Dinefwr Castle

The castle at Dinefwr is unusual in that it is a proper Welsh castle in Wales, rather than an English one. The castle is still an impressive structure and has extensive views, although woodland now covers part of the site. Dinefwr Castle is on a National Trust estate (which is worth a visit in its own right and has a cafe!) and is administered by CADW. This organisation is well worth joining if you’re not a member of English Heritage and plan to visit a lot of historic attractions in Wales.

The castle has been extensively modified through its lifetime. Those big windows on the round tower are a nineteenth century feature when it was used as a summer house. No planning or heritage listings then! The basis of the castle dates from the twelfth century and it was then updated in the fifteenth century.

Visiting

Parking is in the National Trust car park and then there is quite a walk (maybe a mile) to the castle. There are a limited number of disabled bays about half way along the path but there is, obviously, a decent climb to the castle itself. There are no facilities in the castle.

When we visited we stayed at Ty Mawr, a nearby Welsh country hotel which I can heartily recommend, especially if you like your food! We visited in January 2020 in a delightful combination of flooding and blue skies!