Ruthin Castle Hotel & Spa: A Historic Castle in Northern Wales

At most castles that are open to the public, visitors simply walk around for an afternoon and then leave when they’re ready. But that’s where Ruthin Castle is unique as guests can spend a night inside a castle shaped over almost 750 years of history.

The property is situated above the market town of Ruthin in Denbighshire and combines the existing medieval fortifications with a castellated house from the 19th century and a modern hotel. The old town starts just at the end of the driveway, which makes it a fantastic base for a history-oriented trip around North Wales.

From medieval fortress to castle hotel

The recorded history of Ruthin’s castle dates back to 1277, when work on a large masonry fortress started on the hillside above the River Clwyd. It evolved into a moated site defended by curtain walls and circular towers and later served as the centre of the Lordship of Ruthin under Reginald de Grey.

In 1400 Owain Glyndŵr launched an attack on Ruthin at the start of the revolt against English rule, the town was hit hard even though the castle managed to survive. When the English Civil War came around, Parliamentarian forces blockaded the castle in 1646; following its surrender, a large part of it was pulled down. Today some of the curtain walls, the towers and the castle ditch are still visible.

It later underwent a complete change in character: in the 19th century a mansion was built and the earlier structures were incorporated into its estate, the building then became a private clinic in the 20th century and was turned into a hotel in the early 1960s. Ruthin is thus not so much a frozen medieval monument as a castle which has continually found new uses.

Staying at Ruthin Castle today

The hotel offers 60 bedrooms, divided into five different types, ranging from Standard and Deluxe Rooms to suites and individually themed Feature Rooms. For guests seeking to experience the castle to its fullest, it is advisable to compare the various categories rather than simply selecting the cheapest room.

The Feature Rooms take their names from figures connected with Ruthin’s later social history, including Lillie Langtry, Jennie Jerome (Lady Randolph Churchill) and Mary ‘Patsy’ Cornwallis-West. The Prince of Wales Suite is the hotel’s largest individual suite. Whichever room you choose, leave time to walk the grounds and see how the later hotel sits among the surviving medieval stonework.

The spa in the former castle moat

The most unusual and notable thing about Ruthin is the Bazaar Spa, which is located in the moat of the former castle. The spa has a sauna, a steam room, a mud room, relaxation areas and outdoor woodland hot tubs. What really makes the place memorable, however, is its setting. The hot tubs are situated among the trees on the old castle grounds, in an area that was originally part of the castle’s defensive arrangement. You remain connected with the history of the property while using the spa, and for this reason it is very different from going to a modern spa that is merely attached to a hotel. In this case, the castle is an integral part of the experience.

This means that the spa becomes a natural part of the visit rather than something entirely separate. You might spend the day browsing around Ruthin, strolling along the remaining castle walls and the grounds, and then go down into the old moat to have a hot-tub session. It is a surprisingly good blend of history and relaxation, and it is one of the many reasons why staying at Ruthin is more interesting than just visiting the castle.

This is precisely the type of feature that I study when working on HotelHotTubs.com, a travel website aimed at assisting people in discovering hotels where the hot tub or spa experience is truly worth travelling for. The website goes beyond checking whether a hotel merely lists a hot tub as one of its facilities and instead takes into account the surroundings, the quality of the spa facilities as a whole, how well the experience fits into the hotel, and whether it actually provides something memorable during the stay.

Ruthin is special for this reason. Although the woodland hot tubs would be attractive on their own, their location inside the old moat under a historic Welsh castle gives them a particular character which could almost never be achieved in a normal hotel. Combined with the sauna, steam room, the various treatments and the castle grounds, the spa becomes one of the main reasons for choosing to stay in Ruthin rather than just an additional facility to make use of during the visit.

Exploring historic Ruthin

Castle Street starts at the hotel and goes straight on to the historic centre of Ruthin, which means you can leave your car there and continue to explore on foot.

Nantclwyd y Dre, a timber-framed house designated as Grade I, records over 500 years of domestic history. In the former county prison now known as Ruthin Gaol there is another aspect of the town’s local history. Nearby St Peter’s Square also contains reminders of the disturbances that came after Owain Glyndŵr’s assault in 1400. All of these features make Ruthin particularly worthwhile for a brief visit since several different periods of history are included in the small town centre.

Practical tips for planning a stay

Ruthin Castle lies about 22 miles to the west of Chester and driving is the easiest way to reach it if you are carrying out a wider tour of North Wales. The hotel has free parking for guests; however, if you choose to travel by rail you are advised to go to Chester and then continue by hiring a car or taking a taxi.

Before you go, check the opening hours of Ruthin’s historical attractions and book the spa in advance if you plan to use it. If you want to spend one night there, arrive early so as to browse the town before dinner; but if you are staying for two nights and also want to use the spa or spend a day in the Clwydian Range, then two nights is the better option.

Ruthin Castle is not a perfectly preserved 13th-century fortress, and it is exactly that lack of perfection which gives it interest. The remaining walls, the Victorian hotel, the landscaped grounds and the spa by the moat are part of different phases of the same site. By staying at the castle one can see how it is able to survive by always discovering a new purpose.

Claire runs HotelHotTubs.com, a travel research website which specialises in finding hotels that offer exceptional hot-tub and spa experiences, focusing on the quality of the facilities, the setting, the atmosphere and the actual experience that guests can look forward to when they book.