We could not possible organise a series of history walks in Glamorgan without taking in places associated with that most famous, local, kingly character; Arturos Rex. Better known as King Arthur. His enduring appeal is incredible.
The earliest written reference we have of him is a 6th Century Welsh poem called ‘Y Gododdin’. It’s not about him. He’s not even a character in it. It’s a poem about a disastrous military campaign where a gruff old warrior is described thus; “he was no Arthur”. No doubt illustrating how unsophisticated he was.
This reference, though fleeting, suggests that the name at least was already in the ether even then. And here we are, over 1,500 years later and if you do a search for him by name on any TV streaming service you are confronted with an endless parade of films, dramas and documentaries which attempt to pull together some real history from it all.
Contradictions and fake news
A lot of the stories we know about King Arthur come from a book called “The History of the Kings of Britain” written in the 12th Century. 600 years after Y Gododdin.
Despite the title of this book, there is very little in the way of genuine history in it. Before it gets on to Arthur it talks about how Britain was discovered by two Greek explorers who had to rid the island of giants before they could colonise it.
It also claims that a King of the Britons called ‘Morvidus’ was eaten by a sea monster around 336AD.
So not what you might describe as ‘reliable’.
The author, a monk called Geoffrey of Monmouth, sites a dark age predecessor called ‘Gildas the Wise’ as a source of his history about Arthur. Yet he contradicts Gildas on some really key events. Not least of which, the battle of Mons Badonicus, AKA the Battle of Baden Hill. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth this landmark battle which stoped the Saxon invasion of Britain in its tracks, was won by King Arthur. According to Gildas though (who was writing within 100 years of the battle) it was a man called Ambrosius Aurelianus. Arthur was not even mentioned as a footnote.
This is why I am instantly suspicious of anyone who claims to know deffinetavely who Arthur was. Every year, someone comes forward with yet another theory about where Camelot was or where Arthur’s tomb is. All of them interesting. But genuine history? Not so much.
Glamorgan’s Arthurian links
Having said that, we in Glamorgan are blessed with a treasure trove of places people have associated with the Legends of Arthur down the centuries. For some reason which I cannot fathom we do not seem to celebrate them in the same way as their English counterparts. If you have ever been to Glastonbury or Tintagel, you cannot move for references to their Arthurian connections. There is a gift shop on every street corner packed with roundtable mugs and Merlin figurines. There are signs up everywhere broadcasting their links and telling the stories. Even statues.
By contrast, you could visit Criag Y Ddinas or Llandaff Cathedral and be completely oblivious to their connections to the legendary king. We in Wales are very poor at promoting such things. And even worse at monetising them in the same way they do in England.
So we on the Glamorgan History Walks are determined to do our bit. To take you to the places in the county associated with Arthur, explain the links and tell you the stories to bring them to life. These are the ones you can visit with us and when we go there.
If you click on any of the dates in purple below, it will open a more detailed pages about the walk. It tells you how long the walk is in miles, what level of walker it is suited to, and the places we visit. You can also buy tickets.
Which Glamorgan history walks visit sites of Arthur’s stories
- Llangynwyd [3rd May]…[13th July]
- Dunraven and Ogmore [5th May]… [28th Sept]
- Ogmore Castle [8th May]…[15th June]
- Reynoldston [29th June]
- Llancarfan [25th May] … [14th Aug]
- Llandaff and Glamorgan Canal [5th June]…[21st Aug]
- Llantwit Major and the Castle Ditches [12th June]
- Tinkinswood and St Lythans Burial Chambers [14th June]
- Craig y Ddinas [20th July]
- Llantwit Major Blue Plaques [24th July]
- Mynydd Y Gaer [20th Sept]
Come and join us on any of our walks. We’d love to see you.
A full list of walks in this year’s itinerary are available on this link. You can also read reviews of people who took part last year here.
So go ahead. Choose a walk. And I’ll see you there.
#kingarthur #arthurian #merlin #wizard