By 1200 A.D., the Normans had built wooden palisade fortresses all along the southern coast of Wales to garrison their troops for incursions inland against the native Welsh. Starting in the early 1200s, the Normans began to replace these wooden fortresses with stone castles. These substantial structures were strategically placed to secure and link the … Continue reading →

After the Norman conquest of England, William the Conqueror extended his invasion into the adjacent kingdom of Wales. Wales had been settled earlier by the Celts who were also present in what is now Ireland, and to the north in what is now Scotland. The Normans occupied the southern part of Wales in fairly short … Continue reading →

After our encounter with The Birds (hat tip, Joe), we visited the Tenby museum which was in the white building on the top of the bluff near the old Norman tower. Inside, I took this picture of a painting that shows the old, walled city of Tenby as it existed in the late 1400s. The … Continue reading →

Tuesday, we set out to explore Tenby in the morning. The hotel we were staying in, Hotel Atlantic, was right on the esplanade that ran along the edge of a cliff that fell away to the beach. We crossed the esplanade and took these pictures of Tenby beach, first to the south, then to the … Continue reading →

We’re in Tenby, known to the Welsh as Dinbych-y-Pysgod. The letters might look familiar, but the words here are totally indecipherable to me. Normally in our travels, once we reach the farthest point in our trip, I like to post a map. While it’s possible that we’ll get a little further tomorrow, since we checked … Continue reading →

Byw Yw Surffio: Welsh for “Surfing is Living.” We drove to the Gower Peninsula in Wales this afternoon and stopped for lunch at the Kings Head Pub in Llangennith for lunch. At the bar, I counted 20 different types of draft. But what really caught my eye was the surfboard hanging overhead. I soon discovered … Continue reading →