Harlech Castle

Welcome to the magnificent heights of Harlech Castle, an architectural masterpiece perched upon a rugged outcrop overlooking the sweeping Cambrian coastline of North Wales. I invite you to step back in time, to an era of…

As you approach the imposing eastern facade of Harlech Castle, the first thing that strikes you is the sheer, overwhelming scale of the stonework looming above. You are standing before a structure that was deliberately designed…

Step forward into the shadowed maw of the Great East Gatehouse, the most heavily fortified and terrifying aspect of the entire castle. While many continental chateaus were designed with palatial bedrooms and sweeping, decorative…

Having survived the terrifying gauntlet of the ground floor passage, we ascend the stately stone staircase to the upper levels of the gatehouse. Here, the grim, claustrophobic atmosphere of the murder holes and portcullises…

Descending from the gatehouse, we enter the Inner Ward, the central courtyard of Harlech Castle. Given the monumental, overbearing scale of the exterior walls, the inner ward is surprisingly intimate, almost startlingly small. …

Walking toward the rear, or western side of the Inner Ward, you will find the low stone foundations of what was once the Great Hall and the castle kitchens. Though only the footprints of these buildings remain, this area was the…

Moving to the northern edge of the Inner Ward, resting gently against the thick curtain wall, we find the remnants of two critical, yet vastly different, structures: the castle chapel and the bakehouse. This area represents the…

As we make our way toward the northwestern corner of the inner ward, we approach the imposing structure known as the Prison Tower. Like the other circular towers situated at the corners of the fortress, it was designed to provide…

Emerging from the corner towers, we step out onto the high battlements, the magnificent wall walks that crown the great curtain walls of Harlech. If you suffer from vertigo or a fear of heights, this section of the tour may prove…

For our final stop within the castle precincts, we must investigate the most crucial, life saving feature of Harlech's defensive design, a feature hidden from the town and facing the open ocean. Look over the western edge of the…

As we conclude our tour and exit the towering gates of Harlech Castle, stepping back into the charming, modern town of Harlech, it is difficult not to feel deeply moved by the sheer weight of the history you have just walked…