Conwy Castle

I've driven by Conwy Castle at least a half dozen times during multiple trips to north Wales, so it was exciting to finally visit it.

 The castle is located at the mouth of the Conwy River on the north coast of Wales. (This view is from across the river.) Like so many north Wales castles, it was built in the era of Edward I. It only took four years to construct, which is amazingly fast for a castle of this size. It cost the modern equivalent of about 35 million dollars.

 

The castle has eight towers, four of them double.

 

The views in every direction are stunning.

 Magnificent as it is, all that's left of Conwy are the stone walls. You have to use your imagination to visualize what actually living here was like.

There was a display of several birds of prey and their handlers in the castle yard. Such beautiful creatures they are. So cool to see them up close.

This was my favorite of all the birds. Small but he/she has so much character.

The display of medieval weapons in the yard also contributed to the mood.

 

Maybe it was the hazy mountains in the distance, or the view of Deganwy Hill across the river (the setting for my dark age romance, Dragon's Dream), but Conwy was my favorite of all the castles I visited on this trip.

Nothing like a castle to transport you back in time!