The Cardiff Castle

The Ashes is one of sport’s oldest contests but the 122-year rivalry of England-Australia is nothing compared to some of the landmarks around the country. The Cardiff Castle carries “2000 years of history”, making international cricket seem like an embryo in comparison.

There’s a palace, a battlement walk and wartime tunnels, but I like the falconry enclave, where the goggle-eyed birds of prey preen and show off their weaponry of talons and beaks. In the old days these sorts of castles would have had a falconer, and the sight of them brings back memories of William Butler Yeats’ The Second Coming, which was studied briefly in high school.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold ...

Not much chance of things falling apart in here as the birds, which perch on a small stump of wood, are on a short, tough leash. They stand like slip fielders, waiting for their chance to fly and catch.

Close by is a Norman Keep surrounded by a moat which has a lot of steep, shiny steps that are best negotiated in shoes with grip. They spiral towards a turret which becomes more cramped and less secure for those who start to shake at moderate heights. I can’t see the pitch from the top, but there’s a good view of the city skyline. Everything is so close in Cardiff and the castle is on the city’s doorstep, an easy stop-off on the way to Sophia Gardens.

Galle’s ground is in the shadow of the fort and Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla stadium has old ruins running down one side, but there aren’t too many Test grounds with easy access to incredible old buildings. The Riverside at Durham is watched over by Lumley Castle and many English supporters think that stadium is the one that should be on display this week instead of the oval near this ancient Welsh structure.