| Draped in
history, Llantwit Major lies near the coast
and was an ancient seat of learning for Welsh
saints. It was St. Illtud who founded a church
and religious school here around 500 AD,
tutoring both St. David, patron saint of
Wales, and St. Patrick, patron saint of
Ireland. The remarkable ‘double’ church of St
Illtud dates from the 12th century and
contains a collection of Celtic crosses and
stones carved with Latin inscriptions.
Nearby, the valley of the Col Huw River offers
interesting walks and a few miles along the
coast is St Donat’s Bay with its ‘Gothic’ St
Donat’s Castle, once the home of the Amercian
newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.
Beyond Llantwit Major is a Roman villa and
Iron Age hill forts. |
