After a look round the pitch for any forgotten tent pegs and with time to spare I locked the van and took the dogs for a walk up the lane to the old castle. This time I was determined to try and get in there rather than just walk round the outside of it and after a bit of perseverence and a lot of fighting through various bushes and other overgrown vegetation I managed to find a small gap between two railings and I was just able to squeeze through. Success! I was actually in the inner grounds of the castle! I spent quite some time wandering round and although I couldn't get into any of the actual buildings as they were all well and truly boarded up, I was able to walk along the path which ran between the various buildings and down to the drive and the main courtyard. With several shots taken I finally made my way back the way I had gone and returned to Manorafon to collect the van.
Of course Sod's Law decreed that as I drove away from the site the sun came out and the sky fairly rapidly turned blue. It was too late for me to go back to the castle and retake the shots I'd just got but as I drove homewards I made a mental note that now I've found a way into the inner grounds I'll have another look round there next time I stay at Manorafon and the sun is shining. That's definitely a mission for the future!