Castell Coch - Visit a Fantastic Victorian Folly

Advantages: Beautiful Interiors and Exteriors.
Disadvantages: Not Accessible for Everyone

...Castell Coch is situated in the village of Tongwynlais, just outside Cardiff (About 10/15 mins). The Castle is situated on a wooded hillside overlooking the Taff River - and, less fortunately, the M4 Motorway (The M4 isn't very noticeable from the castle, but you can get a nice view of the castle peeking out of the trees from the road.) HISTORY The castle is very beautiful inside and out. It is like something from a fairytale. There is an element of make believe in the real history of the castle, as the castle as it currently stands is a Victorian Folly, and was only built in 1891. The site of the castle does have a longer history - The current castle is built on medieval remains. The site was occupied and castle's built on it from at least the 13th century. A stone castle on the sight was seriously damaged in a 14th century battle...

cloudwood88 15.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Castell Coch

Green Gizmo

Advantages: useful, cheap
Disadvantages: none

...You may think a pencil is a pencil is a pencil and there isn?t much to say about it, if anything at all, everyone knows what a pencil looks like, how to use it and what it is for. You may even think that it has become obsolete as a writing tool in the age of PCs. Ha! There?s quite a lot to learn about pencils in general and especially about the classic green ?Castell 9000? black-lead pencil which has been made for 104 years by the German company FABER-CASTELL, the most important manufacturer of pencils worldwide with an annual output of more than 1.8 billion (!) wood-cased pencils. They obviously live in peaceful harmony with PCs, they?re the cheap writing tool for the masses that they?ve always been and on the FABER-CASTELL homepage we can read that ?many creative people love the intellectual aura surrounding the pencil?. So there...

MALU 30.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of Faber Castell Pencils

Golden Discs Speckled With Vine Fruits Steeped in Welsh History.

Advantages: Divine
Disadvantages: None

.... If you are interested in buying a baking stone then I have seen them for sale www.welshbakestone.co.uk You can imagine how delighted I was to discover some supermarkets stocking ready made Welsh cakes. Marks and Spencer does a packet of six, rather small but exquisite little cakes, but my favourite has to be the Tan y Castell Welsh cakes stocked by Waitrose which are food for the gods! They are made from self raising flour, sultanas and currants, sugar, non hydrogenated fats, eggs and lemon juice, so it pleases me to see no e numbers in there at all. Additionally they have no added salt either. Home made ingredients which create a home made product. The packet retails for £1.19 for 6 and are made by Tan y Castell (foods) Ltd in Narberth in Wales to a traditional Pembrokeshire recipe, and my goodness have they got this off...

Violet1278 13.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Tan Y Castell Welshcakes

Fairytales and Forests

Advantages: Beautiful and easy to get to
Disadvantages: They don't let you live there!

...Anyone who has driven along the M4 through South Wales will be familiar with Castell Coch - although they probably aren't too sure what it was called - now you know! If you look to the right as you cross the junction with the A470, you'll see its beautiful turrets rising above the trees and the river with its picturesque bridge. Its one of those 'landmarks' in the area that everyone will have seen and appreciated driving past, and for those who haven't, even the glimpse from the M4 is well worth the drive! WHERE IS IT? It is located in a place called Tongwynlais (pronounced Ton - gwin - lies), about a mile off the M4 down the junction with the A470. It is very well signposted from the M4, but that said, as you can see it anyway, directions from there are probably superfluous! Its very close to Cardiff, and given its location...

shaunandlisa 15.06.2003 · Read review
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Review of Castell Coch

WALES AND ITS FAIRYTALE CASTLE IN THE WOODS

Advantages: Lose yourself in the fantasy
Disadvantages: Having to come back to reality

...Castell Coach, or the 'Red Castle' on the outskirts of Cardiff (M4, jct 32, A470, then signpost), has been described as the "ultimate fairytale castle". In a vision more akin to the Bavarian countryside, or "sleeping beauty", its conical towers and needle-sharp turrets peek above the trees on a heavily wooded hillside. Castell Coch is a late 19th Century creation of the famous architect, William Burges, built for his patron, the then richest man in the world, The Marquis of Bute. The castle was to act as a companion to Bute's main Cardiff home, Cardiff Castle. Sadly, Burges died suddenly in 1881, although his colleagues remained faithful to his unique vision and completed the project with all its splendid, romantic fantasy. The exterior, complete with working portcullis and drawbridge, echoes a Medieval castle. While inside...

aberdarelad 30.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Castell Coch

What A Visit

Advantages: Lots to see and cheap entrance fee
Disadvantages: Not suitable for all disabled people and pushchairs

...During March 2003, my wife and I went to stay at a town on mainland Spain called Oliva. This is approximately halfway between Alicante and Valencia, about two miles inland. Whilst we were there, we did a lot of touring, but the highlight of the week was a day trip to Xativa El Castell. This is a magnificent castle overlooking the small town of Xativa. To get there you have to drive up a winding road and park just outside the castle walls. A tip though: get there early as there are not that many parking spaces. If you are later, you either have to park on the narrow winding road, or in the town of Xativa itself. The walk back up the road can be difficult, as there are no pathways up the steep roadway. It is not suitable for disabled people, or people pushing prams or pushchairs. Opening Times: During winter:10:00am to 18:00pm...

ray52 13.08.2003 · Read review
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Review of Xativa El Castell (Spain)

Castel Del Monte - The Crown Of Apulia

Advantages: something very special
Disadvantages: a bit far away

.... You might have heard or read about this stretch of the Adriatic coast in the news, because it is there that the refugees from Albania, Kurdish territories and even Asian countries land or are set ashore by smugglers. The history and culture of Apulia bear profound marks of the Greeks, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Franks, Spanish and other populations which left indelible traces of their presence. Tourists who are interested in archeological finds, like castles, towers, cathedrals and monuments which the different ethnic groups have left through the millenia can visit and study them in the ever present sunshine, and when they’ve seen enough, dive into the limpid sea and afterwards relax with the excellent local cuisine and exquisite wines. FOGGIA AND PROVINCE We’re going to visit the Castel del Monte today. We’ve...

MALU 09.02.2003 · Read review
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Review of Foggia (Italy)

Humpty Dumpty should fall from here

Advantages: Great historic place to visit
Disadvantages: None I can think of

...There are many wonderful, and awe inspiring places to visit in and around Naples, this Castle is just one of those places. I've always had a love of castles and old house, the fact this was here seemed to good an opportunity to miss out on. *** What is it? *** The Castel Dell'Ovo is apparently the oldest castle in Naples, having had many guises throughout the years, it is now a fantastic place to visit. *** Where is it? *** The Castle sits on a promontory of land, a small islet, jutting out from the main coastal road in the heart of the Bay of Naples. It is located on Via Partenope, and Via N. Sauro, in the Santa Lucia district, it separates the harbour area in the slightly upmarket sea front areas. As a landmark it is fantastic, if you walk away from the castle, on the promenade, you will soon be rewarded...

lazza123 28.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of Castle of the Egg (Castel dell'Ovo), Naples

IN SEARCH OF THE BEAUTIFUL GAME

Advantages: Interesting story, well written
Disadvantages: A litle too much detail of football rules

...The first thing to say is that 'The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro' is not a book about football. It is a book about how the people of a small town rediscover their sense of community when they become united behind the success of their football team. The football is merely a backdrop for the events that unfold and it is merely a device to contrast the differences that exist between the have and have not in real life just as much as it does in football. The 'miracle' of the story is more than just the rise of the small town football team through the ranks of the Italian league but more of the survival and resurgence of the inhabitants of Castel Di Sangro. Castel Di Sangro is in a mountainous desolate part of the Abruzzo region of Italy one of the most rural and underdeveloped places you could find and a whole world away from the usual...

Mauri 23.05.2006 (06.06.2006) · Read review
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Review of The Miracle of Castel di Sangro - Joe McGinniss

Believing In The Miracle ...

Advantages: Fascinating look at the culture wrapped around Italian football, refreshing perspective
Disadvantages: Author can be incredibly arrogant, ignorant and irritating at times

...Books about football (soccer, whatever ...) are hardly a rarity. The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, however, stands out for two reasons; firstly, it is written by an American, a nationality not traditionally known for their love of the game - and even less so back in 1996, when this was created. Secondly, it revolves around an unlikely marriage between the aforementioned and a team few outside of Italy would have heard of before the publication of this book. Castel di Sangro lies in the Abruzzo region, due east of Rome in one of the least-visited parts of Italy. Little more than a village team, Castel rose rapidly through the lower Italian leagues in the years before McGinniss arrived in the country, culminating in the "miracle" of the title, a penalty-shoot-out win over Ascoli that took them up to Serie B, only one below the top tier...

Puggers 08.09.2005 · Read review
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Review of The Miracle of Castel di Sangro - Joe McGinniss