Most first-time visitors make a beeline for our big 'n' famous castles. And that’s fair enough - they’re great. But if you head off the beaten track, there are hundreds more out there, often in the prettiest places, and usually with hardly anyone else there. Here are some gems where you can be king or queen of the castle.

Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey

In a land full of castles notable for their decayed, imperfect beauty, Beaumaris Castle – Edward I’s final 13th century design – is widely considered the most technically accomplished castle in Britain. Overhead photos always make it look like a study in symmetry, so get up close and admire the king’s grandiose vision.

Aerial shot of Beaumaris Castle.

Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey, North Wales

Beaumaris Castle

Beaumaris Castle (Cadw)

Attraction
Beaumaris
Dolbadarn Castle
White Castle

White Castle (Cadw)

Attraction
Abergavenny
Landscape of the attractions at Cardiff Bay seen from the water.
Grosmont Castle

Grosmont Castle (Cadw)

Attraction
Abergavenny
Landscape of the attractions at Cardiff Bay seen from the water.
Skenfrith Castle

Skenfrith Castle (Cadw)

Attraction
Abergavenny
Landscape of the attractions at Cardiff Bay seen from the water.

White Castle, Monmouthshire

Named after its original white-rendered walls, White Castle is one of three fortresses - Grosmont and Skenfrith are the others - built by Norman lords in the Monnow Valley to guard the borderlands. Although it was already derelict by the 1600s, White Castle is easily the best preserved of the trio – with the bonus of a rural Monmouthshire setting.

aerial view of castle and surrounding countryside.
wooden bridge at entrance of castle.

White Castle, Llantilio Crosenny, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, South Wales

Skenfrith Castle, Monmouthshire

Time travel fans need to visit Skenfrith – the Norman castle once played host to an episode of Doctor Who. See why this circular keep, constructed in the Monnow Valley as one of three neighbouring castles resulting from the Norman conquest of South Wales, is a repeated favourite of television crews.

Castle ruins in the snow
Castle ruins in the snow

Skenfrith Castle in the snow, Monmouthshire, South Wales

Castell y Bere, Eryri (Snowdonia), North Wales

Built by Llywelyn the Great in the 1220s, Castell y Bere was conquered by the Normans in 1283 and swiftly abandoned: Edward I didn’t think its location was of great strategic importance. But that’s what makes it so magical today: the ruins sit in a quietly beautiful valley in southern Eryri (Snowdonia). Sometimes it’s not about the size of the towers – it’s about the majesty of the place itself.

A ruined castle on a hill looking towards the coast.

Castell y Bere, near Abergynolwyn, North Wales

Castell y Bere

Castell y Bere (Cadw)

Attraction
Tywyn
Dolbadarn Castle
Castell Coch

Castell Coch (Cadw)

Attraction
Cardiff
Landscape of the attractions at Cardiff Bay seen from the water.

Castell Coch, Cardiff

Castell Coch is a castle on top of a castle. It was originally a chieftain’s fortress in the 13th century, but was resurrected as a gothic fortress several centuries later. It is now notable for its extraordinary complex of lavish chambers, making it a repeated favourite with film and television crews.

Full view of the front of Castell Coch.
A castle courtyard with fairytale towers.

Castell Coch, Cardiff, South Wales

Nevern Castle, Pembrokeshire, West Wales

There’s hardly anything left of Nevern, one of Wales’ oldest stone-built castles: the stumps of a few towers, and defensive earthworks which blend into the wooded crags and gorges that surround the site. But the beauty of the location makes it a lovely place to visit, especially combined with a visit to the exquisite village church.

Dryslwyn Castle, Carmarthenshire, West Wales

Built in the 1220s by the princes of Deheubarth, Dryslwyn proves that native Welsh princes were just as adept at knocking up a mighty fortress as the invading Normans. The remains look a bit scant from down below, but when you climb the hill, an entire medieval town layout reveals itself, as well as panoramic views of the Tywi Valley.

Castle ruins on a hill

Dryslwyn Castle, Carmarthenshire, West Wales

Dryslwyn Castle

Dryslwyn Castle (Cadw)

Attraction
Llandeilo
Aerial view of a harbour, two beaches and pastel coloured houses.
Kidwelly Castle

Kidwelly Castle (Cadw)

Attraction
Kidwelly
Aerial view of a harbour, two beaches and pastel coloured houses.

Kidwelly Castle, Carmarthenshire

The Norman stronghold at Kidwelly changed hands several times during the battles between the Welsh and the invaders, so it’s remarkable that the castle has survived so completely. During one attack, the heroic Princess Gwenllian was caught and beheaded by Normans in 1136; her headless ghost still haunts the town. The castle also provided the opening backdrop for the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

View across the Outer Ward from the Wall Walk at Kidwelly Castle
Great Gatehouse and South West Tower from the Wall Walk at Kidwelly Castle

Kidwelly Castle, Carmarthenshire, West Wales

Dolwyddelan Castle, Conwy, North Wales

Native Welsh castles always seem to be in the prettiest places (the Normans were more boringly pragmatic). The square tower looks gorgeous on its rocky plinth, overlooking the site of an earlier castle, Tomen Castell. Edward I garrisoned troops at Dolwyddelan, issuing them with white uniforms for winter warfare.

aerial view of castle and surrounding countryside.
Dolwyddelan Castle from below.

Dolwyddelan Castle, Conwy, North Wales

Dolwyddelan Castle

Dolwyddelan Castle (Cadw)

Attraction
Dolwyddelan
Dolbadarn Castle
Rhuddlan Castle

Rhuddlan Castle (Cadw)

Attraction
Rhyl
Dolbadarn Castle

Rhuddlan Castle, Denbighshire, North Wales

Rhuddlan sat at the lowest crossing-point of the River Clwyd, which made it a natural frontier – and battleground – between the Welsh and invaders for 600 years before Edward I arrived in 1277. This is the first castle designed by James of St George, his master builder, who went on to build a string of thumping great fortresses along the North Wales coast. At Rhuddlan Castle you can see the genesis of his concentric ‘walls within walls’ design.

Aerial North view of Rhuddlan Castle, North Wales

Rhuddlan Castle, North Wales

St Quentin's Castle, Llanblethian

Before his death at the 1314 Battle of Bannockburn, Gilbert de Clare designed a castle he never got to complete. Every inch of the crumbled, jagged St Quentin's Castle grabs the imagination with its enormous twin-towered gatehouse, designed to give extra defence on the weaker side of the four surrounding slopes.

Gatehouse ruins at St Quentin's Castle
Grassy area and a bench within the castle walls

St Quentin's Castle, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales

Roch Castle

Accommodation
Haverfordwest
Aerial view of a harbour, two beaches and pastel coloured houses.
Roch Castle, Pembrokeshire

Roch Castle

Accommodation
Haverfordwest
Aerial view of a harbour, two beaches and pastel coloured houses.

Roch Castle, Pembrokeshire, West Wales

Norman and Flemish invaders built a series of fortresses along the ‘Landsker Line’, an otherwise invisible frontier between the Welsh-speaking north and Anglophone south of Pembrokeshire that still exists today. 

Roch Castle was built in the 1190s, badly damaged during the Civil War in the 1640s, and a complete ruin by the 1800s. In the early 1900s Roch was painstakingly restored by the Viscount St Davids, and now runs as a luxury hotel.

Roch Castle set in the green fields of Pembrokeshire.
Rear of castle with modern extension

Roch Castle, Pembrokeshire, West Wales

Weobley Castle, Gower, West Wales

It’s more of a fortified manor than an all-out castle, but Weobley Castle is worth visiting for a couple of reasons. For a start, the views over the northern coast of Gower are sublime, and the marshes are grazed by flocks of sheep that provide delicious salt marsh lamb – available from the adjoining farm’s shop.

Views from the castle onto the north coast of Gower

Weobley Castle, Gower, West Wales

Weobley Castle

Weobley Castle (Cadw)

Attraction
Swansea
Aerial view of a harbour, two beaches and pastel coloured houses.
Winston Castle

Wiston Castle (Cadw)

Attraction
Haverfordwest
Aerial view of a harbour, two beaches and pastel coloured houses.

Wiston Castle, Pembrokeshire, West Wales

Built by the splendidly-named 12th-century Flemish knight Wizo, Wiston Castle is one of the finest examples of a motte and bailey castle you’ll see: its motte (mound) is still capped by a hefty stone tower. The castle fell repeatedly to the Welsh, and it was put permanently out of action by Llewelyn the Great in 1220.

castle keep and stairs leading to it
crumbling castle walls

Wiston Castle, Pembrokeshire, West Wales

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