Castles in North Wales
/Top left, Caernarfon Castle, top right Beaumaris Castle, bottom left Conwy Castle and bottom right, Harlech Castle.
A short stay in North Wales can be a castle hunter’s dream. Short car rides from a central location such as Bangor can present you with four of the best preserved medieval castles in the country.
North Wales is a very special area for anyone with an interest in medieval history, and the four we’ve mentioned here were described by UNESCO as “the finest examples of late 13th and early 14th century military architecture in Europe.
These castles remain in remarkable condition and they give you the opportunity to see the work of one of the greatest castle builders in history: Master James of St George. The castles here are unlike any you will see anywhere else and the Iron Ring of Castles in North Wales are the lasting legacy of Edward I - one of the greatest castle building kings in history.
So without further adieu, these are the four best castles in North Wales that you should make sure you visit.
1. Caernarfon Castle
Accessibility: Easy to get to and plenty of carparks at varying distances from the castle. There are so many things to see and, recently, building has been taking place to improve visitor facilities, such as a lift to take people with mobility issues to the upper battlements to get a magnificent view of both the interior of the castle as well as the environment in which it is situated.
Museum / information:Fascinating museum. There are also plans for virtual reality tours.
Facilities: No cafe in the castle but there are plenty of coffee shops and restaurants in the town nearby. Toilets are located just outside the castle.
Very Good for kids: Loads to see, video presentation, passages to walk through and spiral staircases to climb. Loads of castle features to see and identify.
Star point Why is it my number one? There is no other castle like Caernarfon Castle in Britain, with twelve, stunning, polygonal towers. It is described by Malcolm Hislop as, “Edward’s definitive castle, and his most ambitious project, when considering its sheer size and its elaborate town walls”. The famous diarist, Dr Samuel Johnson described it as, “an edifice of stupendous majesty and strength”. It is not a ruin, vast areas of it are well preserved.
Edward I wanted to demonstrate his power and conquest to the Welsh people in 1283 by building the mightiest castle in Wales. Dr Marc Morris in his book “Castle”, states that it was “a castle that was a royal palace, an impregnable fortress, an administrative centre for his new dominions and a grand statement that Wales had become part of a new British Empire”.
Caernarfon stands out with its unique red striped walls and the ten-sided Eagle Tower.
2. Beaumaris Castle
Accessibility: Very easy to get to but make sure you go past the castle to get to easy parking. Easy to walk around.
Museum / information: No museum but boards and a good guide book, if a little detailed, when walking around.
Good for kids: Plenty of castle features to see and some spiral staircases to climb. Lots of open space in the inner ward.
Facilities picnic tables and coffee shop in the park nearby. Toilets nearby but outside of the castle.
Star point. Beaumaris is a brilliant example of a concentric castle, ie, a castle with walls within walls , loads of round towers, a moat, barbicans and no keep. It is truly beautiful and is one of our favourite castles in the whole of the country.
It was built by one of the greatest castle builders, Master James of St George, at a time just before cannons put an end to the first phase of castle building. He attempted to create the ultimate castle.
Beaumaris
Master James was given a clean canvas on which to design and construct the best ever castle. There were no geographical constraints such as awkward shaped rock outcrops that needed to be built upon, unlike at Conwy for example.
This was Edward I’s last Welsh castle in his iron ring and, initially, money was no object.
There are great walks around the battlements and it is easy to see all the defensive features and how they added to the overall effectiveness of castles.
3. Conwy Castle
Accessibility: There are a couple of carparks nearby but at the weekend and holiday times, car parking can be an issue. Our advise is to arrive early.
Museum / information:Good guide book and some information boards.
Good for kids:Can walk around the battlements and climb spiral staircases. In a more ruinous state than the two above and not as big. They will love looking at the “knight shop”, nearby.
Facilities: Portable toilets outside the entrance, but they are kept clean and hygienic even if they are rather basic. The cafe near to the entrance sells coffees, lunches, ice creams and an excellent cream tea.
Star point. Conwy is simply, a stunning castle with eight massive round towers that dominate the area for miles around. If you are coming by road, your first sight will take your breath away. The Cadw guidebook states, “Conwy is exceptional not only for the grandeur of its high towers and curtain walls but also for its excellent state of preservation. It is a bit smaller than the first two castles but great for castle fans.
Visitors can ascend one of the towers and then make a complete circuit of the battlements. Added to this you can walk around the impressive and well preserved, town walls.
Right next door to the castle is the amazing “Knight Shop” where you can see and buy real swords!
4. Harlech Castle
Accessibility: The town of Harlech can be a problem to navigate due to the small streets and cars parking along them. Be prepared for traffic jams. Car parking next two the castle is limited and so a short walk is required. Better to go early and not at weekends. Whereas the other castles are fairly close together, Harlech takes longer to get to if you are based fairly centrally at Bangor, for instance.
Museum / information: Good but very detailed guide book. No museum but a visitors’ centre.
Facilities: Good toilets in the visitors’ centre. It also has a good cafe for lunches, teas etc.
Good for kids: The battlements/wall walks are great for adults but be very careful with children and hold their hands tightly up there.
Star point Harlech is a beautiful castle and very different from castles nearby and elsewhere in Britain. You can walk nearly a whole circuit around the castle walls and get spectacular views of Snowdonia, the sea and the interior of the castle. If you want to visit a castle but have limited time, Harlech is a good one to visit. It has many of the key features of a 13th century castle but is not as large as Beaumaris or Caernarfon.
Nearby is the wonderful Ffestiniog railway which is a great ride with beautiful scenery and some amazing steam engines to admire.
Standing on the battlements, you can get a great impression of what medieval castles were all about. the entrance with four majestic round towers in front of you presents an awesome medieval scene.
Harlech has an amazing twin towered gatehouse and is concentric in design.
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