We’ve had so much family fun at Llawhaden Castle over the years. Looking through (old) photos during lockdown in Wales put us in mind of it. And it’s firmly on the list of places we want to visit once the easing of restrictions allows us to do so. At today’s press conference the Welsh First Minister has confirmed that this will, indeed, be the 6th of July. Yay!
Now we’re not saying were going to rush down here on that day because we’ve got some other places in Pembrokeshire that made the top of our list. We’re pretty keen to see the sea! And besides at the moment Cadw is saying that their sites will remain closed for the time being.
And social distancing and keeping safe remains a priority to us and so if that’s not possible here we’ll turn around and come home. But it should be. We’ve never seen it really busy before and certainly not crowded like some attractions can get. And that sort of amazes us because this really is a great place. Still standing at it’s full height the gatehouse, in the picture above, is the first thing you see.
Nooks and Crannies
There are so many nooks and crannies inside.
And plenty of ‘rooms’ to explore or hide in! Both downstairs and up.
And the views are incredible.
We’ve been visiting this great place since the children had just started walking. And pretty much every year since!
Even if we’re not planning a visit, if we’re passing we’ll make a point of calling in. It’s never stopped putting a smile on our faces. Or in our hearts.
And even though we tend to do the same things here each visit is different. Things change. We change. And we see that as a good thing. Mostly things change for the better. Progress they say. We like to think we change for the better. We’re all growing. In different ways. Physically (us outwards, the children upwards!), mentally, spiritually. We know more as each year passes. About life, the world, ourselves and each other.
Thoughts
It may sound crazy to some but we used to think we’d be sad about the children growing up. That’s what they do. What they’re supposed to do. But there was something really magical about that time when they first started communicating. Bundles of energy, inquisitive, uninhibited, innocent and without care, worry or pressure. It was so much fun. They were so much fun.
But what we’ve actually found as they’ve grown is that they are still fun. But in a different way. Maybe in a better way. We have fun on a different level. Deep conversations about things like life and the universe. They know so much today. More than we knew at their age. In some areas more than we do now!
And they don’t come with so much physical baggage! No more pushchairs, changing bags, formula and nappies!
What they’ve actually become is more interesting. And it’s absolutely enthralling (as well as a bit emotional) watching them become young adults before our very eyes. And, for us, that’s every bit as exciting, perhaps even more so. Yes we do get a bit emosh when we see these photos from back then. But we’re not sad. We’re just enjoying now.
We’ve made loads of happy memories of family fun at Llawhaden Castle and we’re sure that you will too!
More info
Llawhaden Castle is operated by Cadw (the Historic environment service of Welsh Government). It’s actually a fortified Bishops Palace rather than a Castle and designed as a residence for the bishops of St. Davids.
A plan in the grounds shows you how the Castle would have looked in times gone by with a Great Hall, bakehouse and visitors’ lodgings along with a Chapel. Its great to be able to imagine just how it would have looked and worked.
A well sits on a large grass area, great to picnic on (remember to take your litter home).
St. Aidan’s Church just down the road (back towards the A40) is Llawhaden Parish Church and is open daily with no admission charge.
Planning your family fun at Llawhaden Castle
Getting there
The easiest way to get to Llawhaden Castle is by car taking the A40 West (the main road through Pembrokeshire) and exit to Llawhaden at Robeston Wathen. Llawhaden is approximately 2.5 miles from the A40 (around a 4 minute drive)
Parking
Limited. The Castle entrance is a short pleasant, flat walk from the car park in the village. It’s approximately 250 metres away and free.
Facilities
There are no Public Conveniences or places to eat or purchase food in Llawhaden itself, so be prepared.
Where to stay
There are plenty of places to stay in and around this area from luxury independent Hotels to B&Bs, guesthouses and budget chain hotels. Something for everyone. We use booking.com to find the best deals on places to stay.
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10 thoughts on “Llawhaden Castle”
I love walking around in places where you can explore nooks and crannies. The castle must’ve been amazing in its heyday! Would you be able to include pronunciations for the unsure?? 😉😉 I’m guessing how I would pronounce Llawhaden Castle… is far from correct 😄
Yes that’s exactly what we like so much about this one. We could do 😆 It’s not the easiest 👍
These sorts of castles / ruins are some of my favs! You always go to cool places like this! We have a bunch of these in Switzerland that I love to hike to!
Thanks Kevin! Yes I bet there are some great ones where you are 👍
Castles and ruins make up a wonderful childhood memory – the kind that leaves a nostalgia for an imaginary land of heroes, fairies and magic. A trip that will be repeated always happily ever after.
This is really good to hear. Hopefully it’s something they’ll always remember wherever they land
What a beautiful old castle and I can see why you love visiting it every year! Wandering old castles and ruins is fun to imagine what it was like way back when. 😊
Definitely Vanessa. We always think about that too 😄
Another castle or place I dont know how to pronounce 😉 I love the castle and the shots in this blog. Amazing, cant wait to go to Wales- while I was planning a trip, summer is gone 🙁
😂 not an easy one! Thanks so much for reading and hope you can get here before too long!