Britain has thousands of castles and lets you walk through most of them between ten and five. We looked for castles that hand you the key, feed you dinner, and remain yours in the morning. Twelve fit these criteria: six in England and six in Scotland, all open and taking bookings now. Not all are the five-figure fantasies people expect. We order the list by price, and the first three entries cost less than $250 per night. Lumley Castle in County Durham is 600 years old, half an hour from Newcastle, and runs from $90. Hever Castle is Anne Boleyn’s childhood home. Additionally, your room includes access to 125 acres of gardens after day visitors leave. Additionally, the Eisenhower Suite at Culzean offers six bedrooms on the top floor of a clifftop castle, reserved in 1945.
Here’s the part that costs people their trip: booking the postcode instead of the building. Langley Castle has nine bedrooms actually inside the castle and the rest out in the grounds. By contrast, Dornoch has nine in the castle and twelve in a modern extension. Dalhousie and Thornbury close for part of the winter, and this closure may not appear before your card is charged. Nevertheless, the rate shown by an online engine is frequently for a room not actually inside the castle. We hold the direct relationships, we know which room numbers put you behind the old walls, and through our consortia we can frequently add breakfast, a dinner credit or an upgrade at no extra cost — plus the car and a full custom England–Scotland itinerary around it. Full list, rates and nearest airports here. Then call InterlineTravel.com at 800-766-2911 and the agents can get you booked along with your car or driver and your full customized tour of England & Scotland.