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We started this journey at the National Language Centre in Nant Gwrtheyrn. It's a residential centre that was once a mining village and now holds up to 60 students at a time. The trip to the village is spectacular and quite dangerous as the tiny road clings to the side of the mountain. Unless you want to know more about taking up the language, I wouldn't recommend actually visiting the site, the centre is famous for its isolation!
A castle crawl was the next plan of action. This area of Wales has some of the finest castles in Europe and most of them were built around the same time, by the same people. We started at Criccieth Castle which can be found in the centre of the village of Criccieth on the A497 from Porthmadog to Pwllheli road. It was built by the Welsh prince Llewelyn the Great around 1230. King Edward I's forces took it in 1283. The English held it until 1404 when it was sacked by Owain Glyndwr. While we are still in Criccieth, just outside the village heading towards Pwllheli is the tiny and beautiful village of Llanystumdwy where you will find the Lloyd George Museum, his childhood home Highgate, and his grave by the river Dwyfor, all of which are well worth a visit if only to pay a passing note of thanks to one of our greatest ever politicians.
The castle was Harlech, south of Porthmadog on the A496. Built by Edward I in 1283 its power and might is still awe-inspiring today. Again it was taken by that man Owain Glyndwr during the Welsh uprising of 1404.
Dolwyddelan Castle was number three on our trip. On the A470 south of Betws-y-Coed it was built by Llewelyn the Great in the early 13th century and its great solitary square tower still stands impressively above the roadside. A stairway in the wall can be climbed to the roof top for superb views of the area.
Number four was Caernarfon Castle, quite simply one of Europe's greatest medieval fortress's, it was built by King Edward I again by his master mason and military engineer James of St George. Take time to see around this masterpiece if you are to see no others. The Castle is Caernarfon, so directions are unnecessary.
Finally on the crawl we went to Conway Castle further up the coast on the A55 in Conway. Again built by Edward I and his stone mason, this is also a stunning medieval masterpiece. Eight perfectly proportioned towers, a great hall measuring 125 feet in length, three-quarters of a mile of town walls, including 22 towers and 3 original gateways, this castle, along with Caernarfon, rightfully deserves to be a World Heritage Listed Site.
Beddgelert, which means the grave of Gelert, stands on the junction of the A498 and the A4085, 7 miles from Porthmadog. Gelert was a dog owned by Prince Llewelyn in the 13th century. The prince left the dog to look after his son whilst he went out to hunt. He returned to find the dog covered in blood and his son missing from his cradle.
The prince assumed the hound had killed his child, and he killed the animal. When the prince found his son safe and well, next to the body of a wolf, he realised that the heroic hound had in fact saved his child. He placed a large stone to mark the dog's grave and the village took its name from it.
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