A luminous day, shadows scattered by stones on an ancient hill... this is Dinas Bran. Originally an Iron Age hillfort with defensive ditches, this lofty hilltop was crowned later on by a castle that Welsh lords commanded to be built, overlooking the Dee River Valley which flowed east from Wales into England. Dinas Bran can be translated as "Crow Castle", but dinas is a very old word, and is more along the lines of stronghold or fortress. The crows still fly around its battered remains, of which Wordsworth once wrote, "Relics of kings, wreck of forgotten wars, To the winds abandoned and the prying stars."
For me it represents the beauty of what once was, and could have been... if the English had not conquered Wales and destroyed Dinas Bran. Yet sheep still graze its slopes, and time has hurried on below at the bustling town of Llangollen, where the international Eisteddfoddau (music festival) is held annually... where Welsh people play host to cultural music from around the world. So in the end, in the very shadow of Dinas Bran, Welsh people have kept their distinct identity and language.
Wales is the most appealing part of Britain to me, a cultural "island" within the island of Britain. There's Celtic mystery, yet warm domestic life, less lonely feeling than Scotland, and above all, lots of singing. Really good poets are still called bards in Wales. So the poet in me loves this deserted hilltop.
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