Cilgerran

Spectacularly crowning a crag above the wooded Teifi Gorge, Cilgerran is among the most picturesque castles  in Wales. Naturally protected by steep drops on two sides, its position was an obvious site for a fortress in an area hotly disputed by Welsh Princes and Norman Barons. Cilgerran is also forever associated with the abduction in 1109 of Nest, the Welsh 'Helen of Troy', by a besotted Owain, son of the Prince of Powys, an act which set all Wales aflame.

Aerial view (CADW)

The earliest stronghold here was probably founded in 1108 by the Norman adventurer Gerald of Windsor, but was taken and retaken several times during the next century. Between 1223 and c.1240, therefore, the Anglo-Norman sons of William the Marshall raised a mighty half circuit of fortifications to defend its vulnerable southern approach. These are dominated by two great round towers, a popular feature of castles in war-torn 13th century Wales, built to defend the castle's vulnerable side. These towers are special, a triumph of the fortress-builder's art. Their outward facing walls are much thicker than those within and, while their inner faces have windows, their frowning outer faces are broken only by arrow slits. Marshal's efforts bore little fruit, for the castle was apparently derelict within 50 years. Its fortunes revived in 1377 when Edward III ordered repairs to counter a threatened French invasion, and it was in the wars again during Owain Glyndwr uprising in the early 1400s.

Eventually falling into romantic ruin, the castle has inspired artists for centuries and later became one of Wale's first tourist attractions, much favored by Victorian visitors who sailed up by boat the river Teifi - long famous for salmons and coracles - from Cardigan.