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Details
See Kidwelly Castle rising above the river Gwendraeth on a misty morning and prepare to be amazed. This is the medieval fortress of everyone’s dreams.
That’s probably why it appears in the very first scene of ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’. But it would have been no laughing matter to attack this military stronghold.
Kidwelly began in the early 12th century as a Norman ‘ringwork’ castle made of wood and protected only by an earthen bank and ditch. Not surprisingly it was under constant attack by Welsh princes including the Lord Rhys, who captured it in 1159.
Four decades later the Normans were back in charge. By the 1280s the Chaworth brothers, powerful Marcher lords, had created the stone ‘castle within a castle’ that still stands today.
Imagine being a Welsh attacker. First you had to conquer the great gatehouse with its drawbridge and portcullis, a hail of arrows and rocks raining down on you. Breach these outer defences and you were faced by the four towers of the inner ward. No way forward – and nowhere to hide. A true killing zone.
After centuries of see-sawing conflict between Norman invaders and native princes Kidwelly was now a match for any castle in Wales. The gatehouse added by the Duchy of Lancaster was the icing on the cake. Even the forces of Owain Glyndwr couldn’t break through.
Opening Details
Open all the time
1 March 2020 - 30 June Daily 9.30am - 5.00pm.
1 July - 31 August Daily 9.30am - 6.00pm.
1 September - 31 October Daily 9.30am - 5.00pm
1 November - 28 February 2021 Monday to Saturday 10.00am - 4.00pm, Sunday 11.00am - 4.00pm. Closed 24, 25, 26 Dec & 1 Jan.
Last admission 30 minutes before closing.
Prices
Prices from April 2020 - March 2021:
Adult - £6.00
Family (2 adults and up to 3 children) - £17.10
Seniors £4.80
Juniors (Aged 5–17) / NUS / Armed Forces and Veterans - £3.70
Children under 5 - Free
Address
Kidwelly,
Carmarthenshire,
SA17 5BQ
Directions
Map reference: SN 408070 Lat: 51.73903 Long: -4.30707
M4 West Junction 48 & A4138 signed for Llanelli; take the A484 (signed for Town Centre) and continue on the A484 through Pembrey and on towards Kidwelly. Left at the roundabout where signed for the town and the Castle and continue through the town; the Castle will be signed on the right.
Parking: free
Accessible by Public Transport: 2 miles from Kidwelly station
Nearby
Facilities
Gift shop
Public toilets
Regional Tourist Board Member
Accepts groups
Children welcome
Dogs accepted
Smoking not allowed