Essential Caerphilly: Exploring the Town’s Legends and History

(8 reviews)

Cardiff audio tour: Essential Caerphilly: Exploring the Town’s Legends and History

This is a 1mi walking tour

It takes an average of 40 mins to complete.

Cardiff

The United Kingdom

$5.99

Access all 21 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

Buy for a Group

Reviews

About the Tour

Take a stroll through the streets of Caerphilly and the park surrounding the castle while hearing stories about the town’s history and legends.

The tour starts at the Visit Caerphilly Centre. From there, you’ll walk up to the Tommy Cooper statue where you’ll learn more about the famous comedian and to the Twyn Community Centre. You’ll then stroll through the town and riverside park, all the while hearing stories about the town’s development through the ages. I’ll then take you to the site of a Roman Fort with a view of the often overlooked western side of the castle.

On the way back through the park and to the castle, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to sit and listen to some of the amazing stories, legends and history connected to the castle. The tour ends at the gates of the castle with one final story about one of the most influential people of the Victorian age.

Folk Round by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Tour Producer

Suzie Rees

2 tours

I'm an actor, storyteller, and unicorn collector. I'm also passionate about history in general and about Welsh history in particular. Wales is my homeland and I am very proud to call myself "Cymraes" - a Welsh woman.
Growing up I didn't realise how unusual it was to have a medieval castle as your playground but its strories always fascinated me. The more I learnt about the castle the more Iearnt about local history and the more I wanted people to see the amazing place I live in as I do. A place of mystery, rebellion, heartbreak and madness all linked to a town with a history going back 2000 years.
My tours will take you on a walk through that history, not only in Caerphilly town but in the surrounding valleys too.
Thanks to Voicemap you can join me on a socially distanced tour while I tell you stories of my homeland.

Preview Location

Location 11

David Williams Memorial

You are now entering the David Williams Park,

Please take the path in front of you. There are some steps at the end near the memorial but you can view the plaza from the top of the steps if you are unable to negotiate them. There is also a bench for you to sit and listen t... You are now entering the David Williams Park,

Please take the path in front of you. There are some steps at the end near the memorial but you can view the plaza from the top of the steps if you are unable to negotiate them. There is also a bench for you to sit and listen to the story. Whatever you decide, please stop in front of the obelisk.

The obelisk in the centre of this small plaza is dedicated to David Williams who was born in 1738 in a cottage on Caerphilly Mountain. His father’s dying wish was for David to be trained as a Methodist minister and so when he was 14 he went to college in Carmarthen. Upon his ordination in 1758, he moved to Somerset and by 1769 he was living in London where he spent the rest of his life.

Williams was a man of many talents. Not only was he a minister of religion, but he was also an author on a wide range of subjects including church reforms, education and the theatre and counted David Garrick and Samuel Johnson among his acquaintances.

He was also a friend of Benjamin Franklin who, in 1774, sought refuge with Williams during a political storm over the release of letters from the governor of Massachusetts which suggested that residents of the colonies should not have the same rights as people in Britain.

In 1782 Williams published “ Letters on Political Liberties”, a comment on the rights and liberties of citizens during the reign of King George 3rd.
These letters were translated into French and were so highly regarded that Williams was made a French citizen in 1792 and contributed to the new French constitution. Surprisingly, these letters are still available to purchase in a modern version, although the language still belongs to the 1700s.

The lasting legacy of David Williams’ life was the foundation of the Royal Literary Fund which he set up in 1780 and which today still provides funds to help authors experiencing hardship.

David Williams died in 1816 and was buried in the churchyard of St. Anne’s Soho. Although the churchyard has now been turned into a park there is still a plaque there commemorating this extraordinary Welshman.

Let's get going again. Turn around and exit the park the same way you entered. Once at the exit, turn right and continue walking with the park on your right-hand side. Read More

View locations and route

How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

The VoiceMap app uses GPS to play audio automatically, at the right time and place, so you can focus on your surroundings, not the screen.

Follow a route with turn-by-turn-directions

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a fixed starting point. That lets us give turn-by-turn directions and use context to tell a better story.

Resume playback to go at your own pace

If you'd like to stop for a drink or go into a museum, end your tour then use the Resume feature to pick up exactly where you left off.

Listen as many times as you like

You can listen to your tours as often as you like using both the VoiceMap app and website.

Take virtual tours anywhere, like a podcast

Select Virtual mode in the VoiceMap app to listen to tours like a podcast - at home or in transit.

Buy for less on voicemap.me and sync

Once you've purchased a tour, it's added to your VoiceMap library. To access it in the app, just sign in using the same account.

Do tours without paying for data

Tours work offline, so you don't have to pay roaming fees. Just download them over WiFi before you get started.

Major Landmarks

Tommy Cooper Statue
The Twyn Community Centre
Court House
Dafydd Williams Park
Gorsedd Stones
Owain Glyndwr playing field
Castell Caerffili / Caerphilly Castle

View all

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
The Twyn, Caerphilly CF83 1JL, UK
Total distance

2km
Final location
6-24 B4263, Caerphilly CF83 1NZ, UK
Distance back to start location

112.96m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour starts outside the main entrance to the Visit Caerphilly Centre. There is a car park immediately opposite. The shopping centre car park is across the road, the entrance is off Bedwas Road by the Morrisons petrol station.
If you are arriving by train or bus just follow the signs, walk downhill towards the castle. The Visit Caerphilly Centre (Coffi Vista) is situated above the cenotaph, in the middle of the one-way system and opposite the main entrance to the castle. It's not as difficult to find as it sounds!

Show Directions

Gift vouchers

Buy tours for friends and family who delight in discovery

Buy Now

Buy for a group

Get 15% to 50% off when you buy for a group

Buy Now

License this tour

Adapt this tour to use your brand and suit your guests

Find out more

Tips

Places to stop along the way

Coffi Vista at the Visit Caerphilly Centre offers tea, coffee, soft drinks, cakes and snacks, 13 Market Street - behind Twyn Community Centre is a bar and restaurant, Casa Mia restaurant - on the corner of the Twyn Square, is a restaurant with a window wall overlooking the castle, The Courthouse bar and restaurant also offers views of the castle,, Glanmor's Bakery - opposite The Courthouse sells delicious bread and cakes made on the premises. Also, Glanmor's Tearooms in the shopping centre below the Visit Caerphilly Centre is a delightful place to stop for a cup of tea. If you wish to venture further into the town there are several other tea shops, bars and restaurants situated along Cardiff Road.

Best time of day

Daytime is the best time to visit. There are no lights on parts of the route and if you would like to visit a cafe or bar then they are mostly open during the day

You can also choose the Continuous Play option to listen to the tour at home if you are unable to visit Caerphilly

Precautions

The route runs along the main road through Caerphilly and occasionally crosses roads so please take care when walking. The route is mostly accessible for all abilities as it runs along pavements and paths, however, there are a couple of areas with steps. These are pointed out on the tour and it is up to the individual whether they use the steps. Part of the route is also near a car park so due caution should also be used in this vicinity. Caerphilly is generally a safe place with no major crime however it is always sensible to be aware of your surroundings.

This tour is undertaken at your own risk and Caerphilly Audio Tours cannot be held responsible for any incidents.

Get The App

Download tours to use them offline

Listen hands-free with GPS playback

Get turn-by-turn directions

Scan the QR Code

“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

Google Play Store

Questions and Reviews

4.8 / 5

8 Ratings

Display:

Sort by:

Relevant

Recent

Loading…

Loading...