Beeston Castle

Really good place to with great views once you have got to the top. Not for the faint hearted though I was seriously out of breath at the top but it was worth it. At the bottom we had ice creams from the shop very nice indeed. Took the friends dog as well.

The views here span over the Pennines to the Welsh Mountains and is just breat taking. It is a great spot for a picnic lunch. I suggest that you stop nerby at Hollies farm shop to select your picnic hamper and then climb to the top of the castle which sits on a craggy outcrop.

With an awe inspiring view this area has been occupied since the stone age and you can see why you can see fo miles around The castle was built for defense and the ruins show you a castle that would have been hard to break into Big thick impenatrable walls and towers dotted around it the castle has one of the deepest wells in england as it is so high they had to go a long way down to get to the water.
This is one of the few english heritage places I would say buy the guide book as the audio tours are usually enough but the place has such an interesting history its nice to be able to skip to parts when you come across. There is supposed to be hidden treasure here good luck finding it as I dont think they will let you in with a shovel
There is a musuem showing the history of the castle and a nice little shop

A great day out. The ruins are impressive and the view from the top is simply breath-taking (literally so on a day that’s as windy as when we went); but a surprising plus-point for our family was the climb up to the top, which our eldest (then aged 4) tackled with great gusto. We went on a day when they had a treasure-hunt on -- you had to locate some knights and squires hidden around the site -- and that certianly helped with the motivation. The entry price was slightly on the high side and access wasn’t great, but all in all it’s certainly worth a visit.

The ruins of Beeston Castle are amazing as are the views when you get up the hill. Unless they’ve recently improved the footpath up to the castle from the bottom it wasn’t very buggy friendly when I took my daughter when she was a baby. We managed though and the views were definately worth it.

It feels like youre sat on the top of the world looking down on Cheshire with fabulous 360 views.

What can I say that REDSTAR999 hasn’t already! The castle is steeped in history and is located in a beautiful area of cheshire with majestic views once you have climbed the hill on which it sits. Not ideal for Disabled or Wheelchair access - I would imagine it is still possible - Peckforton Castle is opposite and may be more suitable - However a great place to visit just for the views - check out the Cheshire Ice Cream Farm near by - Yum Yum - The castle is also located right next to the sandstone trail which is popular with walkers

The medieval ruins of Beeston Castle stand on a rocky summit 500ft above the Cheshire plain, offering stunning views from the Pennines in the east to the mountains of Wales in the west. The fortification dates from 1225 when it was built by Ranulf, the sixth Earl of Chester, and contains one of the deepest castle wells in the country.
The castle was not complete at the time of Ranulf’s death in 1232, or even by the death of his successor, John, the seventh earl, in 1237. When Earl John died without a male heir, King Henry III took Beeston and the earldom of Chester into his own hands.
The castle was seized by King Henry III in 1237 and used by him and later his son, King Edward I, as a base for their campaigns against the Welsh. The castle was finally destroyed at the end of the Civil War.
King Henry mainly used Beeston as a base to assemble troops and supplies for his campaigns against the Welsh, and as a place to keep prisoners and hostages. In 1254 Henry gave Beeston, together with all the other castles and lands of the County of Chester to his eldest son Prince Edward. Edward was also given the title Earl of Chester which, from that time, has always been granted to the eldest son of the sovereign of England.
The castle was brought back into military use during the civil war when Parliamentarians seized the castle in February 1643 and made some repairs to the fortifications. In December 1643 a small party of Royalists took the castle. A Royalist garrison remained in the castle until November 1645 when, after a long siege, they were forced to surrender.
At the end of the Civil War orders were given for Beeston’s defences to be destroyed. Subsequent quarrying at the site further reduced the castle’s stoneworks, leaving just a few ruins that we can see today.
It remains a wonderful place to visit and let yourself imagine those days so long ago.