Perched on volcanic rock above Pembrokeshire’s landscape, where views sweep across St Brides Bay towards the Preseli Hills, Roch Castle occupies a prime position established by Norman knight, Adam de Rupe, around 1195-1210. The castle marked the northern end of the Landsker Line, the unmarked boundary separating English and Welsh Pembrokeshire for centuries. Lucy Walter, born here in the seventeenth century, became Charles II’s mistress and bore him James, 1st Duke of Monmouth. Parliamentary forces captured and burned the castle in 1644; it remained ruined until 1900, when Viscount St Davids instigated restoration, adding a three-storey extension and creating six half-floors where three full ones originally stood.

Keith Griffiths, Welsh architect raised in St Davids, purchased the castle in 2008, and undertook meticulous restoration, completed in 2013, bringing the castle up to modern standards, whilst preserving many of the traditional features which make it so special.

Six ensuite bedrooms accommodate twelve guests, each distinctly shaped by the castle’s architecture. Ap Gryffydd crowns the upper level with super king bed, separate bath and shower, double-aspect windows framing St Brides Bay panoramas. Four rooms convert between double and twin configurations. All feature showers, hypoallergenic pillows, Aromatherapy Associates toiletries, robes, slippers, Sealy beds with luxury linens, digital radios, televisions, and Nespresso makers. Philippe Starck bathrooms handle modern requirements within medieval constraints.

The Court Room, which is the main sitting area, features brown suede sofas and commissioned tapestries depicting the castle’s history with recurring fish and raven emblems. The Sun Room, a fourth-floor glass-walled extension with an outdoor viewing platform, offers spectacular coastal views alongside an honesty bar stocked with Welsh crisps, chocolates, wines, and spirits. The former banqueting hall serves breakfast, including an award-winning full Welsh. No dinner service is available, but taxis can arrange transport to Blas Restaurant at the sister hotel, Twr y Felin, twenty minutes towards St Davids, where a three-rosette contemporary dining experience celebrates Pembrokeshire suppliers.

Twelve acres of gardens and woodland encircle the castle. Newgale’s Blue Flag beach is a five-minute drive away. St Davids Cathedral, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Preseli Hills, and Skomer Island are all easily accessible. Awarded five-star AA and Visit Wales ratings, along with Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice recognition. Children aged twelve and above are accepted. The property is hypoallergenic and pet-free. Exclusive-use bookings are available.