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One of four world heritage listed castles in Wales. Be aware that road signs direct drivers to the car park at the foot of the rock upon which the castle stands, from which it is a very steep climb. There is however a pay car park next to the entrance to the castle in the town, though this is small and will be busy at peak times. On street parking in the town is free but roads are narrow and spaces limited.
Harlech Castle in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales, is a Grade I listed medieval fortification built onto a rocky knoll close to the Irish Sea. It was built by Edward I during his invasion of Wales between 1282 and 1289 at the relatively modest cost of £8,190. Over the next few centuries, the castle played an important part in several wars, withstanding the siege of Madog ap Llywelyn between 1294 and 1295, but falling to Prince Owain Glyndŵr in 1404. It then became Glyndŵr's residence and military headquarters for the remainder of the uprising until being recaptured by English forces in 1409. During the 15th-century Wars of the Roses, Harlech was held by the Lancastrians for seven years, before Yorkist troops forced its surrender in 1468, a siege memorialised in the song "Men of Harlech". Following the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the castle was held by forces loyal to Charles I, holding out until 1647 when it became the last fortification to surrender to the Parliamentary armies. In the 21st century the ruined castle is managed by Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic environment service, as a tourist attraction, and since 2024 under its Welsh name only.
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The steepest street in the world as of 2019, according to the Guinness World Records. The street has a gradient of 1:2.67, which means the street gains (or loses) one metre of elevation for each 2.67 metres of distance. The street lost the record in April 2020 after the record's measurement criteria were revised.
Miles of sandy beach; great for nudists. Half of beach is dog-free.
Home of the 18th century author, Ellis Wynne.
Slate is mostly surface-quarried, but from 1887 it was mined underground to create these caverns.