Eye Castle

OS Grid ref: TM 147737 (Explorer 230)

Area: 0.3 hectares

Eye Castle is a scheduled ancient monument located within the town of Eye. The original castle was a ‘motte and bailey.’ The motte is the high defensive mound with a keep on the top whilst the ‘bailey’ is the level area in front of the mound. Today, the ruins of a 19th century folly are situated on the summit of the motte and can be accessed by a flight of stone steps for spectacular views of the town and surrounding countryside. The original line of the ‘bailey’can still be seen as the line of buildings following the streets around the castle. Sections of the curtain wall are all that remain of the 12th century castle that once dominated the site and information boards provide a more in-depth look at its history.

At the foot of the motte the level grassy area is popular for picnics whilst in the Summer months children’s activities and outdoor theatre productions are regularly held on site.

The castle grounds are open from Easter to October between 9am and early evening each day. There is no parking on site. Please use the town centre car park from where, a waymarked route leads to the castle.

The ‘Eye Town Trail’ leaflet contains information about the Castle and other historic buildings around Eye. It is available from the Mid Suffolk Tourist Information Centre.

The Pennings, Eye

OS Grid ref: TM 152737 (Explorer 230)

Area: 2.5 hectares

The Pennings is an area of water meadows adjacent to the River Dove located on the outskirts of Eye. There is a small surfaced car park with a picnic area and a short length of surfaced riverside path. Most of the site is managed as a ‘hay meadow’ and in the Summer months there are abundant flowers and insects to be seen. In the Winter the site is wet and often flooded.

The meadows are typical of the former meadows that still partly surround the 'Island of Eye.' Visitors should keep a look out for Kingfisher and Water Vole along the river. A walk around the site takes no more than 30minutes but there are plenty of longer walks into the surrounding countryside and along the River Dove. Both the Mid Suffolk Footpath and ‘Eye Country Walk’ pass the site entrance.