Dobadarn Castle - HDR - a photo on Flickriver

Looking up at the ruined tower at Dolbadarn Castle, Llanberis.

From Wikipedia:

The castle, a guardpost at the base of the valley of Nant Peris, was built by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great) at the foot of Snowdon. It stands in a spot of strategic importance, allowing any garrison stationed there to block movement into the heart of Snowdonia. Scholars believe the spot has been occupied by a fortress since the 6th century, though the surviving stonework can be proved to date back to the 13th century.

Dolbadarn Castle's hallmark feature is a round tower sturdily built of slate and rubble that once stood three stories high, enclosing a complex series of chambers. Today, the tower stands just 40 feet tall, but is still girded by walls 8 feet thick. While the castle's flooring has long since disappeared, its interior staircase to the upper storey may still be climbed. Scholars speculate that this upper storey probably supported hoarding, a type of wooden defensive platform.

As with other Welsh constructed towers, the round tower at Dolbadarn's, the entrance is on the first storey, not at ground level. At ground-level would have been a basement, likely used as a larder, which was only accessible via a trapdoor. In the basement there is a single slit window which served to provide some fresh-air and a minimal amount of light. Entry into the tower was via a ramp rising where the current stone stairs are located. It is possible that there was an enclosed entryway similar to that with other Welsh towers, further protecting the tower entrance.

The tower had several unique characteristics from which it differed from its Norman counterparts found elsewhere in Wales. The first is that the tower had a portcullis which would be drawn up past the window on the second storey of the tower. Secondly, that there was more than a single storey above the ground-level basement. Most Welsh castles, such as Dolwyddelan, only had a single storey above the basement. Finally, the spiral staircase between stories switches directions from clockwise to counter-clockwise between stories, adding to its defense.
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This is an HDR image made from 5 exposures (-2 to +2) processed in photomatix.

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Taken in: United Kingdom / Wales / Pentre Castell (show map)

Taken on: January 22, 2011

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Camera: NIKON D300, f/16.0, 1/125 sec, 10mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	NIKON D300
Aperture:	f/16.0
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	10mm
ISO:	200
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS5 Windows
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