Ruperra Castle

The wife managed to get a cancellation at the doctors at 9.30am, for her persistent headache, and I dropped her off on the way to get my car MOT'd. It was hammering down with rain. I had a chat with the garage owner, who I know, who said he'd now got a large static caravan on a site in Malgrat, Spain, and he wished he was there.

He always took the 75 minute flight from Bristol, as like me, he disliked Cardiff airport. It wasn't a case of agreeing as he was doing my car, as I flew from there last year, the first time in ages, and I didn't like it at all. Bristol is only 20 minutes longer to travel and the only negative is the Severn Bridge fee.

Well, the car passed the MOT with a warning that all the tyres were close to the limit. More expense! I got home to find the doctor has signed off the wife from work for a week, saying it was a tension headache, and giving her literature on it. I hope she's correct.

The weather cleared up as the day went on, and early afternoon I had a call out, and on the way home took some photos'. The blip photo is of Ruperra Castle which is a couple of miles away from the house. It's up for sale for £2 million. I met the present owner, Ash Barakat, a few years ago and he paid £1 million. Planning has been refused for conversion to apartments and surrounding houses. I can't see it being sold in the circumstances and it's likely it will crumble even more. I have many photo's of it.

Here's a brief history: Built in 1626 by Sir Thomas Morgan, Steward to the Earl of Pembroke, it was one of the first of the 'mock' castles to be built in Wales. King Charles I spent two nights at Ruperra Castle in 1645, shortly after the Battle of Naseby. Resultantly the royal coat of arms was added to the decoration on the South Porch, and the present public footpath from Rudry to the Castle is still known as "King's Drive.