Castell Henllys Iron Age Village

Castell Henllys Iron Age Village

Castell Henllys Iron Age Village
4.5
Historic SitesAncient RuinsHistoric Walking AreasArchitectural Buildings
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Come and enjoy a unique prehistoric day out at Castell Henllys, Britain's only Iron Age village that has been reconstructed on the exact location where roundhouses would have stood 2500 years ago. Explore our roundhouses and immerse yourself in Iron Age life, spot a variety of wildlife in our woodland and relax in our riverside café. Throughout the year we hold a variety of events and workshops that educate, inspire and celebrate the ancient way of life. Please visit our website for more details about upcoming events. The Iron Age people enjoyed the company of hounds so your dog will be more than welcome to share in your exploration as long as they are on a lead.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • SGRich
    Atherstone, United Kingdom15 contributions
    Interesting and enjoyable family visit
    Had a great day here yesterday. Very friendly staff at the shop and cafe at the bottom and friendly and very knowledgeable staff at the top dressed up in iron age era clothes. Activities such as bread making we're lots of fun and very interesting for our 8 year old daughter and lots of fun learning to sling shot too. Highly recommended for the price of you're in the area.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 20 February 2023
  • Diane W
    2 contributions
    Castell Henllys
    This was a fun and informative experience for all of us, aged 5 to 62, the two rising 8year olds were learning about the Celts in school this term, so it was particularly relevant. We all enjoyed the 4 hours that we were there and could have stayed longer. The guides kept us all totally engaged in the talks, and the children particularly enjoyed the fire making demo and learning how to grind the wheat and make bread. The children also enjoyed reading the stones on the path on the way up to the settlement which made for interesting discussion as we walking. Cafe, reception and shop staff all friendly and efficient. I think we will be returning in the summer.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 23 February 2023
  • Oliver R
    Neath, United Kingdom21 contributions
    A unique historical attraction
    A unique historical attraction, rebuilt on the site of an original Iron Age camp. Lots of scenic views are to be had on what is quite a small site, but there’s nothing quite like seeing a roaring fire in one of the huts. There were staff/volunteers on hand with demonstrations, which was a nice extra touch.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 2 March 2023
  • Tom F
    29 contributions
    Excellent Morgan Black
    This one was of my favourite historical places I’ve been to. The staff throughout were fabulous. Amazing site, fantastic gift shop, great value for money homemade food in the cafe with lovely staff and finally such an amazing employee you have in Morgan Black the Bard who entertained us with stories and a performance. I could have sat for hours and listened to him what an asset for the site. 100% will be back and highly recommend it. Great price and no hidden extras.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 4 July 2023
  • Elmo2902
    Nantwich, United Kingdom18 contributions
    Excellent experience with a cute cafe as well
    Brilliant hidden gem - well worth a visit if you are staying in or passing through Pembrokeshire. Staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. Special thanks to Morgan Black for a very special rendition of 'Smoke on Water' played on a medieval lire !
    Visited July 2023
    Written 7 July 2023
  • Helen B
    18 contributions
    Iron Age Hill fort & Trampers for hire
    We visited Castell Hennlys on impulse while on holiday on about 28th June 2023. I have poor mobility but was able wait only a short time to hire one of their Trampers. We had an excellent cream tea lunch while waiting. With the Tramper I travelled slowly up the sunny woodland path through wild birdsong to reach the top of the hill and the hillfort’s gate. The rebuilt round houses were amazing and we had demonstrations of cooking, weaving and how our ancestors lived given by very knowledgeable guides all dressed in Iron Age clothing. A slow trip back to base down the paths by the sparkling stream brought us back for a refreshing ice cream in the cafe. Such lovely people in charge, very kind and considerate. It’s not often I can visit places on hillsides properly so bless you for having Trampers available making Castell Hennlys a high spot of my holiday!
    Visited June 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 13 July 2023
  • Jane Engles
    6 contributions
    Great, but avoid large groups
    Really interesting site, with a good feel about it. I imagine it would've been a really engaging visit, but unfortunately we had very little interaction with the guides / reenactors as a large school group were on site. We also couldn't go in some on the huts due to the school children taking the space. My son would have really loved to have learnt more. My advice to get a full experience would be to ring ahead to check no large groups are around. I really do think this could be a great and informative experience though.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 16 July 2023
  • Adventurer
    United Kingdom5 contributions
    Enchanting Iron Age Village
    First visited this amazing Iron Age Village over 30 yrs ago & was equally entranced on my 2nd visit. We arrived early on a grey day to avoid crowds due to our nervous rescue dog. All the staff were friendly & welcoming and when we came out of one of the round houses we were greeted by two very friendly members of the Demetae tribe! The wealth of information provided by Morgan plus the delight of him playing a Celtic musical instrument really made our trip worthwhile. Can't comment on cafe as shut on Mondays as out of peak season, but would definitely recommend visiting this magical, mystical site.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 19 July 2023
  • Becca H
    1 contribution
    Fantastic day out for all the family - taking advantage of the outdoors with a little fun education sneakily thrown in!
    Fantastic experience for all the family: particularly disabled and dog friendly. Dan was hugely knowledgable and generous with his time in the village and Owain, not only took a mobility impaired grandma up to the village in the site vehicle while the rest of us walked, but also arranged for her to be collected when we were ready to make our way back down to a delicious light lunch at the cafe next to the river. Cannot recommend highly enough - just wish we could be there during the local school holiday dates to take advantage of the many events planned for the site.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 22 July 2023
  • sara A
    Neyland, United Kingdom47 contributions
    Fabulous day out - will return !
    Fabulous visit today and massive thanks to the staff at this wonderfully reconstructed Iron Age village. There is a lovely feel about this place , it’s tranquil and very pleasant . The car park was full when we arrived but the place just seemed to swallow everyone up so it didn’t seem crowded. The displays were excellent , bread making and warrior training for the children , plenty of space to run around for them as well ! Harvest celebrations finished the day off wonderfully ! Highly recommend a visit !
    Visited August 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 1 August 2023
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4.5
346 reviews
Excellent
228
Very good
76
Average
21
Poor
17
Terrible
4

Mark G
London, UK1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Family
Really enjoyed our visit to this fascinating site. It is a recreation of a Celtic Iron Age hill fort at a location where one once existed. The staff on site gave insights into life at that time and to show the similarities with life today. When we went Morgan of Mercia, a Celtic bard, was able to add additional information about the music and culture at the time. Well worth a visit!
Written 13 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Helen
Dyffryn Ardudwy, UK17 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
What an incredible opportunity to step back in time. The female guide was very knowledgeable with lots of interesting facts.
Written 22 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

suntracker
Grand Isle163 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Went there primarily for husband's interests but glad I did. The guide there made it a great experience with his depth of knowledge. This is an iron age village rebuilt based on the original excavated archeology with round houses, garden, sheep, etc.
Written 9 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Joanne Williams
6 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
As a family of 5 (ages ranging from 10-50), we had an amazing time at Castell Henllys. The care and enthusiasm of the staff makes it special, Morgan of Mercia (aka Morgan Black) being an example of the dedicated custodians of this Iron Age village. His bardic tales and musicality (rather impressively Morgan has also made the instruments he plays in his workshop) are very entertaining and illuminating. An unexpected gift for me was hearing a 'carnyx' being played, a Celtic instrument that has long fascinated me but I'd only seen pictures of. Our children also made oil lamps from clay and had their faces painted with Celtic designs. The lady who did these activities was kind and patient (& artistically gifted too), and another young woman sitting by the fire in the large communal roundhouse spoke with us (in Welsh and English) about what life would have been like for the villagers. We had lunch in the cafe and the food was of excellent quality and reasonably-priced. My husband, who never normally buys anything for himself, also came away with a locally-crafted leather wristband from the giftshop! We highly recommend Castell Henllys; the beautiful location and the antiquity of the site alone would make it a worthwhile trip, but the recreated village and its people make for a memorable experience.
Written 17 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ruth M
London, UK152 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
This place was brilliant, even in the on/off drizzle we had a great time.

The receptionist gave us a map of the area and enthusiastically explained all the things to see and do. We took a leisurely stroll following the map and there are plaques and displays to see all along the route.

We did the barefoot walk and washed our feet in the river, which I would highly recommend, but maybe take a towel to dry your feet off if it's not a very hot day.

The two sows in the village were obviously happy and well cared for, always a good sign when animals on site are in good conditions. The staff member in the actual village was very enthusiastic and knowledgable and dealt with two three years olds (in another party to ours) very patiently. We saw how carvings were made and fences built, so much information that I couldn't even record it all here.

We stopped at their cafe to dry off a little and had The Most Amazing Coffee and Mars Brownie - do not miss this part!
Written 16 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

seedym02
Hitchin, UK22 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Fascinating site with good quality reconstructions of iron age village. Nice café and gift shop. Don’t miss out on the discovery room before you go up to the site for context - nice displays and interactive activity for children.
Brilliant talk while we were there about the development of celtic musical instruments with demos and making interesting connections to the lives of our ancestors. Made the visit more to than worthwhile.
Visit was only let down by a few of the less interested ‘tribes people’ who didn’t seem keen to communicate with their visitors.
Written 8 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kevin W
4 contributions
Aug 2023
Our favourite part of this visit was absolutely the talks that were given by the interactive staff. My personal favourite was the bard who was hugely knowledgeable about music instruments from the iron age. A close second was the warrier who spoke about food and weapons! The whole grounds have been held in time. For Asterix fans, the location will feel familiar.we really enjoyed the day here. We spent about four hours wandering g and listening to talks.I

Would highly recommend to singles, couples and families interested in history and social anthropology.....and Asterix...and how to throw a sling shot.
Written 6 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sara A
Neyland, UK47 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Fabulous visit today and massive thanks to the staff at this wonderfully reconstructed Iron Age village. There is a lovely feel about this place , it’s tranquil and very pleasant . The car park was full when we arrived but the place just seemed to swallow everyone up so it didn’t seem crowded. The displays were excellent , bread making and warrior training for the children , plenty of space to run around for them as well !
Harvest celebrations finished the day off wonderfully !
Highly recommend a visit !
Written 1 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Becca H
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Family
Fantastic experience for all the family: particularly disabled and dog friendly. Dan was hugely knowledgable and generous with his time in the village and Owain, not only took a mobility impaired grandma up to the village in the site vehicle while the rest of us walked, but also arranged for her to be collected when we were ready to make our way back down to a delicious light lunch at the cafe next to the river. Cannot recommend highly enough - just wish we could be there during the local school holiday dates to take advantage of the many events planned for the site.
Written 22 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Adventurer
United Kingdom5 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
First visited this amazing Iron Age Village over 30 yrs ago & was equally entranced on my 2nd visit. We arrived early on a grey day to avoid crowds due to our nervous rescue dog. All the staff were friendly & welcoming and when we came out of one of the round houses we were greeted by two very friendly members of the Demetae tribe! The wealth of information provided by Morgan plus the delight of him playing a Celtic musical instrument really made our trip worthwhile. Can't comment on cafe as shut on Mondays as out of peak season, but would definitely recommend visiting this magical, mystical site.
Written 19 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Castell Henllys Iron Age Village, Crymych

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