Bolton Castle Reviews

Fantastic castle in amazing countryside and great gardens

Beautiful place. You can trully feel a part of the history.

Falconry talk was informative. Spectacular location and views. Could have been more storytelling and staging of more rooms.

Lovely place to visit, lots to see and the demonstrations/talks are really interesting. We spent 4.5hrs there so it was a good time filler and the staff were very friendly and helpful

This 14th century castle looks very impressive, dominating the beautiful valley that it overlooks, with its huge towers and walls. It must be one of the finest examples of a mediaeval castle in England.



It is largely intact with rooms containing straightforward reconstructions of how life was lived in the castle during the Middle Ages. The rooms are huge.

The De Scrope family that have owned the castle since it was built still own it. They took part in many of the great events in English History. There is plenty of information about the family history which is fascinating. Mary Queen Of Scots was imprisoned in the castle for a period and the room she occupied is set out as it is believed she would have had it.

The gardens are beautiful - a faithful reconstruction of mediaeval gardens.

There are plenty of activities such as archery, falconry and wild boars.

The restaurant was suitably cavernous and the toasted sandwich and cake were lovely although the pork pie I ate was so hard it could have been catapulted from the battlements at attacking troops with good effect back in the 1400s. We had to wait a long time for the food but weren't in any hurry.

Overall it was a great experience, and very romantic.

Beautiful castle in a great settling. The Falconry display by the young chap who works there is particularly worth a mention. He was really enthusiastic and engaging, and we all learnt a lot even though we had been to several displays previously.

Fab place. And tge cafe in the castle , well nice food.xx

Shut and to be quite honest there were plenty tourists about. Cafe at least be open please

Brilliant day out!! History at every turn...even fired a few arrows from a good old english long bow!! Childhood wish fullfilled...falconry display was VERY good!! Thoroughly enjoyed the day!

Nice walk round Bolton Castle with panoramic views.

Brilliant. You can get up to the top of the castle and they've tried to put authentic things in each room to give an idea of what it would be like at the time it was occupied

Lovely location and very pretty views from the quirky castle. Steps are steep and difficult to walk at times though so be careful and mind your step! Garden was pretty and the birds were cute.

Interesting place, was able to go to the very top, thoroughly enjoyed this castle.

We enjoyed our visit. Mary Queen of Scots stayed there at some point.

Nice historical place to see. Very interesting. You should make it one of your stops.

Not overly-furnished or renovated, the castle lets your imagination roam free with the assistance of the signs containing snippets of information about the history of the building and its occupants.

Kids took delight in solving the maze and watching the falconry one of them now insists he wants to change his name to Lancelot!

Highly recommended as a great family day out.

Impressive fortress located in beautiful rural setting. Closed when visited but able to see most of grounds outside and fabulous views !

Beautifully well-preserved castle with stunning views over the Dales. Great historical detail, falconry and gardens.

Nice day out it will be amazing when they finish the roof. Check your train times if going by the railway can be a long wait.

Great place for a day out, roam all over the castle from the cellars to the roof. Amazing views from the roof.

A fantastic day out. Had lunch there which was really good. The guy doing the archery and bird of prey show was absolutely amazing. A wealth of knowledge and so polite and kind. He was a credit to the Castle. One of the best days out we have had. Can't recommend highly enough.

May 2018: After a longish ramble and quite a steep climb, we came to Bolton Castle. It stands imposingly on a hill and can be seen for miles around. You pay to tour the interior and the Castle walls - the views are tremendous. It also has a good little teashop.

Absolutely worth a visit if in the area.

What a beautiful place. The staff are fantastic, friendly, polite and so very knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend a visit.

Quirky but interesting place, part ruined part more "lived in" than restored.

What a wonderful day out, loads to see, beautiful grounds and views from the top of the castle are outstanding. We spent the full day there, plenty of places to have a picnic. Archery display and a chance to have a go. Callum does the falcon displays which made our day.

Lots of information available about each room. Absolutely stunning views from the tower. Visit took much longer than I expected due to the amount to see.

Great parking & activities.



The Castle is full of information and also has parts which hasn t been rebuilt. Some rooms have also been staged.

They had archery, birds of prey & bores and we attended all shows. The young guy who was running it was great! Open to all questions and really explained everything.

Family fun for the whole family. Good, enjoyable and informative demos from luke.

Fantastic views from the top of the castle accompanied with a wonderful walk through of the interior quarters provide a great afternoon out.

Absolutley wonderful, loved the falcon display, such a knowledgeable young man who made the display very special

Super afternoon spent.Watching bird display and lovely actors telling us tales in each room.

Unfortunately a bit crowded (tour groups) when we were there. Therefore, we were content with a visit to the garden and the info area on the lower floor. But everything works very well maintained and informative. The entrance fees are within the usual scope of the region.

The Best Bird of prey display I have ever seen. Brilliant experience worth the visit just for this.

Great to see it open again. Lovely old castle, steeped in history, lots to do for young and old. Gorgeous gardens.

Nice old castle and ground's there is a maze and falcons birds of prey

Great place to visit with the family and quite a cheap day out. The bird of prey show was excellent that comes in as standard with the ticket price. The castle looks great inside and is a good piece of history.

Lovely views nowhere to get a drink of water or food on a Monday

Here for the Medieval Music Festival. Music every where. People in medieval garb carrying weird instruments passing by on narrow steps and corridors. Amazing scenery through castle windows . Drove over Rash Pass from Kettlewell to be greeted by a huge chunk of Northern British history.

Decent parking right next to the castle lots of lovely walks around the area and the castle was fun and educational
Great for kids

Attended a wedding here, absolutely beautiful surroundings. However! Very cold so take a jacket/coat! And not great for people who aren't too steady on their feet. Lots of rough terrain and steps.

Definitely worth a visit, stunning castle with beautiful gardens with a maze and falconry show. Great day out for all

The place is amazing a well preserved castle with a clearly caring owner. The grounds are just as stunning as the castle and the array of birds is commendable. Staff are extremely friendly and helpful a place that it's hard to say enough good about. This is all before you add in the special events and daily displays. Highly recommended.

The castle and grounds were excellent, and my family enjoyed the falconry show. So why the three stars not 5? The restaurant. Firstly, nobody was at the counter to take our order. There was a bell to ring, but it still took several minutes More

Beautiful castle, one of the few 'good leftovers' from the Middle Ages.

What a beautiful, fun place!
A nice tea place there too.

One of the biggest ruined castles you will ever see, against a beautiful backdrop of a Yorkshire valley

Lovely evening despite the current situation. Will be back next time

This was our third visit to this very imposing castle that is well worth spending a few hours at. We had a great time looking around the interior and the gardens. The kids enjoyed the maze and we all had a nice lunch in the tearoom. Climb up to the roof and enjoy the stunning views. Our visits were pre-covid.

Really worth a visit. An amazing Castle with many original features. Loved it

Lovely place to visit need your own transport tho very rural

Great day out I would definetly recommend it as a good place to visit

Great looking castle, lovley walks , however note it is closed all of January, so we couldn't look around , hense the 4 stars

Beautiful castle, with restored rooms and beautiful garden. Bird of prey show in the garden is very nice. Nice people and plenty of parking

Well worth a visit but the interpretive signs and displays are looking a bit worn out. Time for a revamp maybe?

Really interesting. Kept as it was. Kids really enjoyed going round

Great day out. Loads of info in the rooms. Watched the guy with the falcon which was good. Would definitely recommend going.

Nice gardens, although the castle itself is mostly a ruin.

Not too pricey great history lesson for the family can recommend the views from the tower

Great place to take the kids plenty to see ound go again

Cracking castle,, with magnificent views. A thoroughly well presented old castle, with good insight into how living in a castle was. Learnt plenty here, the information panels are well though out, to the point, but still offer good detail and things I was unaware of.
Aysgarth Falls and Rock Garden are also nearby, to complete your day out.

I didn't actually visit, I was passing by on a circular walk from The Jonas Centre but I have been to the castle on two past visits. It's well worth it. It has an interesting history, well exhibited and links to Mary Queen of Scots. There's an excellent falconry show and small gardens.

Great looking castle that can be seen from a long way and has great views. Its has lots to see.