Bolton Castle Review

Great views nice gardens had dog with us and could not go in as no dogs allowed.

A simply stunning location for such an historic gem

Family thought it was epic! Go there. That's an order.

Cafe such a let down dirty dark and dingy such a shame did not go in castle

Superb visit to do absolutely! The view of the tower is amazing.

Bolton Castle is nice with friendly service and assistance, historical and very interesting; worth a visit

Lovely Gardens and helpful, cheerful, informative gardener who clearly loves her garden and plants.

If you compare it to others from same century it is not impressive. We have been told there is five levels to view but you can clearly see from outside that it is only one tower with chambers remained. The rest of the castle are just an empty walls. There is approximately 5 chambers to view, poorly decorated and some moulded inside. Great view from the top of the tower though.

We drove up to the castle after visiting the falls late night we only took a stroll around the grounds however it looked beautiful

Very disappointing - staff unfriendly, tables in cafe not cleaned left sticky. No catering at all for celiacs not even a gluten free biscuit.

Lovely castle with great views. Would recommend. The archery display was interesting. Though found the birds of prey distressing and would urge castle not to make money from animals and not to have birds on public display.

Brilliant day out and a lot of that was down to Callum who was doing the archery display the bird of prey display and the talk about the the wild bore.

Amazing atmospheric castle with beautiful gardens, archery talk and falconry display with an informative guide them to finish off afternoon tea in the castle tea rooms

Excellent place to visit. Everything is well explained and organised. The highlight is the 'Birds of Prey' show - great presentation.

Unexpected historical significance and very informative visit. Pricing is reasonable and includes the birds if prey and wild boars. Enjoyed our few hours there.

Really great place, we've been to some great castles previously but Bolton has some different attributes that makes it with the visit, falconry exhibitions, archery, Mary Queen of Scots bedroom, a great restaurant that has more customers than the rest of the castle, it was packed for Sunday lunch. The maze was excellent and the whole gardens were worth visiting, the castle is just down the road from Aysgarth falls so two visits in one day. As a 50 year old juvenile the highlight was climbing to the top of the battlements to look over the stunning landscape. Do yourself a favour and go visit and don't forget to look out for the wild boars.

Did not think this is worth the entry fee been to better

Stunning ancient building amid breathtaking scenery in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

Nice scenery and very quiet and peaceful place. Really enjoyed the relaxed environment and beautiful scenery

Went on a recent visit with my 8 year old grandson who is autistic. He lives in Holland so was very interested in seeing a real castle. Although I think he expected to see real knights he did enjoy his visit.

Fantastic informative visit with great coffee and alice of cake to round it off.

It's in a beautiful setting. Did not us cafe ad very busy.

Wonderful, historic place, although will rethink my choice of attire when visiting in December (or at least wear something more substantial under my kilt). Although, braving the cold was secondary to the the gale force winds, often feeling more like Marilyn Monroe than Brave heart...good place to visit nonetheless.

The views are great, the setting superb. The furnishings sparse, but evocative of the rich history of the place.

Bolton castle is a magical place were history is brought to life. We were free to roam around this wonderful old Castle in our own time and there are lots of interesting information boards. We visited Bolton Castle after having seen it on Countryfile and really enjoyed the whole experience especially the wonderful wild boar and falconry. We will definitely be heading back again soon!

Great place to visit, lovely cafe, friendly staff. Well worth the entrance fee

I loved this castle very much. I really enjoyed the archery display, the falconry too, the food was fantastic in the lovely cosy restaurant, seeing the wild boar was so interesting too. I'll visit again maybe next year!

Bolton Castle is an impressive structure, with lots of medieval history packed into its interior. Visitors can also learn about Mary, Queen of Scots, who stayed there. After exploring the building, there is more to enjoy in the gardens and teashop.

A really great place. Well worth a visit!
I found myself walking around and literally breathing in the atmosphere of the place. I found it so easy to visualise how it was before being left in ruins.
Although we never had any refreshments, the on-site cafe smelt amazing!
Very interesting, and great value visit!

Really nice memories here as child! Great place to bring the family!

Bird display was wonderful. Their trainer really knows and cares about her birds and is happy to answer any questions about them. Castle is a magnificent sight.

A really lovely castle where they've done a lot with the ruins to make it a fun outting. We felt we learned a lot, really enjoyed the aviary show (very caring caretakers), and appreciated all they were doing to make it safe with the virus. Very clean and nice bathrooms as well! We bought the little children's pack for our 4.5 year old and were pleasantly surprised how many activities and extras it came with given the price. It also has a really lovely gift shop with lots of well priced options for fun takeaways. The owner was very friendly and we hope people will support the castle, as we found everyone it employs to be very friendly. Please respect social distancing, hand washing, and other precautions to ensure your visit doesn't impact the local residents, who have managed to stay Covid-19 free, which is very important given many are elderly.

Lovely castle and gardens. Get there for 11am or 3pm and you can see the birds of prey

Lovely place steeped in history great wedding venue as long as you are not afraid of stairs

Nice gardens, with scenic views. Birds of prey display is a highlight of our visit.

Great castle, really enjoyed lovely views and lovely gardens too walk around. Had a great day out, would go again

Really interesting and informative
Beautiful setting.

We got married at Bolton Castle and it was the absolute best day of our lives. Stunningly beautiful scenery, decorations, fairy lights and candle light made the Castle magical, perfect. Tom, Guy, Lorna and all the staff were outstandingly brilliant, the food was 5 star, all came out hot, at the same time. We went the following day to clear up and everything had been packed away for us!! They went above and beyond and we can't thank them enough. THANK YOU TEAM BOLTON CASTLE!!!
Tom and Laura

Fabulous castle and fascinating history. Also enjoyed the falconry display and the wild boars feeding time.

Didn't go in just passing & checking out for future reference. Looked well worth a further visit.

Spectacular ruin of a castle. Still plenty of accessible rooms but presentation is all rather shabby. Even the rooms where Mary Queen of Scots was kept imprisoned just have a few bits of badly made furniture and a few laminated info sheets scattered about. It is still worth a visit but don't expect too much. And make sure to eat before you go go as the cafe is very expensive for mediocre food

We walked to the castle which is set in beautiful countryside. Unfortunately when we arrived it had closed so we could only admire it from the outside, but it is a very impressive building. I would like to go back one day and go in!

Visited as part of a group tour. It was interesting walking through the castle especially during the Renaissance Festival. This added flair to what would've been just another boring castle tour. Nice to know Mary, Queen of Scots lived there for sometime. Overall, an educational enjoyment.

Loved it
But then i love castles
This one a bit more interesting
As mary queen of scots was imprisoned here

Adults and children enjoyed the archery and falconry displays and participation. The building is a great combination of ruin and restored. You can see how the castle was used through to Tudor times and it helps our understanding of other castles that are entirely ruined. If you like castles this is a must see.

Stunning views and great atmosphere would love to return soon.

Really enjoyed the falconry display. The handler obviously loves his job and the birds. Gardens not as big as we expected

Really interesting and in a stunning location; the free falconry display was excellent too.

Beautiful setting, great castle. Really enjoyed the falconry display, host was very knowledgeable and birds were amazing. Well worth a visit!

Nice castle with stunning views but avoid if you have a dog. Stopped of for a picnic then went elsewhere.

Great place for an afternoon, including afternoon tea, birds of prey display archery and wild boar.

Not suitable for prams or wheelchairs. Big car park.

Fantastic views but otherwise another ruined castle

Great castle mixture of ruins and rooms you can go in. Great to get to the battlements, see the gardens and the wild boar. Friendly staff.

Excellent value for money and very atmospheric inside with wonderful views.

Quite off the beaten track but well worth the trip. Plenty of pets of the castle to go and see and good gardens. Stick around for falcon and wild boar experience.

A great day out, and my daughters loved it. What made it more enjoyable was the interaction of actors throughout the castle, with Mary Queen of Scotts being a huge hit.

Only down side was the cafe. A children's chicken nuggets and chips comprised of 4 nuggets and 8 chips! Even though the menu clearly stated what time certain food/meals were available to be served, we found that the staff wouldn't accept oreders of certain foods. Confusing, and disappointing, to say the least.

The castle is realy well kept, with lovely gardens and the bird's of prey show was thrilling.

Lovely place. Reasonably priced and a lot of walks around the site and the tour is very interesting

It was fun and interesting the falconry was very good the demonstrator was very keen friendly and knowledgeable. Only downside was difficult with grandsons pram. So parked it up and ended up carrying him.

Was closed for a wedding but what a stunning location

So much more than I expected, really enjoyed my afternoon here.

Lovely family day out, lots to do and see! It s a beautiful walk from one end to the other, especially on a sunny day

Bolton Castle is a 14th-century castle located in Wensleydale, Yorkshire, England (grid reference SE03379183). The nearby village Castle Bolton takes its name from the castle. The castle is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War, and slighted afterwards, but much of it survived. It has never been sold and is still in the ownership of the descendants of the Scrope family.

The castle was built between 1378 and 1399 by Richard, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton, and is an example of a quadrangular castle. The licence to build it was granted in July 1379 and a contract with the mason John Lewyn was made in September 1378. Construction was reputed to cost 18,000 Marks. The 16th-century writer John Leland described 'An Astronomical Clock' in the courtyard and how smoke was conveyed from the hearth in the hall through tunnels. Bolton Castle was described by Sir Francis Knollys as having 'The highest walls of any house he had seen'.

In 1536 John, 8th Baron Scrope supported the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion against the religious reforms of King Henry VIII and gave Adam Sedbar, Abbot of Jervaulx sanctuary in the castle. In consequence John Scrope had to flee to Skipton pursued by the King's men but Abbot Sedbar was caught and executed. In retribution the king ordered Bolton castle to be torched, causing extensive damage. Within a few years, some of the damage had been repaired and Sir John had regained his seat in Parliament.

This is one of the best castles I've visited ... made even better as the roundheads knocked one corner of it down ... good work guys!

We paid for the gardens only as it was a beautiful day and my son was more excited about the birds and animals. However there was nothing stating the bird display times and so we only saw the birds of prey in there quite small cages. We were there for about 45 minutes to an hour. The bee house was interesting but other than that there wasn't much else and so we ended up visiting elsewhere.

Avery nice medieval castle; with some very well preserved rooms

Well worth a visit. Very historical & a good day out. Plenty of activities & interesting.

Beautiful scenery. Very busy cafe in the summer. Pay carpark but get money back in the castle.

Great visit to this castle and gardens. Great little cafe, and gift shop enclosed in a very large and impressive castle. Much of which has been restored to increase historical value, whilst the rest is explorable, and very castley! Garden is passionately run with historical authenticity in mind.

Beautiful countryside with loads to see like Bolton castle