Two Castles in One Day: Crazy!

Since we got on the castle kick we decided to head out to Newcastle in Bridgend. Luckily we didn't get lost heading from the rail station to Newcastle, but we did have to climb a hill. Newcastle would have to be the most ruined castle we went to. It was a Norman castle from when they invade Wales in the 12th Century. The curtain wall is still there with a doorway inside and the south tower. I thought it was quite majestic and I'm not quite sure why. It might have been because these ruins were surrounded by houses but when you walked towards it and stepped inside there was a sense of awe and sheer power. The determination these people must have had to build something so long lasting and, in my opinion, beautiful. Yes, it's ruins, there's not much to see, but that doesn't take away from the fact that they are impressive. Also, with a little imagination you can see what it would have looked like and what message it would have been giving across to the Welsh the Normans were trying to invade. To learn more about this castle go here: http://www.castlewales.com/newcas1.html, or here: http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/daysout/newcastle/?lang=en. 

After that we really wanted to see anther castle. There were two others near by Ogmore and Coity Castles. We decided to go with Coity because it was only a 45 minute walk away instead of an hour walk. Yes, we walked there. We never drove or took a bus we either walked of took a train. The walk to Coity Castle felt like it was uphill the whole way! I know I complain about hills a lot, but the only hills I really know are mountains and those are hard to climb for everybody! Coity Castle is also in a state of disrepair, but I would expect nothing less from a 900 year old building! This site was much bigger then Newcastle. This castle was altered in the 14th Century. Changing castles must be thought of like when somebody moves out of a house. The new owners will come in and change things because their taste is different, there is new technology and some things in the house just don't function anymore. The keep at Coity was altered during this time. At Coity it is much easier to see where things were and I was very proud of myself when I guessed where the chapel was based on a window before reading a sign pointing out the chapel. There was only one tower we could climb at Coity and like the view at many castles it was impressive. Although coming down the spiral stairs scared me more because there was no one around except for my mom and I and the stairs weren't in the best shape and I was worried about falling down them. Don't worry! I safely made it to the bottom! To read more about Coity Castle because you know you do! Go to these links: http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/daysout/coitycastle/?lang=en, http://www.castlewales.com/coity.html.