In this picture you can just about see the village of Painscastle in the distance. I spend a lot of time driving through it and I also admire the views of Painscastle when i'm running on the hills.
Painsastle has a small, thriving community and a welcoming pub. I've taken my children to the weekly playgroup in the village for years. The other Mums were warm and kind to me when I showed up with a tiny baby. I was seriously lacking sleep, sanity and adult companionship and they welcomed me with open arms. "The Roast Ox" pub was the first pub my partner and I found when we first moved to the area. Many hours were whiled away in front of the roaring fires drinking local ales and devouring the delicious Roasted Pork created by Tony the owner and chef. Painscastle also has a wonderful summer fete where the local farmers show their livestock, race tractors and compete in tug o war competitions.
However, despite all this, I don't like Painscastle. I would never live there and I prefer to watch from afar... from the mountains if possible.
This is because I have always sensed an eery atmosphere there. It has a cold, stark, slightly menacing feel to it. Up until recently I put it down to the fact that it is rather high in the hills so there aren't many trees and the weather is always biting. However, during a recent conversation with a friend who has a keen interest in local history, I discovered that Painscastle was the location for one of the bloodiest battles in Welsh history.
The Castle at Painscastle has a very turbulent past. It was transferred between the English and Welsh for centuries. In the late 12th century the Welsh were getting a bit fed up of King John and were planning to overturn him. King John sent one of his favourite noblemen William de Braos to Wales to capture the castle of Painscastle because it was in a very strategic position and he thought it would be useful if everything kicked off. William seized the castle but then a few years later in 1198 the Prince of Powys took a huge army of Welshmen to Painscastle to get the castle back. William was not happy. The bloodiest massacre in Welsh history followed in which Williams men slaughtered over 3,000 Welsh. Not a single Englishman was killed. Legend has it that the River Bachawy ran red with blood from the slaughter.
