It encapsulates quite a lot of history and is believed to have been one of many built by Llywelyn the Great, the Prince of Gwynedd (who lived from 1195–1240). It was built between 1210 and 1240 from local sand and stone. The purpose of this castle (which has been largely restored through the centuries) was built specifically to protect the mountain pass between Conwy and Cricieth.
I visited this castle over two decades ago (yes, that's me in the photo above) and compared to the newer more modern castles that I saw, this one felt like it had tales seeped into the stone walls and had seen some epic things through it's lifetime. It felt old and languid as if in a long, deep sleep after many tough battles.
It is said that the castle was besieged and captured by Edward the 1st of England in 1283 from Wales and ownership was removed from Dafydd of Gruffydd (one of Llywelyn the Great's great grandchildren) - there is no definitive information on how the siege took place but it is possible that there were negotiations for the surrendering of the castle towards the end of the conquering of Wales. It was occupied by the British until at least 1290 after which it was leased out and extensive renovations were undertaken.
I didn't get to see very much of Wales as I was only there for a few days, but the entire area has a rather eerie, magical-mystical feel to it. It's very Arthurian and many of the houses are built from local sandstone. I felt quite at home there like my soul knew the place. Perhaps that was my ancestry speaking to me.
Unfortunately the majority of photographs that I took have subsequently been lost including those of the first and top floors. These are from a scrapbook of mine. The celtic bookmark was purchased from a gift shop in the local town.
The more recent restorations included the stone and wooden stair cases to the top of the keep where you can look over the vast landscapes which are quite spectacular. You can see the beautiful rolling hills in one of the photos above.
I remember inspecting the balistraria (arrow slits in the walls) and imagining the battles that this castle saw. The interior is very basic and not very big, it was not a family keep after all, it was an armourment for the defense of the county.
It featured in the film Dragonslayer in 1980 as Ulrich's castle. I don't think I'm going to go watch this movie as the acting will probably make me want to crawl under a rock. Anyone watched the Highlander series recently? It will make your skin crawl I promise you lol.
The tower on the Eastern side was apparently built by the British and didn't last as long as the original castle did. It remains in ruins to this day (I'm not sure whether this was simply due to deterioration or if from a battle that wasn't documented?)
I'm very grateful I was able to visit Dolwyddelan. I've since then read quite a lot about the history of Llywelyn and the lore and myth attached to the history that was captured. A special place, I'd love to explore more of Wales if given the chance in the future.
This lovely piece of history is now cared for by the Welsh Historic Environment Division of the Welsh Government.
Manually added to PinMapple
[//]:# (!pinmapple 53.052902 lat -3.908188 long Dolwyddelan Castle Medieval Ruins 13th Century d3scr)
Sources:
Visit Wales
Dolwyddelan Castle
Snowdonia Wales
