If you've ever wondered what a Celtic village looked, felt and smelt like, take a trip back in time to this Iron Age settlement, 4 miles east of Newport. From about 600 BC and right through the Roman occupation there was a thriving Celtic settlement here, and it's been reconstructed on its original foundations. Costumed staff bring the site to life, stoking the fires and performing traditional crafts, and wildlife such as bats and otters may appear to add verisimilitude.
The name Castell Henllys means Castle of the Prince's Court. For 27 years students from around the world, supervised by the University of York archaeology department, spent their summers digging and sifting at the site and in the process learned enough to build this remarkable recreation of the settlement, complete with educated guesses about the clothing, tools, ceremonies and agricultural life of that time.
The buildings include three thatched roundhouses, animal pens, a smithy and a grain store – all of which you can enter and touch. There are even Iron Age breeds of pigs and sheep and reconstructions of Celtic gardens. The idea is that you linger, experience and interact, not cruise through passively as in a traditional museum. Naturally, there's a cafe and a gift shop.
Buses between Newport and Cardigan stop nearby on request.
