Visited May 2012

Location	Crickhowell, Powys
Entrance Fee	No
Railway Station Nearby	No
Parking	Yes- in town
Facilities	Children's play area
Map

Crickhowell is a small Welsh town set in the Brecon Beacons National Park. The castle here was once an important stronghold, but today there is very little left to see. However, it makes a pleasant journey break if you are in the area, and can easily be combined with a trip to Tretower Castle & Court,  just a ten minute drive away.

Review

The castle is Norman in origin,  having been built in wood in the first instance. It was rebuilt in stone by the wonderfully named Sir Grimbald Pauncefoote in the 13th century. It succumbed to the forces of Owain Glyndwr during his campaigns and was probably not repaired after that and fell into almost complete ruin.

What is left today is in a public park, which has some reasonably good play equipment for children . The motte is still there and easy to climb, we scrambled up the grassy bank, only to find there was a perfectly good path leading up to the top. There are a few benches and an impressive view at the top, but not much in the way of masonry remains.

Back down at park level there is the remains of a double tower, which was at the eastern side of the bailey. On one side it looks to be in quite good condition, but the other side is considerably ruined. There is one other piece of masonry at the bottom of the motte, this was once the gatehouse, but there is precious little of it left.

The ruins interesting if you are in the area but there are not really enough of them to warrant a special trip, especially if you have to  travel any distance to see them.  Crickhowell does have many other activities, mainly of the outdoor sports variety, if you wanted to combine a visit to the castle with something else. There are lots of restaurants and pubs to choose from once you are there.

There is a car park nearby with toilet facilities, but it is pay-and-display, even on Sundays.

More info:  Crickhowell Castle