Castell Dinefwr — Attraction in Great Britain

Do you like Castles? Do you like beautiful views (even on 'bad' days)? Do you like lots of information about the historical location you're visiting? Well 2 out of 3 ain't bad! The castle is splendid with a fair amount of the castle still extant. There's plenty to explore, run around in and climb (steps and stairs up and down and all around). It's not got tall towers left but the old keep is still there from which you can see up and down the towi valley and sunsets up there are quite something to behold. There are information boards about but are not all well maintained, however Newton House in the same grounds has plenty of information in a dedicated section to the grounds and castle although the house is a separate attraction within the grounds its well worth its own price of admission (operated separately to the castle and grounds, as such is a different review) The grounds are superb and worth a full afternoon to themselves, with lots of little locations around and about to find and plenty of woods to explore. Parking is currently charged by the car and there is lots of space, free parking can be found in the town or a cheaper council car park and the grounds are free to walk ins. However! It's a damnable long drive to walk and the parking price helps with the upkeep of house and grounds so is worth the not usually expensive price.

We'll worth a visit to the grounds and the short trek up to the castle. If you enjoy hikes a walking this place has plenty of options and places for you to trek round but won't offer any great challenge. If you're less keen on the hiking of have smaller children, don't worry the routes to the ice house, church, pond and castle are all well posted and on convenient unpaved roads that aren't challenging but are quite rewarding and there's plenty of shade in the woods and round about. There's also a cafe attached to the house and a small visitors centre for refreshments and rest.

Between the grounds, house and cafe the area is...

Dinefwr Castle (Welsh: Castell Dinefwr; also known as Old Dynevor Castle) is a ruined castle overlooking the River Towy near the town of Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on a ridge on the northern bank of the Towy, with a steep drop of one hundred feet to the river. Dinefwr was the chief seat of the Dinefwr dynasty of the Kingdom of Deheubarth. The castle is a Grade I listed building.

The present castle is entered via a fortified entrance protected by a restored length of battlement. The short path from the car park gives an extensive view of the Towy Valley. The door admits the visitor to the main space enclosed by the walls, from which there are several stairs to the main battlements and towers.

A narrow spiral staircase leads to a high tower, which gives extensive views of the deer park to the north and the Towy valley to the south and west. The castle keep is entered via the cellar at its base, but access to the circular walkway at the top can only be made via the battlement walk. Details such as the well and several garderobes are visible in the structure. There is a path around the base of the main structure to the north.

The castle is now partially owned by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (who do not charge for entry) and is managed by Cadw but lies within Dinefwr Park, which is owned by the National Trust. Visitors who wish to see the castle and are driving there, may park in the town and walk up to the Castle using the free Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales access route.

If visitors walk or park in the National Trust site and are not National Trust, Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales or Cadw members there is a site entrance charge. There is a small free car park near the castle for disabled badge holders, but it can only be reached by a rough track through a field. Permission can be gained at the National Trust office to drive over the field up to the castle, weather, and...

We visited the Dinefwr Castle and Newton House during our family holiday in Wales. We have been National Trust members for a while and have visited many NT properties. This has become the family’s favourite.

We enjoyed a stroll to the castle with stunning views. Children loved climbing narrow stairs. We adults loved having the castle pretty much to ourselves. Neither the castle nor Newton House were busy compared to most NT properties in England which are generally overcrowded. This was a welcomed change:) The volunteers at Newton House were also exceptional, welcoming, knowledgeable and got children so embraced in fairy tricks and spooky story of a mummified cat and spooky portrait. We have done a few Easter Egg Trails this year so we decided to skip this one but I wish we hadnt’t. There was egg and spoon race, bird dance with colourful ribbons and many more. Children did make paper crowns and decorated them with feathers. We also loved the fairy village which is not to be missed. Finally, the cafe was serving typical NT dishes but what set it apart from others was nice modern and clean decor within the house itself. Again if it was our local NT cafe, it would be crowded with long queues and nowhere to sit. We will be definitely back on our next visit to Wales to explore the extensive grounds of the Dinefwr estate. It is just a shame it is a 5-hour-drive for us, as we would be here...