Nestled in the hills in Abergele, a sprawling castle looms over the A55. The Family never knew what the name of the castle was and it never appeared in any tourist information. Dad finally found out the name of this imposing building on Google. Gwrych Castle! (Hurrah for the internet!)
Then Mum, whilst browsing a What's On guide online, spotted a very interesting sounding entry which would potentially make a super day out. (Hurrah for the internet again!)
Built in 1812, Gwrych Castle is currently in a very bad state, but a group of people have been working hard to restore the castle to its former glory and have completed Phase One of their big plan. They invited the public to visit for the first time in thirty years! Well, The Family couldn't resist that, could they?!
And here it is! Sprawling Gwrych Castle.
Some parts look fairly well looked after.
But it was very apparent from walking around that the volunteers had a very large task on their hands. Most of the castle had been overrun by nature.
Mum, Dad and The Boy went on a guided tour to learn more about the history of this place. They wouldn't like to walk around it alone, that's for sure!
Out of the warm sunshine, Gwrych Castle felt cold, damp and eerie. All the time Mum felt she was witnessing a silent but powerful battle between nature and this once-popular attraction.
Spooky windows in a spooky place. It was the stuff of ghost stories but Mum, Dad and The Boy didn't see anything unnatural.
Apart from that bit of sunlight in the window that looked a bit...you know...ghosty *shiver*
The view from the castle was extensive and beautiful, especially on such a lovely day.
There was entertainment and food to be had and then The Family headed home, feeling very luck to have had the chance to see Gwrych Castle up close after having driven past it so many times on their outings.
