I am looking for a castle stay either in England or Scotland. I would like it to accessible by public transportation and have some touring options from there. Has anyone stayed in a castle and what were their experieces there? I have looked into Lumley Castle in the north - it is not far from Durham - which may be an option.

Thanks.

The main problem with Lumley is that the castle is about a 20 minute walk from the bus station - and 25 from the train station which is 100ft ABOVE the marketplace in Chester-le-Street. However it gives you access to Durham, York, Newcastle.

HOWEVER Durham University does let rooms in Durham Castle during the university holidays and it's in the centre of Durham, has a lot more trains and buses serving it making it a lot easier to get about than Lumley.

http://www.dur.ac.uk/university.coll...erences/bandb/

One problem is few castles are in towns, or all that convenient to public transport. And since most are in the countryside and away from population centers -- there wouldn't be access to touring.

There probably are <i>some</i> that would fit your needs. Though right off hand I can't think of any better options than Lumley --but it would be a slog.

Can you not rent a car/drive? That would give you MANY options. Or perhaps book a tour that included a castle stay and sightseeing (I can't believe I actually suggested a <i>tour</i> )

Look here: http://www.historic-uk.com/StayUK/CastleHotels.htm

Very few castle hotels are in the center of town. And many aren;t really "castles" in the true sense of the word - but manor houses or palaces or hunting lodges.

We have done this in France and Belgium - and loved it - but you definitely had to have a car to do it. The places we stayed were 1 to 2 miles from public transit - and then it was a bus that ran only a couple of times a day.

I stayed at Langley Castle near Newcastle many years ago, it is accessible by public transport but a taxi will be required from the station.

Great suggestions! I checked Durham - sold out - Anyhow, still searching - sounds like great fun!

You could try Tulloch Castle at Dingwall. Public Transport- train- to Dingwall, although it's a decent walk up the hill to the castle. Train back to Inverness- 20 minutes?- tours from there.