National Trust - Penrhyn Castle & Garden Reviews Summary

Castle and Grounds

Pros:

• "The grounds are absolutely stunning, full of ancient oak trees, a beautiful garden and lovely hideaway by the brook."
• "A beautiful place that has stood the test of time and is in impeccable condition throughout."
• "The grounds are gorgeous."
• "The castle looks very imposing from the outside to the glamor and amazing decor inside, the craftsmanship inside is outstanding."
• "Love the castle and grounds. Have visited several times."
• "Very well preserved historical monument with amazing views."
• "Beautiful castle sited perfectly between the beach and mountains and set in stunning grounds."

Cons:

• "It's quite a walk up to the castle, and once at the top, there's a lot of walking up and down steps."
• "A beautiful castle and what we were allowed to see was fantasticly done, library, bedroom, dining room, kitchen but it was maybe 25% of the castle, no battlements, dungeons, turrets, just a lot of locked doors, private signs, roped of stairways....I was disappointed."
• "What you can see from the outside you can't see all of on the inside, there's a set route around and you can't go up any tower or get out on top anywhere at all."
• "Such a shame one of the towers isn't open to take in the incredible vistas."
• "Amazingly beautiful, but was disappointed on my visit. I asked why so few rooms were open to the public to be informed you didn't have the staff to open them."
• "Disappointed however in the number of rooms available for viewing and the lack of facilities e.g. Shop closed and no seating inside at the cafe."
• "A very small number of rooms actually available to the public."

Staff and Volunteers

Pros:

• "Volunteers and workers were extremely knowledgeable about the building."
• "All National Trust staff are helpful and friendly."
• "The staff are knowledgeable and friendly."
• "All the staff were very helpful and approachable."
• "All the staff are so friendly and welcoming and so much knowledge, so well worth taking time to talk too."
• "The staff were very pleasant in speaking to us about the history of certain rooms not making us feel rushed at all."
• "Very friendly staff across the property, from reception to the House guides."

Cons:

• "The only big downside is the staff inside the castle… They are always jumping to you to tell you about the facts or how you should visit the place."
• "The worst thing was the guy on reception, he was pushing constantly for us to become members."
• "No history was offered as to visitors of the time, etc."
• "The only tiny thing that let it down was a terrible dog owner who didn't clear up after their dog."
• "Signposting needs some work though as we found it difficult to navigate the grounds."
• "I was a little disappointed that you weren’t allowed to venture further into some corridors."
• "Interesting castle but the history of it not discussed in detail without speaking to the volunteers."

Cafes and Food

Pros:

• "There are two cafes! One inside the castle, at the end of the tour, and one outside, in the stables area, which is near the Rail museum."
• "The cafe was good though there wasn't that much choice in food, but the hot chocolate was delicious!"
• "The cafe has a good selection of food and drinks available."
• "Nice cafe as well with good selection of food and drink."
• "The cafe had a range of items to eat and drink as well as ice cream for dogs which as it was very hot was a good thing for us and our hound."
• "Stopped for a cup of tea and cake in the café."
• "The Summer Berry Flapjacks in the cafe were to die for."

Cons:

• "Didn’t think much of the cafe or restaurant, very basic choice of food and small seating area."
• "Please note the cafe is quite small and was very busy while we were on site."
• "Cafe had limited food menu, nice touch of kids could have half a jacket potato."
• "We found the cafe selling light bites, we're not sure if there was one on site selling meals as such."
• "The cafe was rammed even on a weekday and all the specials and all bar the gluten-free sandwiches were already gone."
• "Cafe was open but service was very slow and not much seating."
• "Very nice café, probably not enough tables for lunch as we had to Hover and pounce when one became available."

Accessibility and Parking

Pros:

• "Disabled parking is available."
• "Parking is available for free."
• "Parking is free to both national trust members and non members."
• "There is a buggy that will take you up and down."
• "If you have mobility problems there is a minibus service from visitors centre to the castle."
• "Had a lovely day there was very impressed about the gentleman who drove a buggie around for elder people or people who are disabled it made it much easier to see the lovely castle."
• "There is a bit of a walk from the car park uphill but they do have some lovely men in golf buggys who will drive you to the main entrance of the house if you find it difficult to walk."

Cons:

• "It's quite a walk up to the castle, and once at the top, there's a lot of walking up and down steps."
• "One slight complaint is that there is disabled parking up near the castle entrance that could be better advertised and signage could be bigger."
• "Be aware that the car park is a good 15 mins walk from the main entrance."
• "The carpark and entrance is a bit of a walk up hill from the castle."
• "One small criticism the cafe was not easy for the disabled to get in every confusing signage."
• "Down side was the lack of signs to get you to the walled garden which we didn't find."
• "No maps of the grounds were given out when we arrived and due to the lack of volunteers not all rooms were open - NT try employing more people."