Conwy Castle is a fortification in Conwy, located in North Wales. It was built by Edward I, during his conquest of Wales, between 1283 and 1287. Constructed as part of a wider project to create the walled town of Conwy, the combined defences cost around £15,000, a massive sum for the period.
Conwy, previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on the east bank.
cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-t...
Caernarfon Castle (Welsh: Castell Caernarfon Welsh pronunciation: [kastɛɬ kaɨrˈnarvɔn]) is a medieval fortress in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. The first fortification on the site was a motte-and-bailey castle built in the late 11th century, which King Edward I of England began to replace with the current stone structure in 1283. The castle and town established by Edward acted as the administrative centre of north Wales, and as a result the defences were built on a grand scale. There was a deliberate link with Caernarfon's Roman past-nearby is the Roman fort of Segontium-and the castle's walls are reminiscent of the Walls of Constantinople.
cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-t...
Criccieth Castle (Welsh: Castell Cricieth; [kastɛɬ ˈkrɪkjɛθ]) is a ruined thirteenth-century castle located in Criccieth, Gwynedd, Wales. It is located on a rocky headland overlooking Tremadog Bay and consists of an inner ward almost surrounded by an outer ward. The twin-towered inner gatehouse is the most prominent remaining feature and survives to almost its full height, as does the inner curtain wall. The outer curtain wall and the castle's three towers are significantly more ruinous, and in places survive only as foundations.
www.visitwales.com/attraction...
Harlech Castle crowns a sheer rocky crag overlooking the dunes far below - waiting in vain for the tide to turn and the distant sea to lap at its feet once again.
No further drama is really required but, just in case, the rugged peaks of Eryri (Snowdonia) rise as a backdrop. Against fierce competition from Conwy, Caernarfon and Beaumaris, this is probably the most spectacular setting for any of Edward I’s castles in North Wales. All four are designated as a World Heritage Site.
Harlech was completed from ground to battlements in just seven years under the guidance of gifted architect Master James of St George. Its classic ‘walls within walls’ design makes the most of daunting natural defences.
Even when completely cut off by the rebellion of Madog ap Llewelyn the castle held out - thanks to the ‘Way from the Sea’. This path of 108 steps rising steeply up the rock face allowed the besieged defenders to be fed and watered by ship.
Harlech is easier to conquer today. An incredible ‘floating’ footbridge allows you to enter this great castle as Master James intended - for the first time in 600 years.
cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-t...
Beaumaris on the island of Anglesey is famous as the greatest castle never built. It was the last of the royal strongholds created by Edward I in Wales - and perhaps his masterpiece.
Here Edward and his architect James of St George took full advantage of a blank canvas: the ‘beau mareys’ or ‘beautiful marsh’ beside the Menai Strait. By now they’d already constructed the great castles of Conwy, Caernarfon and Harlech. This was to be their crowning glory, the castle to end all castles.
The result was a fortress of immense size and near-perfect symmetry. No fewer than four concentric rings of formidable defences included a water-filled moat with its very own dock. The outer walls alone bristled with 300 arrow loops.
But lack of money and trouble brewing in Scotland meant building work had petered out by the 1320s. The south gatehouse and the six great towers in the inner ward never reached their intended height. The Llanfaes gate was barely started before being abandoned.
So the distinctive squat shape of Beaumaris tells of a dream that never quite came true. Still it takes its rightful place on the global stage as part of the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd World Heritage Site.
Because this castle is special - both for the scale of its ambition and beauty of its proportions. Gloriously incomplete Beaumaris is perhaps the supreme achievement of the greatest military architect of the age.
cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-t...
The music is by Scott Buckley, the song is called Rise Above and it can be found on his website. www.scottbuckley.com
The flight was recorded on a DJI Mini 3 Pro, sub 250 gram drone, following the sub 250 gram drone laws