About
Castell Harlech, Harlech Castle, crowns a sheer crag above the dunes of Cardigan Bay, and Cadw calls it probably the most spectacular setting of any of Edward I's castles in North Wales. One of the four castles inscribed in 1986 as the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd World Heritage Site, it was completed from ground to battlements in just seven years under Master James of St George, its walls-within-walls design making the most of the rock. When rebellion cut it off, the Way from the Sea, 108 steps up the rock face, let ships feed the garrison; Owain Glyndwr held court here from 1404, and the Wars of the Roses siege is said to have inspired Men of Harlech. A floating footbridge from the visitor centre now enters the castle as Master James intended. Reviewers single out the one-way wall walk and its views and suggest watching the film first. Dogs on short leads may explore the ground floor, and the Branwen Walk circles the town.
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- Castell Harlech09:30 – 17:00last admission 16:30
Opening times may change at short notice.
Open daily all year: 1 March to 30 June 9.30am to 5pm; 1 July to 31 August 9.30am to 6pm; 1 September to 31 October 9.30am to 5pm; 1 November to 28 February 10am to 4pm. 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.
Terrain level 3, moderate: the visitor centre has wide automatic doors, low desks, an accessible exhibition space and Caffi Castell; a modern footbridge of about 25 m with a gentle upward slope leads to the castle, which can be enjoyed from ground level, but the towers and wall walks are reached by steep, narrow, uneven stairs on a one-way route (go up the right-hand spiral stair and follow the whole wall walk to the steps down). Gravel and cobbles can defeat some mobility scooters. Accessible toilets and baby changing in the visitor centre. Portable induction loop, water refill station, defibrillator, dog bowl, benches inside the monument. Gift shop with guidebooks, Caffi Castell, Cadw holiday apartments, free Wi-Fi. Drones are not permitted. Beware the short boundary wall by the dry moat and the drop to the rear access path.
Dogs: Dogs on short leads are welcome on the ground-floor levels of the castle; the towers and wall walks are for assistance dogs only.
Photo: Harlech Castle's towers and curtain wall on their wooded crag above the houses of Harlech in evening sun. Cmao20, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harlech_Castle,_Merionethshire,_Wales_-_25-06-2017.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 routes2 routes
Branwen Walk (Eryri National Park)(opens the full route on the National Trust site)
WalkmoderateDog access not confirmed5 km distance2hr to walk
