'I built my own castle which attracted visitors from around the world but now have to knock it down'

High on the mountains above Wattsville, in Caerphilly's Sirhowy Valley, you'll find a castle. On a clear day you can see the stone structure through the clouds from the village's main road and, if you really focus, most days you'll see its creator Mikey Allen pottering around.

It may not be the county's most well-known fort but it is perhaps the one whose inspiring origin story has captured people's hearts more than any other Since Mikey started hand-building the castle in 2019 tens of thousands of people have visited the structure with some coming from as far away as Canada and New Zealand to do so.

Not bad for a project which initially started as a way for the 43-year-old former soldier to occupy his mind after struggling with PTSD and depression. However after years of carrying and assembling more than 100 tonnes of stone up on Mynyddislwyn mountain the castle's popularity has in some ways become its downfall with Caerphilly Council stating it does not have the correct planning permission to continue and must be demolished. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.

READ MORE: Couple repeatedly targeted restaurants for expensive meals then fled without paying

READ MORE: Holiday lodges branded 'ugly' as community residents say views are 'ruined'

The number of visitors to the castle and the fact that it is regularly used by Mikey and others to host wellbeing gatherings as well as some of his charity work with Endex – a project which supports the rehabilitation of veterans and others suffering with their mental health – has meant the council say the land is now being used for recreational purposes rather than agricultural meaning the structure would need planning permission.

An appeal has been forwarded to the Welsh Government's planning and environmental decisions department but Mikey said he is going to start to dismantle the castle regardless of the outcome and shared hopes of rebuilding it elsewhere with the aim that it could stand for "centuries". Mikey started building the two-storey tower in 2019 while he was homeless and the manmade shelter he was staying in was demolished. He was invited to live in a caravan on land owned by a local farming family who, after hearing what he had been through, said he could use their land.

Surrounded by the family's donkeys and alpacas Mikey gradually started to build the castle though he was initially not really sure what the intention was. He said: "They said I could come here and build what I wanted to. They didn't expect a castle to be honest but it's just evolved into that over time.

"Since leaving the Army there have been certain periods of time where I’ve had a tough time and rather than procrastinating I’ve come up here with a bag and collected loads and loads of stones. After one particular bad period I collected a big pile of stones and I upgraded the cabin into a castle.

"As it’s gotten bigger and bigger and more people have come up it has been brilliant to see so many happy faces up here. It has been a coping mechanism for myself. If I sit down and do nothing I have questions going around and around in my head. I’d rather be doing something functional and in the moment and doing something creative."

Speaking to WalesOnline previously about his struggles Mikey, who now is now being asked to make structures across Wales for others and documents his work on his YouTube channel, said: "After an active tour of duty in Afghanistan I came back a different person. I suffered with flashbacks, self-destructive tendencies, depression, homelessness, poverty, suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

"I really didn't want to go on the streets to beg for anything so I built a cabin on the mountain. I lived there for about two years on and off and that's when I started to get myself back into work. I started counselling, kept active in nature, and re-engaged with my family. It was a huge step for me because I started to create achievable goals and I kept away from any sort of outside negative influences.

"I came away from two years of homelessness with a deep appreciation for the simple things that can often be taken for granted and an understanding of suffering that can't be taught in books." Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news.

Now Mikey can see the castle from his house in Wattsville and says looking up and seeing people visiting has made it all worth it. "The biggest part for me is to see so many families coming up and making memories they'll never forget. For me that is the best part of it all.

"I think that the local community love it here. We've had visitors from all over the world – from Norway, Canada, America, South Africa – so it's been very very beneficial and brought in international tourism to Wales which has been brilliant to see. As it’s gotten bigger and bigger and more people have come up. It has been brilliant to see so many happy faces up here."

While Mikey is disappointed that it is looking likely he will have to demolish the castle he is trying to see it as a positive opportunity to rebuild it and expand what it can offer to the community. The current structure was hand-built by Mikey and so has no cement or materials holding it together. As a result he said he only expected it to remain for one or two decades.

However he said should he have to rebuild it he will look to make one more durable that could stay in the community for "centuries". He said: "I built this with absolutely no money at all. I collected all the stone myself and carried all the logs across so with that there is no cement and treated wood at all so it’s got a short lifespan – we always knew that.

"We're not going to try and argue with [the council and the decision the castle does not have correct planning permission] – what we are going to do is break the castle down into two. One half will be a barn specifically for the animals. The landowners here have been brilliant to myself and they have helped me but they also do a lot for rescue animals. The second half will be making a bothy for when the local community comes up where people can play music, do what they want up here, and we will change that part then to recreational so it won't disrupt the whole farm. It's in the Welsh ministers' hands to make big decisions however we still feel ourselves that they are not going to be able to break certain rules, they are in place for a reason, so we are just going to try now to redevelop the castle into parts by the specified regulation."

Mikey said he was surprised when he was told by the council earlier in 2024 that work would have to stop on the castle and it would have to be taken down if the appeal was not approved. He said he "wasn't expecting it" because the castle is so loved in the community and more widely and has "done so many beneficial things for so many people". But he said he understands why the council have had to do this and they are "only following rules" and he realised it cannot be one rule for him and another for someone else.

"They are aware of what good it has done for the community but their hands are tied. They’ve got to do what they’ve got to do." Mikey has also been fundraising over the last few years while building the structure and has put this into helping people with their mental health. "It was the intention to raise some funds and with those funds then we have put 50 people through private mental health qualifications – NHS Staff, fitness coaches, bereaved families – so it has done a lot of good and we did that through south Wales."

Speaking of the prospect of the upcoming rebuild Mikey remained optimistic. "I am happy with the building side of it all so I don’t mind taking it down and building it back up again. I’d rather it be here for centuries rather than a couple of decades.

"I think it is best you take it down sooner rather than later. We are not going to wait to hear back and I am going to start to take it down this month regardless. In either scenario it has to come down so I’m going to make the most of the good weather and start now."

A Caerphilly council spokesman said: “We are sympathetic to the background to this development and we recognise the level of support that Mr Allen has attracted during this project. However, as local planning authority, we must enforce planning laws consistently. We have a duty to enforce current legislation therefore it is important that the council applies a fair and consistent approach to all planning breaches. We will continue to work with Mr Allen, along with the owner of the land, to ensure that the requirements listed in the enforcement notice are carried out as quickly as possible."