"The grounds are extensive and well kept and the little park is in good condition."
"Your entrance fee includes the Castle itself along with the formal gardens and huge Parklands."
"The gardens were stunning and the grounds went on forever, we had a few beautiful walks."
"Beautiful situation, Castle and views, with lovely gardens."
"The estate is enormous and worth a visit in its own right. Great for MTB cycling and walks."
"The grounds are amazing! Went on several trails with the dog- all well signed and amazing views of the castle from up in the hills."
Cons:
"A little pricey to visit both castle and gardens but enough here to spend the day exploring and would visit again."
"The gardens are beautiful but doesn't justify all that money."
"Cant get into castle without being on tour. 29 pounds for a family of 4 to get in to the playpark and look around the grounds."
"The gardens closed at 4pm, even though it said 5pm and a lot of the trails were closed."
"Now the Castle is rented from time to time for weddings etc., and during these periods it is closed to the public."
"Stunning location, but the trails are still closed, as was the castle and tea room, this is going to affect the on site businesses as on the day we visited it felt like it was still in lock down and this was in August which is peak holiday season!"
"Sad to see the adventure playground isn't free for the kiddies."
Tours and Staff
Pros:
"The staff that took us for our tour were great with the kids."
"Fabulous art and history in this stately home which is still in use today, all brought to life by knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide on a tour which takes about an hour."
"The tour guides provided such a lovely service. So much history and wonderful things to see on the tour."
"The tour guide was very friendly and informative."
"Easily the best castle tour I have ever been on. They spoke to whatever the group was interested in."
"The guided tour led by Taylor was excellent. She has a wealth of knowledge which she shared enthusiastically."
"The tour within the castle is very well run and extremely interesting with highly knowledgeable tour guides to provide historical information and answer any questions you have about the castle, history and area."
Cons:
"The tea room was extremely busy so we didn't get to try it out this time."
"The lack of signs pointing you to the right entrance on your arrival is monumental."
"No proper signposting with car park booth closed so turn left when you get to Castle."
"Knowing the policy on booking tours, I pre-booked for my mother and I... but unfortunately landed a pretty lousy tour guide."
"The tour around the house was disappointing firstly due to the fact we were not allowed to take any pictures inside."
"Would be nice to be able to go in castle without a bookable tour guide like other places."
"Guide was not great though and might be better replaced with a recording."
Facilities and Accessibility
Pros:
"Catering facilities are reasonably priced and good value for money in my opinion."
"The food in the cafe was as delightful and the wonderful staff inside."
"Card payments are accepted in the cafe."
"The tea room was lovely and the food excellent."
"Good to note as well that all floors are wheelchair accessible. A previous Duke had lifts installed!"
"The cafes were both in paid areas but I feel if the coffee shops/cafe were easily accessible the place would pull in more people possibly."
"The food and facilities in the courtyard are excellent."
Cons:
"A large Castle and surrounding walks, was a bit confused about paying for parking."
"We left feeling a little disappointed and confused to be honest and went and found lunch elsewhere."
"Missed out on 5 stars because of the weak, tasteless cappuccino coffees and the lack of proper homemade cakes."
"shops and tea room did not seem open."
"It was very busy and we had to wait for a table."
"Both were very overpriced in my opinion was a expensive Sunday afternoon."
"The cafe is beautiful... I loved all the old copper pots around the walls and the coffee and cake is truly scrumptious (we got seconds) the staff are very attentive and considerate."
Family and Children's Activities
Pros:
"The adventure playground is awesome for little kids with the highest tube slide I’ve seen!"
"Great place for walks /mountain biking. Play park fun for kids."
"Great playback for kids, expansive gardens and the castle itself is beautiful."
"A truly fantastic experience for kids and adults alike."
"Kids play area great for picnics, make sure you have a game of disc golf (golf using frisbies)."
"The grounds include walking tracks and cycle paths a treasure hunt for kids as well as an adventure playground."
"For children there's an extensive play area with ziplines."
Cons:
"You have to buy tickets and pay to go to the Gardens and Play area too."
"The tour was very interesting but maybe could do with a little more interaction for the younger kids- a quiz or something?"
"The little park is in good condition but not really suited for older children (+10) as our kids played mainly on the long rope swing and then that was it!"
"Went here thinking it was a castle but was disappointed."
"The stableyard houses the Stableyard Studios and cafe."
"The setting of the castle is fantastic, there are lots of walks to go on with the kids and a great adventure playground which was well maintained."
"Fabulous place to go with the kids, great outdoor park in the shelter of the trees."