Best Castles Near Swansea
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best castles near Swansea are Pennard Castle, Weobley Castle, Loughor Castle, Carreg Cennen Castle, Newcastle Emlyn Castle, Narberth Castle and Llawhaden Castle.
Swansea sits at the gateway to Gower, with castles close by on the peninsula and a scatter of others reaching west into Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. On Gower itself lie the dune-set ruin of Pennard above Three Cliffs Bay and the fortified manor of Weobley over the Llanrhidian marsh, while just north of the city the small Norman Loughor stands on its Roman site above the estuary.
East toward the Brecon Beacons, the clifftop drama of Carreg Cennen crowns its limestone crag above a hidden cave. West into Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire are three more ruins, each a longer drive out along the coast and river valleys: the river-guarded Newcastle Emlyn in its tight loop of the Teifi, the fragmentary town castle of Narberth in the middle of its market town, and the grand bishops' castle of Llawhaden with its near-whole gatehouse.
Some are dramatic set pieces, others quiet fragments. Here are seven castles to seek out near Swansea.
Pennard Castle
Photo: Jeremy Bolwell via Geograph.org.uk
Pennard Castle is a ruined medieval castle standing among sand dunes on the cliffs above Three Cliffs Bay, on the Gower peninsula near Swansea. What remains, a twin-towered gatehouse and stretches of curtain wall, sits on the edge of a golf course, reached only on foot along a dune and woodland path.
It began as a timber castle soon after the Normans took Gower and was rebuilt in stone, but blown sand gradually overwhelmed it and it was abandoned as a ruin by the seventeenth century. The great draw now is the setting, with the towers looking down over one of the finest bays in Wales.
Weobley Castle
Photo: Jeremy Bolwell via Geograph.org.uk
Weobley Castle Comfort came first here, with a private solar and indoor latrines that mark this out as a gentry home rather than a war machine, dressed with only light defences. The de la Bere family raised it in the early fourteenth century on a ridge above the Llanrhidian saltmarsh, on the northern shoulder of the Gower Peninsula near Swansea.
Owain Glyndwr's revolt left its mark but the walls came through largely intact, which is why so much survives. Cadw cares for the ruins today, set among a working farm, with the Loughor estuary spread out below.
Few medieval manor houses have lasted this well.
Loughor Castle
Photo: Philip Halling via Geograph.org.uk
Loughor Castle is a small ruined Norman castle standing on a green mound above the River Loughor at Loughor, near Swansea. The main survivor is a square stone tower of the thirteenth century, set with fragments of curtain wall on top of an earthwork ringwork, in a small park.
The castle was raised around 1106 by an Anglo-Norman lord, and it stands on the site of a Roman fort, Leucarum, built here in the first century to guard the river crossing. It is a Cadw site, freely open, and looks out over the Loughor estuary.
Carreg Cennen Castle
Photo: Sandy Gerrard via Geograph.org.uk
Carreg Cennen Castle stands on a steep limestone crag high above the River Cennen, near the hamlet of Trap in Carmarthenshire. The ruined walls crown the rock with a sheer drop on one side, giving long views over the surrounding farmland toward the edge of the Brecon Beacons.
A vaulted stone passage built against the cliff leads down to a long natural cave running into the hillside, dark enough that a torch helps. The present castle was built in the late 1200s and is reached on foot uphill from the farm below, one of the most dramatically sited castles in Wales.
Newcastle Emlyn Castle
Photo: Alan Richards via Geograph.org.uk
Newcastle Emlyn Castle The River Teifi does most of the defending here, wrapping a tight loop around the steep promontory so that only the town side lies open to approach. What remains of the castle is chiefly its twin-towered gatehouse, a vaulted cellar tucked beneath it, and scraps of wall enclosing a grassy interior.
It stands out as one of the few stone strongholds built by a native Welsh lord, begun around 1240, and Sir Rhys ap Thomas later softened it with larger windows around 1500. The ruin sits open to all, free to wander, at the edge of Newcastle Emlyn in Carmarthenshire.
Narberth Castle
Photo: chris whitehouse via Geograph.org.uk
Narberth Castle is a ruined castle on a grassy knoll at the southern edge of the town of Narberth in Pembrokeshire. What survives is fragmentary: the stumps of two round towers, traces of curtain wall, and a barrel-vaulted cellar beneath one of the towers.
It was built in stone in the thirteenth century, after an earlier castle nearby was destroyed, and was left ruinous around the time of the Civil War, its last recorded use in 1657. The remains sit in the middle of the town, close to its cafes and galleries, so it is an easy stop while wandering Narberth.
Llawhaden Castle
Photo: Jeremy Bolwell via Geograph.org.uk
Llawhaden Castle This was a bishop's residence dressed as a fortress, built for comfort as much as defence by the bishops of St Davids above the village of Llawhaden in Pembrokeshire, some miles east of Haverfordwest. The twin-towered gatehouse still rises near its full height, with private apartments, a courtyard and quarters for guests and garrison surviving in grassed grounds around it.
It started in the early twelfth century as earthwork and timber under one bishop, then went up in stone in the fourteenth. Cadw looks after it now, entry is free, and a short walk from a small parking area brings you to the walls.
FAQs
Which castles near Swansea are free to visit?
Loughor above its estuary, Newcastle Emlyn in its loop of the Teifi and Llawhaden with its near-whole gatehouse are the free Cadw castles near Swansea, and Narberth's fragmentary ruin sits open in its town. Weobley and Carreg Cennen charge admission, the latter run with the working farm below its crag.
What can you see at Carreg Cennen Castle near Swansea?
At Carreg Cennen Castle near Swansea you can see ruined walls crowning a steep limestone crag with a sheer drop on one side, wide views to the Brecon Beacons, and a vaulted passage leading down to a natural cave in the rock. It is the most dramatically sited of these castles, with Pennard, set among dunes above Three Cliffs Bay, running it close.
Which castles near Swansea are closest to the city?
Pennard and Weobley on Gower are the closest castles to Swansea, both within a short drive, Pennard reached on foot along a dune path and Weobley on a working farm above the Llanrhidian marsh. Loughor, on its Roman site just north of the city, is the nearest of all and freely open in its small park.
Conclusion
Swansea sits at the gateway to Gower, with castles close by on the peninsula and others reaching west into Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. On Gower lie the dune-set Pennard above Three Cliffs Bay and the fortified manor of Weobley over the Llanrhidian marsh, with the small Norman Loughor on its Roman site just north of the city.
East toward the Brecon Beacons, Carreg Cennen crowns its limestone crag above a hidden cave. West lie the river-guarded Newcastle Emlyn in its loop of the Teifi, the fragmentary Narberth, and the bishops' castle of Llawhaden.
From a dune-set gatehouse above a great bay to a clifftop crag with its own cave, these are the castles to seek out near Swansea.
