WALKERS TRAVERSING THE NORTH WALES COAST on the 870-mile Wales Coast Path pass several impressive castles, both ancient and modern. Strategically sited medieval castles guarding the coast include Flint Castle, Conwy Castle and Caernarfon Castle – all part of Edward I’s ‘Iron Ring’ intended to subjugate the Welsh. They are tangible monuments to the exercise of political power. But perhaps the most atmospheric of these coastal castles is the ruined and rambling, Grade I listed Gwrych Castle, perched on a wooded hillside near Abergele, overlooking the Irish Sea. Now roofless and supposedly haunted, it was once a statement of Victorian industrial might, wealth and influence. Today, after a long and (very) chequered history, it has been chosen as the setting for the twentieth series of the popular ITV programme I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!

Gwrych Castle and Penmon Point

As part of the programme, contestants also visited Penmon Point and its picturesque lighthouse on the Isle of Anglesey, where they had to abseil down a limestone cliff in a nearby quarry. Both are just a stone’s throw from the Wales Coast Path/Anglesey Coastal Path, which encircles the entire Anglesey coast.

Gwrych Castle stands on the site of a much earlier Norman fortress. The castle began its later life as a Gothic folly built in 1819 by a wealthy industrialist named Lloyd Hesketh. But it was his son who used his vast inherited fortune to build the present, far larger 128-room castle. In its heyday, the castle boasted 28 bedrooms, inner and outer halls, a billiards room, two smoking rooms, a chapel, marble staircase, servants quarters and numerous outbuildings. Seen from a distance today, what stands out amid the sprawling ruins are the castle’s nineteen battlemented towers.

Gwrych Castle’s long history

Over the years, Gwrych Castle has been a home for Jewish refugee children rescued from the Nazis as part of Operation Kindertransport; a medieval banqueting and jousting centre and ‘Showpiece of Wales’; and in the 1980s, a rendezvous for scooter enthusiasts from all over Britain. Later, plans by an American businessman to renovate the castle came to nothing and the building fell into disrepair and collapse. Subsequent plans to turn it into a luxury hotel also failed and in 2018 Gwrych Castle and its estate was sold to the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust.

The main building at Gwrych Castle is unsafe and closed to visitors but the castle grounds are normally open to ticket holders from 9am every day. However, COVID-19 restrictions mean the park and local footpaths are currently closed too.

At the moment, only celebrities, film crews and ghosts have access to the castle.