Castell Carreg Cennen
National iconA ruined medieval castle on a high limestone crag above the River Cennen, with a passage cut into the cliff down to a cave
Open to visitorsa Cadw site — check opening times and admission before you go
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
Castell Carreg Cennen sits on top of a limestone crag on the western edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons), with the ground dropping away steeply on three sides to the River Cennen below. The view is half the reason to come. The castle you walk round today was built mostly by John Giffard, an Anglo-Norman lord, in the late 13th century, on the site of an earlier stronghold held by the Welsh princes of Deheubarth. It was deliberately wrecked in 1462, during the Wars of the Roses, so it could not be used again, which is why it is a ruin today.
The oddest feature is a long, dark passage cut into the cliff face that leads to a natural cave underneath the castle. You can walk it, but it is low and unlit, so take a torch if you want to go all the way in. Cadw looks after the castle, though you reach it across a working hill farm at Trapp, following the track and signs up from the car park; it is a proper climb to the top on foot.
The area rewards a longer stay. The Beacons Way long-distance path runs right past the foot of the crag, and the market town of Llandeilo is a few miles northwest with places to eat. Nearby Castell Dinefwr, another Welsh princely castle, makes an easy pairing if you want two castles in a day.
