TOP 5 CASTLES TO VISIT IN NORTH WALES

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There are over 600 castles in Wales and it is said to have more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the world. Here are the top 5 castles to visit in North Wales:

Caernarfon Castle

Built in the 1280 by Edward I, Caernarfon is the largest castle in the area and does not disappoint. Having included all the mod cons for its day like toilets, running water and glass in the windows, this vast building is spectatuclar. A brute of a fortress. Caernarfon Castle’s pumped-up appearance is unashamedly muscle-bound and intimidating. Picking a fight with this massive structure would have been a daunting prospect. By throwing his weight around in stone, King Edward I created what is surely one of the most impressive of Wales’s castles. Worthy of World Heritage status no less. Most castles are happy with round towers, not Caernarfon! Polygonal towers were the order of the day, with the Eagle Tower being the most impressive of these. You will also note the colour-coded stones carefully arranged in bands. The site of this great castle wasn’t chosen by accident. It had previously been the location of a Norman motte and bailey castle and before that a Roman fort stood nearby. The lure of water and easy access to the sea made the banks of the River Seiont an ideal spot for Edward’s monster in masonry.

Edward wasn’t one to miss an opportunity to tighten his grip even further on the native population. The birth of his son, the first English Prince of Wales, in the castle in 1284, was a perfect device to stamp his supremacy. In 1969, the investiture of the current Prince of Wales, HRH Prince Charles took place here.

Whilst you’re visiting this formidable fortress, don’t miss the opportunity to see the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum, which is housed in two of the castle’s towers.

Conwy Castle

Conwy Castle entrance is truly impressive with two fortified gateways and made up of eight enormous towers. The great hall, private chambers and kitchen can still be seen on visiting which gives you a real sense of what it would have been like back in the day.

Built for Edward I, by Master James of St George, the castle is amongst the finest surviving medieval fortifications in Britain. In a word, exceptional. You can’t fault it, from the grandeur of its high towers and curtain walls to its excellent state of preservation.

An estimated £15,000 was spent building the castle, the largest sum Edward spent in such a short time on any of his Welsh castles between 1277 and 1307. Money well spent. Two barbicans (fortified gateways), eight massive towers and a great bowshaped hall all sit within its distinctive elongated shape, due in part to the narrow rocky outcrop on which the castle stands. You won’t find Edward’s concentric ‘walls within walls’ here. They weren’t needed. The rock base was enough security in itself.

Some say it is the most magnificent of Edward I’s Welsh fortresses. To get the full picture, head for the battlements. Breathtaking views across mountains and sea. If the outside impresses (and it will), wait until you go in. With an outer ward containing a great hall, chambers and kitchen, and a more secluded inner ward with private chambers and a royal chapel, it is very easy to imagine how Conwy functioned when the royal entourage were in town.