Help me find this historic property I once visited in Wales (I think)

tiacattiacat Posts: 22,521
Forum Member
✭✭✭
Some years ago we went on a little tour and touched on the Brecon Beacons.

This particular day we were driving around what I recall were mountainous regions along a sort of ridge with a slope on one side of us and a higher section of ground on the other.

Further along we came to a way to drive up the mountain, it wasnt a road but appeared to lead up to some sort of quarry or slated area, the track that led to the top had a few cottages on the side. It was really high up and very gravelly.

After looking at the view we went back down to the main road and carried on a bit and then I saw a sign for some sort of historical property and so we drove off the road to investigate.

The house was surrounded by overgrown gardens, not formal as I recall. It was quite derelict and was in the form of a tudor or medieval house (all timbered and whatnot) but I think it might have been later. Instead of glass for windows it had lattice shutters. It was in the middle of nowhere. There may have been lots of fruit trees around, there was loads of birds and dragon flys. There were a few ponds.

It was a little tatty and the inside was not open as I recall.

After we went in there, we went further down this main road and I think there was some sort of garden/outdoors store/centre on the road.

I think the trip overall took us around Monmouth down and back up to Leamington Spa. The name the black mountains seems to ring a bell too, I dont know if this is a different place or not.

I know its all very vague but any ideas?
«1

Comments

  • ShrikeShrike Posts: 16,592
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Confusingly there is the Black mountain range in the far West of the Brecon Beacons and the Black mountains in the North East of the Brecon Beacons. I think its quite possible you took in the Black mountains (NE) and Monmouth on a trip from Leamington.
    But that doesn't really narrow it as there's plenty of historic houses in the borders.:(
  • MentoristMentorist Posts: 603
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Can't help I'm afraid but could it be a Cadw property?

    http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/?lang=en
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,535
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I think you might be thinking of the Kymin in Monmouth? for the first one.
  • tiacattiacat Posts: 22,521
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I think you might be thinking of the Kymin in Monmouth? for the first one.

    I just looked it up, it wasnt that. This place where we drove up the gravelly track was in the middle of no where, no local town or anything.

    Ive been perusing google maps but just cant make out where we would have been. There were no foresty bits or groups of trees, it was very heathland, short grass sort of thing. Sheep etc.

    We're always forgetting where we've been.
  • RellyRelly Posts: 3,469
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Can I ask you a silly question, tiacat? I don't suppose you took any pics, did you?

    I know, I know, if you had some you'd have thought of uploading them - I did say it was a silly question. :blush::D
  • asp746asp746 Posts: 7,286
    Forum Member
    do you recall where your departure was and roughly how long it took you to get there.

    ie, were you at home and took a car ride that took 2 hours - if so look on a map and work it out that way - it will give you a rough idea of the area.

    Surely you cant remember all that detail of your destination but not where you departed from?
  • tiacattiacat Posts: 22,521
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Relly wrote: »
    Can I ask you a silly question, tiacat? I don't suppose you took any pics, did you?

    I know, I know, if you had some you'd have thought of uploading them - I did say it was a silly question. :blush::D

    I thought we had taken pictures of the place, OH is always taking rubbish pictures with his phone but he has had several different phones since then and god knows where the pictures are.
    asp746 wrote: »
    do you recall where your departure was and roughly how long it took you to get there.

    ie, were you at home and took a car ride that took 2 hours - if so look on a map and work it out that way - it will give you a rough idea of the area.

    Surely you cant remember all that detail of your destination but not where you departed from?

    We were on one of our high end luxury travelodge tours. So I had booked several over 7 days, Monmouth was one, Leamington Spa was another, we might have done Bath as well on that trip, not sure, I remember visiting Hay on Wye and having a picnic on the banks of the river Wye during the week, but I cant remember where we had headed from that day unfortunately. We may have gone to Tewkesbury during that week as we were quite underwhelmed with it.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,535
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    *Shrugs*

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly_Tower,_Pontypool

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elan_Valley_Reservoirs

    Blaenavon Mountains? Sorry the description is very vague could be anywhere in south wales.
  • tiacattiacat Posts: 22,521
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Aha, I have found the bookings

    First night - Amesbury Stonehenge
    Second - Chippenham Leigh
    Third - Hartlebury
    Fourth - Ludlow
    Fifth - Monmouth
    Sixth - Leamington Spa

    I have a feeling it was around the Ludlow or Monmouth days when we went driving around the mountains.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,535
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I don't recall any mountains between here and ludlow except the forest of dean and I live here lol. did you detour through the brecon beacons? or the malvern hills?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvern_Hills
  • asp746asp746 Posts: 7,286
    Forum Member
    It's lovely when you stumble across gems like that - I remember pulling off the M6 (Sedburgh I think) and ending up on a long windy country road that had a large layby where you could picnic. The view of the Yorkshire dales, sheep baaing and the babbling brooks will stay with me forever.
  • Toby LaRhoneToby LaRhone Posts: 12,916
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    We seem to have a trail between Brecon, Abergavenny, Monmouth, Gloucester and say Cheltenham to Leamington with a number of possible detours therein.
    You also say you think it was in Wales.
    It's pretty vague so far.
    Photos, brochures, souvenirs?
    On line banking can go back nine years (in my case) - did you stay/eat/pay admission anywhere?
    Are you just reminiscing or do you have a reason to identify the area?

    Cloudsailor, it definitely can't be the Élan Valley, that's just too far North of what's being described.

    Edit:
    Bugger - all that whilst I was typing! :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,535
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Yea I know I just love the Elan lol
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,535
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    This reminds me that me and the boyfriend plan to do the malvern hills next time we go to Worcester.
  • Toby LaRhoneToby LaRhone Posts: 12,916
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Yea I know I just love the Elan lol
    Do you know, I lived in Newtown for over two years and never went there.
    Last year we had a short break in Rhayadr and discovered it.
    What a jewel!
    In my case a hidden jewel.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,535
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Do you know, I lived in Newtown for over two years and never went there.
    Last year we had a short break in Rhayadr and discovered it.
    What a jewel!
    In my case a hidden jewel.

    Well we went through on the way to Aberystwyth last year so on the way back we visited Elan and parked in the village because they charge in the car park, went for a walk around the valley, then we discovered the elan valley tea shop and it's so cute and has animals there. lovely scenery. it is beautiful.
  • Toby LaRhoneToby LaRhone Posts: 12,916
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I don't recall any mountains between here and ludlow except the forest of dean and I live here lol. did you detour through the brecon beacons? or the malvern hills?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvern_Hills
    Ha ha!
    Quite how we got the Brecon Beacons I'm not sure now :D
  • tiacattiacat Posts: 22,521
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I don't recall any mountains between here and ludlow except the forest of dean and I live here lol. did you detour through the brecon beacons? or the malvern hills?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvern_Hills
    We seem to have a trail between Brecon, Abergavenny, Monmouth, Gloucester and say Cheltenham to Leamington with a number of possible detours therein.
    You also say you think it was in Wales.
    It's pretty vague so far.
    Photos, brochures, souvenirs?
    On line banking can go back nine years (in my case) - did you stay/eat/pay admission anywhere?
    Are you just reminiscing or do you have a reason to identify the area?

    Cloudsailor, it definitely can't be the Élan Valley, that's just too far North of what's being described.

    Edit:
    Bugger - all that whilst I was typing! :D

    Now, we did go to Malvern and had a walk about, I dont know if it was the same day. Im pretty sure the bit Im thinking of was in Wales. We definitely wanted to go through the Brecon Beacons so Im sure it was there but really cant remember.

    We also went to Cheltenham but I dont know if it was this trip or not. Im not sure if we went to Gloucester.

    We have also been to the forest of dean and Im not sure if we did that on that trip or not.

    In those days we didnt eat out in the day, we used to take a sort of packed lunch comprising of food from the supermarket nearby to wherever we were staying.
  • Toby LaRhoneToby LaRhone Posts: 12,916
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Well we went through on the way to Aberystwyth last year so on the way back we visited Elan and parked in the village because they charge in the car park, went for a walk around the valley, then we discovered the elan valley tea shop and it's so cute and has animals there. lovely scenery. it is beautiful.

    We asked one of the Rangers in the centre to recommend a circular walk that was manageable.
    We got back a few hours later and it had been bluddy strenuous uphill walking - we had to take many "breathers" - but the views were spectacular.
    I collared the Ranger and said "That was manageable?"
    He said "Well if I'd said it was difficult you wouldn't have seen those magnificent views would you?" and smiled.
  • wildpumpkinwildpumpkin Posts: 1,449
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    tiacat wrote: »
    Aha, I have found the bookings

    First night - Amesbury Stonehenge
    Second - Chippenham Leigh
    Third - Hartlebury
    Fourth - Ludlow
    Fifth - Monmouth
    Sixth - Leamington Spa

    I have a feeling it was around the Ludlow or Monmouth days when we went driving around the mountains.

    I thought it could have been Stokesay Castle, but it's not derelict enough and more brick than you described, but here are pictures of it from different positions.

    http://www.castlewales.com/stokesay.html
  • Toby LaRhoneToby LaRhone Posts: 12,916
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    tiacat wrote: »
    Now, we did go to Malvern and had a walk about, I dont know if it was the same day. Im pretty sure the bit Im thinking of was in Wales. We definitely wanted to go through the Brecon Beacons so Im sure it was there but really cant remember.

    We also went to Cheltenham but I dont know if it was this trip or not. Im not sure if we went to Gloucester.

    We have also been to the forest of dean and Im not sure if we did that on that trip or not.

    In those days we didnt eat out in the day, we used to take a sort of packed lunch comprising of food from the supermarket nearby to wherever we were staying.
    Well it's been a pleasant distraction.
    Should you be driving with Alzheimer's? :D
  • Pea1Pea1 Posts: 383
    Forum Member
    There's a road that goes from Crickhowell (or you can join it from Abergavenny), goes past Llantony Abbey and through Capel -y-Ffin, over Hay Bluff and ends up in Hay. It sounds a bit like the road you were taking although, to be honest It sounds like a lot of roads in Wales.
    I took a video when I was on Hay Bluff the other day but I don't know how to show it to you. Perhaps if you google it you may recognise the area.

    Then again you could be going over the road f
  • tiacattiacat Posts: 22,521
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    My computer has suddenly decided to freeze every 2 seconds and so Im going to bed. However it may very well be Stokesay Castle. I dont remember there being a church there, or a turreted section but everything else about it, the car park (on street view), the position of the pond and its position off the main road is the same, plus the lattice window shutters and the colour of the older bit of the timbered section means it must be that.

    Tomorrow I'll see if I can find the hill we travelled up.

    Its not vital I know or anything, I just wanted to know where I'd been!

    Thanks everyone!
  • ShrikeShrike Posts: 16,592
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    We asked one of the Rangers in the centre to recommend a circular walk that was manageable.
    We got back a few hours later and it had been bluddy strenuous uphill walking - we had to take many "breathers" - but the views were spectacular.
    I collared the Ranger and said "That was manageable?"
    He said "Well if I'd said it was difficult you wouldn't have seen those magnificent views would you?" and smiled.

    :D He could have said "Well, you did manage it, didn't you?"
  • ShrikeShrike Posts: 16,592
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    tiacat wrote: »
    My computer has suddenly decided to freeze every 2 seconds and so Im going to bed. However it may very well be Stokesay Castle. I dont remember there being a church there, or a turreted section but everything else about it, the car park (on street view), the position of the pond and its position off the main road is the same, plus the lattice window shutters and the colour of the older bit of the timbered section means it must be that.

    Tomorrow I'll see if I can find the hill we travelled up.

    Its not vital I know or anything, I just wanted to know where I'd been!

    Thanks everyone!

    Not seen Stoksey before, and I've been to Craven Arms/Church Stretton a few times. Its very unusual though, doubt you could mistake it for anywhere else. Theres some very percipitous drops around The Long Mynd -especially as you come into Church Stretton - not the sort of terrain you expect in England.
Sign In or Register to comment.