Scotland's Most Charming Castle!

Advantages: Beautiful Setting, Lots of History, Fully Restored
Disadvantages: Quite Remote, Admission Charges, Closed In Winter

...Anyone who has driven along the A87 in the Scottish Highlands towards the Kyle of Lochalsh and the Isle of Skye will have seen Eilean Donan Castle. Even if you have never been anywhere near this remote part of North West Scotland there is still a pretty good chance that you may have still seen this Castle, because Eilean Donan Castle is officially recognised as the most photographed Castle in Scotland. This Castle stands on the shores of Loch Duich, at a point close to where it meets two other Lochs, Loch Long and Loch Alsh. As well as earning the title of the most photographed Castle in Scotland, it is also often referred to as the most romantic Castle in Scotland too. The setting for this Castle is stunning to say the least, in fact it is almost dream like. Some of my earliest childhood memories involve Eilean Donan Castle...

micksheff 27.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Eilean Donan Castle

A castle wedding

Advantages: Beautiful setting
Disadvantages: Is a ruin, so not a huge amount to see

...I recently visited Scotland for the wedding of a close friend and was delighted to find that she had decided to get married in the grounds of a castle just outside Edinburgh ? Dirleton Castle. I hadn?t heard of it before, but knew it was little more than a ruin because we were advised to wear something warm! Despite it being a ruin, however, it is still worth paying a visit to this beautiful setting if you are in the area. Location The castle can be found in the village of Dirleton (surprise surprise), which is about 25 miles from Edinburgh and two miles from the seaside town of North Berwick. It is well signposted from whichever direction you approach it from by those large brown-coloured signs used for historical sites. Background The castle was originally built on top of an existing crop of rocks in the late 1200s. During...

sunmeilan 17.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Dirleton Castle, Scotland

The King of Castles

Advantages: One of the most impressive historical buildings I have ever seen
Disadvantages: The fact that its not more widely known

...Carrickfergus Castle I grew up in the shadows of this impressive monument and it amazes me that it is not more widely known outside of the UK. The castle is the best preserved monument in the whole of Ireland and is stunning to look at from all angles. Location The castle is located in the town of Carrickfergus which is situated on the shores of Belfast Lough about 10 miles from Belfast. The castle can easily be reached from Belfast by car (pretty much a straight road), regular buses and trains. The castle is open all year round. Off season it is open 10-4 Monday to Sat and 2 - 4 on a Sunday and during the summer or peak months the opening hours are extended until 6pm daily. It costs £3 per adult and £1.50 for children/senior citizens. A family ticket costs £8. A brief history The history of the castle is fascinating...

Ghumphrey 30.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Carrickfergus Castle

Welcome to Food Town!

Advantages: A nice town with lots of food and drink!
Disadvantages: Not a lot of history actually in the town.

...Back at the end of June this year we had a trip up to Scotland with some friends, for a week?s holiday. We actually stayed in Kirkcudbright, but had a few trips out by car and by public transport. On the Wednesday (we?d been there since Saturday) we decided to catch the bus to the nearby town of Castle Douglas. This is what we found? ~~~WHERE IS CASTLE DOUGLAS? The town is near to the centre of the Dumfries and Galloway area of Southern Scotland. It is in a part of the region known as the Stewartry and is located roughly between the towns of Gatehouse of Fleet and Dalbeatie. We went there on the local service bus from Kirkcudbright. The McEwan's bus numbers 501 and 505 run frequently from Kirkcudbright to Dumfries, stopping in Castle Douglas. We caught the bus from the Harbour stop at Kirkcudbright and the journey takes about 20 to...

tange 17.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of Castle Douglas, Scotland

King Of The Castles

Advantages: Beautiful grounds, lots to see outside, a very popular 'must go to' tourist attraction
Disadvantages: Can get extremely busy, expensive tickets (dungeon is additional)

...Warwick Castle was on my list of touristy things to do when I stayed overnight in a hotel in Stratford this year. Located in Warwick, the castle is probably Warwickshire's biggest, most popular, and most expensive, attraction. At around £20 per adult ticket it's not cheap, but as a one-off visit it's definitely somewhere noteworthy to say you've been and depending on the weather the day you go, could prove to be a day-long visit. There are several ways and places to pay for your ticket, though buying in advance online if possible is probably the cheapest method unless you have an alternative discount voucher. On the day, ticket prices are as follows: Adult £19.95 Senior £11.95 Student £14.95 Child (4-16) £10 Disabled or carer £8.95 Family £48.00 Entry can also be redeemed via a Merlin pass, Tesco clubcard vouchers...

gothic_moon 06.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Warwick Castle

Who's castle?

Advantages: Funny and entertaining
Disadvantages: They never win which is very frustrating

...Takeshi's castle is a Japanese game show which is very similar to Total Wipeout although it's very dated. The show starts out with 100 contestants who battle it out by running assault courses and participating in different challenges before faces the final challenge and being in with a chance of winning one million yen. The show is ridiculously hard and it does make the watcher wonder if they don't actually have the prize funds at the end. My favourite challenge throughout the show is where the contestant has to run through doors but some of the doors are glued shut so if they choose the wrong one then they end up crashing into it. Craig Charles narrates the UK version of the show and I have to say that he is very funny with some of the things he comes out with. He adds a whole new level to it and makes it all the more fun to...

claribella 22.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Takeshi's Castle

A CASTLE OF DREAMS

Advantages: Outstandingly Beautiful and Romantic Setting. Interesting History. A Great day Out.
Disadvantages: Difficult to Find - Otherwise None!

...If you do not know the East Sussex / Kent borders country very well I will warn you that the village of Bodiam, where this castle is situated, can be devilishly difficult to find. Like so many other hidden treasures though, you may find it well worth seeking out. As this is a National Trust site, I will extrapolate their slightly less than helpful directions from the 2006 Handbook. On Foot, located on the Sussex Border path. By Ferry, Bodiam ferry from Newenden Bridge (A28). By Bus, Arriva 254 Tunbridge Wells to Hastings - stops at Wadhurst (5 miles away!!!!). By Road 3ml S of Hawkhurst , 3ml E of A21 Hurst Green. OK I've been there probably half a dozen times, and all that means precious little to me, I still need a map to find the place! Here, for those of you who are interested or have GPS, are the grid coordinates: 199:TQ785256...

RICHADA 22.03.2006 · Read review
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Review of Bodiam Castle

Prague Castle

Advantages: Great view
Disadvantages: Waste of money

...As some of you will know from my other review I visited Prague recently. I didn't include Prague Castle in that review because it seemed like the review was already really long but as it is one of the main attractions. This review is going to be really mixed because there is so much to Prague castle. It's really like going to a little village because there is so much to the castle and the area around it and if you want to see it all then you'll need to spend the entire day there. -Tickets- I bought a Prague Card and got the short tour free on that but if you don't have a prague card the prices are: Short Tour- 250 crowns (£9.22) Long Tour-350 Crowns (£12.90) You can also pay to get into individual attractions and discounts are available, as well as family tickets. (Please not that the currency in Prague is changing so...

Brooke3 29.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Prague Castle

The most haunted castle in Britain

Advantages: Beautiful castle and grounds
Disadvantages: None

...Living in the North East, I am fortunate enough to be able to visit some of the beautiful castles of Northumberland without having a long journey to reach them. One of the places I visited again a couple of months ago was Chillingham Castle. This remarkable castle with its alarming dungeons and torture chambers has, since the twelve-hundreds, been continuously owned by the same family line. It is the home of Sir Humphry Wakefield Bt., his wife The Hon. Lady Wakefield and their family. It was a 12th century stronghold, and became a fully fortified castle in 1344. It occupied a strategic position as a fortress during Northumberland's border feuds. It was often besieged and also had many royal visitors. In the Tudor times there were additions, but the underlying Mediaeval character has always been retained. The 18th and 19th centuries have...

JEFFJEN 31.12.2009 · Read review
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Review of Chillingham Castle

~ Caldicot Castle - Feast fit for a King ~

Advantages: Excellent food, Great sites, Good history, Nice staff
Disadvantages: none - apart from the one guy see review

...~ Feast fit for a King ~ Following my last review, last weekend was as you know my Nan?s birthday. As 70 is a special number she planned her birthday for the family to have a medieval weekend in Caldicot. She has been planning this for over a year so I know it was going to be a brilliant evening. The main part of her birthday was to go to Caldicot Castle for a banquet. We all had medieval outfits where some were not as pleased to wear as others, but I think we all looked great. After we arrived at Brooklands Motel we got ready into our outfits and all met on the balcony for a toast. We then only had a five minute walk down the road to the castle, which the locals driving past thought was interesting. Twenty two people walking down the main road in Medieval gear. The men?s outfits were brilliant and we had a large mixture...

blackmagicstar4 02.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Castles (Wales)