Today was day 270 of my BRIT 2012
mile walk. Please do excuse a short blog, but after a poor night’s sleep I woke
this morning with a tummy ache and bladder infection which has progressively
worsened throughout the day. Not feeling good at all this evening, so trying to
work through emails and finish the blog so I can try and go to bed early
tonight.
I started the day at Coleg Menai http://www.menai.ac.uk/Default.aspx?LangType=2057
Coleg Menai offers a wide range
of full-time courses with excellent progression opportunities, be that onto
University or to the world of work. They pride themselves on a high quality
learning experience which has been recognised by excellent external inspection
grades, making the College one of the best performing in Wales.
The use of modern technology and
the latest equipment is an integral part of the course available and the
College has been awarded a UK Beacon Award for use of IT.
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| Coleg Menai-The historic and modern buildings on campus |
With specialist centres, sites
across Anglesey and Gwynedd offering full-time and part-time courses - run in
the daytime and during the evening - as well as courses that can be studied
from home and online, Coleg Menai is able to offer the broadest range of
courses. On 2nd April
2012, Coleg Menai College became part of the Llandrillo group creating the
largest college in Wales.
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| With some of the students I met and walked with at Coleg Menai on Day 270 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
It was a pleasure to meet
students studying Travel & Tourism, Electrical Engineering, Sport &
Leisure and Beauty. The students were delightful to talk to and I thoroughly
enjoyed my time today at the College. My thanks to all the staff and students,
who looked after me, accompanied me and showed such interest in BRIT.
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| Caernafon Castle |
From Coleg Menai, I travelled to Caernafon
Castle http://www.caernarfon-castle.co.uk/
at Castle Ditch, Gwynedd where I met His Honour Huw Morgan Daniel, the Lord
Lieutenant of Gwynedd.
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| His Honour Huw Morgan Daniel, the Lord Lieutenant of Gwynedd |
It was a privilege to spend this
afternoon with His Honour Huw Morgan Daniel who has been the Lord Lieutenant of
Gwynedd since 2005. Born in Bangor, he served with the 24 Foot The South Wales
Borderers and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 23 Foot The
Royal Welch Fusiliers. In 1967, he was called to the Bar Gray's Inn and has a
distinguished career in law as a circuit, liaison and senior judge. As a
Past-Trustee of the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum and an Honorary Colonel of 6
(Cadet) Battalion The Royal Welch Fusiliers, I was delighted to be shown around
both the Castle and the Museum of the Royal Welch Fusiliers.
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| Caernafon Castle |
Caernarfon Castle is a medieval building in Gwynedd,
north-west Wales. There was a motte-and-bailey castle in the town of Caernarfon from the late 11th century until 1283 when King
Edward I of England began replacing it with the
current stone structure. The Edwardian town and castle acted as the
administrative centre of north Wales and as a result the defences were built on
a grand scale. There was a deliberate link with Caernarfon's Roman past –
nearby is the Roman fort of Segontium – and the castle's walls are
reminiscent of the Walls of Constantinople.
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| King Edward I (1237-1309) also knowns as "Longshanks" |
While the castle was under construction, town walls were built around Caernarfon. The
work cost between £20,000 and £25,000 from the start until the end of work in
1330. Despite Caernarfon Castle's external appearance of being mostly complete,
the interior buildings no longer survive and many of the building plans were
never finished. The town and castle were sacked in 1294 when Madog ap Llywelyn led a rebellion against the
English. Caernarfon was recaptured the following year. During the Glyndŵr Rising of 1400–1415, the castle was
besieged. When the Tudor dynasty ascended to the English
throne in 1485, tensions between the Welsh and English began to diminish and
castles were considered less important. As a result, Caernarfon Castle was
allowed to fall into a state of disrepair.
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| HM The Queen and Prince Charles at his investiture as Prince of Wales |
Despite its dilapidated condition, during the English Civil War Caernarfon Castle was held by Royalists,
and was besieged three times by Parliamentarian forces. This was the last
time the castle was used in war. Caernarfon Castle was neglected until the 19th
century when the state funded repairs. In 1911, Caernarfon Castle was used for
the investiture of the Prince of Wales, and again in 1969.
It is now a World Heritage Site.
The Royal Welch Fusiliers Regimental Museum is housed in two towers of
Caernarfon Castle http://www.rwfmuseum.org.uk/
In it there is a wealth of original exhibits, supported by film, sound and
models, which tell the story of over 300 years of service by Wales’ oldest
infantry regiment.
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| The stunning Medal Room in The Royal Welch Fusiliers Regimental Museum |
You can learn how the Regiment won 14 Victoria Crosses and hear the words
of the famous writers who served with the Royal Welch during the First World
War; Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves, “Hedd Wyn”, David Jones and Frank
Richards.
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| A beautiful portrait of King George VI who was Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Welch Fusiliers from 1936 to 1952 |
Royal Welch history begins with campaigns of William III, and includes
Marlborough’s wars, the American War of Independence, the wars with
Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, the Crimean War, the Boer War and China.
Many battalions of the Regiment saw action in the First and Second World Wars.
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| Capbadge of the Royal Welsh |
On March 1st 2006 the three Welsh infantry regiments combined to
form a new regiment – The Royal Welsh. The title of the Royal Welch Fusiliers
now is 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh (The Royal Welch Fusiliers)
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| The Royal Welch Fusilier's Goat |
Every battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers has a goat. He is male, not a
mascot and a member of the Regiment. He is cared for by a junior NCO
(non-commissioned officer) who is called the “Goat Major”. It is not known when
a goat first served, but one was recorded as being in Boston in 1775 during the
War of American Independence.
In 1884 Queen Victoria presented the Regiment with a white goat from the
Royal herd, a gift from the Shah of Persia. Since then, goats have been
supplied by successive Monarchs.
It’s been a long day, but thoroughly enjoyable and I learnt a great deal
from the young people at Coleg Menai and from the Lord Lieutenant. The Castle
and Museum are well worth a visit. The views are simply breathtaking and the
exhibits are fascinating
I am ending Day 270 with 316 miles to go.
Best wishes,
Phil