The town of Conwy is stunningly situated by any standards. On one side it is bounded by a river estuary and the other three sides are protected by its 13th century walls. The walls are over three-quarters of a mile long, guarded by no less than 22 towers, and considered to be some of the finest town walls in the world. Apart from one small section, you can walk around the walls in their entirety.
When in Conwy, make a point of visiting the Elizabethan mansion, Plas Mawr, built in 1577, and Aberconwy, a medieval town house, built at the beginning of the 14th century. Those with an eye for tourist sites should visit the Smallest House in Great Britain on the quay, which doesn't seem to be much wider than the hat of the woman in Welsh National dress standing outside.
The castle at Conwy, now a World Heritage Site, was built in the mid to late 1280s at exactly the same time as Harlech castle. Soaring curtain walls and eight huge round towers give the castle an intimidating presence, standing on a natural clump of rock. Views from the battlements look out across mountains and sea, and down to the roofless shell of the castle’s 125ft Great Hall. There's also a great view of the Conwy Suspension Bridge, one of the first road suspension bridges in the world. Built by Thomas Telford, the bridge was completed in 1826 and replaced the ferry. Telford matched the bridge’s supporting towers with the castle’s turrets
Julian has written articles on Middle Eastern and European architecture for the US magazine Skipping Stones. He has written travel articles that were published in The Toronto Globe and Mail, Fate Magazine, National Catholic Register, and Northwest Travel. Julian has also written articles for the In The Know Traveler, Go Nomad, InTravelmag, and Go World Travel websites. He has also taken many photographs that have appeared in travel guides by National Geographic, Thomas Cook and The Rough Guides. Examples of his work can be found at http://www.photographersdirect.com/sellers/details.asp?portfolio=13734
