Appleby Castle

Wow, we just loved this place! This is not a run-of-the-mill hotel chain. It is a quirky, rustic, wonderfully historic and completely unique place to stay. The lovely Peter looked after us on arrival and we opted for a room upgrade to the ‘Evidence’ room, a four poster, high ceiling and very original castle-like room. Just fabulous. This castle is a little shabby around the edges but this really and truthfully adds to the charm. Dinner in the great hall was an experience not to miss. With all the grandeur of the wood panelled room, roaring fire and the piano playing from Peter, added to the perfect service and exceptional food. A night to remember! Thank you so much. Hope to return very soon.

We booked for one night on 22nd March 2025 but would not recommended anyone staying here, from start to finish they seemed to be winging it, our room was fully on the tilt with a 1-3inch gap round our door, you could see feet going past on the corridor. We paid £120 for the nights bed and breakfast. We also booked for dinner which tasted ok but their was very little of it and the salt and pepper were in a bowl to just pinch it out, no idea how many fingers have been in it before. In the morning 1 bowl of sugar was passed round all the tables with a wet teaspoon in it to use. I know you don't go for a TV but their were none in the rooms or a mirror to use when getting ready. Certainly not worth the money. The service, lighting throughout, and cleanliness leave an awful lot to be desired. Also you will not get in prior to 3pm check in and the door is locked at all times so if you go out prepare to wait to get back in.

The whole castle experience was quirky & quite surreal to be honest! Our room was fine. Clean bedding & towels so all good there. No menu for drinks & on check out, we were charged £40.00 for 2 cans of lager (no other choice for beer) & 2 glasses of Prosecco. 3 course dinner was lovely, as was breakfast. Now, here is where we had our issues..... The castle is owned/run by Basil & Sybil & Manuel the chef. Manuel is also the checker-inner & the checker-outer & all round dogsbody from what we could see. We went into the town for a couple of drinks in the afternoon & spoke to a few locals who felt sorry for Manuel. We felt sorry for Manuel so much so, we gave him a £20.00 tip when we checked out & thanked him for looking after us. On the way home following our stay in the castle, we received a telephone call from Basil & Sybil who asked if we had told the locals Manuel was being bullied by them!! Absolutely surreal!!! It left us feeling bullied & very uncomfortable! Basil & Sybil then asked us to leave a review & mention the fact that Manuel (Craig) is not bullied by Basil (Peter) & Sybil (Sally) Anyway, here's the review.

We've just returned from a beautiful stay at Appleby Castle. The exterior is beautifully kept, with the Norman keep dominating the skyline all the way up the drive. The hotel itself is grand and historic, the suits of armour displayed down the hallways really add to the atmosphere. Upon arrival at the castle, we parked just outside the main gatehouse and were met at reception by a member of staff, before being shown to our room. As some people have noted, there isn't much information made available on arrival, however the staff we met were happy to answer our questions, both in person and on the phone, and were very hospitable throughout. We stayed on the top floor in the former servants' quarters. The room is slanted, and as such so is everything in it, which just adds to the charm of the place. If you're expecting a slick, fast-paced, clinical service akin to a chain-hotel then you won't find it here. We quickly understood that Appleby is a place of eccentricity, with little quirks that for us added to its character. A few mentions have been made of the locked door policy - for us this wasn't an issue, despite us staying out until midnight or accidentally locking ourselves out at 6am! There are numbers for you to ring should you need access, and the staff are happy to let you in. On our last day we were able to tour ourselves around the Norman keep which was such a highlight, what a treat to stay somewhere steeped in so much history! If we chose to focus on the negatives then you could point out a couple of areas to improve, but for us the positives far outweighed any little niggles, and we were made to feel very welcome throughout. PS if you're not a fan of ghosts then you may not enjoy the motion-activated hallway lights being set off on the middle of the night, despite no one being around! Another story for us to tell from our fab experience at Appleby Castle!

We enjoyed a wonderful stay at Appleby Castle. The main attraction for us was the historical aspect and it did not disappoint! Absolutely beautiful furniture in the rooms and it felt totally authentic (because it was I guess!) our room was decorated beautifully. We weren’t originally going to stay for food in the evening but after speaking to Peter we decided to book in for dinner which was lovely. We enjoyed a meal in one of the beautiful dining rooms accompanied by some fantastic live piano music (from Peter) which was a real treat. Food was delicious too and the Prosecco glasses were generously sized which is always good! Breakfast was very tasty and service was quick. Absolutely loved walking around the grounds and soaking up all of the history! Would definitely stay again. Peter and other staff members are clearly very hard working and we really appreciated the mini tour he did for us telling us about some of the history of the castle and its inhabitants.

Night at the castle Nice hotel, great surroundings, great theme. Just needing a slight refurb