Exploring Castles in Wales, Come Rain or Shine

Medieval castles always fascinated me, and one Welsh Castle in particular.  A year ago, an intriguing and scenic picture of the ruined medieval Castle of Carew captivated my imagination.  While browsing the Internet, I found pictures of several Welsh castles, each with a distinct eerie appearance.   Impressed and curious, I convinced my English friend B to organize a visit to Wales.   She is an experienced tour organizer; under her guidance I had already explored Scotland, Ireland and several regions of England. 

                                                                 Carew Castle

Friends were puzzled by this travel choice, viewing Wales as a backwater compared to England.  Did not Wales rank last in the 2025 Six Nations rugby competition?  This poor opinion overlooks that Wales has made notable contributions to UK history and entertainment, such as the Tudors, a favorite soap opera dynasty.  The first Tudor king was born Welsh; his wife was of Anglo-Norman stock.  

Wales has another claim to fame, it is the most “castellated” land on earth (BBC, September 14, 2019).  It has the highest density of castles in the world!  It is estimated that 600 castles were built, with 400 still standing.  These castles range from Stone Age burial sites to Victorian neo-gothic fantasy structures.  The main reason given for this castle galore is the 350 years of conflict with the English neighbour.  However, history buffs claim that it is not so straightforward.  Since the 11^th century, the Welsh mountains and valleys have been the settings of military tussles successively between Welsh princes, Norman lords and English Invaders.  However, more conflicts took place amongst the various belligerents, rather than between oppressed and oppressors.  The English Civil war (17^th century) marked the demise of the medieval castles.  The winning Parliamentary forces blew up the towers to render castles indefensible.   

Within a week, we strode to a Stone Age burial site, explored the remains of a bishop’s palace and ascended the spiral stairs of nine medieval castles[1] all of which took a considerable toll on my arthritic knees.   We also wondered how medieval women (chatelaines) safely managed narrow spiral staircases with their long heavy gowns.  

These castles provide an insight into the turbulent Welsh history.  Whether they are awe inspiring or romantic, they fascinate tourists of all ages and contribute to the local economy.   Preservation efforts are commendable, whether from independent owners or trusts or from CADW, the historic environment services of the Welsh government.  These battered piles of stones were built and inhabited by remarkable and sometimes extravagant individuals, whose spirit seemed to come to life during our visit.  I would like to introduce you to three persons whose actions impacted on the castles’ fate: a warrior princess, a compulsive property developer and an interior decoration addict.

                                                                Caerphilly Castle

The massive Kidwelly castle from Monty Python and the Holy Grail fame, is a typical Norman Castle dating from the 12^th century.  The castle was the setting of a battle which opposed the invading Normans to Gwenllian a Welsh Princess.  She fought bravely but was defeated and beheaded for treason.  To pay tribute to this Welsh Amazon, we decided to visit the castle under rainy conditions.  Like the doomed princess, we were vanquished; the torrential rain made our exploration perilous, and we had to skip the encounter with the headless ghost said to roam the grounds.

Sir John Perrot (1491-1528), was a cruel wheeler-dealer and plutocrat who gained the favours of Queen Elizabeth I.  There have been rumors that he was the illegitimate brother of Elizabeth, this speculation has now been rejected.   He functioned as her fixer and this proximity gave him the financial means to support his property enhancement addiction.  He was a shady character who increased his wealth by dabbing in piracy.  He purchased Carew Castle and remarkably embellished it.  The large Tudor windows which had fascinated me were made under his watch.  Perrot had so many guests to entertain that Carew was not big enough; Elizabeth gave him the Laugharne medieval castle.  He lavishly refurbished it by also sculpting huge windows.  Finally, his luck ran out and he died, possibly poisoned, in the Tower of London.  

Welsh castles were left to decay until the Victorian era when the Gothic revival became a craze, and another compulsive renovator got into action.  John Crichton Stuart, the third Marquess of Bute, a Scott and a coal tycoon embarked in the restoration of both Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch.  The ornate rooms of these castles showcase gothic revival architecture, inspired by 19^th century French restorations.   The tv miniseries Wolf Hall was partly filmed in Castell Coch.

During our week in South Wales, we could only scratch the surface of its castle potential and we noted that the northern region has even more impressive castles.

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[1] Caerphilly castle, Castle Coch, Cardiff castle, St Fagans castle, Kidwelly castle, Carew Castle, Pembroke Castle, Picton Castle, St Davids bishop’s palace, Pentre Ifan, Laugharne castle.