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Name: | Dudley Castle |
Hill number: | 18702 |
Height: | 230.4m / 756ft |
Parent (Ma): | 2870 Walton Hill |
RHB Section: | 39: Central and Eastern England |
County/UA: | Dudley |
Catchment: | Trent |
Class: | Tump (200-299m) (Tu,2) |
Grid ref: | SO 94688 90686 |
Summit feature: | ground outside castle keep |
Drop: | 31.6m |
Col: | 198.9m SO 9463 9050 |
OS map sheet(s): | (1:50k) 139 (1:25k) 219N 219S |
Observations: | ground within keep is 7cm lower |
Change log: | show changes for this hill entry |
GPS data: | show GPS entries for this hill |
N.B. Some hill summits are on private property or on land where there is no public right of way. Permission should be sought from the landowner where access to a hill summit is through private land.
Please report via the contact page any logs you see below which describe or encourage acts of trespass. Please quote the hill number and hill name.
Logged Descriptions (logged by 58 users, only the latest 50 shown - Show all) | By | Date of Ascent |
Ethical dilemma visiting this hill in having to address one’s own viewpoint on zoos. Fascinating, but sad to see animals in captivity, but life in the wild these days is no doubt often grim too, 
 The zoo's website claims for high animal welfare standards, conservation programmes, education, captive breeding and saving many endangered species from extinction. I cant find any research on the impact on the animals of being looked at all day – would one-way glass be better so they cant see us? Very quiet mid- week Feb, I coincided with the orangutan talk to just 5 of us whilst mesmerised by two babies playing. Ironically hard to hear the speaker as trees being cut down noisily behind us on zoo perimeter – I think she was talking about deforestation! Entry 37% discount (down to £12.50) using Groupon online. In the 13C citizens could turn up with a dog or a cat to feed to the lions which would have gained free entry to Henry III's London Zoo. Maybe worth a try here? | Chris Pearson | 26/02/2024 |
£24 including parking but to be fair, a good contender for most interesting hill in Staffordshire. Watched two gibbons having a suicidal playfight (I presume they were only playing) high in a tree. Saw flamingos up close for the first time. Dinosaurs! | Wycombe Wanderer | 06/01/2023 |
Possibly the most expensive Tump Ive ascended. | David Evans | 17/12/2022 |
Modernist architecture and hill bagging- good day out! With F. | David Bremner | 04/11/2022 |
Walked from Dudley Port station (30 minutes). Discounted ticket to view castle and zoo (£10.50, search for Groupon on internet). Visited summit, and a quick walk around the zoo (not really my sort of thing). Completes Section 39 Tumps. | PGCE | 23/01/2022 |
Expensive Tump ascent (£10 today). Walked up through Zoo to castle and keep. Very quiet today, can't say I'd recommend the zoo for a day out! | Bramley | 17/12/2021 |
We went to the zoo. A socially distanced visit. 
Hopefully the conservation work outweighs some of the poor animal enclosures | Buck | 21/06/2021 |
Several visits as a child, but today along with a visit to BlackCountry Living Museum. | CreakingHiker | 09/06/2021 |
Found solace with the animals after a failed and near-calamitous attempt (my etrier broke) at Wren's Nest. A Black Country exploratory walk from Tipton station. | summitsup | 04/01/2020 |
Concessionary entrance for the zoo and castle - £13.20, or thereabouts. There is a £3.50 all day parking charge if you want to pay for parking, alternative spots are available at £3.50 less. Access to top of the keep included in ent fee. | jonglew | 18/12/2019 |
And many other visits to the zoo and castle as a child. This is the most recent date I came here. | sturuss | 01/12/2019 |
Been many times, good day out if you have kids, can't imagine many zoo's have a castle, or vice versa. Could just about see our street from the top of the turret. | Stuzinho | 05/08/2019 |
3 of 10 on epic 49.3 mile bike ride including church hill, wrens nest, Dudley castle, netherton hill, ridgehill, blackhill, wrottesley hill, tettenhall woods, bushbury hill and essington hill. | The-Z-Man | 15/09/2018 |
5th top of 7 today, having visited Netherton hill, Warley Park, Turners Hill and Cawney Hill. £16.50 admission then up the chairlift and into the Castle courtyard and up the Keep's tower. Excellent views. On descent back at the base i slithered past the wooden portcullis to visit the ground in the centre then walked around the tower to climb back over the other side. Cafe service was slow as the heat was slowing down the machines. Saw the Sealions, penguins, Capybara, lion, Tiger,Chimps and Emu amongst the concrete 1930s architecture. Exited the park then past the Priory ruins and a lovely park heading for Wren's Nest... | Dazingdale | 30/06/2018 |
Spent 3 hours in zoo and castle in order to get our money's worth. Zoo was better than I feared although a bit down at heel. Climbed the castle keep, so well above the natural summit. Great views of the W Midlands. | Campbell Singer | 29/08/2017 |
I suppose the breeding of rare species helps to justify the existence of zoos these days. Pity that they can't survive in the wild where they should be. Great views from the castle top. | Barbara Singer | 29/08/2017 |
From the zoo entrance, up via the paths past various miserable-looking animals, to the high point by the castle keep. | Mariana Trench | 27/08/2017 |
Paid the price for castle and car park. Plus zoological gardens with meerkats, monkeys, orangutan, owls and flamingos. Visited green patch over barrier in keep, on pretext of picking up litter (which I did). | Aye Jimmy | 24/08/2017 |
Nice day out with Godson, visit to Zoo & Castle, good views from mini cable car, cool but nice & dry.. | apricorum | 11/04/2017 |
Half price visit with Adrian for a joint Dudley completion.. | Dugswell2 | 21/01/2017 |
Fog bound visit. Castle in zoo....Visited Doug L. In orangutan enclosure | Adrian | 21/01/2017 |
Meerkats, Lions, tigers and a tump. Went to keep and up to top of castle. Last of Dudley tops. | PeterD | 23/10/2016 |
Within keep of old castle. Good views. zoo surprisingly interesting. Penguins and lemurs entertaining. Search on google for offers on entry tickets as expensive otherwise. | Denise | 04/08/2016 |
Third hill on days cycle around the West Midlands. 2 for 1 entry to castle and zoo so the £14.05 entry fee didn't feel too bad. Great views from top of castle walls, quick visit to the grassy keep then lunch on side of the motte in hot sunshine before visiting the spectacular Anteater and the snoozing Tapiers. Not really that fond of seeing animals in captivity but came away with the impression all here were well cared for and reasonably contented with their lot. | RichardM | 04/08/2016 |
Having visited whilst knee high to a penguin I wasn't too bothered I couldn't get in today. Was gone 7pm so settled for walking up to the gates. I don't much recall being here as a child.. but am reliably informed that I did. | stig_nest | 21/04/2016 |
Probably the most expensive tump I've been up. They even charge for the car park. Not impressed by the zoo either. Only saw some meerkats on my rapid transit. | ngthack | 29/11/2015 |
Visit to the zooo for my 60th birthday. The GR given is behind a fence in the keep saying don't go there. Luckily it was quiet so I nipped over to make sure I'd bagged it properly. | clivevilla | 19/11/2015 |
Castle Keep seems to be intended location, expected height, small fence to deal with. Dad and I spent half a day at the zoo, interesting place. The EDL were putting on a demo so a lot of security and police about. Then to the Wolverhampton and Dudley UA HPs. | RHW | 07/02/2015 |
Nice spot. Different from most tops. 13.40. | arranc | 20/01/2015 |
14 quid for a 15 minute hill | GordonAdshead | 18/01/2015 |
A pub on a Tump in a castle in a zoo! That's quite a day out. From the battlements, great views of other notable hills, from the Clents to the Clees and everything in between. | DanHolme | 07/08/2013 |
Took my Grandson to Dudley Zoo for his 7th Birthday treat. Didn't realise a TuMP until later - but fortunately had been to the highest point otherwise would have had to make an expensive return trip! | Hillsidenick | 14/04/2013 |
It's hard to believe how exciting the trip to Dudley Zoo used to be when you see it now | Normski | 09/03/2004 |
Visited in the role of teacher with school children. Date approximate. | JohnW | 15/07/1992 |
Used to live nearby and as a child often came here to the zoo to see the animals and the castle. | Stretchy | 01/01/1985 |
Estimated date, visited the castle and zoo on a family holiday. | Swindon Bagger | 20/08/1974 |
Date is best guess | DC11main | 01/07/1972 |
A few childhood visits - involving clambering over the castle. | fasgadh | 01/07/1966 |
Many times as a small boy | ijpowell | 01/08/1963 |
Best guess at date, about 1960- went by train (sic) to Dudley Town from Snow Hill, zoo birthday treat | pwheeler | 26/05/1960 |
Sister lived up the road in Tipton and her friend lived above the bank on the main street. Castle was a regular haunt. Year correct but date random. | moorsman | 19/08/1955 |
Visits to the zoo in the 1970's would have seen me on top this hill. | ChinnockC | blank |
Reuben Watson | 25/11/2023 | |
Etienne Watson | 25/11/2023 | |
Martin R | 24/04/2022 | |
rickeeling | 01/01/2020 | |
Alan Caine | 17/03/2019 | |
jimbloomer | 16/01/2019 | |
mae | 31/07/2018 | |
Pete R | 08/01/2018 |