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Travel in comfort > England - Wales - Scotland
The Castles of Wales Tour
Better Travel is pleased to offer you, the discerning traveller, the opportunity to visit in four days a few of the classical Castles of South, Mid, West and North North Wales..There are of course many other visits ( cities, towns, stately homes, farm land etc. ) which can be seen if booking a longer stay in the uk. We can meet you at your place of arrival ( airport or seaport ) if you so wish. Better Travel is able to arrange accommodation at the start or end of your tour should you wish and a tour can be of longer duration. One week, two weeks, one month or longer > THERE ARE NO TIME LIMITS. Simply tell us your requests – we aim to make your break as enjoyable as possible
This tour is primarily for visitors who have already planned a visit to the UK and would like a short sight seeing tour of Wales. Should you really be into Castles then why not take advantage of the castles that offer accommodation and experience living like Royalty. The cost of this tour as described here is from £1220.00 for a party of FOUR ( i.e. £305.00 per person ) for the transportation.
With names as famous as Carreg Cennen and Caerphilly, Chepstow, Caernafon, Beaumaris, Conwy or Lamphey Bishops Palace and Carew, these treasured ruins of the dark and middle ages are familiar to both residents and visitors alike.Day 1
Today will see us start our tour, meeting at our mutually agreed point in South Wales. ( or elsewhere if required and the route amended accordingly). Our first venue will be a visit to the fine castle of Caerphilly with the leaning tower, they still have jousting and other ancient art forms here - maybe on the day of your visit? Lunch could be taken at Caerphilly town near to the castle if required and then continue our trip to see the Chepstow castle.
Day 2
Today we visit Carew, claimed to be the most attractive castle in South West Wales, and then we take a short drive to the famous walled Town of Tenby where lunch can be taken. After lunch we then head north to see the fabulous Powys Castle in mid-wales near to Welshpool.
Day 3
This day sees us travelling through some of the best sight seeing country side in Wales as we head north via the Snowdon maintain range country park area to visit Caernafon Castle which is in a well preserved state with powerful defences going back to the 12th century. Caernarfon Castle protects the town and was the site of the Prince of Wales's Investiture by the Queen in 1969, it was also revisited by the then Royal couple Charles and Diana in 1981.The Castle also houses the Regimental Museum of the Royal Welch Fusiliers – a sightseeing must do.
Day 4
No visit to Wales would be complete without a culminating visit to Edward 1st most dramatic and grand Castles of North Wales; both echo strength and power. You reallydo feel a sense of irrelevance when you walk into these giants. Beaumaris Castle with its moat and foreboding presence overlooking the entrance to the Menai Straits was the last and largest castle to be built by King Edward 1st in Wales. No visit to Wales is complete unless one travels further north to see the much admired Conwy Castle.
CARDIFF castle > 21 miles South-East of Merthyr Tydfil, off M4 A Norman castle was built in 1093 on the ruins of a Roman fortification.By the 12th century a stone keep was built and in the 15th a gateway and stairs were added. It passed through powerful families to John Stuart, Earl of Butte, his grandson, the 3rd Marquess of Bute, created a great palace in the style of a medieval castle. In 1948 the castle was presented to the city of Cardiff
CAERPHILLY castle > 8 miles North of Cardiff, off A469
Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford started building the castle at Caerphilly in 1268. Covering 30 acres is the largest in Wales and is only exceeded in Britain by Windsor. It repelled attacks 1270 & 1271. It remained a useful subduing presence and a base for collecting taxes. After the Civil War it was ruined, the stones taken for local building
CHEPSTOW castle is set high upon cliffs above the River Wye, where it guarded the main river crossing from Southern England into Wales. It was one of the first stone castles in the country, built within a few years of the Battle of Hastings (1066), for William fitz Osbern, who had been made Earl of Hereford by William the Conqueror.The castle was further developed during the first half of the 13th century by the Marshall family, and then later that century by Roger Bigod III, with more modifications made during the Tudor period. During the Civil War (1642-48) it was twice besieged and fell to Parliamentary cannon. After the war, the defences of the castle were reinforced and remodelled for the use of cannon and muskets. The castle was used as military barracks and as a detention centre for political prisoners, most notably housing Henry Marten who spent 20 years in captivity in the tower that now bears his name. The castle finally fell into disuse after 1690 when the remaining troops from the garrison were withdrawn
The magnificent Carew Castle has a history spanning 2000 years. Set in a stunning location, overlooking a 23 acre millpond, the castle displays thedevelopment from a Norman fortification to an Elizabethan country house. The site incorporates an impressive 11th century Celtic Cross, the only restored Tidal Mill in Wales, a medieval bridge and a picnic area all linked by a delightful mile roundwalk.
POWIS castle is built on a high rock overlooking the garden terraces and has been the home of the Earls of Powis for many generations. There is a wealth of fine paintings and furniture, one of the finest collections in Wales. The sister of the 2nd Earl of Powis married the son of Lord Clive in 1784, and the collection of treasures from India, including jade, bronzes and ivory, are displayed in the Clive Museum. Laid out under the influence of Italian and French styles, the garden still has its original lead statues, an orangery and an aviary on the terraces.
HARLECH castle > Spectacularly sited Harlech Castle seems to grow naturally from the rock on which it is perched. Like an all seeing sentinel, it gazes out across land and sea, keeping a watchful eye over Snowdonia.
The English monarch Edward I built Harlech in the late 13th century to fulfil this very role. It was one of the most formidable of his 'iron ring' of fortresses designed to contain the Welsh in their mountain fastness.Ironically, in 1404 it was taken by Welsh leader Owain Glyn Dwr who proceeded to hold a parliament here. A long siege here during the Wars of the Roses inspired the stirring song 'Men of Harlech'.
CEARNAFON castle > 7 miles south-west of Bangor, off A487
Built by EdwardI between 1283 and 1327, the most ambitious of Edward's castles, his administrative centre. Designed by Master James of St George as a royal residence, at the water's edge, its Eagle Tower at 124 feet was one of the largest single towers built the Middle Ages. In 1301 the young Prince Edward was invested at the castle as Prince of Wales. Towards the end of his life Edward faced financial difficulties and as a result the interior was never completed. In 1969 Prince Charles was invested as the present Prince of Wales at Caernafon Castle.
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Beaumaris Castle was the last stone fortress to be founded in Wales, by King Edward I. Designed by the king's mason-architect, Master James of St George, it is a perfect example of a concentrically planned castle, which was sadly never completed. The curtain wall of the narrow octagonal outer ward, is flanked by twelve cylindrical turrets and two small gates and is partly encased by the restored moat. In the centre is a large square inner ward, which is flanked by cylindrical angle towers, two mid-wall towers and two opposing great keep-gatehouses, one with a small square barbican. Begun in 1295, the impressive symmetry of 'the castle on the fair marsh' was not attained, at any other great Edwardian royal castle.
CONWY castle > 4 miles South of Llandudno, on A55 Conwy Castle was part of network of castles built by Edward I and was started in 1283, completed in 1287. From the 14th century the castle slowly deteriorated. During the Civil War, John Williams, Archbishop of York, repaired the castle but in 1646 it was taken by the Parliamentarians under Major-General Mytton. After the Restoration a demolition contractor shipped all moveables to Ireland. Today the castle is a style castle, built on a rocky site. Llywelyn the Great gained recognition for Welsh rights in the Magna Carta in the revolt by the barons against King John in 1215 and established his supremacy over the other Welsh princes. It was often used by his grandson Llywelyn, Prince of Wales. In 1283 the Prince was killed and the castle fell to Edward I's forces. Edward had it refortified so the Welsh-built
