I've posted about the wonderful site I stayed on during my break to West Wales but I've still got plenty of photos to share from the places I visited during my stay. After extending our two day break to more of a midweek break Martyn decided to take us to the pretty little village of St David's for the day. St Davids is named after the patron saint of Wales, Saint David. Little fact for you here: St Davids is the smallest city in Britain with a population of just over 1,600. The roots of St Davids go back to the 4th century when St David himself lived here.
St Davids Cathedral is built from a local stone with a beautiful pink and grey colouring. It occupies the valley floor below the village. As you approach from The Square, you can't see the Cathedral until you get fairly close. When you pass through The Gatehouse, it's magnificently revealed in front of you.
I studied monastic life and church history at uni so I always enjoy visiting churches even though I'm not religious at all. The weird rituals, magnificent buildings and long, varied history have always kept me interested.
I loved the book above which had lots of weird and wonderful ancient Welsh laws in it.
Next door to St Davids Cathedral is the ruin of The Bishops Palace which is well worth a visit. The Palace became one of the victims of the reformation and now lies in ruins. It was once a very grand
residence and you have to use a little imagination to get a feel for what it was like.
St Davids Cathedral is built from a local stone with a beautiful pink and grey colouring. It occupies the valley floor below the village. As you approach from The Square, you can't see the Cathedral until you get fairly close. When you pass through The Gatehouse, it's magnificently revealed in front of you.
There was so much to take in and thousands of little details in the cathedral like the tomb of Edmund Tudor who was father of the King Henry VII is there. He was a Lancastrian and captured by Yorkists in mid-1456 who imprisoned him at Carmarthen Castle in South Wales, where he died of the plague later that year. His remains were moved to the removed to the choir of St David's Cathedral.
Edmund's only child, the future Henry VII, was born at Pembroke Castle which was close by.
(photo from Martyn's instagram account)
Martyn and I relaxed in the grounds of the cathedral before heading into
town to get an ice cream and take a look at the market square. If you get a chance to visit West Wales I highly recommend a visit to St David's. I hear the surf if pretty good around those parts too.
