Gaer Penrhôs

Gaer Penrhôs stands on a steep hill above the village of Llanrhystud in Ceredigion, Wales. All that remains today are the earthworks of a ringwork castle, once known as Llanrhystud Castle or Castell Cadwaladr. The site overlooks the Ystwyth Valley and Cardigan Bay, offering wide views across the landscape. Archaeologists believe the hill may once have held a much larger Roman-era hillfort called Caer Penrhos. The ringwork itself consists of a small courtyard surrounded by a rampart and ditch. The castle’s history is marked by rapid changes of control in the 12th century. It was first built around 1110 by Richard de la Mare, then captured by Gruffydd ap Rhys in 1116. Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd destroyed the original structure in 1136 and rebuilt it in 1149. A year later, Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd seized the castle but lost it within months to Rhys ap Gruffydd. Hywel returned briefly, killing the garrison and burning the defences. Later, Normans briefly occupied a new structure in 1158, but it was soon destroyed again by Rhys ap Gruffydd. The site now shows only the outlines of its past defences. Visitors walk among the grass-covered ramparts and imagine the castle’s turbulent history. The view from the hilltop stretches over rolling hills and the blue expanse of Cardigan Bay.