Bulwarks Prehistoric Enclosure

Bulwarks Prehistoric Enclosure - Cadw Historic Site in Monmouthshire | Trust Quest

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Bulwarks Prehistoric Enclosure, Clostir Cynhanesyddol Bwlwarcau, also called Bulwarks Camp, holds the hidden remnants of a late Iron Age promontory fort tucked between the houses of modern Chepstow. Perched on a cliff edge above the River Wye, with steep natural slopes on two sides, it is easy to see why the spot was chosen by its builders and why the Romans later occupied it. A crescent of two concentric banks and ditches with a central entrance encloses a roughly triangular area about 104 by 120 metres, now a grassy open space used by local walkers and runners, with the railway along its eastern edge. At first glance it looks like a small field, but the bank and ditch can be traced under the trees on the left as you enter from Alpha Road, where a Wales Coast Path fingerpost marks the entrance and cars park on the street. The coast path's Caldicot to Chepstow walk passes through on its way to the Port Wall and castle.

Open in daylightFrom Cadw's published times

Open any reasonable time in daylight

Opening times may change at short notice.

Open all year during reasonable daylight hours; no admission charge. Cadw may close monuments at short notice in extreme weather.

Terrain level 2, easy: a tarmac path into a level grass field with tree-covered banks, slippery when wet, and a cliff edge above the river on the east side. No toilets or facilities. Drones are not permitted.

Dogs: Cadw: 'Dogs welcome'; the enclosure is on Cadw's dog-friendly days out list for south-east Wales, which asks for dogs under control and on a short lead at all times and for owners to clean up after their pets. An open-air, ground-level site.

Photo: The grassy interior of the Bulwarks Iron Age enclosure at Chepstow, edged by the trees on its banks, under a winter sky. Tim Heaton, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Bulwarks_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4873190.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.

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Walking routes1 route

Caldicot Castle to Chepstow Castle (Wales Coast Path, Cadw itinerary)

15 kmeasy

Dog access not confirmed

9 miles (15 km), or 10 miles with the Caldicot country park loop, along the Severn estuary via St Pierre Pill and Mathern into Chepstow; the route notes that the late Iron Age Bulwarks Camp is easy to miss but its double bank and ditch can be traced, then continues to the Port Wall and the castle; a regular bus service links Caldicot and Chepstow. Free.

Bulwarks Prehistoric Enclosure

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Nearby

Chepstow Port Wall

Chepstow Castle

Offa's Dyke

Caer-went Roman Town

Tintern Abbey

St Briavels Castle

Blaise Hamlet

Leigh Woods

Raglan Castle