Rhuddlan Castle – Family Travel Guide
Site: Rhuddlan Castle
Location: Castle St, Rhuddlan, Denbighshire LL18 5AD, United Kingdom
Website: Cadw
The once mighty Rhuddlan Castle is one of the chain of North Wales Castles.
Arial View of Rhuddlan castle
Intellectual Property Office © Crown copyright 2015
History: Edward the 1st went on what could only be described as a castle crusade in North Wales. Rhuddlan along with Conwy, Caernarfon, Harlech, Beaumaris, and others castle’s assisted Edwards the 1st in keeping control of the Welsh. The building of these fortifications occurred in the late in the 12th century following the first Welsh War. Some sort of castle was first mentioned in this spot in 1086 during the Norman reign of Britain.
General view of the castle from the north-west
Intellectual Property Office © Crown copyright 2015
The Rhuddlan Castle I am talking about was constructed fully in 1277. Rhuddlan, unlike Edward’s other Castles of Wales, is situated inland from the coast. Edward thought it prudent to have representation inland as well as coastal to show the might and power of the English. The King’s 8th daughter Elizabeth was born in the castle and aptly known as Elizabeth of Rhuddlan. This posed a problem with supplying the castle. Edward, as kings ordered the river Clyde, diverted 3.5km so the castle could be served by ships entering from the ocean. Ruins of the old dock area and gate still remain outside the castle walls near the river bank. The outer walls of Rhuddlan were surrounded by a dry moat to help prevent land attacks. This moat is still present today.
Rhuddlan played an important part in Welsh history. It was at Rhuddlan in 1284 that a new system of English government was established over much of Wales by the Statute of Rhuddlan. This English act of government lasted 250 until the mid 15th Century. After this time, Rhuddlan Castle slipped into disuse and ill repair as it strategic and administrative importance dwindled.
Features: We travelled to Rhuddlan on a cold and cloudy day in June of 2015. Days like this are very Welsh and help to give you an idea of what the people who lived here faced. The view in the heydey of the castle would have been to the ocean in one direction and the mountains in the other. These days Rhuddlan is surrounded by a town. Rhuddlan Castle unlike some of Edward the 1st medieval castles is really just a basic shell.
The castle is in bad condition in parts. There is certainly enough of the castle left for your imagination to see that during its time it would have been very impressive and intimidating to anyone game enough to attack. Its high walls and towers are still a standout for castle lovers. Metal steps and safety rails have been installed to allow you to get the magnificent view from the top of the walls. Edward must have stood here in his time surveying his lands and people of North Wales. Watching supply ships sailing under his flag slowly sail towards the castle up the river.
What is left of the gate on the river bank
I took my time to stand in the middle of the castle and close my eyes. Trying to imagine the blacksmith shoeing the horses, Trying to smell the royal meals cooking trying to see The Queen in her Royal gown walking the grounds carrying baby Elizabeth, The Royal guards in the uniform manning the gates. I really enjoyed our short time at Rhuddlan we were the sole visitors there for 90% of our stay. Rhuddlan will only take you 30 minutes to explore, I could have stayed for hours playing out Rhuddlan in my mind. What a sight it would have been.
The Ruins of Rhuddlan Castle
Rhuddlan castle defender of the North and the English crown today lies broken and weary. Beaten by time and battle from another world another piece of history. Rhuddlan stands still looking over its lands and silently waiting for its Kings, Queens and Princesses to return home. Rhuddlan is still a must for castle lovers. The Castles of North Wales are one of our 5 things not to miss in North Wales
How to get to Rhuddlan: Public transport to the castle is not available. Buses run to Rhuddlan via Towyn and Rhyl. Access by car is via A525 or A547
Pro’s for Kids: Short visiting time, stairs and walls to climb, The day we were at Rhuddlan they had kids games such as tug of war and ring tossing available.
Con’s for kids: Mostly the ground is all grass so may be hard to push the stroller for younger kids.
Accommodation: Caravan parks in North Wales towns of Towyn and Rhyl are a short 10 minute Drive away ( click on Towyn and Rhyl for places to stay). Premier Inn Rhuddlan is a great option, its located 1.5k from the castle. We have stayed with this chain of hotels before and I am sure Premier Inn Rhuddlan would be a great base to explore this area of North Wales.
Food: We recommend Chilli Pink In Rhyl for a meal. Excellent, budget-priced buffet.
Additional attractions: Knightly’s fun park in Towyn is a local institution. Knightly’s has been in operation since the 60’s. Knightly’s features a fun fair, rides, an arcade, and a restaurant and bar.
Bec, Willow and Marley having fun at Rhuddlan. Selfie Time
Please find below 2 more articles from Wyld Family Travel for reading enjoyment. Just the click the images to learn about our visits to Conwy Castle and Caernarfon Castle in North Wales
This place looks awesome and I do love a good castle!
Thanks for commenting Amanda we appreciate
look forward to further interaction with you in the TBS group
cheers
mark
cool! we love old castles – so much fun to explore. I can’t believe the king had an entire river diverted to suit his needs.
Hi!
We love a castle or two ourselves! I think it is amazing what some of the royals did back in the day as well, I am not so sure it would be allowed in this day and age though! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
it looks like a lot of fun!! for us the ground wouldn’t be a problem as we carry our toddler in a wrap instead of in a stroller 😉
Hi!
The wrap would make so many situations so much easier. Even at 7 and 10 if our girls had the wrap option they would be in there in a flash! It was a lot of fun and it gave the girls some time to use their imaginations on what they thought the castle would have looked like years ago. They loved it as much as we did.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving us a comment!
First time I heard about this place but it looks beautiful I can easily spend a couple of hours here walking around and taking pictures from different angles. Like that the area is well kept even though the castle is in ruins.
Hi Ruth.
It was really easy to spend time there and the people looking after it do a magnificent job maintaining the grounds. I still love the ruins and I think it makes for a great way to use your imagination on what it may have had around it and how magnificent it would have looked. Thanks so much for leaving a comment, we appreciate it!
Thankyou for the history and sharing such a visual tour of the castle – sounds like quite the day! You’re very right about the clouds offering a more realistic experience of what life would have actually been like, plus I’ve found the lighting for photos is generally better with one or two clouds 😀
I’ll have to get myself to Wales – I loved exploring the castles throughout England, though didn’t manage a trip over the border. Good excuse for a return visit to the UK!
North Wales has to be the best place on the planet for castles. Never been to Rhuddlan, but I absolutely love Harlech, Criccieth and Conwy.
Conwy is amazing, yes North Wales rocks the castle’s
cheers
mark
Thank you for educating me. Never heard of Rhuddlan Castle before, but then I haven’t visited Wales either, so I have an excuse. United Kingdom has such a rich history. Thank you for joining #TheWeeklyPostcard this week-end.
What a beautiful castle Rhuddlan was, I love visiting castles when I travel to a new country. It’s a shame it’s not in a better condition, but like you said, you can close your eyes and imagine what it was like back then. 🙂
Thanks for commenting Vlad appreciated
We have been to 3 castles in Wales so far and loved them all! Wish we had been here too, looks amazing! Loved reading about the history, love the pictures…we miss visiting castles here in New Zealand 🙂 Thanks for linking with #theweeklypostcard
The castles of Britain really are amazing – even when they are ruins like this they are still worth visiting. I haved previously really enjoyed visiting places like Hever and Bodiam but this one looks terrific.
Thanks for commenting Jo we appreciate it
Love, Love, Love castles maybe because Australia has none
cheers
mark
I don’t know wales well but have travelled through the UK a good few times and love this kind of scenery. I go as far as saying is one of the reasons why I ended up settling in nearby Ireland- the landscape is very similar. This looks like a fab place: my kids are not into castles yet but I can’t wait to have this kind of visit with them and make history come to life for them
It looks like such a beautiful place to explore. I haven’t been to a castle, yet, but it’s on the list! Thanks for sharing the history and a look into your trip there.
Alyssa
what you have never been to castle.
You need to fix that asap, amazing pieces of living history
cheers
mark
Rhuddlan Castle is just what I would imagine if I was visualizing a medieval castle. Thank you for sharing its history, too.
Vicki thanks for commenting we appreciate it
Rhuddlan is amazing as the other castles of north Wales its a castle lovers paradise
cheers
Mark
I have seen some castles in Scotland but not in Wales, thanks for sharing and the view of the castle across the river is stunning @ knycx.wordpress.com
I love that you post so much about my home country! I’m guilty of not doing so because, meh….castles, we’ve got one on every street corner. But the first time I took my Aussie husband home we had a 2 week castle fest, he had to visit every one. I usually sat in the car with our then small baby. Said baby is 12 now. Anyway, we’re in Wales soon, going to Tenby for Wales Ironman. Maybe I’ll squeeze a post out!
We go to the castles because there is none in Australia lol
I I love Rhuddlan Castle because as a child we would play there while on holiday with family from Liverpool. As I grew up i learned about the history behind the stone masons work. I live in Austarlia know and often visist the Rhuddlan castle website to remember my days playing in the grounds in the sunshine Love the plave holds so many memories
We really enjoyed Rhuddlan it was great, Empty of crowds and it felt really authentic. Happy memories