Buying a property can be an arduous task.

The money, the hassle and the paperwork can all make you question whether it’s worth going ahead. But sometimes, things can work out in your favour.

This is particularly true for one Welsh family who wanted to buy a simple farm and ended up owning one of the best and most well-loved castles in the country....by accident.

Gwilim Morris and his family were tenants on a farm on the outskirts of Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire in 1963.

They rented the land from Lord Cawdor and were perfectly happy with the arrangement until an opportunity arose to purchase the land. Wanting to secure a prosperous future for their family, Gwilim and his wife Molly took the plunge and bought the farm.

There was nothing remarkable about this farm. It had land, cattle and other animals, and would provide a strong and stable home for the Morris family.

What was remarkable was what lay next door, for up the hill from Tir y Castell (Castle Farm) there is a castle - a 13th century wonder that offers views which are scarcely believable until you reach the summit on which it sits.

Bernard Llewellyn, owner of one of the most picturesque castles in Wales
Bernard Llewellyn on the farm

It was only after the deal had gone through to buy the farm that the Morris family realised they had actually bought Carreg Cennen Castle.

“My wife Margaret lived here as a child with her parents, and in the early 1960s they were offered the chance to buy the farm, so they did,” explains Bernard Llewellyn, who married Margaret Morris in the late 1970s and has lived on the farm ever since.

“It made total sense for the family to buy it - they had been renting it for years and were happy here. But, there were no deeds associated with the castle, so a firm from Cowbridge drew up the deeds for the farm and drew a red line that went around the castle.

“That meant the castle was included in the purchase.

“They quickly realised their mistake and contacted the family soon after to explain what had happened. They offered to buy the castle back. They said that, being a farmer of a certain age, my father-in-law was not in a position to look after a castle.

“He wasn’t having any of it - he refused to sell it back.”

'The most romantic ruin in the country'
The castle offers spectacular views of Carmarthenshire

Carreg Cennen Castle is often cited as one of the best and most endearing ancient attractions in Wales. Countryfile magazine called it “the most romantic ruin” in the country, while The Telegraph listed it as one of the best 10 castles in Wales to take your children.

The castle, which dates back to at least the 13th century and has had previous owners that include Sir Rhys ap Thomas and King Edward I, is totally owned by the Llewellyn family. It is a 'scheduled monument', meaning that it is "nationally important" and protected from unauthorised change.

While it is run and managed by the Llewellyn family, which, as well as Bernard and Margaret, includes three children and eight grandchildren aged between two and 11, there is a “guardian agreement” in place with Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service.

This means that Cadw, in exchange for a proportion of the visitor admittance fees, are responsible for any “major maintenance”, while the Llewellyns take care of the day-to-day.

Over the years the family has put in place a number of different facets in order to appeal as much to the holidaying family as to the curious hirtsorians.

There’s a cafe, a gift shop, and a converted out-building where lucky couples can tie the knot while looking up at the castle and down on vast swathes of Carmarthenshire countryside.

The spot is popular with tourists 364 days a year

What makes it unique is not just its illustrious history, but its location. Five miles from the nearest town, 300 feet above the river below, it’s an awe-inspiring pile that towers over everything else in sight.

“It seems to be more popular every year,” says Mr Llewellyn, sat in the spacious tea room with a view that looks like a picture you would hang on your wall.

“My mother-in-law used to sell ice creams here back in the 60s and 70s to people who would come and look at the castle, so the shop and cafe has evolved from there.

“We have weddings here, school trips....the farm is a part of it, the whole experience. We have tried to keep that traditional feel. It’s still a working farm - I still have cattle, sheep and horses, and it all adds to it.

"It’s like dressing a film set. It brings it all to life, but it’s all authentic. I think that makes it very attractive to visitors.”

The farm owned by the Llewelyns, which is dominated by Carreg Cennen Castle in the background
Inside a passageway that leads to caves situated below the castle

Carreg Cennen: The history

  • The castle dates back to at least the 13th century
  • Roman coins discovered at the site suggests that people occupied the land centuries earlier
  • It has six towers
  • The first castle on the site was builit by Lord Rhys, ruler of Deheubarth, in the 12th century
  • It was captured by Edward I of England in 1277
  • King Edward gave the castle to a soldier named John Giffard, who had supported the king in his conflict with Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
  • Giffard rebuilt Carreg Cennen into the impressive structure that it became in subsequent centuries
  • Under English control, the castle was attacked by Owain Glyndwr in 1403, and was damaged further during the War of the Roses later in the 15th century
  • It was once owned by Sir Rhys ap Thomas, a close friend of King Henry VII and a man who many credit with killing King Richard III
  • By the 19th century it was owned by the Cawdor family, until they sold it to the Morris family in 1963

The farm itself is run in a sustainable way - “we grow our own cereal” - and still produces “high quality beef” but Mr Llewellyn admits that most of the family’s income comes from the pockets of tourists who want to clamber to the top of his hill to stand where Owain Glyndwr once stood.

But what if the Beckhams (or any other millionaires) come calling and fancy the idea of owning an 800-year-old castle, of orchestrating their very own grandest of grand designs?

“We’ve had offers in the past,” laughs Mr Llewellyn.

“Companies, mainly; people who want to buy it and run it as a business. But this is our family home, we don’t want to sell it. This is where my wife grew up, we’ve raised our children here, and the grandchildren all love it. It’s fantastic for them.

"One day it won’t be up to us but I think it will remain in the family because it’s the family home.”

The castle is situated around five miles south-east of Llandeilo
Looking down on the farm from the castle

Carreg Cennen Castle, and therefore the pathway that splits through the farmyard, is open 364 days a year (even castle owners need Christmas Day off).

Of those 364 days, are there any when the family wishes for a bit of piece and quiet, when no curious visitors walk past their lounge?

“As long as they have a ticket, I don’t mind!" laughs Mr Llewelyn.

“You get used to it. People are going to come and see the castle regardless, so you might as well embrace it and try to capitalise on it.

“We keep trying to have a day off but we never seem to manage it. When we finally do we try to go somewhere quiet, away from people, because we see so many all the time!”

With that, Mr Llewellyn leaves the tea room and heads across the yard to get on with his day’s work. As he does so, more tourists arrive to gawp at the beautiful surroundings that he and his family call home.