Gwrych Castle

	Mark stands proudly in the partially restored castle

Every visitor to north Wales admires the elegant castle that sits on the hillside just to the west of Abergele. The more thoughtful observe that it is built in such a position that anyone on the summit of the hill could drop boulders into its defences and conclude that it is a folly; Americans jam on the brakes and shoot off a roll of film - so romantic is its aspect of venerable age and fairy-tale beauty.

Well, if you want to know more about this castle, here it is: more lords, earls and ladies than you ever knew existed. I have to admit that young Mark stunned me with his endless list of names and dates.

Mark is trying to preserve the castle and if you would like to help him in his campaign, do visit the Gwyrch Castle website at The official trust website.

The second film concerns the most blood-stained piece of ground in the whole of Wales.

The third film is shot 13 years on and Mark is working on his doctoral thesis while at the same time his tireless campaigning has retrieved the castle from its neglectful American owner and the trust he set up has started to work on restoring the castle to its former glory, step by step. This film celebrates the completion of the first stage; there's many more stages to go but every journey begins with a single step. Well done, Mark!