Four Welsh castles and one catherdal in Wales have made a list of Britain's top historic attractions, beating iconic locations like Westminster Abbey, Stonehenge, the Tower of London and Shakespeare's birthplace. Consumer watchdog Which? asked 2,994 members to rate 63 historic attractions across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In the survey, participants were asked to rate over 6,700 experiences using nine criteria, including overall value for money, helpfulness of staff and lack of crowds. In joint first place came Yorkshire's Fountains Abbey and Edinburgh's Royal Yacht Britannia, both scoring 88%.
Powis Castle was highest rated out of the Welsh locations, coming in at 13th place with an overall score of 83%. It was built in the mid-13th century by a Welsh prince - Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn. It got four out of five stars for its facilities, lack of crowds and value for money, with an admission fee of £15 - narrowly beating Westminster Abbey (14th place).
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Next is St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire in 22nd place with 80%. Notably, it is one of the handful of sites that are free for visitors. The sample size was too small to calculate a rating for some criterion, but it scored four out of five stars for its lack of crowds. Like Powis Castle, it has an impressive history, having been begun by Norman Bishop Peter de Leia in 1181.
Cardiff Castle comes in at number 38, with an overall score of 76%. With an entrance fee of £15, it was praised for its value for money and lack of crowds (both rated four out of five stars). The 2000-year-old site is located within sprawling parkland in the heart of the city centre.
On the other side of the country, Conwy Castle in north Wales also made the cut - coming in at number 52 with an overall rating of 72%. It got a high rating of four out of five stars for its lack of crowds, but was rated just two out of five stars for its entertainment/engagement and facilities.
Caernarfon Castle in Gwynedd had the same star ratings as Conwy Castle, but it was given an overall score of 66% in 61st place. Cadw says the fortress-palace on the banks of the River Seiont is grouped with Edward I’s other castles at Conwy, Beaumaris and Harlech as a World Heritage Site.
This year is the second time the Royal Yacht Britannia has topped Which?'s rankings of the best UK historic attractions, having done so previously in 2020. Other high-rankers include Culzean Castle and Country Park in Scotland and the Roman Baths and Pump Room in Bath, in joint second place with an overall score of 87%.
Shakespeare's Birthplace, the playwright's childhood home in Stratford-upon-Avon, comes in last place with a score of 63% - scoring just two out of five stars for value for money and facilities, and no more than three stars in any criterion.
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