Wiston Castle

PricingFreeFree for all visitors

Free entry for everyone

Entry

Free for everyone

Pricing details

Free entry for everyone; no membership card is needed.

ParkingNo car park

Arrive on foot, by bike or by public transport.

Parking details

Cadw lists no designated parking. Visitors park on the village road near St Mary Magdalene's church, which has a little space, then pass through the metal swing gate with its history board and cross the field, boggy and muddy in wet weather, to the steps up the motte. Cows often roam the field, particularly at the entrance.

Driving pin: Cadw's own arrival point on the village road between the castle field and the church, 144 m south of its marker on the motte. By road: minor roads off the A40, 4.8 miles east of Haverfordwest. National Cycle Network route 440 passes 7 km away.

About

Wiston Castle, Castell Cas-wis, is one of the best-preserved motte-and-bailey castles in Wales, probably built by an early Flemish settler with the unusual name of Wizo in a field beside the village east of Haverfordwest. It had a short but eventful life: first recorded in 1147 when the Welsh attacked it, it was attacked again in 1193 by Hywel Sais, son of the Lord Rhys, before Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Llywelyn the Great, finished the job and destroyed it in 1220. The remains of the stone shell keep, a later addition crowning the seven-metre motte, still stand up to 13 feet high, inside an oval bailey that may reuse an Iron Age enclosure. Reviewers call it the most complete and illustrative motte and bailey they have seen in Wales, with a history board at the gate and good steps up into the keep. Tips from visitors: park considerately near the church, expect a muddy field, and keep dogs on leads because cows and curious bullocks roam the field.

Check today’s timesPick a day for times and prices

When visiting the castle, please be aware there may be livestock in the surrounding field especially during spring and summer. Please keep pets on leads and enjoy the walk from a safe distance; avoid approaching any animals along the way.

Today, Saturday 24 October

Wiston Castle10:00 – 16:00last admission 15:30

Free entry

Opening times may change at short notice.

Open 10am to 4pm all year, last admission 30 minutes before closing; closed 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January. No admission charge and no key arrangement; entry is through the field gate. Cadw's standing notice warns of livestock in the surrounding field, especially in spring and summer: keep pets on leads and do not approach the animals. Cadw may close monuments at short notice in extreme weather.

Terrain level 3, moderate: a boggy access route across the field, then several steps with a handrail up the motte, where visitors coming up have priority; the narrow gated entrance rules out wheelchairs. No toilets, cafe or shop. Drones are not permitted.

Dogs: Pets are welcome on leads at the castle; keep them away from the cows that roam the field. The site is not on Cadw's dog-friendly list, so the published rule is the visitor notice alone.

Photo: The grassy motte of Wiston Castle crowned by the ruined stone shell keep and its arched entrance, with the steps up the mound, under a clear blue sky. Lucy Sheers, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wiston-castle-pembrokeshire-may-2018.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.