North Wales Castles

A World Heritage Site, Beaumaris Castle is regarded by UNESCO as one of the finest examples of late 13th century military architecture in all of Europe. It is also known as the most “technically perfect” castle in Great Britain, with almost perfect symmetry in its architecture.

Probably the most famous of all the many castles in Wales, and for good reason – its sheer scale dwarfs the others, and the town walls are still remarkably intact. Tourists can walk along a small part of the walls, which offers some fantastic views over the town. Also houses the museum of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

Conwy Castle is easily the most spectacular of all the castles in North Wales (and cost the most to build, too!). The castle was built for Edward I by Master James of St George, and is one of the most impressive surviving medieval fortifications in Britain.

Criccieth Castle was constructed on the headland between two beaches, meaning it watches over the town from above like a sentinel. Rather a lot of the original structure is still intact, allowing visitors to see an almost complete picture of what the castle would have looked like all those centuries ago, with their imaginations filling in the gaps.

Found right at the base of the Llanberis Pass – the route that takes hikers from the town of Llanberis all the way to the top of Mount Snowdon – this Grade I listed building was built towards the beginning of the 13th century and still commands an imposing presence to this day.

A roughly hewn edifice of stone, standing alone on a mound overlooking the surrounding countryside and mountains – this is Dolwyddelan Castle. It offers up the best of both worlds: the man-made impressiveness of this defensive installation, as well as the natural beauty of the Snowdonian peaks.

Gwrych Castle was built in the early 1800s and belonged to the Bamford Hesketh family until the mid 1900s. After the family left, the castle was used for a number of different purposes until it was closed down in the 1980s. After several attempts to resurrect the castle it was purchased in 2018 by the Gwyrch Castle Preservation Trust who hope to build a sustainable future for the castle.

Owned and run by the National Trust, Penrhyn Castle is an 18th Century manor house located on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park. Built with money from the local slate quarries the house is beautifully furnished in keeping with the design of the building and set in a large garden. This is a great place to visit with a tea shop selling a range of fresh cakes and sandwiches,