We like a good story in Wales.

You'll hear tales of King Arthur and Merlin the Magician, of kingdoms lost beneath the sea and battles between dragons, of haunted castles and knightly deeds.

These captivating tales don't just spring from a fertile Celtic imagination. They are also inspired by Wales's wonderful landscapes and seascapes. Which may explain why Pembrokeshire in West Wales is still proud to be known as Gwlad hud a lledrith - 'The land of magic and enchantment'.

King Arthur regularly appears in Welsh mythology.

The Benedictine monk Geoffrey, a 12th century resident of Monmouth, was the first to popularise the Arthurian legend with his book ‘Historia Regum Britanniae’. Nearly a thousand years later, Wales is still a leading source of Arthurian literature. The County Library at Mold in the north east of the country is currently home to the world’s largest collection of books on Arthur, comprising nearly 2,000 volumes.

Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen) is believed to be Merlin’s birthplace, and is named after him. Some way north, in the caves below the ruins of Dinefwr Castle, Merlin is said to have communed with fairies.

Legend has it that Arthur killed a giant called ‘Rhitta’ on Mount Snowdon, and fought another fierce battle nearby at Bwlch y Saethau. Even now, he and his knights are thought to be sleeping in a cliff-top cave beneath Chepstow Castle.

The final resting place of the Holy Grail, meanwhile, is believed to be Castell Dinas Bran on the mountainside above Llangollen.

More concrete evidence of the mythical king can be found in a valley in northern Pembrokeshire, where two ancient standing stones are known as ‘Meibon Arthur’, or Arthur’s sons.

For more information on Arthurian legends in Wales, try the National Library of Wales