Feb 28 UK
Swansea Old Ducks St David's Day at Castell Coch
photos courtesy Janet John
Swansea Old Ducks celebrated St David's Day with an arranged visit to Castell Coch and a scenic drive in the Welsh countryside
St David'd Day - Castle Coch 28.2.2009
illustrated report by Steve & Helly Doel, Swindon Association of Snails
illustrated report by Steve & Helly Doel, Swindon Association of Snails
I often travel the M4 down through South Wales and am always fascinated by a fairytale looking castle peeping out from behind the trees in a hilly valley just past Cardiff. Well, our chance to have a closer look came about recently with an invite to join the Swansea Old Ducks on one of their lovely raids, this time to Castell Coch.
A fairly early start from home in order to collect Alex & Amelia was called for in order to meet up with the rest of the Swindon Association of Snails at Leigh Delamare services on the M4 for the journey west into Wales. Dave & Ellie in their Charleston turned up along with Jim & Marg – not in their usual car (red Special), but in our Acadiane ‘Artois’ as theirs was suffering from the sulks and having no working indicators.
‘Artois’ is still a bit of an unknown quantity to us and this trip was to be a good test – we’ve not had him very long and am just getting some miles on him now he has flown through his MOT and has been treated to some new front tyres & electronic ignition. ‘Artois’ isn’t very fast at all and seems really slow on the hills, something we put down to a combination of extra weight, poorer aerodynamics and different gearing.
Off we headed at a steady pace and soon we were on the Severn Bridge and passing the ‘Welcome to Wales’ sign, arriving at the meeting point nice and early in order to have a coffee and meet up with old friends. A very apt time to be visiting Wales, as it happened to be the St David’s weekend. Cars were generously decorated with daffodils in celebration.
The Swansea group never failed to disappoint with their raids and we always look forward to joining them – a friendly group whose raids are always extremely well organised, we always feel so welcome when we get together with them. The turn out for this event was good with around 20 2CVs of all shapes & colours.
In due course we were on our way and climbing up the hill through the trees soon arriving at Castell Coch. Close up, in the trees, this castle looks even better than from the motorway. Castell Coch can trace its history back to around 1100 when a simple earthwork one was developed there, but this was pretty much destroyed and went out of use in the 1300s. So, the castle we see today is of a far newer build – the product of the Marquis of Bute, a wealthy Victorian businessman who developed the nearby commercial conurbation that became Cardiff city, a port that made its money from the worldwide export of Welsh coal. In the industrial revolution Welsh steam coal was much sought after and for many years the port & city of Cardiff was a frantically busy and wealthy place to be.
The castle was nothing much more than a fancy home for the Bute family, and what a spectacular place to live in it must have been. The ‘fairytale’ term is very apt, circular, clinging to the steep hillside with pointy roofed towers poking out through the tree canopy. It really makes a stunning sight.
The group were free to roam for a couple of hours and we explored the building taking in the beautifully decorated & crafted rooms. Lavish day rooms, bedrooms and kitchens are laid out around a lovely circular courtyard with some very pretty views in the other direction down the valley.
Early afternoon we headed off in convoy for a few miles further up the hill to our lunch stop at the Black Cock Inn, a really pretty old traditional country pub where we enjoyed a group lunch together.
Not being totally finished with castles, we later set off again all in convoy to our second one – this one with just as unusual history as Castell Coch. Our journey took us (with the obligatory ‘U’ turn) further up into the hills above Cardiff to a fascinating building called Ruperra Castle. Ruperra was built in the 1600s and King Charles 1 stayed there in the early years. Fire played a significant part in Ruperra’s history – devastated in 1785 and subsequently rebuilt, it succumbed again in 1941 whilst the building was being used by the British Forces. Ravaged by flames, the building has been left to slowly rot and stands now as a romantic ruin in the countryside, overgrown by vegetation and deteriorating.
St Davids Day
Ruperra castle was quite a contrast to the beautifully restored Castell Coch we had enjoyed earlier and both had a distinct charm in their own right. Not only was it St David’s weekend, but also the third birthday of the Swansea group, so whilst at Ruperra we all tucked into a special celebration cake before steadily trundling off back east for home. All in all, another brilliant day much enjoyed by everyone, with cars behaving well and providing plenty of 2CV cheer. All this is why we are 2CVers….!!!
Report & photos courtesy: STEVE & HELLY DOEL
Calne, Wiltshire
A fairly early start from home in order to collect Alex & Amelia was called for in order to meet up with the rest of the Swindon Association of Snails at Leigh Delamare services on the M4 for the journey west into Wales. Dave & Ellie in their Charleston turned up along with Jim & Marg – not in their usual car (red Special), but in our Acadiane ‘Artois’ as theirs was suffering from the sulks and having no working indicators.
‘Artois’ is still a bit of an unknown quantity to us and this trip was to be a good test – we’ve not had him very long and am just getting some miles on him now he has flown through his MOT and has been treated to some new front tyres & electronic ignition. ‘Artois’ isn’t very fast at all and seems really slow on the hills, something we put down to a combination of extra weight, poorer aerodynamics and different gearing.
Off we headed at a steady pace and soon we were on the Severn Bridge and passing the ‘Welcome to Wales’ sign, arriving at the meeting point nice and early in order to have a coffee and meet up with old friends. A very apt time to be visiting Wales, as it happened to be the St David’s weekend. Cars were generously decorated with daffodils in celebration.
The Swansea group never failed to disappoint with their raids and we always look forward to joining them – a friendly group whose raids are always extremely well organised, we always feel so welcome when we get together with them. The turn out for this event was good with around 20 2CVs of all shapes & colours.
In due course we were on our way and climbing up the hill through the trees soon arriving at Castell Coch. Close up, in the trees, this castle looks even better than from the motorway. Castell Coch can trace its history back to around 1100 when a simple earthwork one was developed there, but this was pretty much destroyed and went out of use in the 1300s. So, the castle we see today is of a far newer build – the product of the Marquis of Bute, a wealthy Victorian businessman who developed the nearby commercial conurbation that became Cardiff city, a port that made its money from the worldwide export of Welsh coal. In the industrial revolution Welsh steam coal was much sought after and for many years the port & city of Cardiff was a frantically busy and wealthy place to be.
The castle was nothing much more than a fancy home for the Bute family, and what a spectacular place to live in it must have been. The ‘fairytale’ term is very apt, circular, clinging to the steep hillside with pointy roofed towers poking out through the tree canopy. It really makes a stunning sight.
The group were free to roam for a couple of hours and we explored the building taking in the beautifully decorated & crafted rooms. Lavish day rooms, bedrooms and kitchens are laid out around a lovely circular courtyard with some very pretty views in the other direction down the valley.
Early afternoon we headed off in convoy for a few miles further up the hill to our lunch stop at the Black Cock Inn, a really pretty old traditional country pub where we enjoyed a group lunch together.
Not being totally finished with castles, we later set off again all in convoy to our second one – this one with just as unusual history as Castell Coch. Our journey took us (with the obligatory ‘U’ turn) further up into the hills above Cardiff to a fascinating building called Ruperra Castle. Ruperra was built in the 1600s and King Charles 1 stayed there in the early years. Fire played a significant part in Ruperra’s history – devastated in 1785 and subsequently rebuilt, it succumbed again in 1941 whilst the building was being used by the British Forces. Ravaged by flames, the building has been left to slowly rot and stands now as a romantic ruin in the countryside, overgrown by vegetation and deteriorating.
St Davids Day
Ruperra castle was quite a contrast to the beautifully restored Castell Coch we had enjoyed earlier and both had a distinct charm in their own right. Not only was it St David’s weekend, but also the third birthday of the Swansea group, so whilst at Ruperra we all tucked into a special celebration cake before steadily trundling off back east for home. All in all, another brilliant day much enjoyed by everyone, with cars behaving well and providing plenty of 2CV cheer. All this is why we are 2CVers….!!!
Report & photos courtesy: STEVE & HELLY DOEL
Calne, Wiltshire
