Castell Dinas

Castell Dinas stands high on a hill above the Rhiangoll pass between Talgarth and Crickhowell in southern Powys. The site began as an Iron Age hillfort around 600 BC and later became a Norman castle built in stone. William Fitz Osbern or his son Roger de Breteuil probably raised the castle between 1070 and 1075. By 1093 it had been overtaken by Brecon castle, yet it remained important as part of the Brecon barony. In 1207 King John gave the castle to Peter FitzHerbert, who made it the centre of the Talgarth barony. The fortress changed hands several times during Welsh wars of the 13th century. Prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth sacked it in 1233, and King Henry III rebuilt it before returning it to Peter FitzHerbert. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd captured the castle again between 1263 and 1268. In the early 15th century followers of Owain Glyndŵr destroyed it for good. The remains show crumbling walls, deep ditches and ramparts from the Iron Age, with thick stonework still visible in places. Visitors today see grass-covered ruins and the outlines of old defences stretching across the hilltop. A short section of the eastern wall survives as a farm boundary, and part of the gatehouse stands near a postern gate in the northern outer ward. From the site there are wide views over Talgarth and across to the Black Mountains. The wind carries sounds of the valley below while the ruins recall centuries of conflict and change.