Address: South St, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, LE65 1BR, United Kingdom
Phone: +441530413343
Rating: 4.5
based on 154 reviews.
Audio Tour
Pros:
"Really enjoyed the audio tour - brought the whole visit to life!!"
"The audio tour, which came as a free option with our admission, vividly and, often amusingly, brought the story of the castle to life."
"Enjoyed our visit much more than anticipated thanks to the free audio guide which was not only informative but also very entertaining."
"I used the QR audio tour guide on my phone and found this really good."
"A humorous audio tour is available."
"The horrible histories audio tour was great for the children and there were some old fashioned games to enjoy too."
"The audio guide was informative without being a dry delivery of facts."
Cons:
"The free audio guide is quite entertaining if overly long and not exactly historically accurate."
Parking
Pros:
"A few yards down the road was a small car park, £2 for the day."
"Car park nearby which is free Sundays and Bank holidays."
"No parking on site but a town carpark just a short walk away at nominal cost free on a Sunday is very conveniently located."
"There is a pay and display car park nearby which is free on bank holidays."
"Parking is near the entrance and is a public area car park costing 80p for two hours."
"Disabled car park on site and car park in town for everyone else, 50 pence for the whole day which is excellent."
"Public Car park 5 mins walk away x"
Cons:
"No car park on site apart from one accessible space."
"There is little to no parking whatsoever. Park far away and walk in."
"Parking by the entrance is blue badge only so be prepared to walk a little way to get to the castle."
"Parking is very limited so you'll need to pay at the local town parking which is just round the corner. £1 for two hours."
"Only disabled parking available so do use the council car parks."
"Very limited disabled parking on site, which when we visited was full of tennis club cars!"
"There is no parking at the property except one disabled space which was not accessible because of a new road surface being laid."
Staff and Service
Pros:
"The staff are very friendly and happy to help."
"Rachel who served us was v informative and helpful and a pleasure to chat with!"
"The guy in the kiosk was very nice and informative too."
"A lovely place, nice little shop, helpful staff."
"Two very welcoming staff that are very helpful."
"Very friendly staff."
"Staff were friendly, and provided lots of information."
Cons:
"Inaccessible site, rude staff and a complete lack of disability awareness."
"Apparently neither of the staff had seen the new style CADW cards... It made us feel quite awkward."
"They had no idea about first aid at all and showed no sense of urgency."
"Staff were very slow to serve and the gift shop was very small and cluttered."
"Very poor experience with English Heritage today. Booked tickets to visit this site, as advised by the website, after checking the opening dates for the castle. Drove over 20 miles from where we were staying for the weekend to the site, only to find the site was not open as advertised on the website."
Facilities
Pros:
"Toilets are clean and well maintained."
"Dog friendly which is fantastic, and plenty of space to roam."
"Nice shop (mead was on half price sale!)."
"Toilets and shop are on site and hot drinks are available."
"They do not have a cafe here but they do have a hot drinks machine which is in the lovely little well-stocked English Heritage shop."
"Toilets are available."
"Drinking water was also available from the tap in the toilet which is really useful and rare!!"
Cons:
"While hot and cold drinks and ice cream are available from the gift shop/entrance booth, there isn't a cafe."
"The patio back through the giftshop is a hazard due to the uneven curb not visible under the grass."
"Shop and toilet on site no cafe."
"There are only two toilets, one of which is disabled/baby change."
"Not a massive amount to see, no cafe, and you have to leave via the shop."
"There are no cafe facilities but you can purchase tea and coffee."
"The entrance to the castle is a little awkward with a narrow footpath against the drive through, and quite bumpy if you have a pushchair."
Value for Money
Pros:
"Great place for a family trip of all ages. Plenty of interesting history to explore, towers to climb and secret passages to discover."
"Well kept castle ruins, perfect for a family day out."
"Nice place for the family to picnic with great views, plenty of space for the children to run and play about, and interesting ruins to search, and climb for a view of the surrounding town and countryside."
"Very friendly staff, lots of room for kids to run around and explore."
"We all love this venue for a family day out / afternoon out! Very relaxed, lots of space for the kids to run around and the Tower / Tunnels are always fun."
"An English Heritage site that is really worth a visit. The castle has many areas including the main tower that you can climb and tunnels that you can walk through."
"An English Heritage venue, so money saved if you're a member :-)"
Cons:
"Quite interesting, though in my view a bit expensive if you're not an English Heritage member."
"It was £17 for two adults. Which I thought was a bit on the high side."
"Admission fee of £8.50 per adult! With the price of food, petrol and fuel going up who can actually afford to pay that to view the ruins of an old castle?"
"The price if you don't have membership is around £8 which does seem a bit steep for what you get from it."
"I gave 4 stars purely due to the entry charge of £9.50 per adult which is very steep for what's on offer."
"I don't think that the castle is worth the cost of driving into the park! It's extortionate the cost just to drive through!!"
"Being an English heritage member we didn't pay for entry (£7.80 per adult)."
Accessibility
Pros:
"There is a disable car park next to the castle entrance which is small and down a muddy track."
"The main keep was closed due nesting birds but there is still plenty to see and the underground tunnels were open."
"The castle has extensive remains and earth works which give plenty of room for children to run some energy off."
"Lots of land for kids to play outdoor games."
"The castle ruins are well preserved and there's plenty of opportunity to climb up old stairs and also to venture down into old tunnels."
"There is an accessible bathroom with a baby changing table and a paid parking lot down the street."
"Small but very interesting castle ruins."
Cons:
"No car park on site apart from one accessible space."
"Very little is accessible if you have mobility issues and the approach road is desperately in need of repair."
"Just be warned that the tower has 92 steps and may not be suitable for people with limited mobility or very young children."
"Parking only for blue badge holders but the local car parks aren’t far away."
"The horrible histories audio tour was great for the children and there were some old fashioned games to enjoy too."
"The entrance to the castle is a little awkward with a narrow footpath against the drive through, and quite bumpy if you have a pushchair."
"Disabled car park on site and car park in town for everyone else, 50 pence for the whole day which is excellent."