On a previous post I included a picture of Harlech Castle, from very far away on a very grey day, in the evening time. Well I’ve corrected the injustice that photo did for it here by visiting it. Harlech Castle, while a ruin, is quite well preserved. You can walk around the entire perimeter of the walls and then go up three of the four towers to access the walls from above, and get a really nice view. The outside perimeter of the walls. The Chapel Tower (left), courtyard (centre, duh), and main building (right) A nice view from the castle bridge. Apparently this was the last castle to fall in the English Civil War between Parliment and King Charles I. Naturally, that means these guys sided with the royalists and lost after a 9 month siege. Whatever you think of that, at least they had integrity; the gift shop still boasts the adjective “royal” all over the place in description of it. All that is recent(ish) history. It was actually built in the 13th century by Edward I. During a Welsh rebellion, it became entirely cut off but held off when under siege thanks to it’s closeness to the sea allowing for the defenders to be fed and watered via friendly ships. View from inside the courtyard. If you ever wonder why real life doesn’t always have all the “fun” of stroming castle walls like the movies do, visiting places like Castle Harlech remind you: It is positioned opposite the sea by a cliffside, has the steepest moat in the world and – supposing you, as a foot soldier, get through that unscathed, TWO layers of wall to get through before you reach anywhere strategically important enough to stand a chance at capturing it. Yeah, if I were besieging this place I’d also rather find a way to starve them out because I’d never make it to the battlements.