The Real Merlin and Arthur locations
Jan. 10th, 2010 11:52 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
mrs-leary.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
merlinlocationsSo… in October 2009, Bradley and Colin hopped into a Ford Focus, and spent three days driving around Wales visiting Arthurian locations. This resulted in a program called The Real Merlin and Arthur, first broadcast on 28 November 2009.
The show was made for BBC Wales, and so concentrated solely on Arthurian locations in Wales. Obviously there are also plenty of Arthurian locations to visit in England and elsewhere - but I don't see the paraochial focus as a bad thing, because I suspect a lot of people who are less geeky than us tend to think of the Arthurian legends as very English, and forget or aren't aware of the strong Welsh connections especially in the origins of the stories.
I thought I would start this ball rolling by listing all the locations that the boys visited, and providing some basic details. Of course further, more detailed posts from others will always be welcome. The more the merrier! ♥
But just before we launch into the entry itself, these were my favourite geeky finds:
The Arthurian Collection, Mold
Colin: 'I'll be gutted if we don't get to see this library…'
The Arthurian Collection is part of the Library and Information Service provided by Flintshire County Council. It is an internationally recognised collection of over 2,000 books relating to the Arthurian legends, founded in 1952 on the basis of a private collection.
Visits are by appointment only, but the library is keen to encourage scholars, authors and general readers to use the collection. Although, to be honest, I think they could sell it a bit more! I hadn't even heard of it before I saw the show, and there isn't much to be discovered on the internet. (Oh well, at least the boys have now done their bit to promote it!)
The collection can be found at: Council Buildings, off Raikes Lane, Mold CH7 6NW (updated).
Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold
An honorary Merlin Location! So poor nerdy Colin was gutted to miss out on the library, and instead he and Bradley took Scott Lloyd to the foyer cafe at the nearby theatre.
The address is: Clwyd Theatr Cymru, off Raikes Lane, Mold CH7 1YA.
Llanuwchllyn and Caer Gai
Llanuwchllyn is a village in the county of Gwynedd. A nearby Roman fort called Caer Gai is traditionally known as the home of Cei (or Kay), so this is the area in which young Arthur grew up with his foster brother.
The boys leaned on a bridge and admired the countryside, then took the Bala Lake Railway out along the lake and back. The railway runs for four and a half miles along the south-eastern shore of the lake, from Llanuwchllyn railway station to Bala Lake station (a half-mile from the town of Bala).
This image indicates The Bridge where the boys were so sweet and photogenic. The Google Maps pointer for the village is in the bottom right of the image, and the star indicates the bridge. The boys were looking south-west, though there were also shots taken looking in the other direction.
Bwlch y Groes | Pass of the Cross
Bradley: 'The sheep are so blase about it all…'
This is the highest public-road mountain pass in Wales, with a summit altitude of 545 metres. Less prosaically, it's also the place where Arthur is supposed to have killed a giant named Rhita Gawr who wasn't allowing anyone safe passage through the pass.
The pass is on minor roads between LLanuwchllyn and Dinas Mawddwy. The lookout itself is a little further north of where Google Maps is pointing.
Oh, and take care on those steep roads, chaps!
Maes y Camlan
This is a field near Dinas Mawddwy which the author Laurence Main identifies as Camlan, the location of Arthur and Mordred's last battle. Laurence isn't the only one, because (as we saw in the show) someone else has erected a cairn in Arthur's honour. However, even glancing through the Wikipedia entry on Camlan makes it clear that there are a number of places identified as possible sites for Camlan, so nothing is certain.
The nearby church in which Arthur died is the Church of St Tydecho. This has been confirmed as the church in the village of Mallwyd, to the south of Dinas Mawddwy.
The field can be found near a craft shop named Meirion Mill. The gate to the field is now kept locked, and Laurence Main holds the key! If you want to visit, you’ll need to be escorted by him. His address in Dinas Mawddwy is listed on his website and is also marked on Google Maps (links below).
I couldn't get a more specific location for the field on Google Maps, but if you head to Minllyn, south of Dinas Mawddwy, and find Meirion Mill, it'll be nearby. You will need to be escorted to the field by Laurence.
Caerleon
Caerleon is a village in south Wales identified by our very own Geoffrey of Monmouth as Arthur's capital and court (the name of Camelot was not used by the early writers). The remains of the Roman amphitheatre in Caerleon are popularly known as The Round Table - and while this is probably pushing things a bit too far past plausible, you can imagine that they might have held 'democratic' meetings and discussions there, which could have given rise to the Round Table elements of the legends. And anyway, the boys have been there.
The amphitheatre can be visited at any reasonable time. It is managed by Cadw. Nearby is the National Roman Legion Museum, where Mark Lewis is a curator.
The museum can be found at: 1 High Street, Caerleon NP18 1AZ. The amphitheatre is not far away, down Broadway Lane.
other locations mentioned
A number of other Arthurian locations in Wales were mentioned in passing.
Dinefwr Castle, where 'Merlin communed with spirits', overlooks the River Tywi near the town of Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire. Links: Wikipedia entry; Google Maps. The castle is in the grounds of Dinefwr Park; Google Maps points to Newton House, and you can see the castle to the south-west in a bend of the river.
Llyn Dinas, where 'Owain killed a giant', is a lake near Beddgelert in Gwynedd. Interestingly for us Merlin geeks, the lake takes its name from a hill named Dinas Emrys… which deserves its own entry! Links: Wikipedia; Google Maps. Unfortunately Google Maps points to somewhere just south of the lake, but the lake is pretty obvious once you have a look!
Dinas Emrys wasn't mentioned in the show, but it's pretty important in terms of Merlinian (is that a word?) legends. This is where Vortigern tried to build a tower, but it kept falling down overnight. The young Myrddin Emrys (or Merlin Ambrosius) tells him that's because there's two dragons in a pool below the hill, who fight each night. Oh man, am I going to visit this one! Links: Wikipedia; Google Maps.
Cadair Idris, 'the kingdom of Arthur', is a mountain in Gwynedd, at the southern end of Snowdonia National Park. Links: Wikipedia; Google Maps. Wikipedia is sceptical of the links to Arthur.
Bardsey Island, 'Merlin's resting place', lies two miles off the Llyn Peninsula in Gwynedd. There are ferries available, though the sea can get rough. Wikipedia suggests that both Arthur and Merlin are buried in a cave here, and the Thirteen Rarities of Arthur's regalia were also brought here - obviously some people identify Bardsey Island as Avalon. Links: Wikipedia; Google Maps.
Bosherston Pools, 'home of Excalibur', are ponds near the village of Bosherston in Pembrokeshire. Mmm, I remain unconvinced on this one. The three-fingered ponds seem impressive, and were once part of the sea, but have since been landscaped into lily ponds or fish ponds. Seems a bit tame now - but then I suppose it wasn't back in Arthur's day! Links: Wikipedia; Google Maps.
Carmarthen, 'Merlin's birthplace', is the county town of Carmarthenshire. It claims to be the oldest town in Wales, and features a Roman amphitheatre and a medieval castle. Merlin was supposedly born in cave nearby. (Poor Hunith!) Links: Wikipedia; Google Maps.
and we're done!
Phew! I have to admit that at the time, I thought the program didn't manage to cover very much. However, I changed my mind about that a few hours ago… Three cheers for the boys!
The show was made for BBC Wales, and so concentrated solely on Arthurian locations in Wales. Obviously there are also plenty of Arthurian locations to visit in England and elsewhere - but I don't see the paraochial focus as a bad thing, because I suspect a lot of people who are less geeky than us tend to think of the Arthurian legends as very English, and forget or aren't aware of the strong Welsh connections especially in the origins of the stories.
I thought I would start this ball rolling by listing all the locations that the boys visited, and providing some basic details. Of course further, more detailed posts from others will always be welcome. The more the merrier! ♥
But just before we launch into the entry itself, these were my favourite geeky finds:
- An interesting blogpost re our boys and Laurence Main on The British Society of Dowsers site. (Link updated on 18 March 2010.)
- A review of The Arthurian Collection's catalogue!
- Oh, and I think I might have located The Bridge in Llanuwchllyn!
The Arthurian Collection, Mold
Colin: 'I'll be gutted if we don't get to see this library…'
The Arthurian Collection is part of the Library and Information Service provided by Flintshire County Council. It is an internationally recognised collection of over 2,000 books relating to the Arthurian legends, founded in 1952 on the basis of a private collection.
Visits are by appointment only, but the library is keen to encourage scholars, authors and general readers to use the collection. Although, to be honest, I think they could sell it a bit more! I hadn't even heard of it before I saw the show, and there isn't much to be discovered on the internet. (Oh well, at least the boys have now done their bit to promote it!)
- the relevant page on the Flintshire Country Council site
- the Wikipedia entry for Mold (with, oddly, no mention of the library)
- a review of the Collection's catalogue!
- the location on Google Maps (updated)
The collection can be found at: Council Buildings, off Raikes Lane, Mold CH7 6NW (updated).
Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold
An honorary Merlin Location! So poor nerdy Colin was gutted to miss out on the library, and instead he and Bradley took Scott Lloyd to the foyer cafe at the nearby theatre.
- the official site for the theatre
- the Wikipedia entry for the theatre
- the location on Google Maps (updated) - the marker for the theatre is currently attached to the wrong building on Google Maps, so this link takes you to the bus stop just in front of the theatre
The address is: Clwyd Theatr Cymru, off Raikes Lane, Mold CH7 1YA.
Llanuwchllyn and Caer Gai
Llanuwchllyn is a village in the county of Gwynedd. A nearby Roman fort called Caer Gai is traditionally known as the home of Cei (or Kay), so this is the area in which young Arthur grew up with his foster brother.
The boys leaned on a bridge and admired the countryside, then took the Bala Lake Railway out along the lake and back. The railway runs for four and a half miles along the south-eastern shore of the lake, from Llanuwchllyn railway station to Bala Lake station (a half-mile from the town of Bala).
- the page re Caer Gai on the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust site (not a user-friendly site!)
- the Wikipedia entry for the village
- the official site for the railway
- the Wikipedia entry for the railway
- the location of the village on Google Maps
This image indicates The Bridge where the boys were so sweet and photogenic. The Google Maps pointer for the village is in the bottom right of the image, and the star indicates the bridge. The boys were looking south-west, though there were also shots taken looking in the other direction.
Bwlch y Groes | Pass of the Cross
Bradley: 'The sheep are so blase about it all…'
This is the highest public-road mountain pass in Wales, with a summit altitude of 545 metres. Less prosaically, it's also the place where Arthur is supposed to have killed a giant named Rhita Gawr who wasn't allowing anyone safe passage through the pass.
The pass is on minor roads between LLanuwchllyn and Dinas Mawddwy. The lookout itself is a little further north of where Google Maps is pointing.
Oh, and take care on those steep roads, chaps!
Maes y Camlan
This is a field near Dinas Mawddwy which the author Laurence Main identifies as Camlan, the location of Arthur and Mordred's last battle. Laurence isn't the only one, because (as we saw in the show) someone else has erected a cairn in Arthur's honour. However, even glancing through the Wikipedia entry on Camlan makes it clear that there are a number of places identified as possible sites for Camlan, so nothing is certain.
The nearby church in which Arthur died is the Church of St Tydecho. This has been confirmed as the church in the village of Mallwyd, to the south of Dinas Mawddwy.
The field can be found near a craft shop named Meirion Mill. The gate to the field is now kept locked, and Laurence Main holds the key! If you want to visit, you’ll need to be escorted by him. His address in Dinas Mawddwy is listed on his website and is also marked on Google Maps (links below).
- the Wikipedia entry for the Battle of Camlan
- the Wikipedia entry for the village of Dinas Mawddwy
- the Wikipedia entry for the village of Mallwyd
- Laurence Main's site re his book King Arthur's Camlan
- interesting blogpost re our boys and Laurence Main on The British Society of Dowsers site
- a page on Meirion Mill, including information on finding the field
- the location of Dinas Mawddwy on Google Maps
I couldn't get a more specific location for the field on Google Maps, but if you head to Minllyn, south of Dinas Mawddwy, and find Meirion Mill, it'll be nearby. You will need to be escorted to the field by Laurence.
Caerleon
Caerleon is a village in south Wales identified by our very own Geoffrey of Monmouth as Arthur's capital and court (the name of Camelot was not used by the early writers). The remains of the Roman amphitheatre in Caerleon are popularly known as The Round Table - and while this is probably pushing things a bit too far past plausible, you can imagine that they might have held 'democratic' meetings and discussions there, which could have given rise to the Round Table elements of the legends. And anyway, the boys have been there.
The amphitheatre can be visited at any reasonable time. It is managed by Cadw. Nearby is the National Roman Legion Museum, where Mark Lewis is a curator.
- the official site for the National Roman Legion Museum
- the Wikipedia entry for the village of Caerleon, including a discussion on its place in the legends
- the relevant page on the Cadw site
- the location of the museum on Google Maps
The museum can be found at: 1 High Street, Caerleon NP18 1AZ. The amphitheatre is not far away, down Broadway Lane.
other locations mentioned
A number of other Arthurian locations in Wales were mentioned in passing.
Dinefwr Castle, where 'Merlin communed with spirits', overlooks the River Tywi near the town of Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire. Links: Wikipedia entry; Google Maps. The castle is in the grounds of Dinefwr Park; Google Maps points to Newton House, and you can see the castle to the south-west in a bend of the river.
Llyn Dinas, where 'Owain killed a giant', is a lake near Beddgelert in Gwynedd. Interestingly for us Merlin geeks, the lake takes its name from a hill named Dinas Emrys… which deserves its own entry! Links: Wikipedia; Google Maps. Unfortunately Google Maps points to somewhere just south of the lake, but the lake is pretty obvious once you have a look!
Dinas Emrys wasn't mentioned in the show, but it's pretty important in terms of Merlinian (is that a word?) legends. This is where Vortigern tried to build a tower, but it kept falling down overnight. The young Myrddin Emrys (or Merlin Ambrosius) tells him that's because there's two dragons in a pool below the hill, who fight each night. Oh man, am I going to visit this one! Links: Wikipedia; Google Maps.
Cadair Idris, 'the kingdom of Arthur', is a mountain in Gwynedd, at the southern end of Snowdonia National Park. Links: Wikipedia; Google Maps. Wikipedia is sceptical of the links to Arthur.
Bardsey Island, 'Merlin's resting place', lies two miles off the Llyn Peninsula in Gwynedd. There are ferries available, though the sea can get rough. Wikipedia suggests that both Arthur and Merlin are buried in a cave here, and the Thirteen Rarities of Arthur's regalia were also brought here - obviously some people identify Bardsey Island as Avalon. Links: Wikipedia; Google Maps.
Bosherston Pools, 'home of Excalibur', are ponds near the village of Bosherston in Pembrokeshire. Mmm, I remain unconvinced on this one. The three-fingered ponds seem impressive, and were once part of the sea, but have since been landscaped into lily ponds or fish ponds. Seems a bit tame now - but then I suppose it wasn't back in Arthur's day! Links: Wikipedia; Google Maps.
Carmarthen, 'Merlin's birthplace', is the county town of Carmarthenshire. It claims to be the oldest town in Wales, and features a Roman amphitheatre and a medieval castle. Merlin was supposedly born in cave nearby. (Poor Hunith!) Links: Wikipedia; Google Maps.
and we're done!
Phew! I have to admit that at the time, I thought the program didn't manage to cover very much. However, I changed my mind about that a few hours ago… Three cheers for the boys!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}