For anybody who has ever wanted to see and experience what castle life might have been like in the Middle Ages and later, there's no better place to go than to see a  Wales castle, in the United Kingdom. It's often called the "Castle Capital of the World" for the number and quality of its castles. At present, there are over 400 such structures, with 100 of them still standing, either in ruin or as restored buildings. The other 300 are more like nature, and they mostly consist of ditches, earthworks and mounds, oftentimes in commanding positions that overlook the countryside.

Those fans and enthusiasts who appreciate the world of knights, dukes, lords and noblemen will immediately take to the typical Wales castle, which has to have been the model upon which all historic British lords are now depicted, looking down upon the countryside from great battlements or towers or even the castle’s keep. There are a number of these castles spread throughout the country, in almost all directions, and some still have a great many of their towers and battlements still standing.

The castle at Dinefwr (Anglicized as “Dynefor”) overlooks the Welsh river of Tywi, in Carmarthenshire. One enters the castle through a massive door that's protected by a length of battlements that's been restored for the benefit of castle fans and tourists. From the battlements, one can see vast expanses of the Towy Valley below.

There's also a narrow spiral staircase that takes a castle visitor to a high tower from which one can see the Tywi Valley lying to the south and west. Like many a Welsh castle, it was designed to provide fortification and protection to the area from the predations of various marauding peoples and even, later in the Middle Ages, the English (against whom the Welsh constantly struggled for independence).

Castles in Wales were constructed during various periods or eras, by the way. The earliest castles in Wales were those of the motte and bailey variety and were erected during the Norman period, when William the Conqueror (also called William I) became ruler in 1066, after the Battle of Hastings. These castles were a combination of earthworks and enclosed wooden courtyards.

Over time, wealthy Norman lords constructed stone works and elaborate stone castle keeps, with this style of castle building in Wales lasting until the early 13th century. There have been several other periods in which a Wales castle design of one sort or another came to primacy in the country. Many built by the famous "Welsh princes," erected in order to repel invading Normans and even the English, were eventually built over by succeeding waves of "visitors" to the country.

A good example of a castle from this era, which sits on a hilltop mostly in ruin but still worth touring, is the one at Carreg Cennen. It is an imposing structure, sitting on that hill overlooking the Cennen River in Carmarthenshire, near the village of Llandeilo.