Ash wrote:We are lucky in Cardiff but York, Newcastle and Nottingham all have substantial castles in their central areas, and London has the Tower of London.
I don't want to quible but York Castle isn't really castle even though its called that. It's an assortment of buildings from various periods surrounding a Norman Motte (Clifford's Tower). It's more the name of a part of the city than an actual castle.
If you don't want to quibble then why quibble? Cardiff castle is - to quote you - "an assortment of buildings from various periods surrounding a Norman Motte". York has the most impressive fortifications of any city in the UK, excepting perhaps Chester (which also has a castle).
Having lived in Yorkshire for 15 years I know it well and it is a large, well-preserved castle in the centre of a city. Not as extensive as Cardiff castle but the perimeter walls of our castle are, as you know, largely late 19th Century.