Raglan Castle sits on the other side of the A40 to the small town of Raglan, just a quarter of an hour drive from Monmouth. I have seen a lot of impressive castles around Britain and Raglan is up there with the best of them. Visit http://www.castlewales.com/raglan.html for a more comprehensive look into this castle.
We weren’t too sure about the cost of the castle, as we had found two prices from two different sources on the internet. The actual price for one adult and one student came to about £7, which wasn’t the same price as either of the sources we had found! We didn’t mind though as it was the cheapest!
The entrance to the castle is grand and still in great condition for it’s age, built in the 15th century. Just to the left of the entrance stands the Great Tower, surrounded by a moat and still an impressive sight even though a third of it has collapsed.
I liked the passageways and rooms that were dotted about inside the castle, such as the kitchen, buttery and wine cellar. There are two sections of the castle that can still be climbed. One is the Grand Staircase that has been rebuilt in order to resemble how it used to be. It means visitors can walk up it and enjoy the great views of the Welsh countryside and the town of Raglan.
The other viewpoint is from the Great Tower. A bridge leads you across to it from the castle and the winding staircase to the top reveals an impressive view. We were lucky it was a lovely sunny day, but as we gazed over at the town of Raglan in the near distance we could see rain. The wind brought the odd drop of rain over towards us, but thankfully that was all we got. I loved the walk around the moat. The wind blew the water in unusual directions, creating curious patterns.
It had been a while since I had been round a castle, something I used to do often when I was a child. The plan for this year or next is to visit more castles and stately homes, as there are so many I have yet to see and would love to see again.
Where The Wildings Are 