Upnor Castle Reviews Summary

Grounds and Surroundings

Pros:

• "One of the most amazing and interesting castles in North Kent. It's very well managed and looked after. Really incredible history."
• "Picturesque cobbled street from the car park to the fort, nice grounds, great views over the Medway."
• "Set in tranquil grounds, in the picturesque riverside village of Upnor, stands this rare and wonderfully preserved Elizabethan artillery fortress."
• "Staff were friendly and helpful, toilets were clean and the grounds were tidy and well kept."
• "Lovely little gem hidden away. The approach down a beautiful cobbled street leading to the entrance adds to its appeal with great views over the Medway."
• "The Castle is set on the banks of the River Medway with gorgeous views, the smallish gardens in the Castle are pleasant and well kept with plenty of picnic benches."
• "This place is amazing. The grounds are stunning and the view across the river is superb."

Cons:

• "There is no seating on the benches in the grounds... but on the council bench outside the gate you can all sit, does that really make sense?"
• "The downside is ascending the multiple spiral staircases that do not all have handrails or just a rope- they have nothing."
• "However without these and the entertainment would be expensive for families to visit."
• "A bit of a non event unfortunately. A few empty rooms with very scant information dotted around the north and south towers."
• "Although listed by English Heritage as included for free entry for Ukrainian refugees Medway Council refuse to honour this!"
• "The staff are very abrupt!"
• "Rude staff on entrance who couldn't care less."

Accessibility and Facilities

Pros:

• "A great place for a quick visit set in lovely grounds toilets 🚻 on site and great little shop."
• "There is a very small free public car park near by with 2 or 3 disabled parking bays available."
• "There is also a free car park as you approach the village, best to park here as limited parking and turning space beyond this."
• "The grounds are well kept and there's tables and benches for having a picnic."
• "There is an outside picnic area at the top of the hill behind the castle with benches."
• "There is a small shop which sells ice-cream and gifts, a little self service coffee area but no cafe."
• "There are picnic benches though so perfect to bring a picnic, or make use of one of the 2 historic pubs which are right on the doorstep."

Cons:

• "Remember it's an old castle fort with lots of steps, accessibility wasn't a thing when it was built so it's not really advisable for people with mobility issues."
• "Upnor Castle is worth visiting but not suitable for anyone in a wheelchair."
• "Wouldn't recommend coming here if you have mobility issues as access isn't great."
• "The castle has quite a lot of steps within it and says that some areas are not suitable for wheelchairs but I think anyone who has difficulties with walking would struggle to see a lot of this castle as nearly all the area had stairs to go either up or down."
• "Lots of steps up the towers so not suitable for people with disabilities."
• "No cafe onside so bring a picnic!"
• "Be warned though do not follow sat nav to gate it is a tiny road with nowhere to turn and no parking although I got a round of applause for reversing up it again from the pub customers on the corner."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Staff were friendly and helpful, toilets were clean and the grounds were tidy and well kept."
• "The staff were incredibly friendly and offered great local advice."
• "We held our wedding ceremony here...what a wonderful, amazing day! The staff at the castle were friendly, helpful and reassuring throughout."
• "The staff were so helpful & pleasant & this place was one of the highlights of our holiday."
• "Very knowledgeable staff who gave us lots of information."
• "Staff very welcoming and pleasant!"
• "The staff (English Heritage) are really friendly and helpful."

Cons:

• "The staff are very abrupt!"
• "Rude staff on entrance who couldn't care less."
• "Never known such miserable staff at a tourist attraction! No greeting, offer of guide or audio tour."
• "The woman in the ticket office was very unfriendly and seemed irritated by my membership card."
• "Found the staff to be rather brash which is unlike other English Heritage sites visited who have all been very welcoming and polite."
• "Staff member incredibly rude and intimidating."
• "Some of the staff that were walking about the place but didn't even give you eye contact let alone talk to you."

Value and Experience

Pros:

• "Kids really loved running up and down the steps though, it has maintained its authenticity and really feels like stepping back in time."
• "Had a lovely day here at Upnor the Castle or should I say the Fort was very interesting loads of information about the history of the area and of the the Fort itself."
• "A delightful morning, shame the weather wasn't better but nonetheless Upnor Castle was an interesting visit."
• "This is a great place to take the whole family, children will love it here."
• "All in all we enjoyed our visit and would recommend to come to Upnor if for the atmosphere alone."
• "Yeah ok it's not a huge castle, but to go there means half a day of pleasure and when you leave you'll have some good memories."
• "Visited with my daughter and her children to follow the Halloween trail. Entertaining for all of us very interesting displays."

Cons:

• "However without these and the entertainment would be expensive for families to visit."
• "A bit of a non event unfortunately. A few empty rooms with very scant information dotted around the north and south towers."
• "More of a fort than castle, near on all rooms completely empty could have been better with more displays/history of place."
• "Half of the castle rooms were empty maybe lacking some more displays / mannequins to really bring it to life."
• "A nice place to wander around but at £6.40 per adult it's a bit expensive as there's not that much to see (mainly a bunch of empty rooms)."
• "Not the best place i have ever been to. Not much to see or do."
• "Wouldn't recommend wasting your money better off going for the view."