Conwy Castle - Conwy

Date of visit - 16/06/2024

North Wales appears to have more than its fair shares of impressive castles, the reason for which, are explained nicely in this article. Before taking our trip to Wales I had checked out quite a few of the castles online and made a list of those that might be worth a visit. Conwy Castle seemed to be a good fit, as it didn't just have the castle, but also the smallest house in Great Britain - I kid you not - read on!

We drove to Conwy, along the A55 North Wales Expressway, coming this way into town you don't get the full image of what the castle looks like, or how impressive it is. For this, you really need to get down to the waterside to look back at the castle.

Once again, we are impressed by the free disabled parking available, we even managed to park in a space right outside the castle entrance!

Once inside I confirmed that entry for our party would be free for our two disabled members and carers - I proffered the Access cards as proof, but was assured that they didn't need to see evidence, and are happy to take your word for it. I have to say this is in stark contrast to some places we have been to in England, where they want to see DLA/PIP letters, dated within the last 12 months, and eye you suspiciously! Anyway, moan over.

The walk into the castle takes you, via a wooden bridge, over the road below. One of the things that is evident about Conwy and its castle, is that most of the town is contained within the castle walls, with much of the town wall still in place, even if some have been incorporated into newer buildings!

Over the wooden bridge there is quite a steep concrete path, leading to the main entrance, this may be an issue for those with mobility issues, particularly those in wheelchairs. To be honest, I wouldn't say this is a particularly wheelchair friendly site - I am not sure Edward I had mobility issues at the front of his mind, when he had the castle built.

Inside the castle much of the pathway is cobble stones and the towers largely inaccessible for all but the most able. We did manage to get to the top of a couple of the towers and walk along the higher wall sections, but the stone steps aren't for the faint hearted, or for those with mobility issues. We had our Little One on his wrist strap the whole time we were in the castle grounds, as there were numerous hazards and indeed risks to life, if not watched closely!

The clear, and apparent risks, didn't stop some parents allowing their children to climb on the walls, much to the annoyance of the ever vigilant castle guide, who quickly called them down.

Once finished in the castle, it is possible to do further walks along 6 remaining complete parts of the city wall. This again means negotiating steep steps to get up and down. There are good views once on the wall, but obviously this won't be possible or suitable for all.

Conwy town itself is quite nice, although the pavements are rather narrow, which makes negotiating with anything other than a standard size buggy quite difficult. I would imagine wheelchair use would be even more problematic. There is a good mix of shops, although our Little One isn't much of a shopper, as he much prefers to be on the move. We did manage a pit stop at The Blue Bell pub. There is a nice courtyard garden to the rear of the property, there are however a couple of steps, in and out of the building and garden.

While in Conwy we decided to pay a visit to what is labelled as The Smallest House in Great Britain. Well, if there is something smaller I would love to see it. Apparently the house was lived in, up until 1900, when the last occupant was a 6 foot 3 gentleman. For context I am 6 foot 1 and appear to be nearly half as tall as the "house". There is just the one room upstairs and downstairs, with a stove to cook on, and a bed to sleep in, complete with a guzunder, for night time emergencies!

As with the case of pretty much all castle town locations there are a lot of hills to negotiate, and as previously mentioned narrow pathways. The town is worth a visit, as is the Smallest House, the castle is definitely worth looking round too if mobility allows.