I have a list of the Castles around Wales that I want to visit and Rhuddlan Castle is on and now I can tick it off.
Only a half hour drive from Chester, it is a quaint little castle with a rich history and a lovely view over the river Clywd.
As we are not members it cost us £4.20 per adult but it is worth it if you are interested in North Wales history and the scale of these magnificent castles.
The Castle was completed in 1282 and it cost £9,613.
It created the shires of Flint, Caernarfon, Anglesey, Merioneth, Cardigan and Carmarthen – and established a system of government that lasted until Henry VIII’s Act of Union in 1536.
Everywhere you walk around the castle there are information boards that tell you about the castle.
There are many towers that you can walk up and breathe in the fresh Welsh air and take in the view.
I have noticed that a lot of these castles are located near the river and there is a method to the madness.
It was designed by the architect James of St George and it was first of the revolutionary concentric, or ‘walls within walls’. King Edward I liked his castles to be on the coast. It was safer that way. If his ruthless campaign to subdue the Welsh ran into trouble, supplies could still get through by sea.
Rhuddlan Castle is a well-designed structure with its inner diamond-shaped stronghold with its twin-towered gatehouses. It is set inside a ring of lower turreted walls. Further beyond is a deep dry moat linked to the River Clwyd.
And as we walked around the town, you could see how the defences and walls and the medieval layout followed out into the streets.
For more information about Rhuddlan Castle click here
Gemma's Journey 