Pembroke Castle

The castle stands on a limestone promontory above the Pembroke river, and its great keep, built around 1200 by William Marshal, is a cylinder about twenty-five metres tall with walls up to six metres thick and a rare stone dome at the top; it is among the largest and best-preserved round keeps in Britain and can be climbed to a roof walk. Beneath the castle is the Wogan Cavern, a natural limestone cave about fifteen metres across opening to the river, used from prehistory and later as a boat store and undercroft, reached by a stair from the courtyard; excavation has produced Palaeolithic material. Henry VII was born in the castle in 1457. Restoration between 1880 and 1930 rebuilt much of the curtain wall and towers, which is why the outline looks so complete.

What you actually see

• The round keep - a twenty-five-metre cylinder with a stone dome, climbable.
• The Wogan Cavern - a natural cave under the castle opening onto the river.
• The rebuilt curtain - towers and walls restored between 1880 and 1930.
• The birth chamber - the tower traditionally identified with Henry VII's birth in 1457.

When to go

April to October for full opening and the best light on the river frontage; winter hours are shorter. Weekday mornings are quiet. Events and re-enactments run through summer.

Honest expectations

Much of what looks medieval is early twentieth-century restoration. The keep stair is a long tight spiral with no handrail in places. The cavern is dark, wet and reached by steep steps, and closes when river levels are high.

Nearby

Pembroke Dock lies north; the Pembrokeshire coast and Stackpole are south.