Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Church St)
Built in 1307 at the same time that the castle was going up, this pretty Gothic
church once ministered to the castle's garrison. Its most unusual feature is that it's built
directly into the old town wall; head outside the walls for a better look.
RUINS
Segontium Roman Fort
(Cadw;
www.cadw.wales.gov.uk
; Ffordd Cwstenin; 10am-4pm)
Just east of the town centre,
these low stone foundations represent the westernmost legionary fort of the Roman Em-
pire. The fort dates back to AD 77, when General Gnaeus Julius Agricola completed the
Roman conquest of Wales by capturing the Isle of Anglesey. It was designed to accom-
modate a force of up to 1000 infantry-men, and coins recovered from the site indicate that
it was an active garrison until AD 394 - a reflection of its crucial strategic position.
Caernarfon's name is a reference to this site, meaning 'fort opposite Anglesey'.
Sadly the on-site museum is closed for the foreseeable future and the only interpretive
sign is on the side of the building. The site is about half a mile along the A4085 (to Bed-
dgelert), which crosses through the middle of it.
Dinas Dinlle
Dolphins and porpoises can sometime be spotted from this long, sandy Blue Flag beach, 6
miles southwest of Caernarfon. The flatness of the surrounding land stands in contrast to
the dramatically sculpted Llŷn Peninsula, visible in the distance. The exception is a solit-
ary hill, with a path leading up to the remains of an Iron Age fort.
BEACH
