Cambria Sports Culture CIC Cymraeg

All walksCardiff and the Vale

Cardiff and the Vale

Dunraven Bay and the Walled Garden

A short circuit round the headland above the beach, taking in an Iron Age fort, a Victorian walled garden and the site of a demolished castle.

Distance
3.1 mi / 5 km
Time
1 hr 45
Ascent
140 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

Climb from the beach onto the headland, round the fort and back through the walled garden and the gardens below. Short with steps.

Worth knowing

  • The walled garden survives complete although the house was pulled down in 1963.
  • The headland fort has clear ramparts and a big view along the heritage coast.
  • The beach is one of the best fossil-hunting spots in the Vale.

What you’ll see

The walled garden and its ice house, the headland fort, and the layered cliffs east.

Background

Dunraven Castle was a Victorian mansion on an older site. It was used as a convalescent hospital in both wars and demolished in 1963.