Carreg Cennen Castle has been named as the 4th most romantic ruin in the UK and another Carmarthenshire historic attraction, Llansteffan Castle, came 6th in a public poll by BBC Countryfile magazine. Both sites, cared for by Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government’s historic environment service, were shortlisted from an original list of 50 by a panel including John Craven and Countryfile’s Jules Hudson.
There are few castles in Wales which can boast a more spectacular location than Carreg Cennen. Its ruins crown a precipitous crag in a remote corner of the Brecon Beacons National Park. A visit to Carreg Cennen is an adventure – not least for the sight of the breathtaking 100mtrs/325ft cliff on which the castle is perched and the dramatic trek through a passageway cut into the cliff-face and down into a hidden cave below the castle.
Llansteffan is an impressive, dramatically sited stronghold crowning a hilltop overlooking the estuary of the River Tywi. Its remains are those of a castle established in the earlier twelfth century within the site of an Iron Age promontory fort. Rebuilt in stone, it was held by the de Camvilles for much of the Middle Ages.
Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones, added:
“It’s great to see the castles of Carreg Cennen and Llansteffan doing so well in the poll. We can be proud that these two wonderful Welsh sites are among the most photogenic, and romantic, in the UK. I hope that more people will want to come and experience these sites for themselves following this excellent endorsement.”
