Open Doors in Ruthin

Last September a lot of Open Doors events were organised all throughout Wales, and when we found out that Ruthin was part of it, we decided to go for it as the castle has always been on our list of things to see.

The weather was sunny and fresh so it was a perfect day to explore a historical town. We started off with Ruthin Castle (we booked a tour the day before as even if it was free the whole weekend, they didn't allow you to visit it at your leisure) at 11 am. It was great to discover the old part of the castle as well as the new ones constructed in the 19th century. We even got to explore the oubliettes and an underground dungeon that had just been cleared out for people to go through. There was a really nice atmosphere around the garden and you could find some colourful peacocks everywhere! If you can afford it, I would definitely recommend to stay there for the night as we had a glimpse of the inside rooms and the hotel looks absolutely amazing... One day! For now, we're thinking of treating ourselves to one of these Medieval Feasts!

Straight after the castle, we visited Nantclwyd y Dre and its peaceful garden (where the view of the town was quite amazing). The house has been renovated in a way that each room represents a different time and you can see how people would have been living there through the centuries. I particularly liked the fact that extensions to the house were added regularly which gives a bit of a labyrinth-like feel to it.

After an incredibly delicious meal at On The Hill (one of the best meals we've ever had and so affordable!), we wandered around the town and made sure to stop at St Peter's Church to admire the renovated gate with its golden details. Contrastingly, the Ruthin Craft Centre just down the road has a really contemporary structure and it was nice to explore the galleries and shop. There were a couple of exhibitions happening at the time but our favourite had to be the ceramic sculptures by Susan O'Byrne.

To be completely honest, we would not hesitate to go back to Ruthin just to have another meal at On The Hill!!

Have a great Sunday guys :)

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