This Castles of England and Wales tour and travel guide can be either 8 or 10 days – the details are given for both. You will be touring to some of the finest English castles and Welsh castles and will also include sightseeing along the way between these medieval castles. We tie in seeing England and Wales at there very best as we provide you with travel guide itineraries and driving directions for your self drive tour. Combine this tour with a few days in London and you will remember this trip forever. This self drive tour is also easily extendable.

Castles of England and Wales preview itinerary

Day 1
Your Castles of England and Wales tour starts by heading west from London just a relativly short distance to Windsor Castle, still used today by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and is kept in almost perfect condition. We visit the place where Prince Charles married Camilla and see a few more highlights before continuing west to stay overnight at a castle that even today, still resonates with England history and is the only Tudor castle of England to be open as a hotel… kings and queens have stayed here.

Day 2
Touring continues with medieval castles, crossing the River Severn to see the castles of Wales – the “Land of Castles”, visiting one of Britains oldest castles, Chepstow Castle and then to a “motte” castle, Caldicot before ending the day in the capital city of Cardiff itself where, in the city centre, the castle’s enchanting fairytale towers conceal a spledid interior.

Day 3
We tour north today to visit Caerphilly Castle which is one of the most impressive medieval castles of Wales and also the second largest. (Second only to Winsor Castle and making it the largest in Wales). Lord Tennyson, the poet, described it as “it isn’t a castle – it’s a town in ruins”. Then on to Raglan Castle to see the remains of the 15th century moated fortress with its huge hexagonal keep. The surrender of this castle in 1646 to the parliamentary forces marked the end of the English Civil War.

Day 4
We spend a little time today seeing Monmouth castle then tour onward to mighty Goodrich Castle, which stands majestically on the sandstone crag above the River Wye valley. We continue touring north to pass through the Snowdonia National park for our overnight stop.

Day 5
We visit the World Heritage site that is Harlech Castle, set on the cliffs overlooking Tremadog Bay. This is one of the “iron ring” of fortresses built by Edward I and during the War of the Roses inspired the song “Men of Harlech”. We continue to the walled town of Caernarfon where the castles battlements and towers command the entrance to the Menai Straights. Stand on the spot where Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales.

Day 6
East today, touring along the coast to Conwy to see one of the best preserved medieval fortified towns in Britain with Edward I ’s great castle, 200 historical and listed buildings and the engineering marvels of Thomas Telford’s 1826 suspension bridge, Robert Stephenson’s 1848 tubular railway bridge and the relatively modern road bridge that span the River. We continue to spend the night at another castle that is also a hotel.

Day 7
William the Conquerer’s Warwick Castle has few rivals in scale and grandeur as it towers over the River Avon. Medieval re-enactments bring this castle to life and you will spend most of the day here being facinated with England history. We overnight in Stratford upon Avon, home of William Shakespeare.

Day 8
Today we have a choice, if you are doing this tour as an 8 day tour then it is back to London and visit the Tower of London, one of the worlds most famous and spectacular fortresses that also combines prison, mint, arsenal and jewel house. If you are doing this tour as a 10 day tour then we by-pass London and continue south to see Bodiam Castle in East Sussex. This castle – which is more of a fortified house - dates from 1385 and was recently voted as Britains 4th most popular castle.

Day 9
We move on to Dover Castle, which commands the shortest sea crossing from France. The castle was built in the 12th century but has been Britain’s most important defence since the Iron Age. The underground tunnels date from the Napoleonic wars as well as World War II.

Day 10
We return to London today via Leeds Castle in Kent, which has been the residence of six of England’s medieval queens as well as a Norman stronghold. In London we visit the Tower of London, one of the worlds most famous and spectacular fortresses that also combines prison, mint, arsenal and jewel house.

The Castles of England and Wales tour concludes in London

The self drive tour consists of 134 pages. Approx file size 7.8 mb