During our trip in north Wales, it’s hard not to see castles. They are everywhere and it was the main reason we were in Wales! In the 13th century, King Edward I built castles in Wales as he conquered different towns and regions. That means there are plenty to see!

Caernarfon Castle was our first port of call. Built in 1283 by King Edward I, it is surrounded by water on three sides. It is famous for withstanding a 1404 siege from an army with only 28 men. Impressive.

The polygonal towers and colour banded masonry were based on Constantinople’s 5th century walls, making it quite unique from the other castles in North Wales.

Even though Caernarfon Castle looks mostly complete from the outside, the inside is mostly derelict as it was unused since the 1600s.

Anything that was wooden, like the floors of the tower levels, would have rotted away. You can see a fireplace on the opposite wall here.

It is still an amazing castle to go see and would highly recommend it.

The second castle we saw was Beaumaris Castle on the Isle of Anglesey. The castle was started in 1295 and was built over a period of 35 years. It is a perfect example of a concentrically planned castle and even comes with a moat! Definitely reason for it to be a World Heritage Site.

It had both outer and inner fortifications, both of which you could climb and walk around.

Beaumaris Castle was the last castle to be build by King Edward I and was never completed as Edward’s campaign in Wales was finished. It’s pretty stunning regardless.

Even if it was unfinished, I think Beaumaris was my favourite castle that we saw in this trip.

There’s one more castle for us to see on this long weekend trip. It’s pretty amazing as well.

Until then…