Its tagline is ‘the greatest castle never built’ but Beaumaris Castle on the island of Anglesey still has lots to offer despite being incomplete. It was one of a series of castles built by Edward 1st in Wales and for this one they pulled out all the stops! It would have been the ‘ultimate’ castle if it had been completed, with inner and outer walls, a defensive moat and countless arrow holes.
Your visit today starts in the information centre, before exiting to the banks of the moat. Here you get a fantastic view of how impenetrable this castle would have been. If you have youngsters in your group, be sure to pick up the map to the cubes of stone placed around the site. Their mission is to find out which stonemason hasn’t been doing his job by looking for the marks on each stone. Our 7 year-old loved this idea and was rewarded with a badge on his return to the information centre. One of the stones is placed by the railings, before you head across a wooden bridge to the outer gatehouse and enter the castle.
It’s tempting to head straight up the outer walls the moment you arrive inside the castle, but our suggestion would be to watch the short introductory film first. To find this, head through the inner gatehouse and turn left. It will tell you about how expensive this castle became and how troubles in Scotland left it insufficiently guarded. It fell to the Welsh before being completed. You can walk on segments of both the inner and outer walls and there is a one-way system in place as it’s quite narrow and uneven. The views over Beaumaris town and the Menai Straits from the inner walls are particularly good.
Inside the inner walls are a series of rooms, most of which have been well preserved. The most impressive of these is the chapel (pictured above) which noticeably retains a feeling of peace and calm when you enter. There is a makeshift alter, but your eyes will be drawn to the dappled colours of light pouring in from the stained glass windows. The network of tunnels that lead to the chapel and also inside the opposite long wall are incredible. You can imagine warriors of old walking down the same dimly-lit passageways hundreds of years ago.
Finally, spend some time in the central space of the castle, just marvelling at the construction of the walls. You can then have a go at building your own Beaumaris Castle with the soft blocks that have been placed there. There really is so much to see at this castle and we’d thoroughly recommend a visit. Beaumaris Castle is open at 9.30am from March to October and at 10am from November to February. It closes at 5pm in the spring and autumn, 6pm in the summer and 4pm in the winter. Adult admission is £10 in the summer and £9.50 at other times (2024 prices). Family tickets are also available.
LOCATION & CONTACT
Address: Beaumaris Castle, Castle St, Beaumaris LL58 8AP
Phone: 03000 252239
Email: Beaumariscastle@gov.wales
MORE ON BEAUMARIS CASTLE
Beaumaris Castle – Official website
Beaumaris Castle – Wikipedia
Hotels near Beaumaris Castle – Booking.com