Restormel Castle - Bring the Dogs

Restormel Castle is a ruined medieval shell keep sitting on a hilltop above the Fowey valley, about a mile and a half north of Lostwithiel. We visited after breakfast at the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery cafe – the two are connected by a 1.14-mile woodland walking trail that is well worth knowing about (see our separate entry for the Woodland Walk).

It is in the care of English Heritage. Members enter free, non-members pay the standard EH admission. If you book in advance, you can save 15%. I also have a special Bring The Dogs discount code for 15% off annual membership. Full details are below. Open Sunday to Thursday in season (closed Friday and Saturday), 10am to 5pm.

The castle is unusual. The inner ward is a perfect circle – one of only 71 surviving shell keeps in England and Wales and the best preserved of them. The site was first fortified in around 1100 by Baldwin Fitz Turstin, the Norman sheriff of Cornwall, as a motte-and-bailey castle controlling a strategic crossing of the River Fowey. The stone shell that you walk through today was built up between 1192 and 1225 by Robert de Cardinham.

In the late 13th century Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, made Restormel his administrative centre and called it his “duchy palace”. It was luxurious by the standards of the day, with piped water – a remarkable feature at the time. In 1337 Edward III created the Duchy of Cornwall for his eldest son, the Black Prince, and Restormel was one of the original 17 manors included. The Black Prince repaired the castle but actually only ever stayed in it twice, in 1354 and 1365. After the Civil War it was abandoned and slowly decayed into the romantic ruin you see now.

The ruin is well-preserved enough that you can climb up onto the wall-walk and walk around the circle. The views across the Fowey valley are extensive. Dogs on leads are welcome in the grounds and around the castle.

Things to think about for a visit:

There is no cafe at the castle, but there are toilets on site. If you want food or a coffee before or after, the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery cafe at the other end of the woodland trail is the obvious place. The trail is 1.14 miles each way, woodland with some steep sections, and it is signed.

Dogs are on leads (livestock occasionally in the valley). The wall-walk has uneven steps. The site is reasonably exposed – no shelter from rain – so check the forecast.

This is what we did: parked at the Duchy Nursery, had breakfast at the cafe, walked the trail to the castle, walked around the castle and the wall-walk, and walked back. About two and a half miles of walking total, plus the castle exploration. The Black Prince connection rounds it off nicely – the same Duchy estate, the same valley, 700 years apart.

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The facts

Status: Tried and tested
Region: Cornwall
Area: Lostwithiel
Type: Castle
Dog rules: On lead
Walk distance: 0.5-1 miles
Cost: Paid
Membership benefits: English Heritage
Website: awin1.com ↗

Facilities

Water tap
Toilets
Picnic tables
Accessible parking

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