Tyddyn Mount

Twmpath Tyddyn stands in the hills above Argoed in Flintshire, a grassy mound built in the 12th century without the usual surrounding bank. It was raised by Normans who brought the motte-and-bailey design from France and copied by the Welsh. The site sits on a ridge with wide views over the Dee valley. This rare example of a motte without a defensive outer bank is one of the best preserved in north-east Wales. It is listed by Cadw, the Welsh historic environment service, under reference FL126. The borderlands between England and Wales contain the greatest concentration of such mottes anywhere in Britain. Visitors walk up the gentle slope to the flat summit where a wooden tower once stood. The mound is surrounded by farmland and distant ridges, giving a quiet sense of height. The wind carries sounds of sheep and the occasional tractor below. From the top the land falls away in soft folds towards the river.