Castell Coch

Castell Coch (literally meaning the red castle) is one of my most fond childhood memories. Driving to Cardiff we'd pass it and my nanna would tell me to look out for the fairy castle on the right and I dutifully would with my face pressed up to the glass to see it for just a few seconds. Every year we'd head up to the castle for a picnic and a wander in the late Spring sunshine and drink coffee from flasks amongst the trees and mum would yell to stay close as I wandered around taking photographs of the trees on my blue, red and yellow plastic Fisher Price camera.

I haven't been back for a few years now as it's quite difficult to get to without a car. It's situated on top of a hill overlooking the greenery in Cardiff and it truly is beautiful against the backdrop of any season. It's a 19th century castle built on the exact site of a 13th century castle and it can look varying degrees of red and pink according to the light. It served as the background to CITV's The Worst Witch and more recently in a handful of Doctor Who and Merlin episodes. Inside it is truly stunning with beautiful architecture and sumptuous fabrics draped against perfectly ageing wood. I'm desperate to get back there in the Spring when the leaves start to regain life just to show the girls a little snippet of my childhood that I still reminisce about to this day.

I still look out for that castle on the way to Cardiff by bus. I still press my face up to the window and for those few seconds I am still a child full of wonder.