Carew Tidal Mill

While Carew is probably best known for its castle the village also boasts something unique in Wales: the only remaining tidal mill.

Carew Mill

Though the Mill is no longer in operation, the machinery, exhibition and interactive displays show how tidal water from the Carew Estuary has been used as a source of sustainable energy through the ages.

The present building probably dates from the early 19^th century and indeed one of the two Mill wheels carries the date 1801. The Mill is often referred to as the ‘French Mill’ which may be a reference to the use of French burr stones.

The precise origin of Carew Mill is uncertain. It’s possible that a Mill worked by a Mill leat running from the Carew River pre-dated the building of the causeway on which the current building stands and documentary evidence indicates a Mill of some kind in existence as early as 1542. Records show that in 1558 John Bartlett leased the Mill for the sum of ten sovereigns per annum.

Carew Mill and the Causeway at low tide

The first reference to a causeway comes in a commission of 1630 which indicates that Sir John Carew had restored the floodgates and causeway walls some 15 years earlier.

The fortunes of the Mill were restored by the revival in agriculture in the late 18^th century and from that time the Mill was constantly in use. Activity finally ceased in 1937 and from that time onwards the building lay derelict.

Carew Castle

Carew Castle

Carew Castle stands on a limestone bluff overlooking the Carew inlet, a site that has been recognised as strategically useful from the very earliest times. Recent excavations in the outer ward have uncovered the multiple defensive walls of an Iron Age fortress indicating the early importance of the site.

Carew Castle - front entrance

Around the year 1100 a Norman castle in the shape of a stone keep was built at Carew by Gerald de Windsor who was made castellan of Pembroke Castle following the first Norman invasion of Pembrokeshire. Gerald had married Nest, princess of Deheubarth, who brought the manor of Carew as part of her dowry. Gerald cleared the existing wood and earth fort to build his own castle on Norman lines. The original outer walls were timber and only the keep was built of stone. This keep still exists in the later structure as the "Old Tower".

Gerald's fortification was later replaced by a stone Castle built by his son William, who had taken the name "de Carew." In the middle of the 12^th century William created an enclosure with stone walls incorporating the original keep; he also added a "Great Hall" inside the enclosure. Much of what remains of Carew Castle today was the work of William's son, Sir Nicholas de Carew (who died in 1311), who was responsible in particular for the east and west ranges.

There is obviously far more history to Carew than the brief outline I have given here. If you're interested in Welsh castles and their history I suggest you visit Carew yourself buy the guidebook. :)

Mean time here are a couple more images of the magnificent Carew Castle to whet your appetite.

The Bishop's Palace at St Davids

The remains of the Bishops of St Davids principle palace are located alongside the cathedral in the tranquil valley of the river Alun. This would have been the finest collection of buildings in Wales during the medieval period, rivaled only by Lamphey Bishop's Palace.

Even in its ruined state the Bishop's Palace at St Davids still conveys the affluence and power of the medieval church.

Bishop's Palace, St Davids - South Range

Just look at this place, it is built for drama. The whole site sends shivers down the spine. It evokes a period when religion was the order of the day and bishops were powerbrokers par excellence.

Lavish decorations, corbels carved as human heads and striking chequerboard stonework are all testament to the wealth and status of these medieval men of religion.

The bishop's private quarters

Bishop Thomas Bek (1280-93) undertook significant new building work on the site but it was Bishop Henry de Gower (1328-47) of Lamphey Palace fame who was responsible for virtually the entire palace we see today. His legacy consists of two great ranges. The east range – the simpler of the two – was the first to be built. This was his private domain. The second, the south range, was much grander and built for stylish entertaining. The great hall, the most impressive chamber in the palace, created the perfect backdrop for banquets.

The East Range

 Looking for more de Gower highlights? Look no further than the fantastic wheel window in the east gable and the majestic porch, an entrance befitting the majesty of such an iconic building.

The Wheel Window

Those medieval bishops certainly liked to live in the lap of luxury. Just consider this, when life in the palace at St Davids became too hard to bear they'd simply decamp and take up residence at Lamphey. Damn life must have been so hard!

I quite like the modern nod to Henry de Gower's brilliance in the shape of this wrought iron wheel window gate.

Wheel Window ironwork

Looking for something out of the ordinary?

Tired of the same old package tours?

Fancy something completely different (possibly unique?) for your next holiday?

Want to get away in the UK, but don't want to stay in any of the usual holiday accommodations?

How about this...

The Cwm

This former RNLB (Royal National Lifeboat) boathouse, know as The Cwm, may be the answer to those questions asked above. Fancy holidaying in a disused boathouse? The master bedroom (window above the old boathouse doors) looks directly over the slipway and has an uninterrupted view of the sea...

Situated close to Newport, Pembrokeshire and right on the mouth of the Nevern Estuary The Cwm (Valley in English) is a small inlet with pebbles and sand making up a pleasant secluded beach. The Cwm is west of The Parrog and on the opposite side of the River to Traeth Mawr (Newport Sands).

The old lifeboat station at The Cwm had a very short life whilst in use and was abandoned in 1895 only eleven years after its construction. It is now a private residence and is available during some of the year as a holiday let.

I wonder if they include a boat of some kind in the rental price?

The grass really is always greener it seems

Yesterday I walked here...

Newport Beach

...and today I didn't. :(

We'd parked at Parrog and walked some of the coastal path, thoroughly enjoyed it too.

By contrast, this morning we walked in Canaston Wood before driving back to Monmouthshire and this afternoon we walked in the fields surrounding our home. Also enjoyable, but not a patch on the coastal scenery.

Living in the lap of luxury - the Bishop's Palace at Lamphey

The Bishop's Palace at Lamphey has been described as "the retreat of choice for those medieval bishops seeking solace from the everyday stresses of Church and State." If seeking solace meant living in the lap of luxury in sublime surroundings then Lamphey would have been an excellent choice as we can still see from the remains of this once sumptuous establishment, which is huge by any standards.

Lamphey Bishop's Palace

The palace, established in the 13^th century and primarily used by the bishops of St Davids, included fishponds, fruit orchards, vegetable gardens, a deer park and sweeping parklands providing both food and recreation for those troubled souls. It is easy to imagine why this accommodation had become a favourite residence of the Bishops by the early 14^th century.

Lamphey Bishop's Palace

We should remember the medieval bishops of St Davids were worldly men who enjoyed the privileges of wealth, power and status and Lamphey did not disappoint. What we see today is mainly the work of the dynamic Henry de Gower, the bishop of St Davids from 1328 to 1347. Thanks to his vision, elegant Lamphey became the ‘away from it all’ palace for high-ranking members of the clergy keen to play at being country gentlemen.

Lamphey Bishop's Palace

Bishop Gower’s great hall, 82 feet (25m) long, is a particularly fine architectural achievement and its sheer grandeur would have impressed even the most privileged of bishops. Equally well-preserved and detailed in their architecture are the western hall and inner gatehouse.

Sadly for the bishops of St Davids Lamphey’s gilded existence came to an abrupt end during the reign of King Henry VIII when many Church estates fell into the hands of the Crown during the dissolution of monasteries act in 1536. Still it must have been a great life while it lasted!

St Davids Cathedral

Built on the site of a 6^th century monastery the present cathedral at St David's, which is Britain's smallest city, is fittingly small when compared to some of its more prestigious counterparts. The cathedral measures just 90 metres in length and 35 metres in height with the widest point, the Nave, being just 22.5 metres in width. Because of its physical location photographing the whole site poses certain problems so I decided to make a photo-collage of the construction.

St Davids or St David's Cathedral

St Davids or St David's (both are correct) has been a site of pilgrimage and worship since a community was first founded in 589. The community and subsequent buildings were attacked many times over the years, especially by raiding Vikings. The oldest part of the present cathedral dates from the 12^th century.

Not my favourite cathedral by any means, but one worth a visit whenever I'm in the area.

Riding the wind on the waves

Couldn't resist grabbing a couple of images of this guy enjoying the strong winds while kiteboarding on Newgale beach. He was obviously quite expert at it, which was as well considering the strength of the wind.

Kiteboarder at Newgale

If you look closely you'll see a whole load of little spots on the photograph caused by wind-blown salt spray. A nightmare really because salt water and digital cameras really don't mix! I had to do quite a bit of cleaning after this beach walk. In fact I spent a couple of minutes wiping spray off my neutral density filter after taking the above shot, which did me a small favour in a way because the sun peaked out briefly allow me to get this next one.

Kiteboarder at Newgale with shadow

What a difference that brief moment of sunshine makes to the photograph... I can't help wondering whether the kiteboarder even noticed the change in lighting conditions, the wind remained the same and his surfing fun just continued. I've never tried riding one of those things myself, but it looks like a lot of fun!

Enhance your language skills with Y Gudel

Unless you live locally to Solva or St Davids in West Wales you may never have come across the Welsh language term Y Gudel.

As you will see from the signage above a Gudel translates as a Narrow Passageway and in Solva that passageway led to the river, originally giving residents access to the water for drinking, clothes washing, slops disposal, etc. (note: no mention of drinking water in the sign, but in the days before mains water was piped in, drinking water was either pumped or collected in buckets).

These are two examples of Gudels in Solva... steep stepped and narrow, not much fun on an icy winter's morning I'd guess.

The river water wouldn't always look this dirty (heavy rain washing down a lot of silt), though it would still have been full of all kinds of nasty stuff...

Solva Pump

Drawing water from the village pump wouldn't have made it any cleaner unfortunately since the water came from the same source. Oh well... Another glass of cholera anyone?

Nolton Haven, Pembrokeshire

Nolton Haven is a hamlet halfway along the coast of St Bride's Bay in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is included within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Today the community is little more than a cluster of houses and a pub next to a shingle cove.

Nolton Haven Bay

You wouldn't think so to look at them now, but the picturesque villages of Nolton and Nolton Haven were once the centre of a thriving coal-mining enterprise. The Cliff and Folly veins were the most significant coal-producing seams in the area and between 1850 and 1905 several local collieries exploited the anthracite veins running out under the sea. A long tramway once ran from Nolton Haven over the hill to the Trefran Collieryin, although you wouldn't know it to look at the village today.

Nolton Haven was renowned as a small coal port and local coal was exported from this bay from the Medieval period right through until the early 1900s.

Looking at the bay today it is hard to imagine its industrial past, the water is crystal clear and there are no traces of coal or industrial waste on the sand or shingle. In short this sheltered bay makes a restful place to stop and enjoy fresh air and beautiful scenery.

Nolton Haven, Pembrokeshire

Nolton Haven is a hamlet halfway along the coast of St Bride's Bay in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is included within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Today the community is little more than a cluster of houses and a pub next to a shingle cove.

Nolton Haven Bay

You wouldn't think so to look at them now, but the picturesque villages of Nolton and Nolton Haven were once the centre of a thriving coal-mining enterprise. The Cliff and Folly veins were the most significant coal-producing seams in the area and between 1850 and 1905 several local collieries exploited the anthracite veins running out under the sea. A long tramway once ran from Nolton Haven over the hill to the Trefran Collieryin, although you wouldn't know it to look at the village today.

Nolton Haven was renowned as a small coal port and local coal was exported from this bay from the Medieval period right through until the early 1900s.

Looking at the bay today it is hard to imagine its industrial past, the water is crystal clear and there are no traces of coal or industrial waste on the sand or shingle. In short this sheltered bay makes a restful place to stop and enjoy fresh air and beautiful scenery.

Blackpool Mill nr Narbeth, Pembrokeshire

Blackpool Mill is an imposing building that stands on a picturesque reach of the Eastern Cleddau river, less than a mile below Canaston Bridge. The mill was constructed in 1813 on the site of a 17^th century ironworks, which closed in 1806 due to financial and transport difficulties.

Blackpool Mill is a rendered four-storey and attic building with a pitched slate roof. There are symmetrical two-storey wings set back from the building's south east frontage. The main central door originally had a canopy, which has since been removed.

Blackpool Mill

The mill was originally arranged round a central waterwheel, 4.5 metres diameter and 3.5 metres wide powered by water from the mill leet, which in turn was controlled by ten floodgates. During the Rebecca Riots of the 1840s these floodgates were destroyed as part of the widespread protest against social and economic conditions in rural Wales.

The waterwheel was eventually replaced by a turbine in 1901, which drove the four pairs of millstones situated at first floor level. Much of the other existing machinery was updated at that time. The turbine remained in use until 1958, when an electric drive was fitted.

The four pairs of millstones were used as follows:

• One pair for Maize
• One pair for Wheat
• Two pairs for Barley

Blackpool Mill gradually fell into disuse after the second World War the, the building being used mainly as a corn store after the electric drive was fitted in 1958.

The mill building was renovated and opened to the public as a museum and tourist venue with some working machinery in 1968; sadly it is currently closed.

No longer open to the public

An ornamental single arch bridge was built alongside the mill crossing the River Cleddau. Growths of ivy now cover much of the decorative stonework, but I think the bridge's arch is still pleasing to the eye.

Bridging the River Cleddau

Ornamental single arch bridge with Blackpool Mill in the background

If you are in the area the site is well worth a visit, especially when combined with a walk through the ancient Canaston Wood.

Beach Bum

Some dogs just love the beach and Tilly is one of them, she's never happier than when she has sand to play on so a trip to the seaside is a must whenever she goes on holiday. Of course once she's checked out her surrounds it doesn't take her long to start looking for new playmates...

I guess Newgale beach was a bit of a disappointment for her yesterday...

So much sand...

 ...and no-one to play with

Dejection!

Home from home... sort of

So here I am in sunny (today anyway) West Wales staying in an old farmhouse called Toch Wood View near somewhere known as Canaston Bridge in Pembrokeshire.

Toch Wood View

At first view our holiday home may be a tad shabby, but once inside the house is both spacious and pretty well appointed.

Hearth & Home

There's a wood burner in the lounge with an ample supply of logs, etc. to keep you warm on a chilly evening. For convenience the house is centrally heated of course, but there's something special about a wood fire don't you think? The leather suite, occasional tables, sideboard, etc. fit the surrounds very well. The room has everything I need in a quaint kind of way.

The dining room is a bit special though.

The dining suite could certainly be termed 'antique', but it's perfectly serviceable... just look at the background.

Original Ovens

This was obviously the original farmhouse kitchen with its built in range and bread oven. No idea what the battleaxe is doing there, but I love it! I've no idea whether you could still get the range to light/work, but hey it's full of character. There's even a full size upright piano in the opposite corner!

The stone walls are a good two feet thick and the building seems to keep at a reasonable ambient temperature the day through. I'll bet it feels warm during even the coldest winter though.

The bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen are all fine if a little spartan. We have an enclosed patio area and the run of a large garden, which is great for Tilly. Are there any drawbacks? Well maybe one... the rooster who decides to salute the day every morning at 3:00am! lol

We're here for a few days so expect some images from this local area to appear here as time allows.