{"id":6227,"date":"2019-07-30T10:20:13","date_gmt":"2019-07-30T09:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6227"},"modified":"2019-07-30T10:22:01","modified_gmt":"2019-07-30T09:22:01","slug":"castell-carreg-cennin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6227","title":{"rendered":"Castell Carreg Cennin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Castell Carreg Cennin <\/strong><\/p>\n

Our destination was near Llandeilo so after a long drive we arrived at Castell Carreg Cennin and were soon booted up and on our way. We set off uphill, as usual, noting that a large barn had been converted into a tearoom and shop where we could get a drink later.<\/p>\n

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Then we caught sight of the imposing ruins of Carreg Cennin Castle. In the 1960s Carreg Cennen Castle was acquired by the Morris family of Castell Farm, when a legal mistake included the castle as part of the farm. Today the castle remains privately owned but is maintained by Cadw. Our walk was to be a circular route around the castle.<\/p>\n

The ruins sit on top of a dramatic limestone crag, towering 300ft above the surrounding landscape. The steep slopes and cliffs made it easy to defend and there is evidence that it may have been occupied in the Iron Age and later by the Romans. It is believed that the first castle was built in the 12th century when Lord Rhys, Welsh Prince established a stronghold and administrative centre for Is-cennen. Over the next 100 years it was fought over and changed hands a number of times, until it was seized by the English King Edward I in 1277. Under Edward\u2019s control the castle was demolished and replaced by the impressive fortress that remains today. The castle remained in English hands but fell temporarily to the Welsh during Owain Glyndwr\u2019s uprising in 1403. Eventually, to prevent it becoming a base for local robbers, 500 men were paid a total of \u00a328.5s.6d. (approximately \u00a328.27) to demolish the castle in 1462. There is a natural cave beneath the castle, which leads deep into the hillside. A freshwater spring rises in the cave, which would have been a useful supplement when rainfall was low.<\/p>\n

The steep sides of the crag have helped to defend the site for nature. Inaccessible cliff edges provide nesting sites for birds and safe havens for rare plants. The steep southern edges are cloaked in the trees of\u00a0 Coed y Castell, home to Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Pied Flycatcher and others. Due to a geological fault two different rocks are exposed here \u2013 Limestone and Sandstone giving rise to distinct habitats within the woods. Limestone supports Ash trees (as we know in Wenvoe!) whilst Oaks prefer sandstone. The wood is now a local Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest.<\/p>\n

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As we began our circumnavigation of the ruin we couldn\u2019t help but be awed at the sight of the castle high above us. It was a warm and cloudy day as we walked towards the river Cennen and then up quite a steep slope to open countryside. Pillow mounds are marked on the map here and we debated which of the hillocks they were. Curiously as we walked the castle seemed to move; at one moment it would be to the right, then to the left and back to the right again but of course it was us that were taking a meandering route around it. \"\"We came to the source of the river Loughor and followed the stream back to the River Cennen. A good bridge was provided over the river but one or two members of our group took the option of the ford. Humidity was higher near the water and we were happy to emerge into open countryside again.<\/p>\n

Lunch was enjoyed on a grassy slope above running water. We passed the village of Trapp and shortly after passing Carreg Cennen farm took the decision to take a footpath east cutting out a section of the walk as we were taking longer than usual. Approaching the castle from the northwest it was fronted by the patchwork fields of a farm complete with newly shorn sheep. The hay had been cut and bales were scattered across a couple of fields. We walked through some beautiful grassland during the day with lots of different species of grass. We spotted a couple of unusual plants: in a stream a cress like plant with small blue flowers – brookline, Veronica becabunga, and a small yellow flower \u2013 ribbed melilot in grass at the side of the path. The hedges were full of Brambles, Honeysuckle and Meadowsweet.<\/p>\n

Walk 5.6 miles 1200ft climb. Maps 186 & OL14<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Castell Carreg Cennin Our destination was near Llandeilo so after a long drive we arrived at Castell Carreg Cennin and were soon booted up and on our way. We set off uphill, as usual, noting that a large barn had been converted into a tearoom and shop where we could get a drink later.   Then we caught sight of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[38],"tags":[349],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-1Cr","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16125,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16125","url_meta":{"origin":6227,"position":0},"title":"Castell Carreg Cennen","author":"Alan Williams","date":"2nd October 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Castell Carreg Cennen Castell Carreg Cennen We parked in the castle car park, near Llandeilo, and were thrilled to spot a kite soaring directly above us as we donned our boots. The castle and farm are currently owned by the Llewelyn family, but the castle is managed by Cadw. It\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Footsteps2-1024x895.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Footsteps2-1024x895.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Footsteps2-1024x895.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Footsteps2-1024x895.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4218,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=4218","url_meta":{"origin":6227,"position":1},"title":"Cefn Mably and Ruperra Castle \/ Ystradowen","author":"Alan Williams","date":"27th January 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Cefn Mably and Ruperra Castle We were lucky, there had been snow overnight; in Cardiff and the Vale the snow was light but further north there were heavy falls. Starting at the drive to Cefn Mably, near the farm, we walked towards the house and passed in front of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5628,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5628","url_meta":{"origin":6227,"position":2},"title":"Misty Morning at Craig yr Allt","author":"Alan Williams","date":"4th March 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Craig yr Allt It was a misty morning as we travelled to Tongwynlais. Driving to the top of Heol y Fforest we parked at a picnic spot feeling pleased that we had climbed a fair way before starting the walk. The mist thickened as we headed roughly west, following a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/IMG_4880-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13705,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=13705","url_meta":{"origin":6227,"position":3},"title":"Cardiff And The Bute Family","author":"Alan Williams","date":"31st October 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 CARDIFF AND THE BUTE FAMILY \u00a0 Anyone living in the Cardiff area will have heard the word Bute. It is associated with many areas such as Bute Docks, Bute Street, Bute Park and many more. But how many of us know where the Bute family came from and how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reader's Travel Tales"","block_context":{"text":"Reader's Travel Tales","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=125"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mount-stuart.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12472,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12472","url_meta":{"origin":6227,"position":4},"title":"Dragon\u2019s Back\u00a0","author":"Alan Williams","date":"2nd November 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0Dragon\u2019s Back\u00a0 In spring, we talked about which walks we would like to do this year and this one was tops for me, but the summer was so hot that we saved it for the autumn. The Dragon\u2019s Back is named after the shape of the hills which rise and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Picture9.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Picture9.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Picture9.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8003,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=8003","url_meta":{"origin":6227,"position":5},"title":"Peterston Super Ely","author":"Alan Williams","date":"11th August 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Footsteps Peterston Super Ely We parked in St Nicholas, within our 5-mile limit, to do a walk based on Valeways walk no. 37 Peterston super Ely (A ridge and valley walk). The main walk is 2 loops of 3 miles and 4 miles centred on Peterston Super Ely. From St\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Picture71-300x210.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6227"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6227"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6228,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6227\/revisions\/6228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}