Pembroke Castle

 Dear Gentle Readers

I can just hear all of you saying "Not another castle!". Bear with me, this one is different, because we had a guide who told us amazing things about Pembroke Castle.

First though is this bridge, the Cleddau Bridge across the Milford Haven Waterway between Neyland and Pembroke Dock. It replaced a ferry service, which coincidentally is where I took this photo from, the pier at the right was where the ferry docked. The bridge is 37 metres (121 feet) above the water and 820 metres long. I used the panoramic feature of my camera because it would not fit in a normal photo.



This was our first view of Pembroke Castle.









This is a statue of William Marshal, often called "the greatest knight who ever lived". He was instrumental in upgrading the castle after the Normans left it.







This is a panoramic shot so I could fit the whole castle in the picture.




This is the Great Keep, built by William Marshal and boy is it tall. There's 100 narrow spiral stairs to reach the top, I know because we both climbed to the top - and back down, very carefully.







This is the view from the top of The Great Keep. That large blue and green area below is a map of Wales showing every castle built there. Beyond the map is the Gatehouse.






This is another view of the Northern Tower from the top of the Great Keep.









This was our guide, Howard, and boy did he know his stuff. He told us the history of the castle and some of its famous occupants, such as Lady Margaret Beaufort who started the Tudor dynasty after giving birth to Henry VII. She was grandmother to Henry VIII and Mary Queen of Scots and great grandmother of Elizabeth I. He described Henry VIII as a homicidal maniac who squandered the Royal Fortune, Mary as the same and Elizabeth I - she thought about it but restrained herself.

Pembroke Castle was impenetrable and was never breached. It is built on top of a cliff, surrounded by water as it was built on a peninsula. To attack it, you had to cross the river, climb vertical cliffs then climb sheer walls, all the while being shot at by crossbows. There was so much more he told us but I can't remember it all, but it was fascinating.





Comments

  1. ColleenJuly 3, 2026 at 8:50 AM

    your are both certainly having a grand adventure. the local guides would have made it better experience with their knowledge and passion

    ReplyDelete

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