Raby Castle, Deer Park & The Plotters' Forest Reviews Summary

Castle and Grounds

Pros:

• "The castle grounds are absolutely beautiful and it was amazing to see the deer."
• "Grounds were glorious in the sunshine."
• "Well preserved castle with large grounds to walk around and get up close to the wildlife including Deer, Swans, geese and ducks."
• "The grounds are lovely and you can see the deer that roam the park."
• "The castle and grounds are immaculate."
• "Gardens and extensive are beautiful."
• "The gardens are the nicest in mid summer when the roses bloom."

Cons:

• "Not ideal for wheelchairs as there are lots of stairs to navigate."
• "Unfortunately the castle, tea rooms etc were still closed!"
• "The castle was closed during our visit, but looked spectacular, so we only got to see the gardens & the estate."
• "Not many benches to rest, not sure if there is a picnic area, cafe quite expensive."
• "There are also no benches outside of the immediate proximity of the castle itself."
• "Beautiful surroundings but quite a lot of work being carried out when we visited."
• "The Deer Park is located next to the castle but we could not find any deer during our short walk."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "The staff were an absolute delight. Smart professional and passionate about the castle and its history."
• "Nothing but praise for the friendliness of all the staff we met."
• "The staff inside tell wonderful stories of the castles past and you can tell the castle is their passion."
• "The guides are such a wonderful team. They keep their stories fresh and make you want to learn more."
• "The staff were lovely and very helpful to my wheelchair using mum."
• "Every single person was lovely, helpful and knowledgeable."
• "All staff we met were helpful and knowledgeable."

Cons:

• "The reason for not giving 5* is for the length of time waiting in the Stables cafe for a sandwich and bottle of pop. Over 40 minutes!!!"
• "To be brutally honest, we could go to our local park for free for what was on offer for our £26. If most of the attraction is closed, I think it’s only fair to reduce the cost of entry."
• "The cafe was a tad more expensive than competitors and they were extremely stingy with the ice cream."
• "Beautiful gardens and a spectacular castle only fault was no information walking round, so no history of the place and when we asked staff they only knew from 1560."
• "Not good, as soon as we check in on the boot for Plotters Trail they didn't let us in for we don't have child with Us."
• "We weren't told about the ticket that includes the plotters forest when we first bought our tickets from the girl in the little kiosk so kids were upset we couldn't go in."
• "Only slight issue we encountered was no soap in any of the dispensers in the toilets."

Value and Pricing

Pros:

• "Stunning castle. Really good value at £36.50 for a family ticket for 5."
• "Entrance fee including castle is £13. Well worth the price."
• "Cafes were reasonably priced and had welcoming staff too."
• "Very reasonably priced attraction."
• "An entrance fee that doesn't leave you feeling violated, this place is HIGHLY recommended."
• "Food prices are reasonable."
• "Totally under rated by some reviews...We debated paying the £13 each but its totally worth it."

Cons:

• "Not many benches to rest, not sure if there is a picnic area, cafe quite expensive."
• "The only reason for the 4 stars is the price is a tad on the expensive side I feel but there are no time limits so I suppose a few laps and you could get your monies worth."
• "The entrance fee to enter is a little pricey especially when your budget is just single pension between two. BUT we did pay the £25 for two to enter and after 2 hours it was worth every penny spent."
• "Good day out if a bit on the expensive side."
• "I feel sorry for people who don't have a lot of money as it is really expensive especially if there are a few of you visiting."
• "Food and drinks are a little on the expensive side, but it's well worth it to round off a great day out."
• "Entry prices are a touch expensive I would say."

Facilities and Accessibility

Pros:

• "There is a nice shop, a well-stocked cafe and a tempting ice cream kiosk."
• "Blue Badge holders can park the car very close to the Castle and all footpaths are 'accessible friendly'."
• "Parking is excellent with plenty of space."
• "Also, there is plenty of free parking."
• "Toilets and cafe on site which were nice and plenty of parking."
• "Disabled parking is outside the castle."
• "All the walkways were clean and suitable for wheelchair users and pushchairs."

Cons:

• "Not ideal for wheelchairs as there are lots of stairs to navigate."
• "There are also no benches outside of the immediate proximity of the castle itself."
• "The only child who could play on it was the 7 year old as it was so hard to assist/supervise due to accessibility and not being able to see where they have gone."
• "If you have limited mobility the grounds can be quite uneven and you may have to walk 15-20 minutes to get to the deer."
• "It's not suitable for people with walking difficulties as there are a lot of stairs to navigate throughout the castle."
• "There's no toilets in the main castle building, you'll have to go to the area next to the refreshment area. Which is about a 5 minute walk away from the courtyard."
• "The under 4 area was very basic with just a ramp, small bridge and slide to go on."