Castle Coch is the most romantic, if unexpected, building in Wales. It is a fairy tale castle, perched over vertical cliffs and jutting through the trees on a steep hillside overlooking the Taff Valley. The castle was built on the site of a genuine thirteenth century castle called the Red Castle. This original castle is thought to have been destroyed by fire or mining in the fifteenth century. The present castle was built or reconstructed between 1875 and 1879, and it faithfully echoes the look of a medieval castle.

Castle Coch is truly a Victorian fantasy and was a creation of two dreamers, the fabulously wealthy III Marquess of Bute and his architect friend William Burges. It is known as a "Sham" castle built in the nineteenth century. It is one of the many follies found on the Welsh countryside designed to broadcast the wealth and fortunes of the newly rich created by the Industrial Revolution.

A visit to this castle is a must. The visitor gets caught up in the fairy tale atmosphere as they go through the many elaborately decorated rooms.