Sandal Castle

good for a hour or two

A visit to the castle ruin is a must for anyone visiting Wakefield. While most of the ruin has disappeared over the years it is exciting for anyone interested in the history of Wakefield. The castle underwent alot of development years ago to make it accessible to all ages groups and disabilities. There are plenty of information boards on the footpaths outlining the history of the castle and the views over Pugney‘s Water Park and Wakefield are stunning. There is limited parking on the castle site and this can get busy during the summer months but parking on the roadside just outside the grounds in accepted.

Sandal Castle evokes lots of fond memories for me from childhood. It’s funny, because you usually remember things from when you were a kid as ‘bigger than life’ and then they seem really small when you encounter them in adult life. Yet with Sandal Castle it’s the opposite: the hills and ruins seemed quite a manageable size (and climbable) when I was little. Now they seem ruddy huge (and steep!) The safety precautions do seem better than back then, though, and the place is well fenced.
Perhaps the place is just in a better state of repair now (as it used to be a bit wrecked) and they have rebuilt parts of it? Yes, by the way, this is the castle where ‘when they were up they were up, and when they were down they were down, and when they were only half-​way up’ etc.

A lovely place of interest — theres plenty to learn about this place — a visitor centre is now open and very interesting. Also a great place to walk the dogs but wear some warm clothing as the wind can whip around making it a very chillie walk. There is a small parking area — but on busy days the parking isnt so good.

This gives great views over Wakefield, and is a good day out if you combine it with a walk to Pugneys, the lake nearby where you can canoe, windsurf or rent a pedalo. Although there’s not a lot of the castle left, it’s a part of our local history, and there is now a visitor centre which provides a lot more information to make the ruins more interesting (as well as providing toilets!) I would say that it is well worth a visit if you live in the area. There is no dedicated parking, but there is little problem parking on the street nearby.

Beautiful castle ruins. Great views over Wakefield and Pugneys lake. Can be very windy but the views are worth it. A hidden gem in an urban area.
History can be found at

fantastic views! didn’t go into the visitors centre, so I can’t comment, but even the gust of icy wind yesterday couldn’t stop us enjoying the panoramic views from the top. Apparently this is the hill that the grand old duke of York marched his men up and down — interesting. my boyfriend told me that, and I just looked it up
I imagine it would be nice for a picnic on a sunny day, but in November it was just cold