There’s so much to explore at this castle, but you’ll need a head for heights to experience the best bit
Liv is the Tourism Writer for the Manchester Evening News. She is an NCTJ-trained senior reporter who joined the team in 2021. She previously worked as a reporter for The Bolton News.
Conwy Castle, North Wales(Image: MEN Staff)
“Did people have smaller feet back then? Were they shorter? Did they even see daylight through these small windows?” These are the questions that ran through my mind while climbing the spiral staircases of Conwy Castle in North Wales on a hot summer’s day.
Perched beside the river against the stunning backdrop of the mountains of Snowdonia (Eryi), the castle is an imposing sight.
It’s one of the best preserved medieval fortresses in all of Wales and is instantly recognisable thanks to its huge towers which still stand proud after 700 years.
Commissioned by King Edward I, it was built by his architect Master James of St George in a very speedy timeframe of four years, between 1283 and 1287.
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The castle may have been constructed rapidly, yet Conwy has stood the test of time and today visitors can explore its magnificent towers, walk a complete circuit around the battlements and – if brave enough – climb to the top of the turrets.
Exploring the undercroft of the Great Hall(Image: MEN Staff)
We’ve got lots of castles in the UK and more often than not they can be rather disappointing; you pay the entrance fee to end up looking at a half-tumbled down wall, stone steps you can’t climb up and are forced to use your imagination. A lot.
During a recent trip to Conwy Castle, my experience couldn’t have been more different. Thanks to the fact it’s so well preserved this is a castle you can really have fun exploring, no matter what age you are.
Guide in hand with the August sun beating down, we followed the sloping path to the castle entrance, taking in the views of the River Conwy and the town along the way. One thing that you’ll notice when visiting the castle is that the views keep getting better as you get higher – more on that later.
Entering the Outer Ward, there were numerous options to take which made the visit all the more exciting. What’s nice about Conwy is you’re left to explore at your own pace; there’s no right or wrong way to experience it.
Seeking some shade, we descended down into the undercroft of the Great Hall and peered into the bottom of the Prison Tower.
The view from one of the turrets (Image: MEN Staff)
Then we decided to climb up, spiralling round and round until we reached the battlements. Emerging into the sun, the views were even better up here and we could even peer out onto the train track which runs beside the castle.
In some areas the low castle walls had us wincing a little – but it was nothing compared to what was to come.
Negotiating a tight spiral staircase once more, and pondering how small people’s feet were in medieval times, we climbed up one of the towers and arrived at the first level. Here a railing separates you from the seemingly bottomless pit below, while on the other side you’ve got breathtaking views of the town below and the river beside it.
Now I’m not scared of heights but even my legs felt a bit wobbly at this stage. We didn’t want to give up though and went one step further, climbing up to the top of the turret.
Much narrower and once again with walls that were not particularly high, this was rather scary. Once or twice someone would emerge from the top of the spiral staircase, nervously clinging to the bannister as they realised how high up they were.
Looking down onto the castle (Image: MEN Staff)
Yet the views were absolutely worth it and you could see for miles. Although once I snapped some photos I made sure my phone was safely stowed away until I was back on more solid ground.
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We still had a lot more of the castle to explore when we returned back down to ground level, including the Inner Ward, known as the ‘castle within a castle’ where the apartments of the king and queen were.
What’s so magical about Conwy Castle is it makes you feel like a kid again. You can’t help but wonder at the size of everything and think about what life was like all those centuries ago.
Until August 31 Adult tickets cost £13.10 which felt like excellent value for money given how much there is to see.
Kids aged five to 17, and students cost £9.10, while seniors aged 65 and over cost £11.70. Children under five, and disabled people and their companions go free. A family ticket costs £42 ( for three adults and up to three children). Prices drop slightly from September 1 until March 31.
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