Craggy, lichen-spotted Manorbier Castle was the birthplace of Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales, 1146–1223), one of the country's greatest scholars and patriots. 'In all the broad lands of Wales, Manorbier is the best place by far,' he wrote. The 12th- to 19th-century castle buildings are grouped around a pretty garden. Medieval music plays in the Great Hall and there's a murky dungeon, a smuggler's secret passage and a tableaux of wax figures in period costume – apparently rejects from Madame Tussaud's in London. Look out for the figure that was originally Prince Philip, now sporting a coat of chain mail. The castle starred in the 2003 film I Capture the Castle .
