Climbing Twmbarlwm

I've wanted to climb Twmbarlwm in South Wales for some time - ever since its distinctive outline, which you can see from many places on our side of the Severn, was pointed out to me. Ideally, I would have gone with Dru Marland, as it is deep in Dru Marland Country, but these days she's headed east on the Kennet and Avon and somewhere in the Vale of Pewsey, so I went with my boys and our dogs instead. (And fine companions they were.)

First, though, we made a return visit to Caerleon - not to follow the whole route we walked three weeks ago, but just to see if the bluebells that grow all over the hill fort on the ridge at the back of the town were out yet. 

This has been a difficult spring to predict, what with the effect of all that late snow, but in this, our timing was spot on. 

Great waves of bluebells rolling over the ramparts of the hill fort ...

... and so beautiful. 

But we had a mountain - or at least, a sizeable hill - to climb, so after three quarters of an hour or so we headed west to our starting point at Cwmcarn Visitor Centre. 

I have to say, it was hard going, but fortunately for me, there were plenty of reasons to pause and take photos. 

On the way up we bumped into David Hockney. (Not really.) 

It was getting really tough now. Luckily, there was a raven overhead, chiding me into keeping going.

Bilberries - or whinberries - and very shouty larks

Eventually we reached the outer ramparts of the hill fort, which - like the one at Caerleon - is believed to have been constructed between 500 and 150BC by the Silures, a fierce Celtic tribe ...

... and then - with much relief - the trig point on the summit.

Brean Down, Steep Holm and Flat Holm in the far distance

There's a rather prominent tump on top of Twmbarlwm. 

Its origin is something of a mystery. It might have been built by the Romans as a signal tower after they defeated the Silures in the area ... 

... or possibly by the Normans during the invasion of South Wales in 1070, as a temporary motte and bailey structure. 

A small shrine to another mother and grandmother reminded us of a Welsh nanna who might have been celebrating her 97th birthday at that very moment in whichever place she is now. (Another mystery.)

Too soon it was time to go. We took in the last of the views, over to the River Severn and the two Severn bridges in the distance ... 

... and Ted had a final puddle about.

Then it was all the way back down, far quicker, admittedly, than the ascent but - in my case - on jelly legs with toes crunched against the toecaps of my boots.

Loquacious raven alert 

Next time I might just take advantage of the car park near the summit, the existence of which we only realised once we were up there ... 

... because, in the words of Son the Younger, You've done it now, Mum. 

Romans, Knights and Pwca

Time for Son the Younger and me to take the two dogs for a walk. We'd been hoping it would be nice enough to go to the beach, but it wasn't, so we crossed the water and went for a walk in Caerleon, just outside Newport.

Caerleon is famed for its Roman remains. I hadn't been there since I was at school. We had quite a walk ahead of us, though, so we made do with a flying visit to the amphitheatre ...

... which was built to serve the nearby Roman legionary fortress of Isca Augusta (or Isca Silorum) in around 90AD. Interestingly, it was known in the Middle Ages as King Arthur's Round Table.   

We were headed for a different fort, however - the iron age hill fort that tops the wooded ridge overlooking the village. 

This involved a long and slightly tedious drag uphill ...  

... although there was some poetry - a passing glimpse of the Hanbury Arms, down by the River Usk, where Tennyson worked on his Idylls of the King, which is about King Arthur. (Are you sensing a theme?) ...

... and this sign in the window of a local primary school.

Then we were off tarmac and onto a muddy track and things started getting interesting. 

Lodge Wood hill fort was constructed some 300 to 500 years before the arrival of the Romans. 

The Silures - a fierce tribe, apparently - fought back against the Roman occupation, but were eventually either beaten or persuaded to work with them. 

When the Romans left in 400AD, many hillforts were reoccupied. During this period, King Arthur is said to have led the fightback against the Saxon invasion. In the 12th century, Geoffrey of Monmouth claims Caerleon is the site of Camelot. 

We didn't see the ghosts of any Roman centurions or courtly knights, but there was a funny feeling about the woods. As if the Pwca might live there.

The place will be full of bluebells shortly.

In the meantime, we got to admire the beautifully delicate and quite widespread wood anemones. 

The woods thinned as we left the area of the fort and views over Newport and the looping River Usk opened up. 

I kept Ted well away from this pond. 

We picked our way down a very slippery hillside to the road by Pwll-Mawr Farm. 

Our route should have taken us round the back of the hill over land described as marsh, and then up the steep and at times disappearing path through the woods. 

However, the ground was so already so wet  and treacherous that we decided to return to town on the new boardwalk alongside the river. 

Still, you know you've had a good walk when your boots look like this.