There and Back

We had read about the "Two Ladies" of Llangollen, and our interest raised. So, today we visited their house in Llangollen. To start with, we believed they were just eccentric ladies, but the story that began to fall into place was far more than that! An abridged version of their life appears HERE and its worth reading before looking at the images. However, below are the first two paragraphs to wet the appetite! This is the story of two aristocratic ladies who eloped together to Wales in 1778 and lived happily ever after in a cottage ornée,(decorated cottage) surrounded by gardens full of Gothic follies. Their names were Lady Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, but they were better known as the Ladies of Llangollen, "the two most celebrated virgins in Europe".Although the Ladies wished to live in "delightful retirement" - reading, writing, drawing and gardening - the fashionable world soon beat a path to their cottage door. Their visitors included the...

We left the Two Ladies and drove a short distance along the A5 to Corwen for lunch, where we were confronted by this magnificent statue, as we left the carpark - apparently The last Welsh Prince of Wales. Owain Glyndŵr was probably born in the 1350s (the plinth gives 1349). The young Owain was a typical nobleman, his etiquette honed at the Inns of Court in London. He had homes in Carrog, near Corwen, and Sycharth in Powys (near Oswestry). He fought with the English against the Scots and Dutch before King Richard II was abducted in Colwyn Bay in 1399 and dethroned by supporters of Henry Bolingbroke, who then became Henry IV. It’s unclear whether the change of monarch affected the outlook of middle-aged Glyndŵr. At around this time he began to argue with a neighbour, Baron Reginald Grey of Ruthin. In September 1400 he attacked Ruthin, and followed up with raids on other local boroughs. This quickly escalated into full-scale rebellion, as Welsh people saw a chance to hit back at E...

A round trip was on the agenda for today, encompassing several sites we had `bookmarked` in our minds before we set out. Our starting point was the town of Llangollen which was about 7 miles away. Llangollen is a very `pretty` town, for want of another word! Also famous for the International Musical Eisteddfod which is a music festival taking place every year during the second week of July. It is one of several large annual Eisteddfodau in Wales. Singers and dancers from around the world are invited to take part in over 20 competitions followed each evening by concerts on the main stage. Over five thousand singers, dancers and instrumentalists from around 50 countries perform to audiences of more than 50,000 over the 6 days of the event. Llangollen takes its name from the Welsh llan meaning "a religious settlement" and Saint Collen, a 6th-century monk who founded a church beside the river. St Collen is said to have arrived in Llangollen by coracle. There are no other chu...

This was just a short break in the Llangollen area (we actually stayed in Glyndyfrdwy), having easily planned to fill our 4 days including a family visit. As always in Wales, you hope for rain free days. We had no rain, but at times it was very misty - we can`t have it all can we!  The village is historically renowned for its association with Owain Glyndwr. It was here at his Manor of Glyndyfrdwy that Owain (Baron of Glyndyfrdwy) proclaimed himself “Prince of Wales” on 16th September 1400 so beginning his 14-year rebellion against English Rule. This was our holiday let in the village of Glyndyfrdwy overlooking the river Dee and the village. Quite a view from our bedroom window. Angler fishing on the Dee just below our holiday cottage. Sunday morning, and a short drive past Llangollen to this magnificent castle of Chirk, now owned by the National Trust.  Chirk castle now stands proud amongst the chain of defence castles built in No...