Medieval Welsh Castle

 Once upon a time…the 11^th century time…Normans invaded Wales. I think they invaded many other places but that tale for another time. During their invasion of south Wales, they built wooden “castles” which were probably more like forts. There they stood until some 200 years later when a man named Hubert came along knocking the wooden structures down replacing them with stone, erecting Skenfrith Castle.

Hubert de Burgh used the remains of the Norman castle to raise the platform in order to keep the stone castle above the flood plain as it was built right along River Monnow.  His story isn’t a happy one either. In 1201, King John gave Hubert the land to build a new shiny, stone fortress then took it away from him. Then King Henry III gave it back to him, then in 1239 he took it away from Hubert permanently. (It turns out the medieval politics are not much different than modern-day politics).

Skenfrith Castle or Ynysgynwraidd (its Welsh name), still stands today but in ruins and the only ones invading its space are the tourists. The castle’s four walls and round keep are still standing, however much of the keep has deteriorated over the years. In spite of there being no rooftop, you can still make out the three floors to the keep, now standing as a hollow tower. There are really only two ways in/out of the castle (unless you scale the castle wall-which is quite easily done; not speaking from experience…erhm..ahem)…The main entrance (where the drawbridge once lived) now has a wooden staircase up into the castle. Not really a wheelchair friendly place with its steps and uneven grounds around the courtyard. The second “entrance” leads out to the riverside. Back in the day, the river came right up to the castle wall and this was how they got their supplies inside via boat.

The castle with picnic area is very well hidden and Skenfrith will only come into view once you are pretty much upon it. If you do get lost in your search for the castle, simply follow those infamous brown signs that point to natural interest points. As a natural tourist attraction, it does not have any of the following: loos, places to eat, or shops to buy souvenirs but it’s free to see and open 24hrs. Quite literally in the midst of nowhere but a nice stopping point on your way to/from England and Wales as it’s very near the border. Also a good rest area if you are traveling to or from the Brecon Beacons back to England.

Busy Bee at Brecon Beacons

Viewing this castle won’t take long so if you wish to lengthen your Castle Hunting Day, try Hubert’s other nearby castles. (This guy had three)! Grosmont Castle and White Castle (not the home of cheeseburgers sadly), are all within a five mile radius of each other. Happy Hunting!