Tomen Bedd Ugre

Buddugre Castle stands on a ridge above the River Ithon in Powys, Wales. It was a motte-and-bailey fort built in the 12th century, probably of timber. The mound rises six metres and has a flat top where a wooden or stone tower once stood. A ditch and embankment surround the motte, and a bailey lies to the east. Two causeways cross the ditch on the south and south-west sides. The castle was linked to Owain Gwynedd, who may have built it in 1149 to guard the vale of Clwyd. Conflict with Madog ap Maredudd of Powys soon followed. Some sources suggest Cadwallon built it instead, placing it high on a hill rather than in a valley like Norman castles. Visitors see a grassy motte with clear earthworks. The ditch is still visible, and crop marks nearby may mark the site of a court. The bailey’s earthen hut platform faces the south-west causeway. From the ridge there are wide views over the Ithon Valley.