Bargain Travel Europe
guide to Europe on a budget for vacation destinations, travel ideas and
secret spots missed by travel tours.
CAERNARFON CASTLE
Prince of Wales and the Royal Fusiliers
The eldest son of Britain’s monarch and first in line to the English
throne usually receives the title of the Prince of Wales. This has been
the case since King Edward I occupied Wales in 1283 and built his famous “Iron
Ring” of castles. As a concession to the Celtic Welsh, the first
Edward promised that his first son would be born in Wales. This bit of
political PR went a good way toward getting the Welsh to accept the English
rule, though they couldn’t do a lot else about it. A deft move
as the iron fisted English king called “Longshanks” was at
the time constructing his first castle at Caernarfon, the ancient town
at the mouth of the Menai Straits where the River Seint enters from the
Irish Sea and separates the North Wales mainland from the isle of Anglesey.
Edward happened to be resident at the construction and his wife was pregnant.
Caernarfon
Castle is the most prominent feature of the ancient town which had been
the site of fortresses protecting the best port of the north
since even before the Romans came, and was the capital of the Celtic
Princes of Gwynedd before being permanently annexed by the Norman Plantagenets.
Edward II, called Edward of Caernarvon was the first Prince of Wales,
born at Caernarfon (more common now than the anglicized Caernarvon).
Edward VIII was invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon in 1911 (see
Ruthin
Castle) as well as the current Prince Charles, whose televised
investiture in 1969 by his mother Queen Elizabeth brought both the castle
and the English monarchy into the world consciousness.
The
castle at Caernarfon is a large powerful structure of light colored stone,
long and narrow, of high walls with three prominent defensive
towers, the Black Tower, the Chamberlain's Tower, and the Eagle Tower
with distinctive angles of octogonal shape rather than the round towers
of Conwy or square Norman keeps like Kenilworth (see Kenilworth
Castle or Hedingham
Castle),
said to be inspired by Edward's Crusade trip to Constantinople. The angles
can be closely examined in the Well Tower, with high the wooden bridges
leading to long
passageway
through the stone walls. The castle is mostly the remains of the last
major construction in 1323, and was never actually
completed. Edward I and his Queen Eleanor preferred Conwy
Castle for their Wales residence (see Conwy
Castle). The walls can be
climbed through quite narrow stairs on several levels to the battlements
for
high views
of
the inner
bailey
ward and
the town and waters beyond. On any given day tour groups of students
may
be clamboring
up
and down like a medieval jungle gym. Outside the southwest Queen's Gate
of the castle, intended as an upper entry across a drawbridge but never
finished, stands a statue of David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of Britain
during WWI who represented Caernarfon in the House of Commons.
Royal
Welch Fusiliers Museum
The
former residential chambers of the castle, never really occupied by royals
since the 14th Century, now houses the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum.
The military museum is dedicated to
the
famed
regiment
first
formed in 1689 under William III, fighting in campains of the Duke
of Marlborough (see Blenheim
Palace) the American Revolution, the Crimean
and Boer Wars, facing Napoleon at Waterloo (see Waterloo
Museums), two
world wars and Bosnia.
Old
Caernarfon
The
old town of Caernarfon was surrounded by walls after Edward I fortified
his castle. The buildings in the old town are mostly from the early
19th Century. The walls carry all along the waterfront and remain
nealy intact
except where the city street passes around the castle, completely
encasing the historic village. The castle and city walls of Caernarfon,
along
with the the castles at Beaumaris, Conwy and Harlech together form
a UNESCO World Heritage site. Almost everywhere around the town of
Caernafon
you’ll hear the lilt of Welsh being spoken, as the language
and the Celtic heritage of this unique part of Britain is being rediscovered
and embraced. Caernarfon makes for a good base to explore the rugged
peaks of Snowdonia and sandy beaches of North Wales, with activities
from golfing, mountain hiking and biking, to ocean fishing and sailing.
Hotels in the village of Caernarfon range from the Royal
Celtic Hotel (Gwesty R Celt) complete with spa, the Black
Boy Inn idating back to the 16th Century inside the village walls,
to the pub with rooms style of The Anglesey Arms, nestled against
the city walls
on
the harbor
quay.
Visiting
Caernarfon Castle
If visiting by car there is a pay and display parking lot beside
the castle. Admission for adults is £4.95 with a family ticket
available for £14.50. Admission includes the Welch Fusiliers
Museum. The castle is open year around 9am to 5pm April through
October and 9:30
to 4 pm November through March (11am to 4pm on Sundays in winter).
By rail, the nearest train station is at Bangor on the Crewe-Bangor-Holyhead
route served by Britrail and Virgin, with a 10 mile bus ride to
Caernarfon.
By bus even as far as Heathrow National
Express bus
line serves Caernarfon with direct service. Caernarfon is about
4.5 hours from
London by train and 5 hours by car.
For a scenic rail ride, the Caernarfon station of the Ffestiniog & Welsh
Highland Railway is right next to the castle, operating a scenic
steam train which runs on a 19 mile scenic journey from Caernarfon
climbing
across the slopes of Mount Snowdon. © Bargain
Travel Europe
Compare best hotel deals in North Wales on TripAdvisor
Web Info
Caernarfon
Cadw
These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission.
SEE ALSO:
SNOWDONIA STEAM RAILWAYS - PORTHMADOG
HARLECH
CASTLE
BEAUMARIS
CASTLE
LLANGOLLEN
STEAM RAILWAY
Discover Travel in Europe on a Budget
with Bargain Travel Europe and also visit Bargain
Luxury Travel for luxury value travel ideas.
©2006-2012 Winged Lion Entertainment Ventures,
LLC
