It’s always good to soar the skies and take a look at some castles from the air, and it was my privilege to do that today. And what a fabulous flight it was…
Boarding and ready to go flying!
Taxying out to the runway
Being new to the skies around Gwynedd, I wasn’t prepared for just how beautiful both the castles and the mountains would look from the perspective of height. As we got airborne, the geography of the place took on a new meaning. I saw the vast expanse of sea and the little waves lapping at the sandy shoreline beside the airfield before we reached the height of the majestic mountains of Snowdonia.
Harlech Castle on it’s rocky mound, lording it over the local populace…
We flew south, admiring the superb views, and soon I was able to see Harlech Castle, sitting proudly on its prominent rocky seat looking out to sea. I’m always moved by the sight of a castle from the air, but this was something else. In such a special setting, it was pure joy to be able to catch some images from above and to appreciate its perspective within the landscape. It’s further back from the coastline nowadays, but the sea originally came up to the rocks on which it sits. Nevertheless, there’s no denying it’s still a very imposing castle. It’s easy to imagine the impact its presence would have had on the Welsh when it was built, with its huge white, lime-washed walls and the sea lapping at the rocks below.
The approach to the castle’s great gatehouse is across a fantastic ‘floating’ footbridge…
The back of the substantial gatehouse and the inner ward
Harlech now lies at a distance from the sea, so all this land in between was under water in the 13th Century
As we flew back, I couldn’t resist photographing the stunning mountains as Snowdon held court among her shrouded sisters. It was a humbling sight.
Snowdon looms high in the distance…
The splendour of Snowdonia
Before we landed, we flew a little further up the coast, where I was able to photograph the full glory of Caernarfon. The pinnacle of Edward’s Welsh building project is no less impressive from the air, and you can clearly see the extent of the ‘bastide’ walls that encircled the English enclave in the 13th Century. It’s not often you get to see castles in this way, so I appreciated every minute looking down on these magnificent feats of medieval engineering.
It had to be done… Caernarfon, the jewel in the crown
The height of castle perfection…
The town walls clearly show the extent of the king’s grand ‘bastide’
A look at the mouth of the Menai Straits on the way back to the airfield
Back on terra firma, I looked through my photographs, barely believing what I’d just experienced. This flight was one in a million, and the sights of the castles and the mountains from 2000ft up in the air mean this will be a day I’ll never forget.
So tomorrow, we’ll pick up the story from the aftermath of the 1294-5 Welsh uprising, and look towards the completion of my Quest on Saturday. But no tour of the ‘Iron Ring’ would be complete without a ground visit to the dramatic statement in stone that is Harlech…
medievalwanderings.com 
An excellent post my Love – the pictures you’ve taken where wonderful, I really liked the one shown the town walls. Brilliant considering you were upside down.
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Very funny. 😉
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I always marvel that you fly – wow! And you got to see the castles from way up (a view no one that ever lived there got to see). They are still so big. And I can’t believe that whole area was covered in water! The mountains are so beautiful as well. Another great journey!
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Thanks Robyn, it was a wonderful flight and so good to see the castles in the context of the landscape. Glad you enjoyed coming along for the ride! 🙂
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How wonderful that you can fly yourself.. photos fantastic.
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Thanks Albert. It’s a great thing to be able to do, and it really puts castles in perspective within the landscape. Glad you like them. 🙂
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Where did you hire the aircraft from? Is there still flying at Morfa Harlech or Llanbedr?
I miss Snowdon – must get back there this year!
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I went to Caernarfon airfield. Lovely little place in a nice setting near the beach. I already knew about this place as I discovered it a few years ago when we were on holiday here, so I didn’t look into anywhere else. You do see a fair few light aircraft buzzing around North Wales though, so I guess there are several other places to fly from. It’s an amazing area to fly around though, and I can see why you’d miss Snowdon. 🙂
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Snowdon is my favourite mountain in the world! Didn’t remember the airfield at Caernarfon but, now you mention it, I think I do…
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It’s called Caernarfon Airfield but it’s not in Caernarfon – it’s further south, but it’s really nice. 🙂
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Fantastic. Nothing else to say really 🙂
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Thanks, Malc. Glad you approve. 🙂
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Where did the water go? Was it drained or was the land filled in?
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I think was just natural geographical and climate changes. Its the same at all Edward’s castles to one degree or another. The sea/river used to come up to the walls but it doesn’t now. I bet it looked wonderful back in the day though. 🙂
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Lovely clear views.
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Thanks John, I was very lucky with the weather! It seems to have perked up again here now, which is good, as long as it doesn’t get really hot again. 🙂
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Scorching again up here.
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Oh no, I hope its not like that when we get home. It’s much nicer here now.
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Fabulous photos, Alli! I envy you the ability to get airborne…especially in that area!
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Thanks, Sue. It really is a beautiful area to fly around, so different from back home. 🙂
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I know… we are singularly mountainless here 😉
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…something I’m all too aware of. And there aren’t many castles… 😦
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Or stones 😦
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… or stones, true also. 😦
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I love your photos of castles from the air and how interesting to read that so much of the land was under water in the 13th century. I wonder if that is something to do with the medieval warm period I wrote about on my blog recently.
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Very interesting point, Suzanne. It may well have been a factor. Glad you like the photos. 🙂
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Marvelous, Alli. Enjoyed.
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Thanks Frank. 😊
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The photos and extra perspective are great. Nice addition to your storytelling 👏
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Thanks David. It was a pretty special flight. What an amazing area to fly in… 🙂
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What fabulous photos, a really different way to view the castles.
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Thanks Vanda, it was a very special flight. 😊
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That’s an amazing experience – and the castles look even more impressive from the sky! 🙂
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Thank you Clare, they really do look amazing from above in their full setting. Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
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