So striking was the massive circular tower built by Roger Picard II that his castle became known as Tretower – or ‘the place of the tower’.

Over two centuries, from about 1100, the Picards transformed themselves from invading Norman adventurers to powerful Welsh lords.

So this monumental tower with four storeys and stone walls nine feet thick wasn’t merely for protection. It was social climbing made visible, an open imitation of the castles at Pembroke and Skenfrith.

It would be remarkable enough on its own. But Tretower is two wonders in one. Just across the castle green lies an entire medieval court that became a byword for magnificence.

It was the creation of Sir Roger Vaughan and his descendants. During the Wars of the Roses Sir Roger became one of the most powerful men in Wales – and Tretower reflected his fame.

It became a magnet for medieval Welsh poets who drank its fine wines and sang the praises of its generous host. Now, thanks to meticulous restoration, you can vividly imagine being one of Tretower’s most honoured guests.

You’ll find the great hall laid out just as it might have been for a lavish feast in the 1460s. In the recreated 15th century garden you can stroll among fragrant white roses that symbolise Sir Roger’s passionate Yorkist sympathies.

Tretower Castle was first built in the 11th century by the Norman family of Picard. It underwent three successive phases of development before the more spacious court house was established close bya as the main residential focus of the site in the 14th century.

The 11th century castle was a small mound and bailey, with timber defences. In the mid 12th century the defences on the mound were replaced in stone: residential quarters were ranged around an encircling protective stone wall with a gatehous – an arrangement know as a Shell Keep.
In the earlier 13th century most of the buildings inside the shell keep were demolished to make room for a high circular tower: this contained the Picards’ private accomodation; it was entered at first-floor level and linked to the earlier curtain by bridge. At the same time the defences of the bailey were replaced in stone, with circular angle towers.*

The Vaughan family abandoned Tretower Court shortly after 1700. So began its slow decline under a series of tenant farmers.

Rooms once graced by lords and ladies suffered the ultimate indignity – they became a home for pigs. Tretower was in a truly sorry state when it was bought for the nation in 1934.

The original conservation effort lasted for four long decades and saved the fabric of the buildings. In 2010 a further major restoration by Cadw brought the interiors vibrantly to life.

Now all the rooms of the west range – from the medieval kitchen, buttery and pantry to Sir Roger Vaughan’s great hall – are equipped as they would been in their 1460s heyday.

Every piece of furniture and all the furnishings, even the pots and pans in the kitchen, are modern replicas. All especially made. All based on authentic 15th-century evidence.

Under the glorious wooden roof of the great hall Sir Roger’s high table is laid with the finest linen and tableware. Look out for the impressive oak dresser and a cupboard painted in green earth or ‘terre verte’. It’s adorned with the strange heraldic device of the Vaughan family – a boy with a snake around his neck.

Most eye-catching of all is the painted cloth behind the high table. It depicts four scenes from the eventful lives of the Vaughans, starting with the battle of Agincourt in 1415 and ending with the siege of Harlech Castle in 1468.

*From a signboard at the castle

We packed and loaded the car before breakfast so that there was no need for us to go back to our room; we could just check out and set off to our chosen destination, Wigmore Castle. You may note the continuing War of the Roses theme.

We parked in Wigmore village and walked past the Parish Church along the undulating path to the Castle. It was only on our way back from the castle that we noticed that the church had recently closed because it was no longer possible to afford cleaners to keep people safe.

The walk to the castle was lovely although as we approached it the pathway was muddy in places. The castle is mostly overgrown and being kept that way so that the wildlife habitat of the area is not destroyed.

Whilst we were exploring the castle, Mr C and I walked the paths in different ways. A robin visited Mr C on the path that he chose. When our paths converged I stopped to take a photograph of Mr C at the top of some steps. As I did so, I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye… the robin was sitting on the ground next to my foot. The robin then hopped up onto the steps in front of me, looking for tasty morsels to eat.

Photo taken by Mr C

Mr C and I continued exploring the castle. As we paused to take in the view of the castle keep and the wider view from that perspective, the robin returned. He sat on a low fence next to us and was so close I could have reached out and touched him. He stayed with us long enough for Mr C to try and photograph him. The initial noise of the camera made Mr Robin jump and puff his chest out (making himself look bigger) but he immediately settled down and stayed with us until we walked away. He followed us and settled on the pathway between Mr C and I before disappearing into the undergrowth.

After our brief walk we headed to Tenbury Wells with lunch in mind. We enjoyed our drive through the town but lunch opportunities were not forthcoming; everywhere was shut. We moved on to plan B, Cleobury Mortimer, where we found the delightful and cosy Cleobury Cafe. We both chose a toasted teacake which, when it arrived, was toasted to perfection.

On our way home, we picked up some ingredients for a roast pork chop dinner. Back in our home town we checked up on our family members who had had emergency health issues just prior to our weekend away. They were all doing as well as could be expected, allowing us to enjoy one last (home cooked) meal to complete our weekend adventure.

After a refreshing nights sleep it was time for breakfast. Continental breakfast (no rolls) and cooked breakfast options to order were on offer and didn’t disappoint.

We lingered at the breakfast table before walking into town to explore the bookshops. Mr C was keen to visit the Cinema bookshop to peruse its extensive military section. Currently he is interested in the Wars of the Roses, hence the visit to Tretower on our way to Hay-on-Wye. Whilst he was exploring the military section I found a tray labelled ‘Wales’ in the travel section. It was full of guide books for local attractions.  As I browsed the items in the tray I noticed many that I have in my own guidebook collection including some Ministry of Works publications which I miss for their in-depth accounts of the heritage sites they covered. There was nothing new for me to add to my collection so I left empty handed, as did Mr C.

Next we visited the Richard Booth bookshop. We found that the café is currently closed so, at the appropriate time, we left for elevenses in the nearby Granary Café. Sadly the drinks were served in a takeaway cup. Suitably refreshed we returned to the Richard Booth bookshop to continue browsing their book selection. From previous visits, I remember the Folio Society Section of the bookshop and was disappointed to find the extensive collection of illustrated books was no longer stocked, although that part of the bookshop still retains the name associated with the book collection. This was easily my favourite bookshop of the day and I left with three purchases; The Book of Hay by Kate Clarke, The Elan Valley Clearance by David Lewis Brown and Wild Ruins by Dave Hamilton.

After visiting a few more bookshops including Addyman Books with its delightfully decorated themed rooms we returned to the Granary Café for lunch. I had a long discussion about sandwich options and the temptation of an extensive salad bar led me to choose a salad roll. There was a bit of a mix up with my order, when my roll arrived it was filled with smoked salmon (one of their standard options). The problem was quickly rectified and, when it arrived, the salad roll was delicious as I am sure the salmon roll would have been.

Comfortably replete, it was time to visit a few more bookshops before taking our book purchases back to the hotel. The carrying of books through intermittent rain squalls curtailed my ability to take many photographs as we explored the town. After relieving ourselves of our book purchases we returned to to town for a flapjack and tea in the Cosy Café. The Café was warm and cosy so we lingered a while before returning to the hotel to chill out before dinner, which for me included a relaxing soak in the bath.

Once again we dined in the hotel restaurant and on receiving the menu we found that a few of the options had changed to a Christmassy theme. I chose Chestnut Nut Roast accompanied with pureed butter nut squash, sautéed potato and a festive veg medley.  I followed it up with a single scoop of Salted Caramel ice cream. It was all delicious.

We set off on our journey to Hay-on-Wye later than we intended.  Our first destination was Tretower Court and Castle, with a planned lunch stop along the way. Lunch opportunities proved non-existent. Although we weren’t expecting the Bird on the Rock tearooms to be open we made a slight detour just in case they were. We arrived at the property to find it looking both closed and derelict. I was curious so I searched on Google and found that sadly, the property is up for auction.

We stopped for lunch in Cafe Hay, Hay-on-Wye (toasted ham, cheese and chutney sandwich for me) before continuing to Tretower where we were treated to a short talk about the history of the site by a Cadw representative who also showed us the best route to enjoy it.

Afterwards we headed back to Hay-on-Wye for our stay in The Swan at Hay, stopping off at a garden centre for tea and cake and a visit to the Christmas Grotto (it just had to be done). As we travelled, we were treated to spectacular displays of Red Kites soaring in the sky.

Back in Hay-on-Wye we checked into the hotel, unpacked and chilled out before dining in the hotel restaurant. The bar area was busy due to an art sale event taking place. We found a quiet corner to enjoy our pre dinner drink before dining. The restaurant was calm and the food delicious. By the time we had finished our meal the bar area was less crowded allowing us to have a nightcap in relative calm.

I am currently sorting out my photos and memoires from my recent weekend away.