Roman Wales and England Tour

Arrive at London’s Heathrow Airport and drive to Kenilworth Castle. Originally founded in 1120, in 1563 the castle was granted by Queen Elizabeth I to her favorite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Dudley decided to convert the castle into a great house fit to receive occasional visits from the Queen. Although now in ruins, the red sandstone remains of the Norman keep, John of Gaunt’s Great Hall, and the residential buildings, as well as a restored Tudor garden and Tudor stables still are visible. Overnight for two nights. (D)

Our explorations of the area include several fascinating sites. Stokesay Castle is the finest and best-preserved fortified manor house in England. Built in the late 13th century near the Welsh border, the castle, timber-framed gatehouse, and parish church form an unforgettably picturesque group.

Originally founded in 680, Wenlock Priory was a “double monastery”, housing both men and women. By the early 13th century, the church was rebuilt on a grand scale. The parts still standing declare their former splendor. The medieval priory has elaborate decorations, and the adjoining cloister contains an unusual monks’ washing fountain featuring well-preserved 12th-century carvings.

Haughmond Abbey, otherwise known as the Abbey of Saint John the Evangelist, was founded in about 1100. The remains include the Abbot’s lodgings, which provide a wonderful example of the lavish decoration and skilled craftsmanship employed in the abbey buildings. The Iron Bridge crosses the River Severn. It was the first arch bridge in the world to be made from cast iron.

Wroxeter, or ‘Viroconium’, was the fourth largest city in Roman Britain. It began as a legionary fortress and later developed into a thriving civilian city. Much remains below ground. However, today the most impressive features are the 2nd-century municipal baths and the remains of the huge wall dividing them from the exercise hall in the heart of the city. Recently a replica Roman Town House has been constructed on the site which gives a fascinating insight into Roman life. (B/D)

We begin the day in the Roman Amphitheater at Chester, built around 86 AD and the largest yet excavated in Britain. It lies beside the Roman fort of Deva and served as an entertainment center for the troops of the 20th Legion stationed at the fort.

After crossing the border into Wales, stop to see the richly decorated Maen Achwyfan Cross, a monolithic Northumbrian-style wheel cross that was erected about 1000 AD. Standing 12 feet tall, its decoration includes patterns inspired by Viking art.

Continue to Llandudno, a seaside resort town overlooking the Irish Sea, where we overnight at a charming inn for one night. (B/D)

Representing one of the most astounding archaeological discoveries of recent times, Great Orme Copper Mines dates back 4,000 years to the Bronze Age. The result of the studies changes our views about the ancient people of Britain and their civilized and structured society 2,000 years before the Roman invasion. We will enter the Bronze Age cavern, dug out over 3,500 years ago by miners using nothing more than stone and bone tools.

Continue to Conwy Castle, built between 1283 and 1289 and located on the north coast of Wales. A masterpiece of medieval military architecture, the fort, a UNESCO World Heritage property, stands in a commanding position on a rocky outcrop overlooking the estuary. Continue to Penmon Priory, which may be the oldest remaining Christian building in Wales. The two high crosses that graced the entrance to the early medieval monastery are now housed in the church. Nearby, an ancient holy well – St. Seiriol’s Well – may have its origins in the monastery’s earliest period.

Our final stop will be Beaumaris Castle on the Island of Anglesey, the great unfinished masterpiece built by the English monarch Edward I to stamp his authority on the Welsh. At the southern end, protected by the shooting deck on Gunners’ Walk, was a tidal dock for shipping. Beaumaris was the last link in the chain of coastal fortresses built by King Edward I to control Wales. We overnight for two nights. (B/D)

Today will be devoted to the Isle of Anglesey where there are many important sites including fascinating Neolithic tombs. Bryn Celli Ddu is a burial chamber dating from the 3rd millennium BC. It was at one time a stone circle inside a henge, replaced later by this impressive tomb.

A cruciform passage grave, Barclodiad y Gawres Burial Chamber is etched with intricate patterns of zigzags and spirals on the walls and roofs. As a result, this adornment indicates the tomb’s significance to the megalithic people who constructed it. Ty Newydd is a chambered tomb with a large capstone measuring approximately 13 feet long and five feet wide and is held up only with the support of two modern, brick-built pillars.   Nearby, sited on a rocky hilltop, lies the impressive Trefignath Burial Chamber. Most likely,  the area served as the collective burial place of the community between 4000 and 2000 BC.

This afternoon, we will view two more significant archaeological treasures. Standing nine feet high on a slight ridge dominating the skyline, Ty Mawr Standing Stone is thought to be from the Bronze Age.  Not far is the fortlet at Caer Gybi, standing on the west shore of the natural harbor at Holyhead.  It was built by the Romans about 300 AD, (add comma here) to guard against pirate raids and probably served as a naval base of the Classis Britannica, the fleet that controlled the waters of the Roman province of Britannia.  The fort was made up of three defensive walls with circular watch towers at each corner. A fourth wall fronted the sea and may have been a dock for the Roman warships. The Romans abandoned the region in the late fourth century AD and, by the 6th century AD, Saint Cybi founded a monastery within the remaining fortification walls. A medieval church still stands here today. (B/D)

We begin the day in Segontium Fort built to defend the Roman Empire against rebellious tribes. It held a regiment of up to 1,000 auxiliary soldiers until about 394 AD. Non-citizens, these troops would be in the service of the Roman army for 25 years. Containing fine examples of the finds excavated from Segontium, the site museum tells the story of the conquest and occupation of Wales.

Move on to mighty Caernarfon, possibly the most famous of Wales’ castles. Its sheer scale and commanding presence easily set it apart from the rest, and to this day, still trumpet in no uncertain terms the intention of its builder Edward I. Begun in 1283 as the definitive chapter in his conquest of Wales, Caernarfon was constructed not only as a military stronghold but also as a seat of government and a royal palace. In the afternoon, board the Snowdon Mountain Railway and travel through stunning scenery with awe-inspiring views to the rooftop of Wales. Snowdon, at 3,560 feet, dominates the landscape of Snowdonia National Park in North Wales.

Travel to the delightful village of Portmeirion and overnight for two nights. (B/D)

A variety of fascinating monuments will fill our day. Sir Clough Williams-Ellis had a lifelong concern with environmental preservation. He built the folly village of Portmeirion on his private peninsula in Snowdonia, Wales, to show that architecture can be beautiful and fun. Many of the structures were pieced together from buildings destined for demolition. We will enjoy a walking tour of this unique town.

On a rocky peninsula overlooking Tremadog Bay, looms Criccieth Castle. The history of the castle is deeply intertwined with the medieval conflict between Wales and England. Originally a stronghold of the native Welsh princes, Criccieth was later annexed and added to by King Edward I. Both sides had a high regard for Criccieth’s strategic siting.

Our final stop will be Penarth Fawr, one of the most important medieval gentry houses to survive in Wales. This fifteenth-century hall house displays a unique feature, a spere-truss, a roof-supporting wooden arch. (B/D)

Harlech Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered to be one of the finest examples of late 13th and early 14th-century military architecture in Europe, is where we begin our day. Built by Edward I during his invasion of Wales, the ramparts sit atop a spur rock close to the Irish Sea.

Continue to Cymer Abbey, founded at the end of the 12th century and originally supported by Welsh nobility. Like other Cistercian communities in Wales, Cymer Abbey farmed sheep and bred horses, supplying them to Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Llewelyn the Great.

A Quaker community was established in Dolgellau in the 17th century. The Quakers, like many minority religious groups at that time, suffered extreme persecution and this led to the emigration of many to Pennsylvania. We will learn about the Quakers, their persecution, and their escape to America at Dolgellau’s Quaker Heritage Centre.

Our last visit will be to Castell y Bere. Strung along a jagged rocky outcrop, the castle was built by Llywelyn the Great in the 1220s to guard what was once a major route through the mountains.

Continue to Aberaeron where we spend the night. (B/D)

St. Dogmaels Abbey is our morning’s destination. Once famed for its impressive library, the abbey was founded in 1120. Constructed on the site of the ancient pre-Norman-conquest church of Llandudoch, it was named for Dogmael, a 6th–century Christian saint. Links with the medieval past remain amongst the ruins of the old abbey church where original 15th-century floor tiles can still be seen in large areas along the length of the nave. In the restored Abbey Coach House there is an innovative museum that displays a collection of beautiful carved medieval stones that once adorned the abbey.

Spectacularly crowning a crag above the wooded Teifi Gorge and protected by steep drops on two sides, Cilgerran Castle was an obvious location for a fort in an area hotly disputed by Welsh Princes and Norman Barons. Traditionally, medieval castles were designed with a keep at the center. Instead, two massive round towers guard the vulnerable side facing inland.

Iron Age hillforts occur in great numbers in West Wales. These are often smaller than the great hillforts of southern England, but there are many more of them. The best-known, and the most extensively excavated, is Castell Henllys. Step back in time at these unique Iron Age battlements recreated with replica roundhouses built on top of the 2,400-year-old excavated remains.

Before ending the day, we will stop at two dolmens – Carreg Coetan Arthur Burial Chamber, a Neolithic tomb with a large capstone supported by two of the four surviving upright stones, and Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber, a magnificent megalithic burial chamber with a huge capstone delicately poised on three uprights.

Continue to Tenby, a harbor town that retains the 13th century medieval walls, and overnight for two nights at a seaside inn. (B/D)

St. David’s Bishop’s Palace, the largest and most important medieval ecclesiastical site in Wales, is our first visit. During the Middle Ages, there were few landowners in Wales wealthier than the Bishops of St. David’s. As well as being princes of the church, they were Marcher Lords appointed by the King of England to guard the border. Therefore, it is hardly surprising these powerful prelates created a group of splendid buildings in their cathedral city. The enduring grandeur of the palace, even after centuries of neglect, testifies to the great power and wealth of the church during this era. Due to its relics of St. David, the patron saint of Wales, the cathedral was considered the holiest site in Wales. A major pilgrimage destination throughout the Middle Ages, it remains a thriving church today.

Built by the Bishops of St. David’s, Llawhaden Castle was founded in the early 13th century to protect the surrounding lands. The ditch from this early ringwork is still visible today. Journey on, through some of the most scenic parts of Pembrokeshire, to Manorbier. This Norman Castle was the birthplace of the renowned scholar-priest, Gerald of Wales. His books are still essential reading for anyone studying the medieval period of Wales. The castle is a combination of a lavish residence for wealthy landowners and a stronghold. Here we learn of feudal life during the Middle Ages, with the castle as the hub of activity, the church on the opposite hillside, and the extensive agricultural lands merging with the sea below.

Stop to see Carew Cross, one of the largest and most elaborate early Christian monuments in Wales. The magnificent, sculptured cross is a royal memorial to Maredudd, who, in 1033, with his brother Hywel, became joint ruler of the early medieval kingdom of Deheubarth, now southwest Wales. (B/D)

Kidwelly Castle, one of the finest fortifications in southwestern Wales, is our first stop today. Dominating a long-disputed region, the impressive citadel developed during more than three centuries of warfare between the Welsh and their invaders, the Normans. A chronicle in stone of medieval fortification technology, it is an outstanding example of early 12th-century design.

At Margam Stones Museum, we will see an outstanding assemblage of early Christian sculpture and carved stones, all housed in an early church schoolhouse. The collection includes several important pre-Conquest early Christian memorials, from the sub-Roman era right through to the hugely impressive ‘cart-wheel’ crosses of the late 10th and 11th centuries.

Neath Abbey was established in 1129 AD when Sir Richard de Grenville gave 8,000 acres of his estate in Glamorgan to Savigniac monks from western Normandy. Here, we will visit the remains of an extraordinary complex of monastic medieval ruins, the substantial remains of a grand Tudor residence, and fragments of 18th-century industrial furnaces.

Considered to be the richest man in the world in the 19th century, John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, the 3rd Marquess of Bute, wanted to create a rural retreat to complement the opulence of his main residence, Cardiff Castle. The result was Castell Coch, a fairytale-style castle, designed by William Burges. It was lavishly decorated and furnished in the Victorian Gothic style, providing a Romantic vision of the Middle Ages. Now chiefly known as a picturesque folly, it was built upon the remains of a genuine 13th-century castle, probably founded by a Welsh lord.

Then it’s on to Caerphilly Castle, one of the great medieval castles of Western Europe. The largest in Britain after Windsor, it is the first truly concentric castle in Britain. When it was constructed in the late 13th century, it was a revolutionary masterpiece of military planning. Continue to Caerleon and overnight for two nights at the Priory Hotel, located in the center of this attractive Roman town. (B/D)

Caerleon lay within the territory of a fierce tribe that was not pacified by the Romans until around 75 AD. As a result, Caerleon, then named Isca Augusta, was chosen as one of the three permanent legionary fortresses of Roman Britain and was responsible for the military administration of the Welsh tribes. The base was home to one of the thirty Roman Legions (of 5000-6000 men each) scattered across the empire. Dr. Peter Guest, former senior lecturer on Roman History at Cardiff University and the archaeologist who has caused a stir in the media due to recent discoveries in Caerleon, will join us for the entire day.

We begin our explorations at the remains of the amphitheater used for gladiatorial shows and the best-preserved example in Britain; we will also examine the troop barracks and fortified walls. After walking through the Roman ruins, we’ll go to the Wales National Roman Legion Museum and Roman Baths Museum.

In the afternoon we drive to nearby Caerwent, founded by the Romans in 75 AD as Venta Silurum, to explore some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in Europe. (B/D)

Our first stop today will be the imposing Cistercian abbey of Tintern, one of the greatest monastic ruins of Wales. It was built by the local lord of Chepstow, Walter of Clare, in 1131 and the family continued to be generous benefactors. Although the cruciform church is today without a roof, many of the decorated details are still visible along with ornate doorways and windows.

Continue to Cirencester, the second largest town in Roman Britain, where we visit the award-winning Corinium Museum, home to one of the largest collections of British Roman antiquities in the country. A short distance away is the remains of one of the largest Romano-British villas in the country, Chedworth. The wealth of the former owner is displayed in the fine mosaic floors, two bathhouses with hypocausts (central heating), a water shrine, and a luxurious flushing toilet.

Overnight at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel at London Heathrow. (B/D)

Return to Heathrow in time for flights home. (B)