Gwynedd Castles

I'm probably biased, being born and bred in Wales and in particular North Wales so I should really rate these castles as 5 star, especially Harlech (picture) and Conwy, both for their aesthetics and location but all 4 (Caernarvon and Beaumaris the others) are worth visiting.
It's ironic that these castles (so expensive to build at the time they bankrupted the king of England) that were built to suppress the Welsh, are now one of the major tourist attractions in North Wales.
I have never understood fully why these 4 castles alone were given UNESCO WHS listings when there are plenty of equally impressive castles all over Wales, especially West Wales but I'm probably splitting hairs.
Harlech castle is spectacular being high above the coast on a rocky promontory. It's also fairly compact and a classic castle shape, towers linked by curtain walls within a moated area.
Similarly, Conwy sits at a vantage point on the estuary of the river Conwy and dominates the landscape for miles. 
There's not much else to see in Harlech but there are plenty of nice places nearby whereas Conwy is a delightful historic town with some of the oldest houses in Wales still standing.
I would definitely recommend a trip to visit all four castles and experience some of the beautiful landscape that Gwynnedd has to offer at the same time.

We picked our way through the low dunes to a suitable spot on the sand where we could spread out our picnic blanket. Keeping a wary eye on the ever-circling gulls we unwrapped our fish and chips, an impulse purchase after a long sunny day. The heat had died down slightly and the Conwy river flowed swiftly out through its wide estuary before us, sailboats straining at their anchor ropes. Thickly wooded hills rose beyond the estuary and the sun danced off water, mast and tower. For the walls and towers of Conwy stood opposite, the very picture of a classic movie castle. The view before me was deeply romantic – and yet also a symbol of oppression.

When imagining the high middle ages I find it helps to view the period through the lens of gangster movies. There is inevitably a complex web of family alliances and feuds, sealed by marriage or just temporary expediency, punctuated by sudden outbursts of bloody conflict, with just a handful of literal kingpins at the top striving for supremacy. For the purposes of this metaphor King Edward I of England is the Don. He came to the throne in 1272 aged 33 having lived through the chaos of a major baronial uprising against his father’s rule. His first acts as king were devoted to reforming the administration of his kingdom. Wales was not a priority for him. Much of the south and east of what is now Wales was ruled by …

It seems kind of strange that the first World Heritage Site in Wales should be a symbol of subjugation by the English, but that's what the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward I in Gwynedd, a former principality in northwest Wales, represent. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to three of the four inscribed castles over two days in the spring of 2005, so I suppose I should thank the Welsh for their independent nature which led King Edward I to construct these fortresses. From my base in Betws-y-Coed, I first made my way to Conwy, where a 13th century castle sits above the wall-enclosed town. The views of the countryside and town from the walls were spectacular, and I enjoyed exploring the castle. Beaumaris, on the nearby island of Anglesey, was slightly less impressive, though I did appreciate its symmetry. My last stop was to Caernarfon, where the outgoing tide left a row of boats stranded in the harbor below the town's imposing fortress. This castle is perhaps best known for serving as the site for the investiture of the Prince of Wales, and it may once again receive the spotlight when the ceremony is next held. I've seen many European castles since this trip, which has perhaps influenced my recollections, but even if these aren't the most spectacular castles I have ever seen, I found these to be well worth a visit.

Logistics: Some of the castles of northwest Wales are accessible by various means of public …

March 2018 - We visited just two of the 4 castles. We spent the night in Caernarfon,

A bulwark of a city and the castle could be from a fairy tale, home of a brave knight. The next morning we could see the whole beauty of this town with snow covered hill in the back. We had breakfast in Bangor which I do not recommend visiting, the close by Penrhyn castle however is amazing and definitely worth a visit. We were hoping to see Beaumarais from there, but except the outlines there was nothing to see. After that, we still visited Conwy Castles. Way more tourists here, but we bought a nice wool blanket here, made a few miles south in Tweedmill.

After a series of two industrial WHS, it was nice to see a more traditional WHS in the form of the Gwynedd Castles. These are 13th century castles built over a relatively short time period. Their purpose was to pacify the area after the recent English conquest by King Edward I.

Of the castles I managed to see two: Beaumaris and Conwy. Conwy as pointed out by previous reviewers is a walled city with a castle towering the town. Beaumaris meanwhile is the last one in the series of castles. It was never finished. Personally, I preferred the seaside charm and the larger scale of Beaumaris castle over Conwy town and castle. The tourist masses tended to go the other way. To me this was another advantage of Beaumaris.

On a more general note, I find it interesting, that WHS sites often tend to be sites on the periphery that fell out of fashion and were stuck in one time period. In the case of the Gwynedd castles Edward I attention wandered North as he had to deal with the Scots. He also ran out of money. While there were rebellions for the next centuries Wales has been British ever since.

Getting There and Around

I found the information on google maps for the area correct and very helpful. Please cross check before you go.

There is a direct train line from Birmingham to Holyhead with stops in Conwy and Bangor. You …

I visited this WHS in June 2016. I drove to this beautiful part of North Wales and I visited all four sites. I stayed for one night in Harlech and shared the moments of joy with Welsh fans as Wales advanced to the quarter final of Euro 2016. The scenic countryside alone (arriving from Pontcysyllte) was worth the visit. After a very wet day, the dark black sky opened up just a bit to let the reddish sunset rays on Harlech castle (picture). Harlech castle was my favourite from the series as it had less visitors, felt more authentic, and the Morfa Harlech National Nature Reserve (and golf course) just opposite was worth visiting. I'm no golf fan but I would have loved to play in such a serene environment. Thanks to Wales' historic performance at the Euro 2016, free entrance was granted to everyone visiting the Gwynedd castles so I was extremely lucky not to pay for any entrance ticket. Next, I visited Caernarfon which is set very close to the sea and has city wall remains which are worth visiting (you cannot walk on the walls here like in Conwy). The personnel employed in the Caernarfon castle were overjoyed to welcome a WH traveller from Malta and the 'manager' was very attentive to anything related to the UNESCO WH list. We had a lovely chat and he pointed out that he had personally asked for the UNESCO plaques to be removed as the Gwynedd castles inscription took place …

I visited Conwy & Caenarfon in March 2015 and Harlech & Beaumaris in May 2016. Entry to the castles is now £6 each.

In Conwy and Caenarfon only English people lived within the walls of the town, which acted as a centre for the administration of the local area. Of the four, I think Conwy has been most spoilt by modernity due to the ugly road and rail bridges that jut out across the river right next to the castle

Caernarfon felt less spoilt. We drank at a historic pub, the Black Boy Inn, which, being within the city walls of a World Heritage Site, was just my cup of tea. The following morning my brother and I toured the castle in the rain.

Harlech was probably my favourite of the four, and has a newly refurbished café and visitor centre to boot. From the turrets you get a great view of the sea and coastline – the latter of which is now significantly further from the castle’s walls than it was in Edward’s time.

Beaumaris castle is located at the other end of the Menai Strait to Harlech, sitting at its northern mouth. Beaumaris is a schoolboy’s idea of what a castle should look like. Surrounded by a moat, it follows a classic concentric design – consisting of an outer wall and an inner wall. UNESCO calls it one of “the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe”. These days it seems …

Probably the most exciting thing is getting there, especially to Beaumaris Castle which is located on the island of Anglesey at the northwestern tip of Wales. The motorway follows the coast and takes you through a series of tunnels. After each tunnel the clouds became darker, the wind stronger and the rain more persistent. It feels as if you're approaching the end of the world.

I finally arrived at Beaumaris via the modern bridge and some narrow, winding roads. It is a small town, with the castle prominently located in the center. My visit was a bit hurried because of the rain pouring down, and because I had not paid for the parking as I had no coins left. Actually, all parking spots I have had over this weekend had to be paid in small change, strangely there was no other way to pay.

Beaumaris Castle has all the usual features of a medieval castle. What is left is the complete outer ring, surrounded by water. Inside there's not a lot to see - about as much as you can expect during a half an hour visit and for a 3.80-pound entry fee.

I then drove on eastwards again, to Conwy, via the Menai-bridge (another Industrial Revolution design by Thomas Telford). Conwy has a very different set of fortifications from Beaumaris. They are located higher up on a rock, and the castle is adorned with lean turrets. It's an impressive piece of work from a distance, more …

These have to rank as some of the best places I have visited in Britain. At the start of November 2006 we visited the Castle at Beaumaris and spent a night in Conwy, and it was fantastic.

The castle at Beaumaris is situated on the Island of Anglesey at the end of this quaint town that overlooks the treacherous Menai Straits. This castle was the most technically progressive of King Edward's 'Ring of Iron'. It is quite easy to see how the main defences work; they provide a barrier to invaders, if that is breached you are then in a kind of void where it would be easy for the defenders to pick you off. All in all there are about four separate lines of defence, with masses of other small details that would help to protect the castle from invasion. There is plenty for you to explore inside the castle, and the view from the wall walk is great as you look out across the Straits to the Snowdonia Mountains. If you have an interest in Bridges this is also a great place to visit, the two Bridges across the Menai are some of the finest pieces of engineering from the Industrial Revolution.

We then carried on to Conwy, which is completely surrounded by impressive Town Walls, and the walk along the top of them was perhaps the highlight of the trip for me (picture). The town itself is lovely, and the castle in the corner of the walls …

Basing myself in Bangor, itself a pleasant enough town, I was able to visit each of the royal castles:

Conwy - by train or bus from Bangor

Harlech - by bus from Bangor or train from Shrewsbury,then a steep climb up to the castle

Caernarfon - by bus or train from Harlech to Porthmadog then by bus to Caernarfon

Beaumaris - by bus from Bangor

Harlech castle was spectacular for its location and great views.