Llawhaden Castle, Llawhaden, United Kingdom

A motte-and-bailey castle is thought to have previously occupied the site of Llawhaden Castle and the present structure was built by the bishops of the Diocese of St David in the 13th century. The castle was abandoned in the 16th century and some of the stone was removed for local building projects. The site is privately owned by the Lord of the Manor of Llawhaden and managed by Cadw.

The remaining ruins date from the early 13th century. It is surrounded by a ditch, which was designed to be only crossable by a drawbridge. The castle is pentagonal in shape and while the north-western and western sides of the castle are no longer present, the other three sides remain. The gatehouse is located on the southern side, which is formed of two drum towers and a gateway. This was also where the drawbridge would have been located to allow entrance to the interior of the castle.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Laura Account (14 months ago)
Great, free to visit castle. Ideal if you have intrepid explorer children who like to clamber around! We had a family photo shoot there and it made for some amazing backdrops.

Luke Inderwick (14 months ago)
A great castle that has lots of different areas to explore. Not the most intact but also not completely ruins, just enough to be interesting. Also the village around is lovely and it's free to park (a bit up the road) and also free to go into.

david j sack (15 months ago)
Well signposted and easy to find just north of the Canaston Bridge junction on the A40. Nearby, approx 200m, parking limited to just a few cars. The castle ruins are well worth visiting, however not particularly disabled person friendly. There was no charge for entry. Views from the castle are breathtaking.

Sara Anne (16 months ago)
We stumbled upon this little hidden treasure and loved having a look around. Access to this castle is free.There's a short walk to get to the castle as its in the middle of a small village, which means there's limited parking. There's an information board explaining the history of Llawhaden which was fascinating.

Beverley Rawlings (18 months ago)
This is a little gem perched on the corner of the village with beautiful views over the surrounding countryside. Blissfully peaceful. A lovely way to spend an hour. The ruins are of the residence of Bishops of St David's, they always picked prime locations. Not suitable for young children due to steep drops, keep your dogs on the lead.

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