The town walls of Conwy are part of the fortification of the town that includes the castle. They cover 1,400 yards in an almost unbroken circuit around the town. And the almost unbroken circuit is an important distinction because more than once I saw guidebooks/tour guides suggesting that you can walk around the town walls the same way as you can at York and no, you definitely can’t. In fact I found some extra COVID restrictions had been left in place with some of the walls closed off completely and others with instructions that the route was one way only – at some places that was completely impractical and if you’d followed the signs your only option would have been to jump up into the sea!
Nevertheless, with three gatehouses and twenty-one towers at regular intervals they are considered one of Europe’s best preserved medieval defensive schemes, constructed at the same time as the castle between 1283 to 1287. I started off at Tower 5 and did as much of a loop as I could, but didn’t do it all as I ended taking quite a few detours to investigate other buildings, as you’ll see later.
Probably a bit tricky for the elderly and those with limited mobility, on the whole the walls are very well maintained and easy to walk along and passing people isn’t too much of a worry, especially with the handrails. Being on the walls does give you a great view of the town and surroundings, not to mention the castle.
As a free thing to do in the town it can’t really be beaten and pairs well with a visit to the castle.
Louise Jayne's Blog 