I spent some time in the Welsh borderlands at the end of January, en route to a family visit in South Wales, place of my youth. Wye valley is a landscape full of mystery and enchantment. On this occasion I made a stop at the pensively beautiful ruin of Usk Castle, evocative of Gothic tales and faerie legends. But all along this stretch of countryside, where the land begins to heave and roll, rimmed as it is with the remains of embattled and portentous buildings, are places wonderfully encouraging for the imagination.