Castles along the Wales Coast Path
When you visit Wales there are 3 things you should look out for: sheep, dragons and castles! These seem to symbolise Wales and most of the castles in Wales are very old and very important. Castle building began when the Norman kings decided that they wanted to conquer the Welsh in the Twelfth Century. The Welsh were not happy with the idea of being invaded and resisted valiantly. The Normans built castles to show their strength but also to sleep safe at nights.
4 of the Welsh castles are World Heritage sites – Beaumaris Castle, Caernarfon castle Cardiff Castle, and Conwy Castle – and these are all seen along the Wales Coast Path.
We will be adding the castles as we come across them.
Flint castle
Flint Castle sits just inside the Welsh border. It was the starting point of our interest in walking the Wales Coast Path.
Gwrych Castle
This is a 19th century castle so “a fake”. Even so it is a Grade 1 listed building.
Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle is possibly one of the most beautiful castles in the world – not only for the building but also for the location. Conwy sits on the estuary of the River Conwy. It has the sea to the front and the mountains to the rear. The castle is the strong point of a medieval walled town.
The castle was built by Edward I between 1283 and 1289. It was involved in several wars, the latest being the Civil War when Conwy was held by forces loyal to Charles I between 1642 and 1642. When the War was over the Parliament slighted the castle so it could not be used against them in the future. It was ruined in 1665. UNESCO considers Conwy to be one of “the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe”, and it is classed as a World Heritage site.
Beaumaris Castle
Beaumaris Castle cost a lot of one yet was never finished. It sits close to the sea at Beaumaris in Anglesey.
