Take A Look At Loughor Castle (Pronounced Lucker)

Loughor Castle is a ruined, medieval fortification located in the town of Loughor, Wales. It was built around 1106 by the Anglo-Norman lord Henry de Beaumont, during the Norman invasion of Wales. Although it looks like a motte and bailey it actually started out as a ringwork which was then filled in and the stone keep was built on top with building material nicked from the nearby Roman fort of Leucarum. The original structure was made of wicker.

Kidwelly Castle – Norman Stronghold, Filmset and Scenic Ruin

Like so many Castles in Wales, Kidwelly was built by the Normans to defend against the Welsh. You would have thought that the Normans would have realised that this was a futile gesture because the Welsh were not prepared to learn to speak French. I’m sure there were other reasons they were disgruntled about the invasion but this seems like a fairly good one to me.

The remains of the castle we see today were constructed between 1111 until about 1476. It saw quite. bit of action in the twelfth century, falling to the Welsh on a number of occasions. In 1403 Owain Glyndŵr unsuccessfully besieged the castle with the aid of troops from France and Brittany. After just three weeks the Norman Army turned up and put a stop to these shenanigans. The gatehouse was damaged and was later rebuilt on the instructions of King Henry V.

The Best Castle Location? – Llansteffan Castle

On a hill above the estuary of the River Towy in Carmarthenshire sits the magnificent Llansteffan Castle. It was built on the site of an older Iron Age Promontory Fort and has been in use for millennia, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s not only a highly defensible location, but affords some stunning views over the River Towy, and the village of Llansteffan itself. If you go to the top of the tower at the right time, you might even get to see a train in the distance.

Today, it’s all about location, and Llansteffan has got one of the best views of the sea we’ve seen from a castle. It isn’t actually the sea, it’s the estuary of the River Towy with the sea in the distance. Whatever it is, it’s beautiful.