wales, ranging from books to booklets and leaflets. There are even walking tour operators who offer excursions from strolls to tough week-long hikes. Wales has 10 long-distance trails and dozens of shorter waymarked ways. Sound hiking boots, your tent, waterproofs and an innate spirit of adventure are all you need to supply.

Here are just some of the spectacular walking activity holidays that Wales has to offer.
Snowdon: At 3,559 feet, Mount Snowdon is Wales’s highest summit and you can tackle it via any one of six main climbing routes. The Watkin Path is the longest, the Miners’ Track and Pyg Track are spectacular and the path beside the Snowdon Mountain Railway is the easiest. You can always let the train take the strain of course, but that would cost you money!

Glamorgan Heritage Coast: the Glamorgan Heritage Coast stretches about 14 miles from West Aberthaw to Ogmore-by-Sea. This is a carefully preserved piece of coastline with no roads and no development. The footpath that runs from end to end, along the cliffs and sandy sand beaches meanders through a genuinely unspoiled landscape.
Black Mountains: Offa’s Dyke National Trail forms the boundary between England and Wales as it runs through the heart of the Black Mountains with breathtaking views over the long ridges and the deep valleys that divide them. If you’re not too keen on steep slopes then there’s a route from the ruins of Llanthony Abbey to the chapel at Capel-y-ffin and back which will be more to your taste.

Brecon Beacons: the Brecon Beacons National Park is a paradise for walkers. You can aim to conquer the four major peaks of Fan y Big, Corn Du, Cribyn and the 2,906-ft Pen y Fan in a day or follow the dozens of less challenging footpaths.

Gower Peninsula: the gorgeous Gower peninsula offers superb walking. The route from Oxwich to Port-Eynon offers huge beaches and majestic cliffs or follow the Gower Way long distance path.
Pembrokeshire Coast Path: any walk along the 186-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail could be described as one of Wales’s finest coastal paths. A favoured route for many is heading out from Solva, walking north around rugged St Davids Head to Broad Haven and Marloes.

Dolgellau: there are many excellent walks around Dolgellau, such as the 10-mile Mawddach Trail down the broad Mawddach estuary to the sea or if you’re feeling less energetic take the four -mile stroll from Fairborn to Barmouth across the estuary mouth via the Barmouth Bridge railway viaduct and come back by train! If you’re up for it, tackle all 2,930 feet of Cadair Idris, one of Wales’s most rewarding mountain climbs. They say if you fall asleep on the summit you’ll wake up either as a poet or a madman.

Berwyn Hills: a range of rolling hills where walkers can roam for miles. A spectacular short walk is around Pistyll Rhaeadr, Wales’s highest waterfall at 240 feet, or you can walk from Llangollen by Valle Crucis Abbey up the Eglwyseg River to World’s End, returning by the breathtaking cliffs of Creigiau Eglwyseg and the hilltop ruin of Castell Dinas Bran.

Glyndwr’s Way: probably one of the best ways to explore central Wales on foot, the 132-mile Glyndwr’s Way offers a 15 mile walk from Dylife across moors and valleys to Machynlleth to the west, or a 16 mile hike from the Llyn Clywedog reservoir and neighbouring forests to Llanidloes to the east.

Llyn Peninsula: though the Llyn Peninsula doesn’t actually have a complete coastal path, this rugged, starkly beautiful promontory at the tip of northwest Wales has many glorious walks

Welsh Activity Holidays On A Budget is a post from: Visit Wales Activity Holidays

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Wild Cep or Porcini mushroom

If you fancy an enjoyable activity holiday where you can be a really “fun guy”, Wales is the ideal spot for wild mushroom picking. The Welsh climate and large areas of undisturbed countryside, woodlands and forests is perfect for wild mushrooms. You can even go on organised ‘mushroom gathering breaks’ which are a good idea, although at the very least get yourself a book to identify mushrooms that are edible and the ones to be avoided at all costs! On no account just go off on your own and pick what you “think” is edible!

50-odd edible species can be found throughout Wales, although given the variety of landscapes you’ll find it’s possible to discover as many as 20 different edible species in one short walk. The cep or porcini is quite common during the autumn around beech and oak trees. Chanterelles are also quite common in Wales (although not as prevalent as they are in Scotland) and are best found near birch, chestnut and hazel trees. These orangey –tan coloured mushrooms are pretty distinctive and smell very faintly of apricots. But if you spot an orange coloured mushroom on a rotting tree root, leave it alone! It’s a ‘false chanterelle’ and highly poisonous!

Most of the edible mushrooms you’ll see can also be found throughout the UK, but there is one very special mushroom uniquely native to Wales, usually in grassland that’s been returned to the wild and not been treated with pesticides or lawn fertiliser. The meadow wax cap is edible and appears in spring. It’s easy to spot, being very large with a creamy white underside.

Meadow wax cap mushroom

Once you’ve correctly identified the ones you can eat and picked them, what to do with them? Many are delicious if they are cooked immediately in a variety of tempting Welsh recipes and most can be preserved. Mycophagy experts claim that some, such as porcini, taste better after being dried and preserved. Just how you want to appreciate he gastronomic qualities of wild Welsh mushrooms is very much up to individual taste.
Never eaten wild mushroom, nettles, or chickweed? You can get brilliant insight into identifying and using some of Wales’s edible wild plants at this very informative website.

Mushroom Hunting In Wales is a post from: Visit Wales Activity Holidays

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Penrhyn Castle - Hidden Treasures

Blaenau Ffestiniog Guarded The National Treasures

Immediately prior to World war II Winston Churchill was determined protect the nation’s artworks and paintings but keep them all in the country. When France fell in June 1940 there was strong pressure from many quarters for the National Gallery Collection to be evacuated by sea to Canada. Given the number of ships being torpedoed in the Atlantic, that wasn’t the greatest of ideas and Churchill firmly rejected it saying: “hide them in caves and cellars if you must, but not one picture shall leave this island.”

Top secret operation

So it was on 23rd August 1939 that a highly secret evacuation plan for the contents of the National Gallery swung into operation. Vans drove through the streets of London in the middle of the night towards goods stations where crates were transferred to trains. The day before war was declared, about 1,800 works of art had already left London, most of them heading for a secure home in Wales.

Safe from bombardment

National Gallery artworks had been hidden from Zeppelin raids in the Aldwych tunnel of the London Underground during the First World War, but it was recognised that more secure arrangements would be needed in light of the Luftwaffe bombardments to come. Initially, owners of stately homes to the north-west and west of London were asked if they wouldn’t mind awfully storing the paintings in an emergency, but after the extent and impact of the German Blitzkrieg became apparent, plans were re-thought and the paintings were evacuated farther afield to Wales where they would be well out of harm’s way.

Country houses and similar buildings were still considered to be the most appropriate setting, and several such places in Wales were surveyed. Properties would need accommodation for guards, doorways would have to be high enough to accommodate the largest paintings and the rooms needed to be fireproof with the right level of humidity. One house that did meet all those requirements was Penrhyn Castle, near Bangor. In late August 1939, the majority of the National Gallery’s paintings were taken by train and van to Bangor, Aberystwyth and Penrhyn Castle. Others were stored in Caernarvon Castle, Plas-y-Bryn, at Bontnewydd, and Crosswood, near Aberystwyth.

By the summer of 1940 bombing reached a new peak of intensity and it was felt that the National Gallery Collection had to find a more secure home. Bangor, Aberystwyth, Caernarvon and Penrhyn Castle were on the flight path of German bombers on their way to attack Liverpool and some of the buildings were about to be requisitioned, so they could no longer accommodate the paintings. The time had come to heed Churchill’s advice and hide them ‘in caves and cellars’. A secure underground location was considered the best option for the next five years and after much searching, the ideal place was found at Manod quarry, not far from Blaenau Ffestiniog.

It was relatively close to the railway so paintings could be easily moved there, but was sufficiently remote to maintain secrecy and security. It was also huge with large underground chambers where the paintings could be stored, although about 5,000 tons of rock had to be blasted away to make the entrance tunnel large enough for the biggest paintings. Even so, there were some hiccups, like the enormous Van Dyck Equestrian Portrait of Charles I just making it under a low railway bridge near Blaenau Ffestiniog after the road was hollowed out and the tyres of the truck carrying it were deflated!

How Wales Guarded the National Treasures of the UK is a post from: Visit Wales Activity Holidays

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One famous drinker of Welsh Whisky

No, it’s not a joke! Single malt Welsh whiskeys from the Penderyn Distillery in the southern reaches of the Brecon Beacons National Park have won plaudits, friends and awards. Their Port Wood malt was named as “European Single Cask Whisky of the Year” by Jim Murray in his 2010 “Whisky Bible”. Many aficionados claim that Penderyn Peated Single Malt Welsh Whisky is as good as any from Scotland, offering a delicate spirit and a medium peaty character with a light golden tone. The area around the distillery has spectacular mountain scenery, open moorland and valleys with fast-flowing streams, rivers and waterfalls. The popular Scwd-yr-Eira waterfall is within walking distance of the distillery and it’s partly the presence of clear, fresh, sweet Welsh water (and the skills of the Master Distiller, Dr Jim Swan) that gives these spirits their character and their premium strength, ranging from 45% abv to 60.6%abv!

Penderyn vineyard interior

Wines of Wales

Many of the vineyards in Wales are small plots planted in estates or in some cases in the grounds of hotels to provide wine for the establishment only. Here’s a selection of some of the better known and longest established Welsh vineyards that have already achieved something of a reputation in wine circles.

Parva Farm vineyards

Parva Farm Vineyard was planted in 1979 and is probably the oldest productive vineyard in Wales. It is on a steep, south-facing slope overlooking Tintern and the historic Abbey on the site where the monks from the Abbey would have grown their vines. It is also possible that the Romans had a vineyard here 2, 000 years ago. As well as wine, Parva Farm also produces Welsh Mead made from Seyval Blanc wine and honey from the Wye valley. Parva Farm took a silver medal for its “off-dry” white Tintern Parva Bacchus 06 in 2008 and two bronze awards for a white and a sparkling rosé.

Glyndwr Label

Glyndwr Vineyard: set in the heart of the Vale of Glamorgan with about 6,000 vines planted, Glyndwr wines have been served in the House of Lords and at European State banquets. Initially three acres of Guyot trained vines were planted and by 1992 it was producing over 12,000 bottles. A further three acres were then planted and continue to produce. Glyndwr vineyard is situated close to the site of one of Owain Glyndwr’s many battles and the distinctive wine labels depict the last true Prince of Wales with Carreg Cennen Castle in the background.

Ty Croes vineyard

Llanbadrig Vineyard & Ty Croes: both located in Ynys Mon (Anglesey). In Llanbadrig vines were initially grown in a greenhouse then 2,000 vines were planted on the three acre site in a high valley north east of Cemaes with a warm micro-climate and virtually no frosts. Ty Croes is part of a mixed farm near to Newborough where the vines take up two and a half acres of the farm. They were planted in 2003 and required almost six miles of training wire. Together, Llanbadrig and Ty Croes must be the most northerly and westerly outposts of the UK vineyard industry.

Sugarloaf Wine

Sugarloaf Vineyard: based in Abergavenny at the foot of the Sugar Loaf Mountains in the Brecon Beacons National Park with views over the Usk Valley, three acres were planted in 1992 with two more acres given to vines in 1994. The first crops have come ‘on-stream’ from seven varieties of grapes planted on south facing slopes to the wine. Wines from this vineyard have achieved “Quality Status” from the European Wine Standards Board and have won awards in national competitions. Sugarloaf Vineyard’s Abergavenny Medium Dry white is served at the House of Commons and is a winner of the SWVA (South West Vineyards Association) Rose Bowl awards for best medium dry white wine.

Llanerch label

Llanerch Vineyard: based in the Vale of Glamorgan, this vineyard is probably the biggest (and many say the best) in Wales, occupying 20 acres of Glamorgan countryside a mere 15 minutes from Cardiff. The vineyard grows six different varieties of grape and produces seven labels in its award winning Cariad range of wines. Cariad Rose won a bronze medal in the IWSC (international Wine & Spirit Competition) and gained a gold medal from the SWVA (South West Vineyards Association). It produces between 24,000 and 35,000 bottles of quality Welsh wine a year and is now an important stop on the tourist circuit in South Wales.

Worthenbury grapes

Worthenbury: Like many other Welsh wines, the grapes are grown in the vineyard that takes up about an acre of land just outside Worthenbury, Wrexham, but the wine itself is made at the Three Choirs Vineyard in Newent by award winning Winemaker Martin Fowke. Grapes are transported to the winery as quickly as possible to ensure freshness and since 2004 all Worthenbury’s chardonnay and some of its pinot noir has gone into to producing an excellent sparkling wine.

Cwm Deri label

Gym Deri Vineyard: Four acres of picturesque Pembrokeshire given over to vines planted in 1990. The original owners emigrated to New Zealand in 2003, but the vineyard continues, concentrating on country wines and liqueurs, fruit wines and a range of ciders.

Penarth vineyard

Penarth Vineyard: situated in the Montgomeryshire region of Powys in mid Wales. Penarth Estate wines are made from the grapes grown locally at the Three Choirs Vineyard. Wine tasting tours are available. The vines are relatively young, so quantity is not huge, but quality is maintained. Penarth Estate sparkling wines are produced using the traditional method – two years in stainless steel tanks on lees and 12 month’s bottle maturation – to create a wine that compares favourably with some French counterparts.

Monnow valley wine

Monnow Valley: is a one acre vineyard planted in 1979 extended to four acres in 1988. The vines are grown on the steep slopes of the River Monnow, about a mile out from Monmouth looking uncannily like a mini Moselle valley. The grapes produce a dry to medium-dry wine that is fruity and full of character.
There are many more of course and we apologise if we’ve left any out. Let us know your detail if we have.

Winning Welsh Wines: Best of the Bunch

Glyndwr Vineyard -Vale of Glamorgan Medium 2000. Bronze, 2001 South West Vineyards Association Competition.

Llanerch Vineyard – Cariad Premier Fumé. Silver, 2002 International Wine and Spirit Competition. Cariad Dry, Bronze, 2002 International Wine and Spirit Competition.

Parva Farm Vineyard – Bacchus/ Blended 2000. Silver, 2001 South West Vineyards Association Competition.

Sugar Loaf Vineyard – Hiraeth Seyval 1997. Silver, 2000 South West Vineyards Association Competition. Madeline Angevine 1998, Gold, 2000 South West Vineyards Association Competition.

Cwm Deri – Wild Bramble Liqueur. Bronze, 2003 New Zealand Fruit Wine Competition.

Links and further information/contacts:

http://www.welsh-whisky.co.uk/
http://www.parvafarm.com/
http://www.glyndwrvineyard.co.uk/wines.htm
http://www.llanbadrigvineyard.co.uk/

http://www.tycroesvineyard.co.uk/
http://sugarloafvineyard.co.uk/sugarloaf/
http://www.llanerch-vineyard.co.uk/
http://www.worthenburywines.co.uk/
http://www.cwm-deri.co.uk/
Monnow Valley – Tel: 01600 716209

The Wines and Spirits of Wales is a post from: Visit Wales Activity Holidays

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Indeed, America itself was named after a Welshman – Richard Amerik – a wealthy Glamorgan customs officer in the late 15th century who invested in the second voyage of John Cabot in 1497. It would have been his name on the maps used because he paid for them. Sir Henry Morgan, who described himself as a buccaneer rather than a pirate in the Caribbean, later went on to become Governor of Jamaica. He was a Welshman, born at Llanrhymmy in Monmouthshire in 1635.

John Cabot & Sir Henry Morgan

Later arrivals to the Promised Land would have passed through Ellis Island, which up until as late as 1954 was the quarantine facility through which all immigrants entering the USA had to pass. It was named after Samuel Ellis, born in Wrexham.

Ellis Island Immigrants, 1907

Henry M. Stanley was born illegitimate as John Rowlands at Llanrhaeadr near Denbigh in 1841. He went to sea as a cabin boy and was befriended by a man from New Orleans and later took his name. Whilst working for the New York Herald his editor ordered him to search for Dr. Livingston, whom he eventually found.

Stanley we presume

Seventeen of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were of Welsh descent. Indeed, in Llanberis there is a slate memorial to the Welshmen who signed the document giving birth to the USA. John Marshall, the chief justice of the Supreme Court who shaped the US constitution, was Welsh. The man who financed the War of Independence was Robert Morris and Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams, – you’ve guessed it, both Welsh.

Thomas Jefferson / Harriet Beecher Stowe / Jefferson Davis

Thomas Jefferson’s family came from Snowdonia and the next time you are in the Capitol and feel like climbing the Washington Monument stairway, about halfway up you’ll see a stone placed there by Jefferson that reads: “FY IAITH, FY NGWLAD, FY NGHENEDL CYMRU – CYMRU AM BYTH!”
(“My language, my land, my nation of Wales – Wales for ever!“). George Jones, another Welshman, co-founded The New York Times and the Civil War author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ Harriet Beecher Stowe was Welsh, as was Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy.

Yale was established by Elihu Yale, now buried in St Giles’ church in Wrexham. Many of the other famous US universities and colleges such as Princeton, Brown, William and Mary and Harvard were also founded by Welshmen. More recently, the Welsh have made huge contributions to arts and entertainment in America. The great silent movie director D. W. Griffith was obviously Welsh, but another less obvious candidate with a passionate interest in her Welsh descent is Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Elihu Yale / Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The Star Spangled Welsh Connection is a post from: Visit Wales Activity Holidays

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Dragons: A Misunderstood Species

The English of course have long had an ambivalent attitude to these magnificent creatures. Saint George, patron saint of England, was originally a pretty gung-ho Roman cavalry officer and a convert to Christianity. To show how muscular his faith could be, this early Ray Winstone sought out a hapless Dragon who was doing what Dragons do around Cappadocia. Sated with sheep, it was offered a virgin princess – whom he probably would have engaged in deep philosophical conversation – but before relations could be established George charged up and slayed the poor creature. Not to be outdone, other Christian knights sought out damsels in distress from dragons and the slaughter began.

Wales: the last Dragon Stronghold

It’s mainly in Wales that this impressive creature has gained the respect and understanding it deserves. The Welsh Dragon (Y Ddraig Goch – ‘the Red Dragon’) appears on the national flag of Wales (itself also called “Y Ddraig Goch”) and has long been a symbol of the country. Some say that the Dragon was first seen in Wales as a standard used by the Roman legions. Others claim it goes way back to Arthurian legend where Myrddin (a sort of prototype Merlin) had a vision of the Red Dragon representing the Britons prevailing in battle over a White Dragon which stood for the invading Saxons in fighting around Dinas Emrys, a hill fort near Beddgelert in Gwynedd. The Red Dragon standard was carried into battle by Richard Coeur-de-Lion in the attack on Messina in 1190 and the seventh century Welsh hero Cadwaladr bore the Dragon standard into battle. By the time Welsh archers were serving with the English at the battle of Crecy in 1346, the Red Dragon meant Wales and the Dragon banner rallied troops the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 that brought about the end of the War of the Roses

Dragon Spotting in Wales

Impressive Welsh Wildlife

The Welsh Dragon is a truly impressive beast. Its bones are very strong but hollow and light to enable flight which is facilitated by massive flight muscles that have to lift the creature into the sky solely with the thrust of the wings. Like most dragons, Y Ddraig Goch has scales made of keratin. When it’s born, a Dragon’s scales are as soft as Welsh butter and slowly harden over its 100 or so year adolescence by absorbing iron from the blood stream to create steel-hard armour. Welsh Dragons have the same senses as human beings – sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste – but some Dragon Spotters claim they also have the ability to sense the emotions of other creatures, including man. Breathing fire is of course the ability that marks out the Welsh Dragon. Like any ruminant, Dragons have several stomachs and the process of digestion produces two chemicals that are hypergolic (i.e. they ignite spontaneously on mixing with the other substance) just like some re-startable rocket engines.

Where to See Them

Carleon in Gwent which is strongly associated with King Arthur’s court is a good place to start or you could visit south west Wales to see where the Bluestones of Preseli were transported (some say by Dragons) hundreds of miles to Stonehenge.
Generally speaking, the south west of Wales is the best place to spot these shy and endangered creatures, but anywhere in the country – especially in the Brecon Beacons or surrounding Snowdonia – is as good a place as any. Send us your Dragon spotting photos and we’ll post them for the world to see.

A rare sighting captured by Mr & Mrs. Arthur Jones of Pontypool while out walking using a camera phone near Bets-Y-Cowed

Dragon Spotting in Wales is a post from: Visit Wales Activity Holidays

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Bottled Welsh air

Try these though? Bet you didn’t know they were Welsh!

Mandy Rice-Davies: famous mainly for her minor role in the Profumo affair which discredited the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan in 1963. She was born Marilyn Rice-Davies in Pontyates near Llanelli, Wales, and later moved to Shirley in Solihull. Mandy always appeared much older than her actual years and thanks to modelling jobs at the age of 15 she met Christine Keeler and Stephen Ward and became “intimate on a strictly cash basis” with many powerful people. She never met John Profumo, but simply shared a flat with Christine Keeler.

Mandy Rice-Davies

Johnny Morris: who died in 1999 is best known and loved for what now seems the cloyingly anthropomorphic Kids’ TV shows Animal Magic and his voicing of a rat, a hamster and a guinea pig in Tales of the Riverbank. He was born Ernest John Morris in Newport, Wales and as a child he toured the valleys of South Wales performing with his cello-playing father. In true Welsh Celtic style, he was discovered telling stories in a pub. He provided the voices for Hammy the Hamster, Roderick the Rat and GP the Guinea Pig while Animal Magic ran for more than 400 episodes from 1962 until 1983.

Johnny Morris

Laura Ashley: became a household name and brand on the strength of her work as a designer and the range of colourful (some might say twee) fabrics for clothes and home furnishings. She was born Laura Mountney in Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil and educated at Marshall’s School in Merthyr Tydfil until 1932 when she was sent to school in Croydon. She designed headscarves, napkins, table mats and tea-towels on a part-time basis at first. When the brand took off, the first factory was located in Carno, Montgomeryshire and as fashion switched from the mini to the maxi skirt at the end of the 1960s, Laura Ashley became an established fashion icon.

Laura Ashley

Paul Whitehouse: first noted for his work with Harry Enfield and latterly as one of the stars and co-creator of The Fast Show, Whitehouse consistently appears in the top 50 comedy acts voted for by comedians and comedy insiders. Whitehouse was born in Stanleytown in the Rhondda Valley, Glamorgan. Whitehouse and Charlie Higson began working as plasterers on a house shared by comedians Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry and that inspired them to start writing comedy. Whitehouse created Stavros and Loadsamoney for Enfield and developed numerous characters including DJ Mike Smash of Smashie and Nicey who loved working for “Charitee” and the touching unrequited love story of Ted and his master.

Paul Whitehouse

Roald Dahl: Born in Llandaff, Cardiff to Norwegian parents, he is one of the world’s bestselling authors. His short stories are known for their unexpected endings, and his children’s books for their unsentimental approach and often very dark undertones evident in works that include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, Matilda, The Witches and The BFG. Dahl’s father had moved from Sarpsborg in Norway and settled in Cardiff in the 1880s and his mother came over to marry his father in 1911. When first his sister and then his father died, Dahl’s mother decided not to return to Norway to live with her relatives, but to remain in Wales.

Roald Dahl

Christian Bale: some say the best big-screen Batman, Bale was born in Pembrokeshire. His father was an entrepreneur and his mother was a circus clown and performer, so it was probably inevitable that Bale would become an actor. He made a spectacular screen debut in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun aged just 12 and went on to star in Kenneth Branagh’s version of Henry V. In 2000 Christian Bale gained even more accolades playing the bloodthirsty 1980s yuppie Patrick Bateman in the screen version of Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial book American Psycho. The book had been regarded as ‘unfilmable’ by many, but Bale’s performance and Mary Harron’s assured direction was highly acclaimed. He’s also been on screen opposite Nicholas Cage in the execrable Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, slaying dragons in Reign of Fire, and saving humanity in Terminator Salvation.

Christian Bale

Bet You Didn’t Realise They Were Welsh! is a post from: Visit Wales Activity Holidays

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Dr. Griffith Owen, who came to the colony in 1684 did indeed persuade William Penn to set apart some of his land as an oral understanding with William Penn and the Society of Friends (a pact made in England before the Welsh sailed to the New World). The verbal understanding set aside 40,000 acres of land for the Welsh Quakers in what is now south eastern Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the agreement was never put into writing.  The early Welsh settlers called the tracts of land “New Wales, Sylvania” and the Welsh language was commonplace in the streets of Philadelphia.  Many of those same streets were laid out by Thomas Wynne of Caerwys, North Wales and many settlements to the north and west of the city were given Welsh names like Uwchlyn, Bala Cynwyd, Bryn Mawr, Llanerch, Merion, St. David’s, Gwynedd and Tredyffryn.  They all retain those names, many of which remain unpronounceable to native Pennsylvanians, even today.

Photo of a Pennsylvanian coal strike
Photo credit: The Library of Congress

In 1690, in this so-called Welsh Tract was abolished by the Colonial government and William Penn himself refused the legality of the Welsh Quakers’ appeal for self-government.  Even the name of the colony was changed. In a letter written one day after the granting of the Charter, Penn wrote to his friend Robert Turner giving particulars of the naming of the new province as Pennsylvania in honour of his father. To placate the angry Welsh settlers, he claimed that Penn being Welsh for head (as in Penmanmoire) meant the state’s name meant “high or head woodlands” , but the cunning Penn must have known that the Welsh word for “head” is “pen” with a single “n”, so he was able to get away with essentially nepotism and reneging on a verbal commitment with an oiliness any modern politician would have admired.

There’s still a very active Welsh Society of Philadelphia, begun in 1729 and one of the oldest of its kind in the United States.  Notable members have included no less than 16 signatories of the Declaration of Independence such as George Clymer, Stephen Hopkins, Robert Morris, William Floyd, Francis Hopkinson, John Morton, Britton Gwinnett, Thomas Jefferson, John Penn, George Read, John Hewes, Francis Lewis, James Smith, Williams Hooper, Lewis Morris, and William Williams.   More recent famous members also include the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who named one of his masterpieces after the medieval Welsh bard Taliesin.

Pennsylvania Should Still be Called New Wales is a post from: Visit Wales Activity Holidays

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