Our National Trust memberships have gotten a fair bit of use over the years, we love some of the incredible buildings they have in their arsenal and today's trip is amongst the best of them! It is hard to believe we have overlooked it for so long, but with so many incredible adventures dotted all around Snowdonia it is understandable - still, on our last trip around the mountains we decided it was high time to check it out, and boy are we glad we did. Penrhyn Castle & Gardens is a gem of a find, with all of the expected features of a National Trust location set on sprawling grounds all with a phenomenal building in the centre - the beautiful photos you come away with are more than enough justification to visit, so let's start by getting you there...
Penrhyn Castle is just outside of Bangor, on our visit we ended up tracking straight through the town via the A5 before a tiny detour away which will take you through Penrhyn's grand entrance arch and down the lane - easy enough to navigate too and it has ample parking. Public transport has great potential too, with Bangor being decently connected via trains and bus stops right outside Penrhyn Castle entrance.
After making your way up the lanes at Penrhyn, either on foot or via car, cross the car park and make your way into the welcome booth - pay your admission, or scan your National Trust card, and start on your journey up to the castle. As you may expect with a National Trust location, all of the paths are smooth and well-maintained, mostly gravel pathways with the occasional paved areas in between. You begin by snaking your way through beautiful woodland, before cutting back to a long sweeping path that offers both beautiful views out towards the coast as well as your first glimpses of Penrhyn Castle - and what a castle it is! This sprawling country house stretches out in both directions, towering high atop the hill it sits on - just a glimpse of the majesty yet to be seen.
The path eventually links up to the foot of Penrhyn Castle, where you have a couple of options - if you are planning to head inside and check out the interiors of the manor then you should head left, up the slope and under the gated arch to head in. We opted to walk the grounds first, so we headed right. From here you will reach a separate major gate, we saved this for later and continued on to check out the gardens...
Following the paths away again from the castle, we had our sights set on the Walled Garden. Just a short walk from the castle is a beautifully presented garden, nothing too massive but a lovely space all the same. What did truly impress me, however, were the unbelievable Gunnera Manicata, the Giant Rhubarb, of the bog garden, these colossal leafy beasts were unlike any plant I had ever seen before in the UK, multiple leaves taller than me - just huge! Sadly the overlook was blocked off a nice lap of the gardens led us into the woodland, in which we took a nice stroll along the edge of the farmlands, with the company of the birdsong before circling back around to Penrhyn Castle to begin exploring within the walls.
We returned to the castle, having taken a very circuitous route that required climbing a grassy knoll to get back on track, and decided to head into the large gate before checking out the interior. Inside this square at Penrhyn Castle was much more to see than I had anticipated, not only was there an array of rooms you could explore but also a display of trains (of all sizes from model to full size) and of course, the always welcome National Trust Café where we had to stop and grab a bite to eat. Some sandwiches, a coffee for me and an icy drink for Rox were exactly what we needed to refuel before we carried on around.
Back along the walls and onto Penrhyn Castle's interior. It is worth paying attention to the final entry time for the interior and planning accordingly, we had made sure of this and were amongst the last admitted. The grand hall entrance played host to a display about the history of the building and family, then onto each room - various grand spaces designed for hosting parties and living a plush life, a truly spectacular building with all of the opulence and grandeur you would expect of a rich family's home. A lot of the space within the building is explorable, naturally, sections are protected with velvet ropes but you get to explore a lot, as well as head upstairs to check out even more, including surprises like a full chapel - even the staircase was a stunningly presented room with a gorgeous roof! Considering our outdoorsy nature, we don't often head inside these places, happier to explore around the grounds instead, but this one was exceptional and well worth an explore too.
The history of Penrhyn Castle is relatively short, especially when compared to some of the medieval castles dotted around the country. The lands here were owned by Gwilym ap Griffith, ancestor of Ednyfed Fychan, Seneschal to Llywelyn the Great, a supporter of Owain Glyndŵr and the Glyndŵr rebellion. A fortified house began construction around the peak of the rebellion, which would act as the family's main home. The home would be acquired by Richard Pennant, third generation slave plantation owner, in the 18th century, he greatly expanded the Penrhyn Quarry and surrounding developments including the port and road network. The profits from his plantations and slate mines lead to the rebuilding of the house as a castellated Gothic castle/manor house by architect and engineer Samuel Wyatt. On Richard's death, the home went to George Hay Dawkins-Pennant, who continued to develop the quarry and buildings at Penrhyn - his goals were even loftier, constructing one of the largest castles in Britain. Cadw estimates this construction cost approximately 50 million pounds by today's prices. The house remained in the Pennant family, as well as being passed through descendants who adopted the Pennant name, until 1951, when the castle and land were accepted by the Treasury to avoid inheritance tax, and subsequently transferred to the National Trust.
Once you've had your fill around Penrhyn Castle, retrace your footsteps back to the original welcome booth to exit and carry on with your day. Penrhyn Castle is a must-see if you are ever around the Bangor area, of course, the National Trust delivers in terms of its presentation and preservation, but this is just an amazing building in its own regard and one well worthy of your time. This is a great day out in its own regard, with beautiful grounds and a stunning castle, plus you're right near the Menai Strait with nature reserves and alike to explore. If you wish to combine Penrhyn with some other great nearby attractions, then consider crossing the Menai Strait and exploring some of our favourites there, such as Plas Newydd (another National Trust gem) or having an animal adventure at Pili Palas - there are some amazing places to explore on Anglesey that would pair perfectly with a walk around Penrhyn!
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