Richmond Castle Reviews Summary

Facilities & Services

Pros:

• "Nice little shop that sells guide books and ice cream and inside there is a bit to explore and a big area for kids to run about in."
• "We really enjoyed our visit to Richmond Castle. Spectacular views from the top. The best bit was the exhibition inside, really really interesting and a good spot to hide from the rain! Also, really good clean toilets- both a block of male/female loos outside and an accessible one inside."
• "Good value family tickets and dogs on leads are welcome."
• "On-site loo facilities and shop are in good order."
• "Richmond Castle is now managed by English Heritage with free parking nearby."
• "Also you get two hours free parking in the town, but you do need to get a free disc from any of the shops in the town itself."
• "The on-site museum is very informative and should not be missed."

Cons:

• "Opening times show it should have been open, recent reviews show open at the weekend. Arrived and it wasn't open, nothing on the website about this."
• "Only negative point was in the rooms in the tower there are pigeons flying around inside... they could sweep the floorboards as they have a lot of bird muck to avoid walking in!"
• "Men and women toilets are outside and were clogged up and generally not very good."
• "Unfortunately the keep is closed so not as much to see as you would like."
• "Due to current restrictions you can't go up to the top of the keep, which is the shame."
• "The only down side is not being able to avoid the shop when leaving."
• "Parking was a bit of an issue has not got its own carpark so need to park in the square 2 minutes away but if busy it is a case of driving round until a space becomes available."

Castle Experience

Pros:

• "There are very interesting exhibitions which are well organised and thought out."
• "For kids, there's plenty of space to run around, walls to clamber on and chambers to hide in."
• "Great place to visit, part of English Heritage situated in the heart of the historic town of Richmond."
• "Very beautiful castle in the lovely Yorkshire Dales."
• "The grounds of the castle are well cared for."
• "Superb place to visit and the views from the top of the keep are well worth the effort climbing all those stairs."
• "An enjoyable castle to visit. We took two small boys who had a wonderful time tearing around the grounds!"

Cons:

• "Only the main tower is still more or less intact, the rest being all ruins."
• "Expensive!"
• "Charge an arm and another arm to visit a ruin?"
• "Massively disappointing. A castle with virtually no history."
• "Quite impressive looking around the keep but overall not much to see apart from the views from the top of the keep. Probably the last English Heritage site I'll pay to see as well over priced."
• "Warning: toddlers can't see from the top of the tower but having them stand on the battlement means there is just a single bar to hold them back but at trip level!"
• "Some sections of the ruins that do exist are unknown what they are."

Staff & Customer Service

Pros:

• "Very friendly staff 😊😁😘 x"
• "The staff were sweet & attentive, were sure to check that we had had a good time."
• "Helpful and friendly staff! Easy access as i am a member of English heritage."
• "Brilliant staff very friendly, knowledgable and kind to the castle cat."
• "Staff very friendly and helpful."
• "Staff extremely helpful and friendly with lots of good tips and advice."
• "Staff on hand during our visit were very friendly."

Cons:

• "Shame the castle had the Pride flag flying, virtue signalling at its finest..."
• "Be careful with parking in town though, we did not see a pay station and were ticketed."
• "Absolutely atrocious! Entry by previous booking only."
• "I think someone actually went to the toilet in the latrine."
• "The only let down is the parking in Richmond."
• "Parking in Richmond can be tricky, I ended up down by the river and the walk up to the castle was steep."
• "Beware of the very steep and narrow steps in the keep."

Accessibility & Parking

Pros:

• "Comfortable hiking boots recommended its not as difficult to get around as some of the others I've been to."
• "Grounds are well maintained and a nice garden worth a visit in one corner of the castle grounds."
• "You can park for free very close to the Castle in the main cobbled square using a 'time disc' available from tourist information office."
• "There's parking with a free disc just outside in the marketplace."
• "When parking you can get a parking time card, like a disabled one, in the shops so you can park up to 2 hours free."
• "There is minimal parking at the castle so it's best to park in a carpark on the edge of town and walk up."
• "No car park on site but parking is available in several places in Richmond."

Cons:

• "Only opens at weekends during the winter months but that should not deter you from walking along Castle Walk to take in the sheer magnificence of the castle constructed in 1071."
• "Nice castle, but have to be aware of parking charges."
• "Castle is right in the middle of town, which is great as long as you can find parking."
• "My only slight criticism is that we wanted to visit the castle and then walk down to Easby Abbey but with only 2 hours parking there wasn’t enough time so we had to miss out the walk and Easby Abbey."
• "Parking is a bit of an issue."
• "The castle offers not only extensive views of the local area."
• "The Castle entrance is easily accessible from the Market Square and is well worth a visit."