The circular wall-top walk
A full circuit of the battlements with the Fowey valley on one side and the Black Prince's roofless rooms on the other.
Zaian at English Wikipedia — Public domain · Tom Parnell — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michael Garlick — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Michael Garlick — CC BY-SA 2.0
A near-perfect ring of stone roughly 38 metres across, sitting on a wooded mound above the River Fowey, and nothing else: no great tower, no roofed halls, no indoor exhibition. That is Restormel, and its late-13th-century circular shell keep is one of the most complete examples of the type anywhere in England. The earls of Cornwall built it: the site came to Richard, Earl of Cornwall, in 1268, and his son Edmund raised the castle you walk today before the century was out. Edward the Black Prince, heir to the English throne and Duke of Cornwall, then turned it into a luxurious retreat and made two long stays here, in 1354 and over the winter of 1362, when a great deer park still stretched out on every side. The whole visit is, quite literally, a walk around the wall. Wooden and stone steps take you up to the battlements, and from there you make a full circuit with the green Fowey valley on one side and the castle's own interior on the other: from above you read the footprints of the great hall, the kitchen, the little chapel and the prince's lodgings, their roofs gone for centuries and their walls now outlining rooms open to the sky. The deep dry moat that rings the mound is at its best in spring, when primroses and daffodils cover the slopes and bluebells are usually out in late April and May, easily the finest time to come. Be honest with yourself about scale: this is an hour, not a day. Anyone hoping for furnished rooms and glass cases will leave disappointed; anyone who likes ruins, views and quiet will find one of inland Cornwall's gentlest stops. It is a good family site in the right spirit: children can run the inner ring in relative safety, there are picnic benches and three tables facing the castle, and toilets with baby-changing, but no café, just a hot-drinks machine and a small shop selling snacks and ice cream, so bring lunch. The ground is uneven grass with gravel and steps, so a pushchair gets you as far as the moat and no further; a carrier is easier. Driving is the sensible way in. The castle sits about 2.5 km north of the small town of Lostwithiel in the middle of Cornwall, between Bodmin and St Austell, about 15 minutes from Bodmin and 40 from Truro or Newquay, with a free car park 70 metres from the entrance. Lostwithiel itself is on the Plymouth to Penzance main line, and the walk up from its station takes half an hour, uphill. The site opens only from late March to the start of November, daily 10:00 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:30, closing at 16:00 through October, and shuts completely for the winter. An adult ticket at the gate is GBP 9 (GBP 10 on peak days, GBP 8.10 on the quietest ones), dropping to GBP 7.65 when booked online before midnight the day before; no timed slot is needed. Pair it with Lanhydrock (10 minutes by car) or the Eden Project (20 minutes) to fill the day.
A full circuit of the battlements with the Fowey valley on one side and the Black Prince's roofless rooms on the other.
Primroses and daffodils cover the mound in spring and bluebells usually follow in late April and May around the deep dry moat, the prettiest time to visit.
Benches and three tables face the castle and children can run inside the ring; bring your own food, there is no café.
Off Restormel Road, Lostwithiel PL22 0HN
Yes as a one-hour stop, not as a destination in itself. It is a ruin with no furnished rooms, so if time is tight Lanhydrock gives children far more. With an open day, Restormel adds a view, real quiet and a picnic spot the busy sites cannot, especially when the mound is in spring flower.
No. The castle shuts completely from the start of November until about mid-March, and even in October the gates close at 16:00. Winter visitors to Cornwall should admire it from the road or pick an open alternative.