Eastnor Castle Reviews Summary

Grounds and Walks

Pros:

• "The playground is fantastic and the walk around the lake, whilst muddy and boggy, was beautiful."
• "Fantastic day out. Great grounds and very relaxing to explore."
• "On a dry day though there are excellent walks around the forest and around the lake and there is a maze for the kids."
• "Nice grounds with a walk around the lake giving beautiful views of the castle and also a wooded area to walk around."
• "There are some lovely walks in the grounds and there is a very nice large lake."
• "The grounds themselves were stunning and plenty of vistas for all to see."
• "The gardens are spectacular with a grand walk around the pathways."

Cons:

• "We had a walk around the lake, but take care if it's been raining as it was steep in places and my husband slipped down a bank."
• "The only reason for 4/5 is lack of signage for the lakeside walk."
• "2 things that let it down, lack of signage on paths, you get a map but this doesn’t show all routes and no signage on the actual paths."
• "The grounds are nice but all the spots along the lake that had benches and a view were taken up by tents and anglers making it feel awkward."
• "Nice place, however if it has been raining then be prepared with suitable footwear as the areas around the castle can get muddy."

Castle and History

Pros:

• "Castle is beautifully maintained, the guide knowledgeable and friendly."
• "Absolutely stunning and hugely intimate castle with a heart and history! Spectacular stately rooms, stunning views and walks."
• "The castle is enchanting and the rooms you could access were very interesting."
• "The castle is full of fascinating history, made all the more ‘real’ knowing that the family still live in it."
• "Fabulous castle, well kept interior, you only get access to a few rooms, however they are spectacular."
• "One of the most beautiful castles in the world and the grounds are simply stunning."
• "A delightful 'modern' castle delightfully situated overlooking a lake."

Cons:

• "Not safe for children. We have enjoyed Eastnor castle many times. Sadly this year the play equipment has not been maintained/checked to a safe standard."
• "I would say you do only get to see about 40% of the castle but then been the weekend and loads of kids about that might have been why."
• "The castle/home was OK the staff were nice and friendly but only a very small part of the house is open you can walk round it in a few minutes and certainly not worth the extra to see inside."
• "Couldn't go into the building itself, not sure if that was due to COVID or not."
• "Lovely place, didn't do the castle as it's not a real castle just a big posh house."
• "The visit to the castle is not recommended at the moment for people with difficulty walking, due to the eternal covid."
• "Overall lovely visit, but just felt a bit anti climatic compared to a few other castles I've visited."

Facilities and Services

Pros:

• "The tea rooms have awesome cake and very reasonably priced."
• "The wheelchair access to the castle for a guided tour on a Tuesday is great."
• "The tea room was great. My favourite part was the ice cream, I went back twice it was so good."
• "The tea shop was lovely and the sandwich and cakes we had were tasty."
• "An excellent cafeteria, and some lovely walks around the castle grounds."
• "Cafe on site and ice-cream was more than welcome on a hot day."
• "The tearoom is pricey, but worth a visit."

Cons:

• "A good cafe although there was a very large queue, we didn't bother with an ice cream as the queue was even longer."
• "On the event day we went too, the queue for tea coffee was unacceptable needed more out door catering."
• "The only draw back for me was the lack of choice in the cafe for Gluten Free."
• "The cafè was very small and busy. When we visited, there was only 1 member of staff operating hot drinks and tills, which then backlogged a queue."
• "The outside seating for the cafe could do with a revamp as well."
• "The only slight disappointment was the tea room, serving only sandwiches and drinks, all in takeaway cups."
• "Enjoyed our visit, but have marked it down because the cafe had very little choice OK if you like sandwiches."

Accessibility and Inclusivity

Pros:

• "This was actually a really nice place to go especially if you have a dog as unusually they are allowed inside the castle itself which was quite a nice change."
• "Not only are you allowed to take your dogs into the tea room and Castle (which is amazing) but the staff are very friendly and helpful."
• "Four legged friends are more than welcome, even in the castle itself."
• "Only walked the grounds around the lake & found it fine with a big pushchair."
• "Dog friendly, child friendly and adult friendly. Great place to spend a day."
• "One of the rare heritage homes where dogs are allowed inside."
• "Will certainly be revisiting with our four legged friend as we hadn't realised it was dog friendly."

Cons:

• "Dogs need to be on leads most of the time."
• "Great castle for people who can walk. No wheelchair access. No wheelchair access into the tea room."
• "A great day out but limited access for wheelchair users."
• "No access for wheelchairs to the medieval camp only a rugged track."
• "I'm in a wheelchair and would have had to transfer to a stair climber to get up stairs to go inside."
• "The off-lead area is hard to find and not the most welcoming."
• "We were dismayed that there was absolutely no recycling. Everything went into black bin bags which I find astounding in this day and age."