The small town of Tongwynlais is located around a 25 minute drive from Cardiff Bay.  So what is the attraction of Tongwynlais?  Well to be honest there isn’t a great deal there though it is very quaint  – but having the surname Lewis which I inherited from my Welsh Dad, the town’s main pub The Lewis Arms was a must stop for us as well as a photograph priority.  I am sure there are some other redeeming features of Tongwynlais, but the one for us was this characterful pub on the corner of the intersection that you have to turn into to get to Castell Coch.  We didn’t get to go into the Lewis Arms, but it looked like a great little pub which I am confident the locals, which there are just over 1800 of would enjoy on a regular basis. For avid cyclists and walkers who want to ride/walk the Taff trail that goes from Cardiff Bay to Brecon, Tongwynlais is a stop off point along the full 89 kms.

Castle Coch

The first castle built on the location of where Castle Coch now sits was built in 1081 by the Norman invaders to help protect their newly conquered town of Cardiff.  The building of the current castle started in 1875, not being completed until 1891 due to the illness and later death of the architect William Burgess causing a ten year delay. The interior of Castle Coch’s walls are laden with impressive rich paintings, with a Victorian gothic influence.  It is said the castle was more of a summer home for the Bute family who owned it, and Lord Bute used the decorating and design of the reconstructed castle to demonstrate his love of his wife.  The castle is now run by Welsh heritage agency CADW.  

CADW is a heritage agency run by the Welsh government, and has over 100 historical sites within it’s oversight.  We purchased a membership while at Castle Coch, and enjoyed free or discounted entry into several locations.  It is definitely worth getting when travelling in Wales if you are into historic castles and other sites. 

We rated Castle Coch 7 out of 10 Kiwis