Caerphilly famous for its Cheese, Leaning Tower, & Castle the largest medieval fortresses in Britain.
Built in 1268 by the Anglo-Norman marcher lord, Gilbert de Clare.
Concentrically planned, walls within walls, the rings of stone and moat defences are formidable even today. Famous for its 'leaning tower' the tower that out leans that of Tower of Pisa.
"A 'Trail' around Caerphilly Castle helps visitors 'step back in time' as they stroll through the grounds of one of Europe's finest historic buildings. The route of the trail is marked with eight special markers, which depict various fascinating historical facts relating to the castle.
The idea of the trail is to allow people of all ages to find out more about the important history and heritage of the area. Children will be fascinated by the different designs on the markers, which are one meter in diameter, circular in shape and made of cast iron.
Pupils from Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Caerffili, Plasyfelin Junior School, Ysgol Y Castell and Twyn Primary have worked with the Artist Michael Johnson to come up with the attractive designs.
"If you like castles then this Trail is for you! You do not need to pay to go in the castle to complete this Trail. Caerphilly Town is dominated by its historic 13th Century castle which has been described as one of the great medieval castles of western Europe and, at the time of its building, a revolutionary masterpiece of military planning. Its leaning south-east tower could compete with Pisa any day! The Trail starts right in the centre of town and takes you around the south side of the castle, visiting Morgan Jones Park before returning to the castle grounds and the Daffydd Williams Park. It's quite short which leaves plenty of time for visiting the inside of the Castle. Please note that Morgan Jones Park now has restricted opening times during the winter months: from February to October gates close at 5pm.
This Trail is fairly short at 1.5 miles and very suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs as the route stays mostly on well marked and ramped paths with just a couple of short diversions onto grassed areas. Car parking is available right at the start of the trail at the pay and display Twyn car park next to the tourist information office. There is also convenient free parking in Morgan Jones Park. Caerphilly also has a good train and bus service from Cardiff and the valleys and the bus and train stations are only a short (500m) walk from the start of the Trail." Text Source: (
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"One of Henry III's most powerful and ambitious barons, Gilbert de Clare, lord of Glamorgan, built this castle. His purpose was to secure the area and prevent lowland south Wales from falling into the hands of the Welsh leader Llywelyn the Last, who controlled most of mid and north Wales. De Clare built other castles on the northern fringes of his territory for the same purpose, such as Castell Coch. He had seized the upland district of Senghenydd, in which Caerphilly lies, from the Welsh in 1266 to act as a buffer against Llywelyn's southward ambitions. Llywelyn realised the threat and tried but failed to prevent the castle from being built; it was begun on 11 April 1268, was attacked by Llywelyn in 1270, and was begun again in 1271. This time it was completed without hindrance. Its message was not lost on Llywelyn, who retreated northwards. Apart from the remodelling of the great hall and other domestic works in 1322-6 for Hugh le Despenser, no more alterations were carried out, making it a very pure example of late 13th-century military architecture.: Text Source: (
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High definition photos of the eight trail marker's: (
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More info on new additions to the Castle: (
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A PDF showing High Definition map of the trail & historical information relevant to each location: (
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