Dolbadarn Castle, Castles and Forts Llanberis, Gwynedd - Wales where to go, what to see and where to stay in Wales

Dolbadarn Castle stands a lone sentinel on a rocky crag guarding the pass of Llanberis. Built by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great) in the early 13th century it stands in a spot of great strategic importance, allowing the garrison stationed there to block movement into the heart of Prince Llywelyn's rich lands on the Isle of Anglesey. Dolbadarn Castle stands proudly overlooking the twin lakes, and enabling the garrison to blockade anyone's movement through that part of the north, then as now a main link to the rest of Wales. |The main feature is the round tower enclosing a complex series of chambers. It is 40 feet tall and 40 feet in diameter, and guarded by walls 8 feet thick. Probably built by Llywelyn ab Iorwerth early in the 13th century, the castle is dominated by a massive round-towered keep, although little remains of the curtain walling that once helped in the defence of the castle.| Standing on a small hill surrounded by trees the castle could easily be missed by visitors to the more well known Snowdon Mountain Railway nearby. Yet it is just a short walk through ancient woodlands from the bustling Snowdon Railway Station to one of Wales' finest native built castles.