ARRIVING at any new destination, my penchant for accumulating local literature immediately swings into acton. Every brochure, booklet, folder or newspaper focusing on travel goes into a pile that is carefully read in the hope of finding some special place, unique attraction or gem of a discovery not listed in guidebooks.

That's exactly how I found a genuine castle hideaway in the far north of Wales. Close to Caernarfon and almost literally in the shadow of Snowdon, the country's highest mountain, it sounded idyllic.

It turned out the Prince of Wales (who later became Duke of Windsor) and Welsh-born British Prime Minister Lloyd George (who represented this area), had been frequent guests in the suite I reserved. If they'd been comfortable there, certainly I could manage!

On that first trip to Wales in 1968, I'd stayed at a pleasant but classically simple village hotel in "downtown" Caernarfon. The manager led me to my low-ceilinged room at the back of the hotel overlooking a bleak alleyway and garage.

"Princess Margaret stays in this room when she visits Caernarfon," he confided with great pride. I'll never forget observing the setting and thinking to myself: "She must have very modest taste." Or perhaps it was for security reasons because certainly no terrorist would even have considered looking for her there!

Over my lifetime, I've had the good fortune to stay in many castles. The maternal side of my mother's family was born in a European royal house where hereditary titles also descend through the female line, and perhaps a taste for properties of great history and antiquity is in the genes.

Wales, with its wealth of such historic treasures, is an ideal place to experience life as lived by that country's assorted nobility. Interestingly, the one I'd discovered wasn't all that old, no nobility were currently living there and it turned out to be full of surprises.

Driving north from Cardiff, the traveller encounters another tempting collection of must-sees. Roads are good, people exude Celtic friendliness and there is much to make one linger. We'll talk about some of the not-to-be-missed stops in a future article.

But for now, the goal is to reach Llanberis before dark because searching for accommodations via one-lane, stone-walled roads in a sparsely populated area is no fun once the sun sets.

The castle owner sounded ever so pleasant on the phone and I alerted her to our proclivity towards lingering along the way. After leaving Cardiff at noon, it's only minutes to 7 p.m. when we arrive at our castle. It had been a gorgeous drive north via twisting, winding roads not unlike Bermuda. Only stops had been touring Castle Koch and one short visit to an antique shop.

Roads were narrow, passed through stone villages, some of slate covered with green moss on one wall facing the north side. We take what looks like a short cut on the map and find ourselves on a one-track road with very high stone walls. It was already a dark and stormy night. Rain pelted across the windscreen blowing in gales horizontally from the sea. Was this a re-enactment of an Agatha Christie movie . . . the version where your car breaks down and you slush through to a dark haunted castle?

Once inside the castle gate, we pull up beside a walled courtyard, the only visible entrance. Obviously formerly for servants, it's less than pretentious. No marble hall with sweeping staircase . . . but a room with what seem like thousands of travel brochures, notices covering local attractions and so on.

Then a narrow back staircase where a suitcase can only be carried sideways. This is definitely the of . How could I have done this to myself?

Then I see the top of the elaborate balconied landing with large old chests, an impressive stained-glass window of a heron, a glimpse of interior elegance and we're led into a very large living/sitting room of Gerrdi Suite.

Nicely decorated with a quite dazzling gold and cream ceiling and white and gold fireplace, there are fresh flowers, candy and soft, pink-fringed lampshades. In a raised area at the end of the living room in front of a bank of oversized windows is a sitting area where two large overstuffed chairs look out over the gardens. There's a plush sofa that could double as an extra bed.

Now I am definitely . There's a large, very Art Deco bathroom of electric green and black with mirrored ceiling. It was specially built for a visit by the Duke of Windsor back during his early Prince of Wales days when he arrived with Lloyd George.

, my brother Jim's bedroom suite at home has a similar association involving the Prince of Wales. When the Prince visited the Illinois estate of Edith Rockefeller McCormick amid much publicity in the 1920s, his room was furnished with unique twin beds of English walnut and elaborate caning at both head and foot in the style of the Pharoahs, since opening King Tut's tomb had inspired an interest in things Egyptian. They also had a horsehair mattress.

Over the years, my mother often described the bachelor Prince's visit as the social event of that season. When estate contents were auctioned upon the heiress' death, my grandparents bought what was known as "The Prince of Wales Suite". One oversize, four-foot-long, custom-made feather down pillow from that suite is now on my bed.

Three steps up through an arched castle doorway leads into a very charming pink and blue bedroom with antique quite twin beds, armoire, traditional mirrored dressing table and pale blue-gilt fireplace with pink marble. There's gold and white embossed wallpaper and a wall of drapes opens onto another dazzling garden view.

At the end of a hallway is a fully-equipped cosy kitchen and dining area with cupboards fitted with every imaginable convenience . . . fruit, cookies, cereal, chocolate, tea, milk, coffee and so on.

There's no phone in the room, but there's one down in that entrance room, with what turned out to be tremendously helpful travel brochures. Somehow it seems out of place to even consider watching the television . . . especially when opening drapes the following morning reveals a lush green garden bisected by a small stream, surrounding woodlands and all sorts of intriguing nooks and corners including a walled knot garden. Certainly exploring the property's acreage will be much more interesting than anything on screen.

Bryn Bras Castle has historic roots in this area, but the castle as it exists today was rebuilt by a lawyer, then bought by the man who started British Petroleum . . . and you wondered what the Prince and Prime Minister were doing there!

Current owners Marita and Neville Gray-Perry are very personable locals with obvious devotion to the property. They invite me on a personal tour of their private castle quarters and it's an eye-opener. From its prestigious formal front entrance, I am guided through an impressive library and absolutely gorgeous wood-panelled rooms to a marvellous chapel with stained-glass ceiling. Some really exceptional treasures qualify it as unique.

The second-floor round room, part of an upstairs tower suite, is a gilt-edge jewel. It's Neo-Romanesque style, 23-foot diameter lounge/dining room are garlanded with 23 decorative arches and pillars, with an equally dramatic bedroom and access to the Flag Tower above. The five other suites we viewed were all comfortable and rated category five, the highest available.

When I return, I'll probably ask for Gerddi again, but circular, dramatically situated Flag Tower is appealing for those wishing a suite with one double bed and energy to climb two staircases. Rates vary seasonally and by suite. Expect to pay around $450 for two people spending three nights. I personally found it exceptionally appealing for a variety of reasons. For starters, one can't help but like the effervescent owners. The castle is far away from any overdeveloped, commercialised centre and there's a very low-key, understated mood to the place, not the pretentious, full-of-themselves pomposity one sometimes encounters at stately homes.

the fact that it's surrounded by open land and just over four miles from Caernarfon, which we'll visit next week, along with other castles. Those who consider themselves self-reliant won't want to leave. However, if room service, breakfast-in-bed or in-house meals are your preference, that's not what this castle is about. It's really heaven for those who prefer being on their own with a touch of self-catering, even if only for breakfast.

The castle owners offered very satisfactory suggestions for local village inns and restaurants for dinner and all were excellent. We especially enjoyed The Glyntwrog in Llanrug. Tables were from the Singer Sewing Machine Company. The time-capsule, stone-built gem of Llanberis also had prime choices.

Because I'd trained up Snowdon via rail-and-pinon railway previously, this trip I opted to drive scenic surrounding roads. A half dozen others of these narrow-gauge delights for which Wales is famous range off in different directions near here. What are other overnight possibilities? Although castles seem to be everywhere, most are maintained as private residences or historic sites. But there's certainly a long list of unusual accommodations. After all, you haven't travelled this far to do something ordinary.

There's an association called Welsh Rarebits with more than 40 top county house hotels, inns, luxury resort hotels and hideaways. Bodysgallen Hall offers rooms in its 17th-century house as well as cottage suites near Llandudno. Atmopheric Groes Inn dates to 1573, while Sir Bernard Ashley's Llangoed Hall lives up to standards established by his late wife Laura Ashley; www.wels.rarebits.co.uk

A few other samples . . . Cliffaes, an hour from Cardiff, was discovered one afternoon while exploring the Brecon Beacons. It was teatime and the idea of relaxing at a country house hotel noted for 33 acres of gardens and woodland sounded appealing. Quite sumptuous for ?6.50 ($10.50) each. What I saw of the public rooms and general property made a good impression. Twenty-two double rooms with breakfast range from ?70 to ?140, with special weekly rates. Salmon and trout fishing available on site; www.cliffaeshotel.com, located at Crickhowell, Powys.

Great Little Places is another association of small hotels, inns, farms and guest houses. Several examples . . . Worthenbury Manor near Wrexham is a handsome red-brick listed building. Usk Inn beside Brecon Beacon National Park offers a central location.

Minffordd Hotel at Talyllyn outside Trwyn is a 17th-century coaching inn with a dramatic mountain rising from its backyard. Whether it's The Old Rectory, 16th-century Fron Feuno Hall or The Lighthouse at Great Ormes Head, each is totally different, personal and sparkling with personality; www.wales.littleplaces.co.uk

Bryn Bras Castle, Llanrug near Caernarfon, North Wales, LL55 4RE, UK. Telephone 01286-870210 or 01286-870262. There are occasional "faults" so be patient and keep trying. Getting a call out was equally troublesome, but you are in a relatively remote mountain area.

4 Wales' remarkable Caernarfon and other castles.