Hogwarts castle is located atop a cliff overlooking a lake. The lake is to the south of the castle and the front doors face generally to the west. There is a small underground inlet, it's entrance covered with hanging ivy, that leads to a stony beach below the castle at the base of the cliff. From here, a path leads up to the front door of the castle. A road runs around the lake to the village of Hogsmeade, where the railway station is located. There are entrances to the grounds, which seems to imply that there is a wall or fence enclosing the entire area. The main entrance gate is flanked by pillars on which stand statues of winged boars.