Beaumaris

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Beaumaris Castle

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ggcahill
ggcahill
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
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3
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Editor Pick

Beaumaris Castle and the Menai Straits

  • September 23, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by MichaelJM from Nottingham, England
We drove over the Manai Straits on majestic Britannia Bridge (engineered by Robert Stephenson) and then headed due east to Beaumaris Castle. There are some decent views of the straits across to Wales and we couldn’t help but stop at the '70s Cadnant Bridge. If you don’t spot the name you’ll see the views and we pulled off the main road down a short access road to walk back and breathe in the view (as well as capturing a few for our photo album).

It’s only around 6 miles from the Bridge to the castle and we were soon pulling into the town’s main car park, having stopped off outside the local butchers and the town’s bakery to make purchases for our picnic lunch. It’ll cost you £2.50 to park up for the whole day (although we later found that if we’d have driven another 100 yards past the castle there was a large free car park) and if you want to picnic there are plenty of benches with views back to Bangor and the Menai Straits or across Conwy Bay towards Llandudno. The only downside to eating outdoors is the proliferation of beggars which wander the sea wall screeching for food. There is a public notice telling you not to feed them as it is viewed as a “public health risk”. Of course these are feathered beggars – huge gulls that glare at you menacingly (you may recall I’m not too good with birds!) and then waddle purposefully towards your table. Despite my wife’s best efforts at shooing them away they were persistent and I had to move tables a couple of times before finishing my food. Not the most relaxing of meals I’ve ever eaten!

Some the car park would, at the time of the castle’s construction have been marsh land and Edward ensured that his castle had a good supply route by linking the sea to the castle. All of Edward’s first castles were sited where they could be supplied by sea and at Beaumaris the defences incorporate a dock for seagoing vessels. The dock was filled with sea water through a wide shipping channel (imagination required as it is now covered in). The castle moat was supplied by a freshwater stream from the North and the level between the two was regulated by a sluice gate in Gunners Walk. It’s hard to imagine but ships of up to forty tons could sail in here at high tide, tie up and unload their supplies through the doorway in the castle wall. Obviously this was vulnerable to attack and the dock was heavily defended by archers and artillery on Gunners Walk. Beneath Gunner’s Walk was a corn mill which ensured supplies and increased the castle’s self sufficiency if it was ever to be subject to a siege.

The plans also incorporated a town wall, which although planned from the start was not built until around 1414 – maps of the walls can be seen throughout the town.

From journal Anglesey - Another Land!

The Beaumaris Castle

  • August 5, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by ReachForAStar from Meridian, Idaho
The Beaumaris Castle

Beaumaris, begun in 1295, was the last and largest of the castles to be built by King Edward I in Wales. Raised on an entirely new site without earlier buildings to fetter its designer's creative genius, it is possibly the most sophisticated example of medieval military architecture in Britain. A fun place to play hide-and-seek! Climb to the top for an amazing few of water, greenery, and sheep.

From journal Ireland: Country of Green Rolling Hills

Beaumaris Castle

  • August 21, 2003
  • Rated 4 of 5 by ggcahill from Mont Albert North, undefined, Australia
Beaumaris Castle

A spectacular castle in a very pretty seaside resort. The castle was well positioned to allow supply ships to sail right up to the castle, but the fortifications, consisting of four lines of walls with murder holes to defend the entrances, were state of the art.

A castle that looks good when viewed from any angle. Some effort has been put into keeping the surrounding clear, making it a photographer's dream. The lights just evident during the daytime would make this an impressive castle to view at night. Unfortunately we could not stay!

From journal North Wales

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