Cardiff: Discover fairy tale Castell Coch and Fforest Fawr

Nestled amid thick forest on a hilltop overlooking Cardiff, you’ll find the fairy tale-like Castell Coch.

Built between 1875 and 1891 atop a ruined 13th century hunting lodge, Castell Coch, which means ‘Red Castle’ in Welsh, was designed as a summer home for John Crichton Stuart, the 3rd Marquess of Bute.

Bute had commissioned the Gothic Revival architect William Burges, who’d also remodelled Cardiff Castle for him, to bring his medieval-themed dream to life.

More Victorian folly than traditional Welsh castle, the result is a dazzling, quirky affair awash with symbolism and painted murals.

It’s now in the care of the Welsh heritage agency Cadw.

When I visited Castell Coch in May, a huge illustrated banner covered the castle’s Well Tower (above), part of an extensive conservation programme to prevent and repair serious water damage.

I crossed the drawbridge, bought my ticket and began to explore the small castle, which has a set route for visitors to follow.

I started my visit in the ornate banqueting hall (above), which is so highly decorated, it was difficult to know where to look. It certainly isn’t subtle.

Next door is the castle’s most impressive space, the jaw-dropping drawing room (above).

The extraordinarily beautiful room is a sight to behold, its walls and ceilings adorned with painted motifs, gilding and embellishments.

The room is filled with symbolism depicting religion, morality, mortality and Bute’s love for his adored wife Gwendolen.

Look closely and you can spot birds, flowers, green men and animals, along with more than 80 species of butterfly, a symbol of resurrection.

I love the drawing room, it’s utterly spectacular and my favourite room in the castle.

It’s a triumph of imagination and creativity, and I spent quite a while taking in as many details as possible.

From the drawing room, I made my way up the tower to Lord Bute’s bedroom (above), which is intricately decorated like most of the family rooms.

But I was surprised by how small the room is, especially given that, at the time, Bute was one of the richest men in the world.

I can’t imagine too many of today’s billionaires being happy in such simple surroundings.

I carried on up the tower to Lady Bute’s delightful bedroom, one of the castle’s loveliest rooms (above).

The large, spacious room is a gorgeous affair thanks to its striking crystal ball-topped bed and elegant dressing table.

Like the drawing room, Lady Bute’s bedroom boasts an eye-catching ceiling embellished with meaningful symbols (above).

I made my way down the tower, stopping in the wench room to look at the mechanism that operates the drawbridge (above, apparently it still works!).

I then toured a few exhibition rooms, starting with a display about the symbolism found throughout the castle (above).

There were also exhibits about Lord Bute’s vineyards (he produced his own wine, grown to the southeast of the castle, for years) and the stained glass windows that once adorned the now-demolished chapel.

From there, I crossed the passage that runs along the top of the courtyard to a series of rooms on the other side of the castle.

First up was Lady Margaret’s bedroom (above), a sweet, girlish room that seemed fitting for Lord and Lady Bute’s only daughter (they also had three sons).

I finished my tour of the castle by looking around the large kitchen (above), the basement and the small wine cellar (below).

In the basement and wine cellar, you can see the remains of the original 13th century stone castle, which had been built by Gilbert de Clare, the powerful Marcher lord who was also responsible for nearby Caerphilly Castle.

Having seen all there was to see, I set off for a walk around the woods behind Castell Coch.

Fforest Fawr, which means ‘Big Forest’ in Welsh, boasts four walking trails, all clearly signposted by different coloured waymarkers.

I decided to follow the longest, Sir Henry’s Trail, a 3.9km circular trail that’s marked in red.

The first part of the walk involved a steep climb, but the rest was easy going and I was glad to have gotten the hardest part out of the way at the start.

The trail took me through the extensive woods, past a series of old iron mines.

It was a baking hot day and while there were some exposed parts of the path (above), I was relieved the majority of the walk was in the shade.

Around a third of the way into the walk, I came upon Three Bears Cave (above).

Despite the name, it’s not actually a cave. It’s the entrance to an abandoned mine, which now lies behind a fence as it’s too dangerous to go inside.

As it was early May, there were a few bluebells dotted around, but it was wild garlic that carpeted much of the forest floor.

Everywhere I went, there were huge swathes of it, its distinctive, pungent aroma wafting through the woods.

Despite it being a Saturday lunchtime, the woods were quiet and I only passed a few dog walkers and families during my walk.

It was nice having some tranquil time to unwind after an incredibly busy week at work.

I really enjoyed my visit to Castell Coch and Fforest Fawr – it was a fun, relaxing way to start the weekend.

Whimsical Castell Coch is one of the most distinctive and imaginative castles in Wales, while Fforest Fawr makes for a peaceful woodland walk.

Info

Castell Coch, Cardiff CF15 7JS
cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/castell-coch