I Travel around Wales all the time and it’s not a surprise , but it’s always amazing that you can walk through a door or a gate to some experiences that are  off the beaten track and the radar of the most tourists, but well worth the adventure and in some ways no visit to Wales is complete without a journey to the back of beyond .

Saturday was no exception, Cowbridge Town Hall opened its doors to visitors . Inside  there was a great exhibition focusing on the life of this farming town from medieval to the present day  . The cells under the building gave a stark reminder of the harsh lives of many of  its unfortunate inhabitants with brilliantly moving exhibitions , then a great hands on experience with a world war one society who were happy to show grenades and guns from the period .

Another great little find from last week was the Medieval village at Cosmeston where Merlin has been filmed .The excavated houses have been restored and they have been personalised to create a great story with plenty of characters . Village houses are furnished to the period including cobwebs  and models which can make you jump in the dark houses .. It’s not hard to imagine the lives of our ancestors and you do feel that they may walk in at any minute demanding to know what you want .  The little houses give a good insight into the challenges of the times  and there are some pretty nasty artefacts housed in the visitor centre . But the  great thing is that  you can stumble into the village whilst simply walking the lakes . The Village which dates back to the dark ages is reputedly haunted with  noises being heard in the night and people reporting a strange  atmosphere . Paranormal investigations have taken place here as the stories have been so prevalent . But I find it a gentle place where you can lose yourself in time .

Medieval village cosmeston