Front Gates

Hogwarts Castle is surrounded by mountains and is perched high atop a cliff overlooking a great black lake. When entering from the lake, a curtain of ivy hides a wide opening in the cliff face. A dark tunnel leads right under the castle into an underground harbour with a rocky beach and from there, a passageway in the rock leads to the front doors. The entrance on the road from Hogsmeade to around the lake is through a pair of wrought iron gates in the walls enclosing the grounds. On either side of the gates are two tall stone pillars, each topped with a winged boar. The Hogwarts grounds are extensive with sloping lawns, including flowerbeds, vegetable patches, and a Quidditch pitch, as well as the vast Forbidden Forest.