Visited September 2019

Location	Kilpeck, Herefordshire
Entrance Fee	No
Railway Station Nearby	No
Parking	Yes
Facilities	None
Map

The best thing about visiting this castle is the peace and quiet. It is a small site in a small village and the castle mound itself is home to a few solitary sheep. On the day we visited there were no other signs of life, despite it being a glorious early September day.

Review

There is not too much left now of the castle, two fragments of the keep make up the sum of the the masonry remains. The south wall has the remains of a fireplace, and there is also a drainage hole half way up the wall. It is not clear what this was used to drain. The north wall also has the remains of a fireplace. It is clear these were domestic buildings, probably for the Lord of the castle to stay in. 

The motte is easy to climb, not too steep and the grass is well maintained by the sheep. They generally move out of your way as you look around, but beware of their droppings, they are pretty much everywhere so don't wear your best shoes!

Below the castle is the church of St Mary and St David, which has some wonderful Norman carvings and sculptures. It is a large church for such a small village- this is because once the castle controlled a large borough which was built to the North of the church. This flourished until the 14th century, when a succession of poor harvests and the Black Death killed off most of the population. Lumps and bumps  in the neighbouring field are all that is left of the original settlement.

There is not much in this small village once you have looked at the castle and church, the only facilities are in the village pub, The Kilpeck Inn. We combined our visit with a  short stop at Longtown Castle and a longer stop at Kentchurch Court which has toilets and a tea room. All three places are within easy travelling distance of each other.

More info:  Kilpeck Castle