Discover Caerphilly: Castle, Mountain and Cheese Festival

Caerphilly combines impressive history, walks with far-reaching views and unusual local experiences. At its heart is Caerphilly Castle, whose construction began in 1268. There is also Caerphilly Mountain, with its paths through ancient woodland, activities for cyclists and special meeting places for street food and handmade goods. When looking for a holiday apartment in Caerphilly, you can therefore first decide whether culture, scenery, exercise or culinary discoveries should be the focus of your trip.

Experience Caerphilly Castle and its history in your own way

The construction of Caerphilly Castle began in 1268, making the castle an important historical landmark of the town. If you prefer to explore history and stories at your own pace, you can also use the self-guided tour from Caerphilly Audio Tours. It focuses on the history and legends of Caerphilly, making it well suited to a stay in which you want to get to know the town not only through individual sights, but also through its stories.

Views from Caerphilly Mountain

A walk to the summit of Caerphilly Mountain opens up views of Cardiff and its docks, Flat Holm and Steep Holm in the Bristol Channel, Penarth Head and England. The paths around Caerphilly Mountain lead through ancient woodland. This gives the mountain a clear contrast with the castle: on these paths, the focus is not on historic architecture, but on views across the landscape and surrounding area. If you want to combine walks and culture on your trip, you can include both in your daily plans.

Cycling, golf and seasonal activities

Van Road Trails is a free-to-use community dirt-jump bike facility on Van Road in Caerphilly. Fun, fitness and improving riding skills are at the heart of the facility. In summer, Van Road Trails hosts weekly club nights, and in autumn it also holds an annual dual slalom competition. For a stay with an interest in cycling, this is a distinct activity that differs considerably from a classic walk.

Another sporting option is Caerphilly Golf Club. It was founded at its present location in 1905 and has an 18-hole golf course with views of the town and surrounding countryside. When choosing your accommodation, you can therefore consider whether you would rather focus on historic moments in the town, paths on the mountain, cycling or a round of golf.

Morgan Jones Park in the town of Caerphilly has a “Wetter is Better” Aqua-Splash area in summer.

Cheese, street food and local meeting places

The Caerphilly Cheese Festival has been held for more than twenty years. The festival includes a large travelling cheese market and a food court. It complements Caerphilly’s historic side with a culinary experience that highlights cheese as an integral part of the event’s profile.

Ffos Caerffili also focuses on community experiences. The meeting place was built from reused shipping containers. More than 20 independent traders offer street food and handmade goods there. If you value a variety of food options and local products when planning your trip, this place is an interesting addition to the castle, mountain and outdoor activities.

Getting there and choosing the right base

Caerphilly Transport Interchange is located near Caerphilly Castle. From there, trains to and from Bargoed and Cardiff run approximately every 10 to 20 minutes, while services to and from Rhymney run approximately every 30 minutes. You can take this information into account when planning your trip if you want to coordinate your accommodation and excursions with the rail services. When looking for a holiday apartment, it makes sense to first decide whether proximity to historic sites, walks, sporting activities or local meeting places is particularly important to you.

Other places to consider when planning your trip

If you would like to compare other places in addition to Caerphilly, you can also look at Blackwood, Crosskeys, Bedwas, Oakdale, Rhymney and Cwmfelinfach.

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