A night at St Briavels Castle YHA, Wye Valley

I think staying in a castle has been a dream for many but usually comes with a high price tag so when I heard about St Briavels, a castle in the Wye Valley that is now run by YHA (Youth Hostel Association) I had to know more. We tried to stay at St Briavels during the summer last year but it was fully booked early on so waited until a quieter time of the year for a quick little getaway as luckily the Wye Valley is only around an hour from Cardiff. 

St Briavels Castle is over 800 years old and a Grade 1 listed ancient monument set in the beautiful Wye Valley with plenty to see and do on it's doorstep and is run as a Youth Hostel all year round. There are plenty of accommodation options from Private rooms which is what we opted for to larger dorm rooms for groups. It is also very family orientated with the Castle chapel being used as a family lounge with a dressing up box, toys, books and board games. Despite being in an ancient building there is also Wifi available in the social spaces although not the bedrooms.  

When we arrived on the Sunday it happened to be a Heritage Open Day held and meant they had a few extra things on offer such as Archery which my eldest really enjoyed and added that extra special touch to the stay. After an easy check-in we explored the castle and grounds including the Prison room complete with 16th & 17th-century graffiti (you can stay in this room too) as well as the Banqueting Hall with its period features and tapestries on the wall. There is also a lovely outdoor courtyard space and walled garden where kids can safely run around and in summer you could enjoy a nice drink from the cafe on site. 

As we got such a good deal on our room as we booked off-peak we decided to also opt for the evening supper club which is a two-course meal for £9.95. The supper club takes place in the Old Stables which is a lovely space and has the medieval vibe with exposed beams and a stain glass inspired mural. Before heading down for supper the kids, of course, made a stop at the dress-up box and dressed head to toe in knight paraphernalia.  The Supper club consisted of a five bean chilli which was delicious and followed up with brownie and cream.  

After supper we headed to the lounge for a board game and then headed to bed, the room was configured with a standard bunk bed and then a double bed with single bunk above, there was also plenty of storage and washbasins plus it had beautiful windows looking across the gardens.  

In the morning we got up pretty bright and early and headed down for breakfast with the only minor issue being that we had paid for a hot breakfast and no one had made a note of it so it took around 45mins to make although there was plenty of cereal, pastries and toast to keep us going. 

As the weather was a big improvement from the day before and lovely and sunny we decided to take a little stroll around St Briavels which has gorgeous chocolate box cottages and cute pubs before decided to head to Tintern Abbey which is one of our favourite Cadw spots. 

For those who have never visited Tintern Abbey it's the best-preserved medieval abbey in Wales dating from the 13th century and it really is quite a breathtaking drive as you come through the Wye Valley and first set eyes on it standing next to the River Wye and really is worth a visit and if you have time you can also make a stop at Chepstow Castle. 

There is also a really nice pub called The Anchor Inn right next to the Abbey which offers up traditional pub meals as well as lighter bites and has a great beer garden with a modern play area for kids an offers up great views of the Abbey and River and we usually always end up having a coffee (or a pint) here.

If your thinking about a stay at St Briavels I would recommend booking in advance as it's one of the most popular YHA locations due to its unique accommodation. I cannot remember what we paid but it was around the £50 for a family room which is excellent value. I do want to add that this is not a sponsored post or in any way affiliated with YHA and is an honest review of a stay I booked and paid for in full.