Castell Ewloe

CH5 3BZ
Car park
Dogs welcome
Drone policy

Native-built castle in an unconventional forest setting

Though it bears the distinctive features of many of Wales’s native-built castles, Ewloe’s location marks it out as an individual. While the Welsh princes generally chose lofty vantage points for their fortresses, Ewloe sits in a hollow amid deep woodland.

The setting may seem idyllic today, but these borderlands were once hotly contested territory where the English and Welsh frequently clashed.

Due to the lack of records from the period, the castle’s history is a little murky. The characteristically Welsh D-shaped stone tower was probably built by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great) some time after 1210, with the curtain walls and circular western tower being added by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd (Llywelyn the Last) nearly 60 years later.

Opening times & prices

Opening times

1st April - 31st March	Open all year
Open all year — during reasonable daylight hours

Visitor information

Car park

Lay by parking for 5 cars.

Access is across farmland, approx. 500 metres from roadside.

Dogs welcome

Dogs on short leads welcome to access ground floor levels of the site.

Walking difficulty

Terrain: Level 3 — Moderate

Drone policy

Please read our policy information about flying drones at Cadw monuments: read the guidance

No smoking

Smoking is not permitted.

Health & Safety

Nestled within the woods of Flintshire, the access path has varied underfoot conditions and can be boggy in places. Please ensure footwear is appropriate to the weather and site conditions.

It will take approximately 10-15 minutes after parking roadside to reach the monument, using the designated path.

We strongly advise that you stick to the right-hand side of the monument, using the steps provided. There are roughly 40-50 modern steps of low risers.

The monument contains a mix of modern and historic stone steps, along with an upper wall walk section. It is strongly advised to use handrails provided and take caution when climbing or descending the various steps.

As with all ancient monuments there is always a risk of stones being dislodged in bad weather, however, we manage this through extensive monitoring.

Climbing may result in serious injury.

There are several wild plants and flowers, although these are great pollinators, they may be poisonous to visitors and animals, we strongly advise you not to touch or allow dogs to eat any vegetation.

Please watch our health & safety film before visiting Cadw sites.

Iechyd a Diogelwch / Health and Safety

Please report any anti-social behaviour such as climbing, setting fires, graffiti etc. to CadwAccidentsReports@gov.wales

The following signs can be found around the site at key areas of risk, please pay attention where appropriate.