Thursday 15th May

Castell Coch and St Fagans National Museum of History

Many of you will have seen the fairy tale conical towers of Castell Coch, the Red Castle, rising on the side of the M4, beyond Cardiff.   William Burges the architect was given free rein by the Marquess of Bute which resulted in highly decorated interiors and rich furnishings making Castell Coch a dazzling masterpiece of the High Victorian era.   Castell Coch was built on the site of a 13th century castle and used as a hunting lodge by the ruthless Marcher lord, Gilbert de Clare.  It is a magnificent vision of an imaginary medieval world - regularly voted by the public as their favourite building in Wales.

We plan to arrive at the castle by 10:30am.  Please be aware that all the inner rooms of the castle are only accessible via steps only, with steep staircases and narrow doorways throughout the site. 

There is a café just off the cobbled courtyard on the ground floor.

12.30pm to 1.00pm - Travel to St Fagans

There will be an introductory talk by a member of curatorial team about St Fagans which is an open-air museum outside Cardiff chronicling the historical lifestyle, culture and architecture of the Welsh people.  There are reconstructed buildings from the whole of Wales – pubs, toll houses, water mills, farmhouses and even a cock fighting arena.  The museum stands in the grounds of St Fagans Castle and Gardens and some of the rooms will be open. 

There are  plenty of places for a bite to eat, including a modern restaurant in the main building.

Sensible footwear and outdoor clothing are recommended.

We will depart at 4:30 pm.

Your place can only be confirmed once payment has been received.