Aberystwyth Castle

Aberystwyth Castle stands on the headland at the southern end of the promenade, its weathered stone walls looking out across Cardigan Bay. It was begun in 1277 by Edward I as part of his ring of fortresses built to consolidate English rule over Wales, a concentric castle with a diamond-shaped inner ward protected by twin gatehouses and round towers.

The fortress had a turbulent life. It was captured and held for several years by Owain Glyndŵr during his early 15th-century uprising, and later served as a Royalist mint during the English Civil War, striking silver coins from the local lead-silver mines. Parliamentarian forces slighted the castle after taking it in 1649, and it has stood as a ruin ever since. Enough survives, particularly of the gatehouse and the great tower, to make sense of the original plan.

The site is open access, freely walkable at any time. Within the walls you'll find a Gorsedd stone circle installed in 1916 for the National Eisteddfod, and a war memorial by the sculptor Mario Rutelli. It's a fine spot for a walk with sea views on three sides.