BBC Merlin Filming Locations

The legend

According to the Historia Britonum and embellished by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae, after the Romans withdrew from Britain, King Vortigern ruled for many years. But with the Saxons causing problems, he was advised to set up his royal fortress on Dinas Emrys, a hill in the northern part of Wales.  With steep slopes, it should have been easily defended and he was assured that it would be ever secure against barbarians. However, when the foundations were laid out, the earth swallowed them up in a single night. And it happened again and again. The wise men of his council insisted that they had to find a child born without a father, put him to death and sprinkle his blood on the ground before the citadel could be built.

Vortigern sent out messengers throughout Britain and found a boy without a father and the mother insisting that she'd never lain with a man. So they took the boy Myrddin Emrys (Merlin Ambrose or Merlin Ambrosius) back to Dinas Emrys but when Merlin realized what they were about to do, he confronted the wise men, and insisted that the walls were falling because of a pool under the foundation. And when they found the pool, Merlin ordered them to drain it and said that there would be two hollow stones and inside the stones, would two dragons be sleeping. When the pool was drained, the red dragon and the white rose up and fought bitterly and finally the red dragon won out. Merlin explained to Vortigern that this meant the Britons would eventually triumph over the Saxons.

Reality
It is said that the entrance to the fort is on the northern side of the hill, that there are traces of a ruined medieval tower there and that there is a pool inside the hill fort. When it was excavated in 1954, they found the fortifications were the right time frame for Vortigern. The platform above the pool was described in Historia Britonum but the dates for it were much later than an Arthurian time frame. Apparently, the walls there were poorly constructed and had been rebuilt more than once.

The place itself:
Dinas Emrys is a small steep-sided hillock near Beddgelert in Gwynedd, Wales. The only way to get to it is to park in the Craflwyn parking lot and hike to it. There is a trail map at the National Trust office. The trail is supposedly 1.5 km in length with some steep sections.

It was an easy enough walk to begin with. The trail was clearly marked as Dinas Emrys as we walked up and down a hill nearby, stepped over a brook, walked past a lovely waterfall and then things got confusing. The trail marker was gone and there were only other trails listed. It was getting late and since we didn't know where we were going, we finally gave up and headed back. Had I to do it over again, I'd have followed the other trail heading off to the right toward Dinas Emrys and hoped for the best.

Links and details:
Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae
Hiking trail map - Dinas Emrys trail is in black. Right where that triangular stop sign is on the map is where we got lost.


Wikipedia site - Dinas Emrys
Parking Lot Location on Google maps - View Larger Map

Rating:
I'd give it 2 hats just because it's so pretty and the history is awesome!



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There are those who claim that Cadbury Castle in Somerset was the site of King Arthur's Camelot. While lots of places try and make their own case for it, the site is large enough and strategic enough for a warlord of that period to use it as a major military location; there was lots of activity there during the 6^th century during the time when Arthur might have lived.

See here for the original post on its history.

I was there a lot time ago and thought that a revisit might be in order. Not much has changed over the years. There's a little car park opposite the entrance and then it's a dirt track up past a couple of gates. It's still quite a hike up to the top and there is nothing up there but gorgeous views and old ruined walls. Glastonbury Tor is visible in the distance on a clear day.

Links and Details
Wikipedia page - Cadbury Castle
Location on Google maps - map

Here are some new pictures. See if it doesn't remind you a little of Pierrefonds. More pictures are on the merlin location flickr account.



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Carmarthen - A town known by the Romans, it is likely the oldest town in Wales. The Roman fort under most of the center of Carmarthen is dated to 75-77 AD but there's not much there, just one small Roman amphitheatre, that looks like a bit of stonewall and some grass. It is one of the seven surviving amphitheatres in the UK.There's also a small castle but there's not much left.

But it's best known for Merlin. It was here that it is said he was born and he's still trapped somewhere under the hollow hill that bears his name, Bryn Myrddin (Merlin's Hill). The Black Book of Carmarthen includes poems with references to Merlin but it was written after Arthurian legend was already known.

So what is Carmarthen like?

Well, there's not much there, other than a typical town. Yes, there is a legend of Merlin's Oak but that tree was destroyed in the 1800s and there's nothing but a bend in the road now and it probably wasn't that old to begin with.

So I'd give the town a miss, not even one pointy hat.

But….

Merlin's Hill is another matter. It's a couple of miles northeast outside of town, a large Iron Age hill fort from about 400 BC. The owners charge a small fee to go up but it's worth the climb for the spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.

Apparently, there is also a standing stone close by but I couldn't find it.

I'd give this location 1 pointy hat just for the views.

Wikipedia on Carmarthen
Wikipedia on Moridunum 
Google map 

( Lots of pictures )