Visited May 2010

Location	Caerphilly, Glamorgan
Entrance Fee	Yes
Railway Station	Caerphilly Station , approx 1/4 mile
Parking	Yes
Facilities	Toilets, Shop
Map

Review

This is one of the best castles in the south of Wales, it is a massive castle, very well preserved (apart from one leaning tower that would put Pisa to shame) very reasonable admission costs and easy to reach by public transport if you so desire as there are frequent bus services form Cardiff to Caerphilly, and the Castle is an easy 10 minute walk from the Railway station which has good links to and from Cardiff. There are also several car parks very close by if you want to drive there.

From a military point of view Caerphilly Castle is a masterpiece, its defences are a combination of massive moats and great , thick stone walls. There are many walkways which link the castle so that areas could be held independently in times of attack if necessary. It also meant that any attackers breaching the outer walls could be then surrounded with very little chance of getting beyond the inner walls. The castle’s defences were never really tested in any great way as the need for a stronghold in the area had diminished once Edward I had crushed the main thrust of the Welsh opposition. The castle soon fell into ruin and the some of the stonework was used to build nearby properties.  The Earl of Bute restored it in the 19th century along with Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch. Thankfully this has meant that there is a lot still remaining of this great fortification, and it is said to be one of the largest and best preserved medieval castles in Europe.

Taking children here is relatively easy as there is so much to see and they  loved to explore the many walkways linking the main parts of the castle together. They were fascinated by the pigeons living in the towers and enjoyed strolling around the banks of the moats. There is also a display of siege machinery on the site, I was slightly worried at how keen my 4 –year was to get the catapult working! The great hall is still used for events and makes a good place to retreat to if the weather turns wet. There are toilets and a gift shop on site, but no food available so make other arrangements for lunch.

More info:  CADW Caerphilly Castle