Deganwy Castle
This walk visits the historic Deganwy Castle in the town of Deganwy, Conwy. The town is a lovely place for a walk with a south facing beach, contemporary marina and attractive quay. There's also lots of wildlife to see in the adjacent Conwy Estuary and an excellent viewpoint from the ruined castle on this walk.
You can start the walk from the town's train station and then follow footpaths a short distance up to the site. Here you will find the atmospheric castle ruins perched at a height of 110 m (361 ft) above the town. The original fortress dates from the early middle ages and was later rebuilt in stone for King Henry III during the 13th century. The castle was subsequently destroyed by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales in 1263.
Postcode
LL31 9PJ - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locationsDeganwy Castle Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Deganwy Castle Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Deganwy Castle OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Deganwy Castle Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Further Information and Other Local Ideas
If you cross the river you could visit Conwy Castle and enjoy a climb to Conwy Mountain for more history and great views.
Just to the north is the popular coastal town of Llandudno where you can visit the wonderful Great Orme Country Park and Little Orme. The two beautiful headlands are major walking highlights of the area.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Snowdonia Walks page.
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
The River Conwy from Deganwy Castle hill
Ruins of the castle looking towards Conwy.
Castell Deganwy viewed from below. The ruined walls of Deganwy Castle surmount a crag of Ordovician rhyolitic tuff. The original castle was of wood, but it was destroyed by the Welsh lest it fall to the English. The present walls are what remains of reconstruction by Henry III from 1245, although it was again destroyed by the Welsh in 1283.
Lunchtime walk with the dogs.
Deganwy Castle Hotel. A 17th Century listed building that was originally an old farmhouse with oak beams has now become a hotel, overlooking the Conwy estuary at Deganwy. There are view over to Snowdonia and Conwy Castle.
Fatw, Ruin near Deganwy. Incredibly, this rectangle of stones perched on the Faerdre is the remnant of a house called Fatw. In the 1881 census this was home to a shepherd, his wife, one farm-labourer son and three younger children. The exposed location seems barely habitable, but the views over the Conwy Morfa are tremendous, and he would be close to his flock.
The Vardre. Deganwy Castle was built across these two hills, but the remains of walls are not visible at this range. The quarried outcrop on the leftmost hill is a 20th century feature, where stone for local walling was obtained. Sheep grazing has apparently always been important here (see Fatw, which is behind the camera).
Deganwy Railway Station is built on a sea wall between the Conwy Estuary and the main village road. Until the mid 1990's there was a station-master's house on the platform, but it was demolished due to structural failure. In the photograph, track is being relaid on a new base of ballast from Penmaenmawr Quarry.