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Below: the approach from the castle through the woods from the car park.

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T he castle at Llanberis dates to the 13th century, but remains in solid condition, although a shell of its former self. Some visitors are awed by its simplicity and its endurance, and consider Dolbadarn one of the finest of Wales' native-built castles. Built by the mighty Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great) sometime before 1230, the castle not only predates the English fortresses of the Edwardian conquest, it also provides solid documentation of the extent of Llywelyn's influence and ingenuity.

D olbadarn Castle's strategic value is perhaps best recognized by reference to a map. Clearly, its position at the tip of Llyn Padarn allowed the garrison to blockade anyone's movement through that part of the north, then as now a main link to the rest of Wales. The military worth of the spot was evidently recognized as early as the 6th century but surviving masonry dates no earlier than the 1200's.

Below: Foundations of several courtyard buildings viewed from the top of Dolbadarn's Great Tower.

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D olbadarn's keep sat astride the southeastern length of curtain wall, which enclosed the rocky hill and linked the castle's most important, albeit less durable, structures. Today, only the lowest foundations of these outer buildings (which may have been the oldest at the site) have survived, and it is somewhat difficult to determine their actual functions. The ruins create an overall sock-shaped fortification, with rectangular towers united by the curtain wall and a large rectangular hall at the northern end of the site. Two open hearths remain within the hall's confines.

Below (2): view of the Great Tower's rectangular projection that houses the tower's latrine chutes.

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Below (3): interior views of Dolbadarn's Great Tower.

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