BSC26: Gwydir Castle - Gardens, Ghosts & Cream Tea (Sun)

This is one of the events organised as part of Big Spring Camp 2026.

If the thought of anything involving a hill, a harness, or sustained physical effort is making you feel faintly unwell, this one is for you. This event is for anyone who wants a gentle, later start to the day with something worth getting out of your tent for.

A cost of £27 is payable to the venue on the day which includes admission to the house and gardens, a guided tour, and cream tea.

Barely a stone’s throw from camp, Gwydir Castle is a Tudor fortified manor house just a mile down the road. Rebuilt by the Wynn family in around 1490 as the seat of their family, Gwydir emerged as one of the most important cultural and political powerhouses of Wales. The site, surrounded by Grade I listed gardens, is steeped in history dense enough to keep you occupied without having to walk very far or very fast. It is, despite the name, not actually a castle in any meaningful sense and stands as a shining example of ‘build it grand enough and nobody questions your naming choices’. Royalty visited, an American newspaper tycoon once had the dining room dismantled and shipped across the Atlantic, and the grounds have been firmly occupied by peacocks since 1828. There is a lot to take in at whatever pace suits a Sunday morning.

We will meet at camp, walk down together, and start by exploring the gardens at our own pace. We will then have a guided tour of the house from the owners followed by a cream tea.

For accessibility, please bear in mind that large areas of the garden are gravel and some parts of the house have uneven flooring.

Event full?  Please join the waiting list.  Places usually open up as the event gets nearer and, where necessary, we try to add additional leaders to increase the numbers, so you are highly likely to get a place.

Photos used by kind permission of Gwydir Castle.