Vale Castle

Vale Castle stands on a hill above St Sampson's harbour, a walled enclosure whose curtain and gatehouse survive though the buildings inside are gone, raised in the medieval period on ground that was fortified long before and reworked in the eighteenth century and again in the twentieth. From the walls the north of the island, the harbour and Herm and Sark beyond are laid out. Excavation found Iron Age occupation under the medieval walls, so the hill has been held in one form or another for well over two thousand years.

What you actually see

• The curtain walls - the surviving medieval enclosure and gatehouse.
• The layered fortification - ground fortified across many periods.
• The harbour view - St Sampson laid out directly below.
• The island panorama - Herm and Sark visible across the water.

When to go

Year round; the site is open ground. Summer evenings are best for the view. Winter winds on the hill are strong.

Honest expectations

Nothing survives inside the walls and interpretation is minimal. The climb up is short but steep. Concerts held in the enclosure close it at times.

Nearby

St Sampson is below, and Rousse Tower is west.