JD Vance Reflects on His Welsh Castle Experience

JD Vance says Welsh castle was coolest – JD Vance says Welsh castle was the coolest thing he has ever seen, according to a new book excerpt. The US Vice-President recently shared how his visit to Wales with his wife Usha inspired them to embrace more meaningful travel experiences. During their 2013 journey to north Wales, Vance was captivated by Caernarfon Castle, a magnificent 13th-century fortress that stands as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In an excerpt published in The Sunday Times, Vance described the historic landmark as something truly extraordinary, noting that it remains unforgettable despite not being particularly close to where they were staying.

A Journey of Discovery

The couple had been drawn to Caernarfon Castle partly because of its significance as the site where King Charles was invested as Prince of Wales in 1969. Vance called it a “cool tourist stop” that offered more than just a photo opportunity. Their visit came at a time when they were seeking deeper connections with places they explored, rather than simply checking landmarks off a list. This philosophy would later become central to how they approached their travels together.

What struck Vance most was the sheer age of the castle compared to historic buildings back home in America. He noted that their house in Cincinnati was built approximately 150 years ago and was already considered historic by many. Yet Caernarfon Castle was already hundreds of years old when English settlers first arrived on American shores. The contrast was profound, and Vance wrote that for nearly a millennium, young men had climbed those same walls and watched sunlight dance across the surrounding waters.

“For nearly a millennium, young men had climbed the castle walls and watched the sun reflected on the surrounding water.”

Before visiting this Welsh castle, Vance had never experienced what he described as feeling small within an infinite universe. He wrote in his book Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith that standing on the banks of a river he had never heard of, within walls that had survived largely unchanged for seven centuries, gave him a new perspective. “I felt for the first time something similar: the scale of time, and how little of the life of the world we’d ever see,” he reflected.

The couple embraced local culture during their trip, enjoying an English breakfast at a neighborhood pub before exploring another castle in Conwy. Vance humorously recalled their vacation habits: “We did what young people do on a vacation: we saw the sights, we slept in, and we ate and drank too much.” Each day at the castle reinforced his growing sense of being merely a brief moment in the vast timeline of human history.

That experience at the Welsh castle sparked a lasting tradition in their marriage. Vance wrote that they began making a conscious effort to visit places other tourists often overlooked. “To get off the beaten path, not to photograph a landmark or to say we’d seen something, but to understand what living in a foreign place feels like,” he explained. This approach to travel has remained important to them throughout their years together.

During their time in Wales, Vance also had a memorable encounter with local utility workers who turned out to be dedicated conservatives. He found it hilarious that these Englishmen living in the Welsh countryside had read some of his articles in National Review. “The world is a strange place, I thought,” Vance wrote, capturing the unexpected connections that can form across continents and cultures.