Cadw Discover Leaflets by Central Design Team Publications

Discover Caerphilly Castle

Caerphilly Castle

CF83 IJD

‘Giant Caerffili’ is a big castle — the biggest in Wales. It’s almost complete and is surrounded by a series of moats and watery islands.

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from a historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in South Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Wales’s largest and most menacing castle

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

St Davids Bishop’s Palace Lamphey Bishop’s Palace Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber St Dogmaels Abbey Cilgerran Castle Laugharne Castle Kidwelly Castle Weobley Castle Oxwich Castle Dinefwr Castle Carreg Cennen Castle Margam Stones Museum Ewenny Priory Castell Coch

15. Caerphilly Castle 16. Tretower Court and Castle 17. Montgomery Castle 18. Blaenavon Ironworks 19. Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths 20. Grosmont Castle 21. Raglan Castle 22. Coity Castle 23. Caerwent Roman Town 24. Tintern Abbey 25. Chepstow Castle 26. Strata Florida Abbey 27. Dolforwyn Castle

Aberystwyth

Did you know?

• The ‘leaning tower’ leans even more than the famous leaning tower of Pisa. • E dward II briefly took refuge at Caerphilly Castle in 1326 as he unsuccessfully fled from the army of his wife, Isabella, and her companion, Roger Mortimer. • G ilbert de Clare, who began Caerphilly Castle in 1268, was known as ‘Red Gilbert’, reputedly because of his red hair.

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Caerphilly Castle, Castle Street, Caerphilly CF83 1JD.

1 July 2021 – 31 August 2022 9.30am–6pm

For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239.

1 September – 31 October 2022 9.30am–5pm 1 November – 28 February 2023 10am–4pm

Bike NCN Route No. 44 (200m/219yards).

Facilities

20 18

How to find us

1 March – 30 June 2022 9.30am–5pm

Opening hours

01 St Davids

07 08 09

Ffordd Cambria The Cambrian Way

Swansea 22

12 13

24 21 19

Cardiff

Ffordd yr Arfordir The Coastal Way Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

Closed 24/25/26 December and 1 January

Visiting our sites by bus or rail? Find travel information at: Online: www.traveline.cymru Call: 0800 464 0000

Last admission to site 30 minutes before closing

A range of special events take place at Cadw’s 130 sites throughout the year. Visit gov.wales/cadw, find us on Facebook, follow @CadwWales on Twitter or download our free app to stay up to date. All information correct as of February 2022.

gov.wales/cadw

Discover Beaumaris Castle

Beaumaris Castle

LL58 8AP

Perfection — a textbook model of a castle. No wonder it’s part of a World Heritage Site. Pity it was never fully completed before Edward I ran out of money… Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

Wales’s greatest castle never built

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in North Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12.

Caernarfon Castle Bryn Celli Ddu Burial Chamber Criccieth Castle Beaumaris Castle Penmon Priory Dolbadarn Castle Harlech Castle Strata Florida Abbey Castell y Bere Cymer Abbey Dolwyddelan Castle Plas Mawr, Conwy

13. Conwy Castle 14. Rhuddlan Castle 15. Denbigh Castle 16. Rug Chapel 17. Dolforwyn Castle 18. St Winifride’s Chapel & Holy Well 19. Ewloe Castle 20. Montgomery Castle 21. Valle Crucis Abbey 22. Flint Castle 23. Caergwrle Castle Ffordd Cambria The Cambrian Way Ffordd yr Arfordir The Coastal Way Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

Llandudno

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• Edward I wanted his new castle and town to prosper so he moved the entire population of nearby Llanfaes to create Newborough on the other side of the island. • S tarted in 1295, building work stopped after 35 years. The castle was never completed. • I n 1403, supporters of Owain Glynd ŵr besieged the castle. It was recaptured in 1405.

Opening hours

How to find us

1 March – 30 June 2022 9.30am–5pm

Beaumaris Castle, Beaumaris, Anglesey LL58 8AP.

1 July – 31 August 2022 9.30am–6pm

For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239.

1 November – 28 February 2023 10am–4pm Closed 24/25/26 December and 1 January UNESCO World Heritage Site

Last admission to site 30 minutes before closing

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11 16

21 07 10

09 20 17

Aberystwyth

Bike NCN Route No.5 (5km/3mls).

Facilities

Caernarfon 01

Visiting our sites by bus or rail? Find travel information at: Online: www.traveline.cymru Call: 0800 464 0000 A range of special events take place at Cadw’s 130 sites throughout the year. Visit gov.wales/cadw, find us on Facebook, follow @CadwWales on Twitter or download our free app to stay up to date. All information correct as of February 2022.

Did you know?

1 September – 31 October 2022 9.30am–5pm

gov.wales/cadw

Caernarfon Castle

LL55 2AY

Was this King Edward I’s Constantinople? He certainly paid a high price for the majestic monster of a castle which now forms part of a World Heritage Site.

Discover Caernarfon Castle Wales’s legendary fortress-palace

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in North Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12.

Did you know?

Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

• The construction of the castle began in 1283 and went on for nearly half a century. Despite this, the fortress was never completed as planned!

Llandudno

05 04

• Since 1986, Caernarfon’s castle and town walls have formed part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site: ‘Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd’.

• Although it’s in the care of Cadw, Caernarfon Castle is still owned by Her Majesty the Queen.

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Caernarfon 06

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How to find us

1 March – 30 June 2022 9.30am–5pm

Caernarfon Castle, Castle Ditch, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 2AY.

1 July – 31 August 2022 9.30am–6pm

For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239.

1 September – 31 October 2022 9.30am–5pm 1 November – 28 February 2023 10am–4pm

Bike

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NCN Route No. 8

Aberystwyth

Facilities 08

Closed 24/25/26 December and 1 January

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Please check our website for information on the current works at the castle

Visiting our sites by bus or rail? Find travel information at: Online: www.traveline.cymru Call: 0800 464 0000

Last admission to site 30 minutes before closing

Opening hours

21 07

Discover Chepstow Castle

Chepstow Castle

NP16 5EY

Beautifully preserved Chepstow Castle is a history lesson in stone. A cliff-top castle with a difference, it has been perched on a narrow ridge for almost 1,000 years.

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in South Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Wales’s first castle built in stone

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

15. Caerphilly Castle 16. Tretower Court and Castle 17. Dolforwyn Castle 18. Blaenavon Ironworks 19. Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths 20. Grosmont Castle 21. Raglan Castle 22. Coity Castle 23. Caerwent Roman Town 24. Tintern Abbey 25. Chepstow Castle 26. Strata Florida Abbey 27. Montgomery Castle

Aberystwyth

Did you know?

• C hepstow was established by William fitz Osbern just a year after the Battle of Hastings — probably as an earth-and-timber castle. • I n the eighteenth century the castle became an industrial estate; the hall was used for blowing glass to make wine bottles. • C hepstow Castle has been popular with tourists for over 200 years and has been painted by artists including Turner.

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How to find us Chepstow Castle, Bridge Street, Chepstow NP16 5EY.

1 July – 31 August 2022 9.30am–6pm

For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239.

Ffordd yr Arfordir The Coastal Way

Bike NCN Route No. 4 (200m/219 yards).

Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

1 November – 28 February 2023 10am–4pm Closed 24/25/26 December and 1 January Last admission to site 30 minutes before closing

Facilities

20 18

07 08 09

1 March – 30 June 2022 9.30am–5pm

1 September – 31 October 2022 9.30am–5pm

06 02

Opening hours

10 11

St Davids

Ffordd Cambria The Cambrian Way

Swansea 22

12 13

24 21 19

Cardiff

gov.wales/cadw

Raglan Castle

NP15 2BT

Raglan Castle is one of the last medieval castles to be built in Wales. Although designed with comfort and luxury in mind, it was pretty formidable too.

Discover Raglan Castle

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in South Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

A Welshman’s most magnificent castle

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

Aberystwyth

Did you know?

• William Herbert, who built much of Raglan, was the first member of the Welsh gentry to enter the English peerage when he was created Earl of Pembroke in 1468. • A young Henry Tudor, later Henry VII, was placed in the custody of William Herbert to be brought up at Raglan Castle. • T his was amongst the grandest homes in Tudor and Stuart Britain with fabulous gardens, an orchard and a deer park.

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St Davids

20 18

06 07 08

Swansea 22

24 21 19

Opening hours

How to find us

1 March– 30 June 2022 9.30am–5pm

Raglan Castle, Raglan, Monmouthshire NP15 2BT.

Ffordd Cambria The Cambrian Way

1 July – 31 August 2022 9.30am–6pm

For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239.

Ffordd yr Arfordir The Coastal Way

Bike Regional Route No. 30 (1km/0.6mls).

Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

Facilities

Closed 24/25/26 December and 1 January

Visiting our sites by bus or rail? Find travel information at: Online: www.traveline.cymru Call: 0800 464 0000

Last admission to site 30 minutes before closing

1 September – 31 October 2022 9.30am–5pm 1 November – 28 February 2023 10am–4pm

12 13

Cardiff

gov.wales/cadw

Discover Castell Coch Wales’s Victorian fairy-tale castle

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Castell Coch

Where to visit next...

CF15 7JS

A fabulous fairy tale fortress, Castell Coch is a Victorian vision of luxurious medieval life. Excavated and re-built in the 1870’s upon existing thirteenth century basements, Castell Coch is charming, contradictory and full of character.

In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in South Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Did you know?

Aberystwyth

• Castell Coch is built on the foundations of a thirteenth‑century castle.

• The third marquess of Bute, one of Britain’s richest men, built Castell Coch using money made from the industrial growth of south Wales. • Doctor Who, Merlin, Tracy Beaker and The Worst Witch have all been filmed at Castell Coch.

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How to find us

1 March – 30 June 2022 9.30am–5pm

Castell Coch, Tongwynlais, Cardiff CF15 7JS.

1 July – 31 August 2022 9.30am–6pm 1 September – 31 October 2022 9.30am–5pm 1 November – 31 March 2023 10am–4pm

For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239. Bike

NCN Route No. 8, Taff Trail.

Facilities

1 January – 31 January 2023 Closed Closed 24/25/26 December Last admission to site and car park 30 minutes before closing

Assistance dogs only

St Davids

Opening hours

20 18

06 07 08 09

Ffordd Cambria The Cambrian Way

Swansea 22

12 13

24 21 19

Cardiff

Ffordd yr Arfordir The Coastal Way Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

gov.wales/cadw

Discover Harlech Castle

Harlech Castle

Where to visit next...

LL46 2YH

With its distinctive profile set against the skyline of Snowdonia and its turbulent history, Harlech is one of Wales’s most famous castles — and a World Heritage Site too.

Threatening fortress built on Welsh legend

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in North Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12.

Llandudno

05 04

Did you know?

• Edward I never lived here but his master mason and military engineer, James of St George, and his wife, Ambrosia, did. • Owain Glynd ŵr held Harlech as his royal court for four years. • Men of Harlech was written about the siege of Harlech during the Wars of the Roses.

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Caernarfon 01

22 19 23

11 16

21 07 10

How to find us

1 March – 30 June 2022 9.30am–5pm

Castle Square, Harlech, Gwynedd LL46 2YH.

1 July – 31 August 2022 9.30am–6pm

For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239.

1 September – 31 October 2022 9.30am–5pm 1 November – 28 February 2023 10am–4pm Closed 24/25/26 December and 1 January

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Last admission to site 30 minutes before closing

Bike

09 20 17

Aberystwyth

NCN Route No. 8 08

Facilities Visiting our sites by bus or rail? Find travel information at: Online: www.traveline.cymru Call: 0800 464 0000

Opening hours

gov.wales/cadw

Conwy Castle

LL32 8AY

From the sheer splendour of this World Heritage Site, you would never guess that it was built with astonishing speed. Begun in 1283, Conwy Castle and town walls were effectively complete by 1287.

Discover Conwy Castle Wales best preserved fortified town

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in North Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12.

Did you know?

Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

• The town walls were built at the same time as the castle. They are one of the best set of medieval defences in Europe. You can walk much of the circuit around the town.

Llandudno

05 04

• T he castle and walls cost Edward I £15,000 to build (that’s around £45 million in today’s money).

• I n 1401, Owain Glynd ŵr’s supporters captured Conwy and held it for three months.

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Caernarfon 06

22 19 23

11 16

Opening hours

How to find us

1 March – 30 June 2022 9.30am–5pm

Conwy LL32 8AY.

1 September – 31 October 2022 9.30am–5pm 1 November – 28 February 2023 10am–4pm

For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239.

Bike NCN Route No.5 (150m/164yards).

20 17

Facilities

Aberystwyth

Closed 24/25/26 December and 1 January

08 Assistance dogs only

Last admission to site 30 minutes before closing

UNESCO World Heritage Site

1 July – 31 August 2022 9.30am–6pm

21 07

Tintern Abbey

NP16 6SE

Searching for true beauty? Stop at Tintern Abbey, hailed as the second Cistercian house in Britain and the first in Wales.

Discover Tintern Abbey

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in South Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Tranquil Welsh Abbey celebrated by painters and poets

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

Aberystwyth

Did you know?

• T intern was a popular subject for artists and writers including Turner and Wordsworth. • T he abbey was founded in 1131 by Walter fitz Richard of Clare, an Anglo-Norman lord. • A fter the monastery was suppressed by Henry VIII, the area became crowded with cottages and early industrial buildings.

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1 March – 30 June 2022 9.30am–5pm 1 July – 31 August 2022 9.30am–6pm 1 September – 31 October 2022 9.30am–5pm 1 November – 28 February 2023 10am–4pm Closed 24/25/26 December and 1 January Last admission to site 30 minutes before closing

How to find us Tintern Abbey, Tintern, Monmouthshire NP16 6SE. For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239. Bike NCN Route No. 4 (200m/219 yards).

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06 02

Opening hours

10 11

St Davids

07 08 09

Ffordd Cambria The Cambrian Way

Swansea 22

12 13

24 21 19

Cardiff

Ffordd yr Arfordir The Coastal Way Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

Facilities Visiting our sites by bus or rail? Find travel information at: Online: www.traveline.cymru Call: 0800 464 0000 A range of special events take place at Cadw’s 130 sites throughout the year. Visit gov.wales/cadw, find us on Facebook, follow @CadwWales on Twitter or download our free app to stay up to date. All information correct as of February 2022.

gov.wales/cadw

Blaenavon Ironworks

NP4 9RQ

One of the best-preserved eighteenth-century ironworks to be found anywhere, Blaenavon is a World Heritage wonder.

Discover Blaenavon Ironworks

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in South Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Where Welsh innovation gave steel to the world

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

Did you know?

Aberystwyth

• P reparations for the ironworks began in 1787 and by 1792 three furnaces had been built.

• Blaenavon was only the second ironworks in the world designed for steam power. 04 05 03

How to find us Blaenavon Ironworks NP4 9RQ. For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239. Bike NCN Route No. 46 (600m/656yards).

Facilities

UNESCO World Heritage Site

20 18

06 02

Please visit our website for details of opening days, times and prices

10 11

St Davids

07 08 09

Ffordd Cambria The Cambrian Way

Swansea 22

12 13

24 21 19

Cardiff

Ffordd yr Arfordir The Coastal Way Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

• Blaenavon was at the cutting edge of technical development. Sidney Gilchrist Thomas and his cousin, Percy Carlyle Gilchrist, developed a way of making steel using the local iron ore, which led to a worldwide boom in the steel industry.

Discover

Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths

Caerleon Roman Fortress NP18 1AE Visit Isca, the home of the Second Augustan Legion, and find out how the Romans lived. Come and explore this varied and fascinating site, spread over many acres.

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in South Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

A Welsh Roman garrison brought to life

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

Did you know?

Aberystwyth

• T he Second Augustan Legion moved to this site around AD 75 to wage war against the tribe of the Silures. You can see the remains of the cramped rooms where the men slept and stored their weapons — the only Roman legionary barracks visible in Europe. • You can explore the remains of the immense natatio, or swimming pool, that was once situated in the open air and held more than 80,000 gallons of water. • You can walk around the most complete Roman amphitheatre in Britain, thought to be the site of King Arthur’s ‘round table’ in medieval times. The National Roman Legion Museum is also a short walk from the amphitheatre. *

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Ffordd Cambria The Cambrian Way

Carleon Roman Fortress, High St, Caerleon, Newport NP18 1AE.

Ffordd yr Arfordir The Coastal Way

For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239. Bike NCN Route No. 46 (4km/2.5miles).

Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

Assistance dogs only

20 18

How to find us

Facilities

St Davids

07 08 09

Please visit our website for details of opening days, times and prices

Swansea 22

12 13

24 21 19

Cardiff

gov.wales/cadw

Criccieth Castle

LL52 0DP

Criccieth is truly a castle to capture the imagination. Crowning its own rocky headland between two beaches, it commands astonishing views over the town and across the wide sweep of Cardigan Bay.

Discover Criccieth Castle Welsh princes’ spectacular clifftop castle

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in North Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12.

Llandudno

05 04

Did you know? • L lywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great) built Criccieth Castle around 1230. The state-of-the-art twin-towered gatehouse was a powerful statement of his power and authority. Later in the thirteenth century, both Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and Edward I added to the castle. • Look out for the reddened stonework caused by Owain Glyndŵr and his troops when they captured and burnt the castle in the early fifteenth century.

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Caernarfon 01

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• ‘Criccieth’ may come from the Welsh words ‘crug caeth’, meaning the jail on the hill. It’s an apt description: the castle is first recorded in 1239 as the prison of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn, son of Llywelyn the Great.

09 20

Please visit our website for details of opening days, times and prices

How to find us Castle St, Criccieth. LL52 0DP.

Aberystwyth

For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239. Bike

NCN Route No.8

Facilities

Last admission to site 30 minutes before closing

gov.wales/cadw

Denbigh Castle

LL16 3NB

Denbigh’s great gatehouse is the gatehouse to end all gatehouses. Despite the best efforts of parliamentarian troops to bring down the walls in 1660 after the Civil War, there’s still a lot to see.

Discover Denbigh Castle Marcher castle built on Welsh princes court

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in North Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12.

Llandudno

05 04

Did you know? • Edward I captured the town of Denbigh in 1282 and granted it to his trusted lieutenant, Henry de Lacy. With royal support, construction of the castle began almost immediately. • During his 1294–95 rebellion, Madog ap Llywelyn and his supporters captured and held Denbigh Castle for three months. • You can explore Denbigh’s medieval town walls — ask the custodian at the castle.

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Caernarfon 01

22 19 23

11 16

21 07 10

Please visit our website for details of opening days, times and prices

How to find us Denbigh Castle, Castle Hill, Denbigh LL16 3NB. For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239.

20 17

Aberystwyth

Bike NCN Route No. 5 (17km/11miles)

Facilities

gov.wales/cadw

Kidwelly Castle

SA17 5BQ

Kidwelly is an imposing fortress — steep earthworks,high towers, tall curtain walls and a great gatehouse. Towering above the river Gwendraeth, the stone castle was largely built between 1275 and 1422.

Discover Kidwelly Castle Fatal setting for a Welsh warrior princess

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in South Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Did you know? • K ing Henry I granted Kidwelly to Bishop Roger of Salisbury in 1106 and the first earth-and-timber castle was begun about this time.

• In 1136, Princess Gwenllian (wife of the Welsh lord of Deheubarth) died in battle against the Normans holding Kidwelly. It is said that a spring welled up where she died — known as Maes Gwenllian (Field of Gwenllian).

Aberystwyth

• The Chaworth family transformed the castle in the late thirteenth century, ensuring that it met the military standards of the day. This included the construction of the inner ward, with its four great round towers, and the outer curtain wall — making it a truly concentric castle.

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For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239. Bike NCN Route No.4 (400m/437yards).

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How to find us Kidwelly Castle, 5 Castle Road Kidwelly, SA17 5BQ.

10 11

St Davids

Please visit our website for details of opening days, times and prices

07 08 09

Ffordd Cambria The Cambrian Way

Swansea 22

12 13

24 21 19

Cardiff

Ffordd yr Arfordir The Coastal Way Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

Facilities

gov.wales/cadw

Discover Laugharne Castle

Laugharne Castle

SA33 4SA

Think Laugharne, think Dylan Thomas — but think castle too. Both Dylan Thomas and author Richard Hughes put pen to paper in the castle’s summerhouse.

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in South Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Dylan Thomas’s ‘brown as owls’ castle

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

Did you know? • T he de Brian family held Laugharne from around 1247 to 1390. They rebuilt the earth-and-timber castle that stood here and strengthened its defences.

Aberystwyth

• The Welsh prince, Rhys ap Gruffudd, met Henry II at Laugharne in 1172 and reached an accord that made Rhys the most powerful political force in south Wales. • In the late sixteenth centry, the medieval castle was transformed into a fine Tudor mansion by Elizabethan courtier Sir John Perrot.

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How to find us Laugharne Castle, King Street, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire SA33 4SA. For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239. Bike NCN Route No.4 (300m/328yards).

St Davids

Please visit our website for details of opening days, times and prices

20 18

06 07 08 09

Ffordd Cambria The Cambrian Way

Swansea 22

12 13

24 21 19

Cardiff

Ffordd yr Arfordir The Coastal Way Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

gov.wales/cadw

Discover St Davids Bishop’s Palace

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

St Davids Bishop’s Palace

SA62 6PE

A twelfth-century pope decreed that two trips to St Davids were equal to one to Rome. He turned the city into a centre of pilgrimage and thousands flocked to the newly built cathedral. The work of Henry de Gower, bishop of St Davids, ensured that the bishop’s home was equally magnificent when he turned it into an immense palace.

Living in luxury, a Welsh Bishop’s home

Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in South Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Did you know?

• Henry de Gower, bishop of St Davids from 1328 to 1347, was responsible for building most of the palace that we see today.

Aberystwyth

• He had grand ambitions — but he stuck to a budget. The walls of his palace were raised in rubble and covered with painted plaster. He used mostly local stone and expensive carved decoration was saved for spots of maximum impact. • Almost 200 individual sculptures once decorated the bishop’s palace. Most extravagant of all was the arcaded parapet with its carved stone corbels and beautiful chequerboard patterning in quartz.

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How to find us St Davids Bishop’s Palace, St Davids, Pembrokeshire SA62 6PE. For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239.

Facilities

St Davids

Please visit our website for details of opening days, times and prices

20 18

06 07 08 09

Ffordd Cambria The Cambrian Way

Swansea 22

12 13

24 21 19

Cardiff

Ffordd yr Arfordir The Coastal Way Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

gov.wales/cadw

Discover Tretower Court and Castle

Tretower Court and Castle

NP8 1RF

Dressed to impress — for over 900 years Tretower Court and Castle have been altered, adjusted and adapted to keep up with the tastes of the time. Visit the recreated medieval kitchen and great hall, dressed as they may have looked around 1470.

Welsh social climber’s country house

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Where to visit next... In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in South Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

27 Aberystwyth

Did you know?

• A Norman named Picard founded the first castle at Tretower in the late eleventh century. • Sir Roger Vaughan, who began Tretower Court around 1450, was executed at Chepstow in 1471 for supporting Edward IV in the Wars of the Roses. • Tretower is home to four protected species of bat, the greater horseshoe, the lesser horseshoe, the pipistrelle and the Natterer’s.

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St Davids

How to find us

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Tretower Court and Castle, Tretower, Crickhowell, Powys NP8 1RF.

Ffordd Cambria The Cambrian Way

For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239.

Ffordd yr Arfordir The Coastal Way

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Please visit our website for details of opening days, times and prices

Swansea 22

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Cardiff

Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

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Discover Valle Crucis Abbey

Valle Crucis Abbey LL20 8DD

Where to visit next...

Cistercian monks sought the most wild and remote places to build their abbeys. Valle Crucis is proof that they were often the most beautiful too.

In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in North Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12.

Resting place of Welsh princes

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Llandudno

Did you know?

• R eligious life at Valle Crucis began in 1201 when the prince of northern Powys invited Cistercian monks to found the abbey. It ended 336 years later with Henry VIII’s suppression of the monasteries. • The abbey has had a turbulent history, suffering badly during both Edward I’s Welsh wars and Owain Glyndŵr’s revolt. • The picturesque abbey has inspired many artists including Turner.

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Caernarfon 01

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Please visit our website for details of opening days, times and prices

How to find us 09

Valle Crucis Abbey, Llangollen, Denbighshire LL20 8DD. For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239.

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Aberystwyth

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gov.wales/cadw

Discover Rhuddlan Castle Where Welsh rule changed forever

Rhuddlan Castle LL18 5AD

Where to visit next...

This mighty masonry castle was begun by Edward I in 1277 following the defeat of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in the first Welsh war. The castle guarded a new town surrounded by ditched defences. You can still clearly make out the medieval layout of the streets in modern-day Rhuddlan.

In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in North Wales.

Join Cadw and enjoy unlimited access to 130 sites

01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12.

Llandudno

Did you know? • R huddlan was the first of the revolutionary concentric, or ‘walls within walls’, castles designed by master architect James of St George. • In 1284, Edward I laid down the law in Wales for the next 250 years with the Statute of Rhuddlan. It created four shires in north Wales and established a system of English-style local government. • Rhuddlan was attacked in 1400 during Owain Glyndŵr’s rebellion. The rebels ravaged the town but didn’t take the castle.

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Please visit our website for details of opening days, times and prices

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Rhuddlan Castle, Castle St, Rhuddlan LL18 5AD. For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239.

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Aberystwyth

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gov.wales/cadw

Discover Plas Mawr Britain’s finest Elizabethan town house

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Plas Mawr LL32 8DE

Where to visit next...

The finest surviving Elizabethan town house in Britain, Plas Mawr is alive with the sights and smells of a wealthy merchant’s household.

In Wales, you’re never too far away from an historic adventure. Here are some other legendary sites in North Wales. 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12.

Did you know?

Ffordd yr Arfordir The Coastal Way

• U ncover the riches of this grand property, built in stages between 1576 and 1585 by Robert Wynn, a member of the Welsh gentry.

Ffordd Gogledd Cymru The North Wales Way

• Take in the detailed ornamental plasterwork and spot the heraldic emblems and badges associated with Robert Wynn and his wife, Dorothy Griffith. One of them — the badge of the Griffith family — is a severed head. • Get to grips with Tudor technology in the kitchen and take a walk in the recreated garden. Delve deeper into Plas Mawr’s history using the touch-screen displays.

Llandudno

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Opening hours

How to find us

14 March – 30 September 2022 9.30am–5pm

High Street, Conwy LL32 8DE.

1 October – 6 November 2022 9.30am–4pm 7 November – 28 Feb 2023 Closed Last admission to site 45 minutes before closing

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For site information and help booking tickets, please call: 0300 025 2239.

Bike NCN Route No.5 (150m/164 yards).

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Facilities

Aberystwyth

gov.wales/cadw