All walks › Welshpool & the Border
Welshpool & the BorderMontgomery Castle
Up to the castle ruins on their rock above one of the best-preserved small Georgian towns in Wales. Short, steep at the end, and a very good view for the effort.
- Distance
- 1.9 mi / 3 km
- Time
- 1 hr
- Ascent
- 90 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 square to the castle, walk the ruins, then descend by the far side and loop back through the town or along the town ditch. Steps and steep grass in places.
Worth knowing
- The town is a rare survival: a complete small Georgian townscape with almost no modern intrusion.
- Offa’s Dyke runs below the town and is worth extending the walk to see.
- The castle is free and unstaffed, and you will often have it to yourself.
What you’ll see
Castle ruins, Georgian frontages, and a view east over the Severn plain into Shropshire.
Background
Henry III began the castle in 1223 to control the Severn crossing. It was slighted after the Civil War and never rebuilt, which is why the town below stopped growing and survived unchanged.