Beaumaris Castle

The last and most technically perfect of Edward I's Welsh castles — begun in 1295 to the design of the great military architect Master James of St George, and never actually finished. Its symmetrical, concentric rings of walls-within-walls, guarded by a moat that still mirrors them, make it the textbook example of concentric design, which is exactly why it is a World Heritage Site. Because the money and the political urgency ran out, it was left low and incomplete — and oddly, that unadorned state lets you read the plan more clearly than at any other castle. It sits on the flat edge of genteel, Georgian Beaumaris, looking across the Menai Strait to the mountains of Eryri. Cadw charges admission; the town's pier, old gaol and pubs make an easy afternoon of it.

Getting there

Beaumaris Castle is in Anglesey, Anglesey (Ynys Môn). It's roughly 0 min (0 miles) from Beaumaris , and within reach of Bangor (12 min) and Menai Bridge (15 min).

The nearest parking: The Green car park on the seafront. Grid reference SH 605 759 — works on any OS map and doesn't need a phone signal.

Good to know

Pair with a stroll on Beaumaris pier and a crab sandwich; the Menai views to Snowdonia are lovely.

On the map

View Beaumaris Castle on OpenStreetMap ↗, or open it in the Explore Wales trip planner to add it to a day out with drive times and offline maps.

Staying over?

Beaumaris is made for wandering — a maze of narrow streets, mighty castle walls and a good pub or two.

Browse places to stay near Beaumaris ↗ opens Booking.com — needs signal