All walks › Clwydian Range and Vale of Clwyd
Clwydian Range and Vale of ClwydDenbigh Castle and the Vale
Hilltop castle with a remarkable triple-towered gatehouse, town walls, and field paths out into the Vale of Clwyd below.
- Distance
- 3.1 mi / 5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 45
- Ascent
- 160 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
Circle the castle and the surviving town walls, then take field paths down into the vale and back up by lanes.
Worth knowing
- The great gatehouse is unlike anything else in Wales, with three towers around a central hall.
- Leicester’s Folly beside the castle is an unfinished church begun in 1578 and abandoned.
- The Clwydian ridge fills the eastern skyline from the walls.
What you’ll see
The gatehouse, town walls, the unfinished church, and the Vale of Clwyd.
Background
Denbigh was founded by Henry de Lacy in 1282. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, began the church intending to move the cathedral here.