| Holiday Ratings | |
| Recommended days | 3 |
| Budget | £ |
| Difficulty | Easy |
This North Wales weekend break was to celebrate the anniversary of our engagement and we stayed in the gorgeous Gwydir Castle. I had read the book about the restoration of the castle and it was wonderful to be able to stay there. The weather was excellent so we visited lots of gardens and had a very peaceful break.
Gwydir Castle
Gwydir castle is more of a fortified house than military building and has some gorgeous gardens in a lovely setting near Snowdon. The room was lovely (they only have 2 available for B&B) and it was quite eerie sleeping with no artificial light in sight! Breakfast in the morning was spectacular, lovely food and another period room and we then did a tour of the castle. This has been restored but as much as feasible, to it’s Tudor roots, rather than being modernised for 21st century living.
Bodnant Gardens
As the weather was so nice we visited Bodnant gardens, a nearby National Trust property. These gardens were really spectacular with plenty of spring blooms and another glorious setting. We didn’t visit the Victorian house (I’m not sure if it’s even open for visitors) but we spent most of the day in the gardens and the obligatory cafe.
Beaumaris Castle
After Bodnant we made the time for a late afternoon visit to Beaumaris castle, one of Edward I’s famous Welsh castles and perhaps the best example of concentric military architecture in the UK. It was never finished but it is still a very impressive site to visit. It’s another CADW site so the membership is shared with English Heritage.
Chirk Castle
The next morning was another lovely day so after breakfast and packing we headed for Chirk Castle on the way home. This is another National Trust property and was built as another of Edward I’s fortifications to subdue Wales. We didn’t go inside as it has been gentrified rather than being a proper medieval residence like Gwydir. The gardens were again spectacular though and a very pleasant amble.
Powis Castle
Our final stop on the way home was Powis castle. Another NT property (I think we covered our annual membership in this one weekend!) the gardens here are the main attraction. Originally a Welsh castle it has slowly been expanded into the magnificent country home that it is today. The gardens have gone through various stages of evolution and have now been fully restored.
We did actually visit the interior of the castle as it houses the loot that Robert Clive bought back after the battle of Plassey in India. There are some incredible treasures here and well worth seeing, especially when you realise the riches he plundered made he the most wealthy self made man in Europe at the time!
So, another lovely North Wales weekend and quite amazing what you can fit in those 3 days. We were helped by the weather being superb and it really showed the gardens to their full effect. We were also pleased to be able to get such good use out of our NT membership!
2010