‘Raise the drawbridge!’: readers’ favourite UK castles

Brilliant family trips are to be had at castles with great views, amazing history and, often, splendid tea and cake. Our tipsters reveal gems from Somerset to Ayrshire

I grew up quite close to 12th-century Pennard Castle on the Gower peninsula and it enthralled me as a child; it’s a ruin but still obviously a castle and in my imagination it was full of knights on horses jousting and lots of arrow slits so you can ambush your mates. The castle’s situation is dramatic and beautiful: it is perched on the edge of the valley, with a sheer drop below to the north and west. From it there is a sweeping view out towards Three Cliffs Bay, among the most beautiful beaches in the UK. From Parkmill village you walk about a mile down Pennard Pill river through the woods before the castle reveals itself. It’s free to visit.
Piers