Castell Henllys Iron Age Village Reviews Summary

Attraction Quality

Pros:

• "This recreated iron age village is definitely worth a visit if you enjoy history."
• "The displays in the visitor centre and the roundhouses themselves really bring the history of the area to life."
• "David took the time to explain everything to do with the Iron Age, it was fascinating to hear."
• "Roundhouses are open to explore, often complete with open fire."
• "A very interesting day out and fun for all the family!"
• "Really enjoyed our iron age experience - was great to hear from the local inhabitants about Iron Age life."
• "A very fun family day out and a great way to learn about the Celts and how they lived."

Cons:

• "Would not call again."
• "What we saw was good but there were no activities to take part in as was advertised to take place over school holidays."
• "We visited this place about 6 /7 years ago, and it does need some TLC now as it is starting to look a bit shabby."
• "But we were expecting the 'iron age villager' to show us around or at least explain a little about the village but in honesty he was just rather weird."
• "None of this happened; there was one young person ( who was very knowledgeable) who gave a talk in the largest hut. Extremely disappointed."
• "Disappointed two of the main huts had small fires which made the huts Smokey so came out again because of the stink of smoke."
• "Sadly I found this very underwhelming... it's a potentially large attraction that could have featured geology, archeology, culture and links to other tribes, settlements and an array of interesting things, but instead it featured a few dwellings, two actors and one pig."

Facilities & Accessibility

Pros:

• "there is a cosy tea room selling light bites and a lovely selection of home made cakes"
• "The gift shop is a little pricey though to compensate you have free car parking and free admission."
• "Restaurant is a lovely resting place with lovely eats and a shop that carries local and historical gifts."
• "Also a truly beautiful setting."
• "The cafe was a little expensive for food, but the quality was very good."
• "Cafe had delicious treats with First class service."
• "The staff were all really friendly and happy to answer our questions."

Cons:

• "I was hoping to be able to use the bike they have for people that have difficulty walking."
• "It is a short walk from the main reception to the Fort itself which may be difficult for those with mobility issues."
• "Be careful if you have a chest complaint the hill to the fort was very steep, I had to stop a number of times to get my breath."
• "Steep hill to access village, was possible with a pushchair, but may be a challenge for a wheelchair."
• "There's no network coverage at all there."
• "Cafe not open the weekend of our visit."
• "For those with limited mobility, be aware that there path is quite steep, albeit quite smooth."

Staff & Demonstrations

Pros:

• "There was a gentlemen up at the iron age houses giving very informative talks."
• "The two staff really brought everything to life with their knowledge and demonstrations."
• "The staff are extremely knowledgeable and hospitable and they are very accommodating to people with disabilities."
• "The 'villagers' working there are very knowledgeable and can demonstrate and talk about many activities"
• "The villagers were extremely knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about what they do."
• "The guide was absolutely fantastic, you really felt like he experienced the stories he was telling."
• "The staff were very kind and helpful."

Cons:

• "The foot trail!!! That is supposed to be a sensory experience and they could not be less bothered."
• "There was two people there that turned up after their lunch, they gave a few minutes talk and you could feel they did not want to be there."
• "some of the 'villagers' better at concise explanations than others who waffled or went off on their own pet subject and lost their audiences as a result."
• "There were only two staff in the actual village and they were there more for you to ask questions rather than having anything prepared to present to you."
• "Only one member of staff to answer questions etc, no information written about the history etc apart from minimal on leaflet map."
• "others felt underwhelming or neglected like the herb area or the sensory path."
• "Near on impossible to do, we went through all the elements on the webpage, we tried calling and could not get through due to our signal being weak where we were staying, and WiFi being no better."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "The gift shop is a little pricey though to compensate you have free car parking and free admission."
• "family tickets are £16 excellent value"
• "entry for a family was only 18.50"
• "Definitely worth a visit."
• "Lovely experience well worth a visit."
• "Imaginative, educational and entertaining. Brilliant value for money."
• "The price for a family of 5 was really cheap!"

Cons:

• "How can anyone put more than one star !!? Honestly ! It is such a rip off."
• "It's okay. Wouldn't come back again though."
• "Cannot say this was a good visit at all or value for money"
• "Not heaps to see, given you need to pay to go in."
• "for the entry fee it did seem to be a tad expensive for what was on display."
• "Without the activities you could probably only spend an hour here so check online before going with kids."
• "Overall it was disappointing, having traveled for 3 hrs to get to the site."