Background Information

Standing majestically on a sheer rocky crag, Beeston Castle has perhaps the most stunning views of any castle in England, which stretch from the Pennines to the mountains of Wales. Excavations indicate that a Bronze Age settlement and Iron Age hillfort occupied the site long before the castle was begun in 1225. For centuries an impregnable royal fortress, it finally fell to Parliamentarian forces in the Civil War.

The Castle of the Rock exhibition outlines the 4,000 year history of this strategic site, and there are family friendly books and activities.

Nearly 40 acres of the castle grounds have been restored in a woodland management project. Now featuring a variety of walks and new perspectives on the medieval fortress, the design of which was inspired by the great crusader castles of the Middle East.

Lasting an hour or more, the walks also take in previously hidden sections of the castle's moat and ruined walls, providing glimpses of nature including birds of prey and autumnal fungi displays, and give visitors access to more of the famous views.