The Land of Magical Dragons, European Golf, Roman Ruins, and Medieval Castles

Last weekend, the Celtic Manor Resort in Southeast Wales hosted the Ryder Cup - Team Europe scored 14.5 points while Team US scored 13.5 points in this prestigious golf match.  The TV coverage reminded me of the trip my husband and I took in June 2008.   I'd like to share that trip with you and giveaway two related books.

Our trip targeted the UK's West Country, sampling Wales, Devon, and Cornwall.  We flew Baltimore-Newark-Bristol on Continental Airlines.  We spent the first four days at a farm B&B outside Newport, Wales. We intended to eat our first dinner in Cardiff, but our hostess warned us that Bruce Springsteen was playing in the Millennium Stadium, so traffic would be difficult. Instead, we walked around Newport and found St Woolos - the first of many Norman churches scattered across the southwest. Newport was a little run down, but should be cleaned up for the Ryder Cup in September 2010 at the Celtic Manor Resort. The resort rises above the M4 on a magnificent volcanic rock and slopes into Caerleon - a picturesque village that began as a Roman Fortress. To tour Careleon and other ancient monuments, we purchased a three day pass from CADW - the guardian of historic monuments: http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/

Caerleon Roman Amphitheater

Caerleon is the site of the 50-acre Roman legionary fortress of Isca, the permanent base of the Second Augustan Legion in Britain from 75 AD. The amphitheater is considered the best preserved in the UK. The Bath House has been preserved in a formal enclosure where tourists can still see the imprint of a human and dog foot when the bricks were still wet 2000 years ago. Many of the Normal castles in the area were built upon Isca outposts.

Caerphilly Castle's "Leaning Tower"

We toured three castles preserved by the 3rd Marques of Bute (considered to be the wealthiest man in the world during the 19th Century from his coal profits). Caerphilly Castle started as a Norman keep, became the largest English castle in Wales, and now has its own leaning tower (reminding me of Pisa). After the English Civil War, it fell into disrepair until the 3rd Marques of Bute began preservation work in the 19th century. Lord Bute also rebuilt Castell Coch and Cardiff Castles, previous Roman forts and Normal keeps. The Bute family gave Castell Coch to CADW and Cardiff Castle to the City of Cardiff: http://www.cardiffcastle.com/.



Raglan  Castle


We visited seven CADW sites in the Monmouth valley - Tintern Abbey that was dismantled by Henry VIII and six castles.  The castles began as Norman keeps, evolved into English fortresses against the Welsh uprisings, but were destroyed in the English Civil War: Chepstow Castle, Monmouth Castle, Skenfirth Castle, Grossmont Castle, White Castle, and Raglan Castle.

In Monmouth, we discovered the Lord Nelson Museum established by Lady Llangattock (mother of Charles Rolls of Rolls Royce fame),
http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/Towns_in_Wales/Monmouth_Town.htm

Lady Llangattock admired Lord Nelson and procured many of his personal items, including his letters to Lady Hamilton. We learned that Lord Nelson visited Monmouth on a Wye river cruise in 1803 (many English aristocrats visited rural Britain in lieu of the Grand Tour as Napoleon was reeking havoc on the Continent). The town includes statutes of Lord Nelson, Charles Rolls, and King Henry V, who was born in Monmouth Castle, http://www.monmouthcastlemuseum.org.uk/page11/page11.html.

Chris played the Roman Roads course at the Celtic Manor Resort while I toured the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog), including Hay-on-Wye.  http://www.hay-on-wye.co.uk/.

It was a sleepy village until Richard Booth bought the castle ruins and established a book store. Other book stores followed and the village soon achieved international fame as the largest collection of second hand books I was in HOG HEAVEN!! Read Richard's bio to learn about his quirky publicity stunts: http://www.richardbooth.demon.co.uk/.

Original castle converted into book store

On my way back to Newport, I stopped by another CADW property, Tretower Court and Castle. It is unique with a Norman keep (in the sheep pasture) and a medieval manor house (with great mountain views).

Before we crossed the Severn river back to England, we stopped by Caerwent - a village built within the original Roman town walls and around the ruins of the Roman temple. Nearby is Caldicot Castle, still intact with a Norman keep and medieval buildings: http://www.castlewales.com/caldicot.html.

St. Andrew's Parish Church in Kenn, Devon

We drove south to our farm B&B on the Devon/Cornwall border.  But we first stopped in Kenn - a village south of Exeter. My great-grandmother lived in Kenn with her 7 siblings in a two bedroom cottage. We ate lunch at the Ley Arms, established in 1245. We also visited St Andrews Parish Church, where we found a Berlin crew filming the church for a Rosamunde Pilcher movie adaptation. We then drove across Dartmoor (mystical setting for Hound of the Baskervilles) to Bovey Castle: http://www.boveycastle.com/.

The castle began as an Edwardian hotel for the Great Western Railroad. The moor view was breathtaking ... and the grand salon was elegant!

Bovey Castle's elegant salon

Upon on arrival at our B&B, we learned that the farm had been owned by the Duke of Bedford, a descendant of the Duchess of Bedford who made "afternoon tea" fashionable in Victorian England. The Duchess was the honorary hostess of the Fort Meade Tea Party in February 2007 when we hosted 20+ romance authors,

http://www.ftmeadesoundoff.com/news/4041/tea-party/

To me, this was Karma.

Our farm B&B was situated on the Tamar River, designated as a Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). We didn't have an alarm clock, but didn't need one with the roosters, chickens, duck and geese waking us every morning! We visited the manor homes owned by the National Trust, http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/:

- Buckland Abbey: Given to Lord Grenville by Henry VIII, then purchased by Sir Francis Drake, it is a medieval house on the edge of Dartmoor.

- Cotehele, Medieval House maintained to the time period; the great hall has a fascinating display of antique weapons and a peak hole for the lord's servant to spy on guests during banquets.

- Killerton Estate, Georgian House with costume collection - did you know that Queen Victoria was 4' 9'' tall with a 42" waist?

- Lanhydrock, Victorian House with 50 furnished rooms. The Long Gallery is full of historic paintings, antique books, and ceiling plaster decorated with Biblical scenes.

- Saltram House, Georgian House and film location of Sense and Sensibility, with a special exhibition titled "Curious Curves", featuring the history of the corset.

Saltram House

We also visited the crumbing castles of English Heritage http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/, including:

- Berry Pomeroy Castle, a Medieval home purchased by the Seymour family as their fortune increased with Jane's marriage to King Henry VIII, but abandoned when the family fell out of favor (no doubt their rise and fall will be featured in The Tudors on Showtime.)

- Dartmouth Castle, a strategic fort built by Henry VIII (and near the Naval College)

- Launceston Castle, a Norman keep that became the capital of Cornwall and established the Duchy of Cornwall as income for the King's heir

- Lydford Castle, a Normal keep that became a Medieval prison

- Okehamtpon Castle, hunting lodge perched on a Norman motte over looking Dartmoor, it was abandoned when the Earl of Devon lost his head to Henry VIII

- Restmoral Castle, another Norman keep that replaced Launceston Castle as Cornwall's capital

- Totnes Castle, a Normal keep transformed in the Medieval castle to protect trade on the River Dart

and most magnificent, Tintagel Castle, legendary birthplace of King Arthur on the Cornish coast. The now ruined castle was built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall in the 13th century. Richard claimed that he was a descendant of King Arthur and built his castle on Roman ruins as a means to win over the Cornish people.

Tintagel Castle

On the way back from Tintagel Castle, we stopped by the Jamaica Inn on the Bodmin Moor, http://www.jamaicainn.co.uk/.  The Jamaica Inn is the 18th century coaching house that inspired Daphne Du Maurier's novel of the same name. The Jamaica Inn features a pub, B&B, and Smugglers' Museum with a Daphne Du Maurier room, including her desk and other memorabilia. We also found several standing stones on Bodmin Moor - even more bleak than Dartmoor.

Chris golfed at the Launceston Golf Course, Exeter Golf Course, and Tavistock Golf Course (with Dartmoor ponies grazing on the 16th green). My cousin arranged the golf dates with her friends and neighbors. Her friend in Launceston invited us back to her house where she whipped up the best scones after playing 18 holes. Perhaps she inherited the talent - her mother worked for Sir Winston Churchill at Chartwell House!

Sir Francis Drake on Plymouth Hoe

We toured Exeter (Medieval Cathedral and Roman Walls) and Plymouth (Elizabethan Barbican and Mayflower Steps). Most interesting was St Andrew's Cathedral in Plymouth, whose walls only survived the WWII bombing. The cathedral displayed a picture of Lady Astor in the naive one day after the destruction ... and she was instrumental in rebuilding the cathedral and city. Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, was an American who became the first women to be seated in the House of Commons. She was elected to the position vacated by her husband when he assumed his father's title (and seat in the House of Lords).  There is a famous exchange between Winston Churchill and Lady Astor when they were both staying at Blenheim. The two politicians had been at each other's throat all weekend when Lady Astor said, "Winston, if I were your wife I'd put poison in your coffee." Whereupon Winston said, "Nancy, if I were your husband I'd drink it."


Sir Winston Churchill

For our return flight, we stayed near the Bristol Airport in the Cadbury House Hotel - a modern hotel attached to a Ivy covered Victorian mansion. It was a pleasant end to our West Country visit. I encourage you to visit the beauty and mystery of the West Country, too!

I shared this trip with Cara Elliott - she previously discovered Bovey Castle on Dartmoor and posted pictures on her website.  It served as the inspiration for the country house in her alter ego's book, Andrea Pickens' The Spy Wore Silk. 

Cara would later share with me that my trip inspired her to research the Roman Ruins in Bath.  In turn, the Roman Ruins were incorporated into Cara's second book of the Circle of Sin trilogy (Cara is also connected to the golf industry and an avid golfer herself).  In honor of my trip, I am offering Cara's first two books from the Circle of Sin trilogy:

My SOS partner, Mary Gramlich, has reviewed both of Cara's books on her website,

http://www.marygramlich.com/2010-Historical-Romance-Series.html

She wrote about To Sin with A Scoundrel,

"Facts and Science are no match against love and passion!"

And about To Surrender to a Rogue,

"Wow this book is too wonderful for words -"

To enter the book giveaway,

1.  Go to Mary's website and read the reviews.

2.  Leave a comment about crumbling castles, manor houses, Sir Walter Drake or Sir Winston Churchill. 

3.  Make sure I know how to contact you.  If you are not listed in my database, send your email address to sos.america@yahoo.com or friend SOS America on Facebook.

4.  Comments will be open through Saturday, October 16, for the book giveaway.  The giveaway is only open to US residents.  But I will send a West Country Treat to any reader - US or international - who sends his/her mailing address to sos.america@yahoo.com.  "

5.  Join us tomorrow as we kick off Fleet Week in honor of the US Navy's 235th Birthday!

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii