Dolwyddelan Castle

Dolwyddelan Castle is set in an elevated position about halfway between Betws-y-Coed and Blaenau Ffestiniog. It lies at the foot of Moel Siabod, in the beautiful Lledr Valley.

The Castle is the traditional birthplace of Llywelyn the Great. The castle guarded one of the main routes through the mountains of Snowdonia. It consists of a rectangular keep and a small D-shaped courtyard that contains another rectangular tower, the west tower, which was added at a later date to provide more accommodation.

By the 19th century the castle was a ruin, but the keep was restored by Lord Willoughby de Eresby in 1848-50. The distinctive battlements and projecting drains date from this restoration.