a keep

Booked to go on a coach trip to Wales for the day today. It was a long day; but, an excellent way to start seeing more of the UK. Joined the coach at Kings Cross at 8am and after stopping at another 5 points to collect a wide variety of nationalities we headed to Wales. Just over the boarder, we collected the tour guide and journeyed on to Cardiff. We were given a bus tour around Cardiff and then dropped off around the corner from Cardiff Castle with maps to wonder around for an hour and a half. Not quite long enough to get absorbed in the many sights; but long enough to have a bit of a poke around the city centre and get some decent photos of the castle from the outside (looking in). We then set off for Caerphilly Castle, which is a ruin, and yet still only second in size to Windsor Castle. There is a "leaning tower" resulting from an artillery blast in an attempt to destroy the castle on the one side; and a dilapidated tower on the other side where over the years the castle was used as a quarry to obtain stone for building houses in the area (this was common before the Welsh discovered there was money in the tourist trade from their many castles and started renovating!). This shot is from the very top of the "keep" (final stronghold should the castle be attacked); and reflects both the height from which some of the defensive attacks could be launched; the ruins of the castle itself; and the front defences - at least two moats, two draw bridges, towers, and (outside of the range of this picture) catapults. All in all; a lovely day - will definitely be returning to Cardiff.