Wrexham and Flintshire

Wepre Park and Ewloe Castle

Wooded valley park on the edge of Deeside with a Welsh castle hidden in the trees, built by Llywelyn the Last rather than the Normans.

Distance: 3.1 mi / 5 km
Time: 1 hr 45
Ascent: 120 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

Gentle enough throughout. Paths follow the brook up the valley from the visitor centre to the castle and loop back through the woods. Steps in places.

Worth knowing

Ewloe is a Welsh-built castle in a wooded hollow, which is unusual: most castles command the ground rather than hide in it.
The castle is free and unstaffed.
Bluebells through the valley in late April.

What you’ll see

The castle keep and curtain wall, the brook, and mature woodland.

Background

Ewloe was built by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd around 1257 to hold ground taken from the English, and was abandoned after Edward I’s conquest.