About
Castell Cricieth, Criccieth Castle, crowns its own rocky headland between two beaches on the Llyn coast, commanding views over the town and the whole sweep of Cardigan Bay; no wonder Turner painted it. This is a castle built and destroyed by Welsh princes: Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Llywelyn the Great, raised the immense gatehouse flanked by D-shaped towers in the 1230s, and his grandson Llywelyn the Last added the outer ward, curtain walls and two more towers. Edward I took it in 1283 and fitted the north tower with a stone-throwing machine, but in 1404 Owain Glyndwr burnt the towers red and the castle was never rebuilt. Start in the visitor centre, with its exhibition and film, then climb the steep 70 m path with staggered steps to the level grassy hilltop. Reviewers say the ruins are modest but the views to the Eryri mountains are the reward, the climb is steep and children need watching near the drops. Dogs on short leads may explore the ground level.
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- Castell Cricieth10:00 – 17:00last admission 16:30
Opening times may change at short notice.
30 March to 1 November 10am to 5pm, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 2 November to 29 March 10am to 4pm, Friday to Sunday only (closed Monday to Thursday). Last admission 30 minutes before closing. Closed 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January. Cadw may close monuments at short notice in extreme weather, and the headland catches high winds.
Terrain level 3, moderate: the visitor centre has a ground-floor shop and admissions and a lower-ground exhibition and film reached by a couple of steps or a platform lift; the path up to the castle from behind the shop is about 70 m, very steep, with around ten staggered stone steps and a handrail on part of it; at the top the castle is all on one level, mostly grass with some gravel and uneven ground, and visitors should keep inside the castle boundary off the grass-banked edges, which are slippery when wet. One accessible toilet; no baby changing; no cafe. Portable induction loop, dog bowl, benches in the castle grounds, free Wi-Fi, guidebook, gift shop. Drones are not permitted.
Dogs: Dogs on short leads are welcome on the ground-floor levels; the upper levels are for assistance dogs only.
Photo: Criccieth Castle on its grassy headland above Cardigan Bay, with the gatehouse towers, the esplanade and the east beach of Criccieth, from the air. Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Castell_Cricieth_o%27r_awyr_yn_2023_-_Cricieth_Castle_from_a_drone_-_Welsg_built_castle_in_Gwynedd,_Wales_06.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
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Walking routes1 route
Pwllheli to Criccieth (Wales Coast Path)(opens the full route on the National Trust site)
WalkDog access not confirmed18 km distance
