Castles of Aber

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2009

Pictures of Ty’n y Mwd

Maes y Gaer

The Llys at Aber

Ty’n y Mwd

The Valley was in medieval times a very valuable trade route as this article shows and was protected at both ends by Castles giving their owners the power over the trade routes from Anglesey (The Mother of Wales) into the heart lands of Welsh Power.

Motte and Bailey 2

How Tyn Y Mwyd may have looked at the time of Hugh D’Avranches,Earl of Chester

talcafn2

This is all that is left of the fort Garreg Olau at the other end of the valley, for more details press the Dragon

Before the construction of a modern road along the North Wales coast, the main northern route across the Four Cantrefs from Chester to Anglesey ran a few miles inland. This was because of the many limestone headlands that jut out to sea preventing the passage of herds and carts. In medieval times the road crossed the River Conwy at Tal-y-Cafn and climbed up the hillside passed Rowen and then between the mountain peaks of Tal-Y-Fan and Drum, the way being marked by a pair of standing stones that still exist. The mountain pass is named Bwlch-y-Ddaufaen which translates as "the pass of the two stones". The route follows the Roman road or old drovers path which passed close to several Iron Age hill forts before dropping down past the spectacular view of the Aber Falls and reaching the coast through the narrow valley and glen and down past the village of Aber.