Leeds Castle
 

This is our second trip to London we've done several day trips to places like Windsor and Hampton Court. We are interested in Leeds Castle and want to know how much of a trip it is and if the trip is worth taking? I know this is subjective and all but please just tell me whether you enjoyed it enough to suggset it! Thanks : )

If you buy the train ticket in combination with the entry fee it isn't all that cheap. The person I went with was very disappointed as this is, for the most part, too modern to be called a "castle".

I enjoyed Leeds Castle tremendously and would recommend it but I didn't do it as a day trip from London. I picked up a car at Gatwick where I landed and then drove to Leeds so I can't advise on public transportation.

We stopped in at Leeds on the way from Kent to Heathrow a few years ago. We only had a couple of hours, so we did not go inside, but walked around a lot of the grounds. It was very lovely and I would recommend it.
Alison

Thank you for your quick responses. Would we be better off going to Warwick Castle?

The only time I was at Warwick Castle was before it was renovated so I don't know what it's like now. I can't compare the two.

I know there's been lots of other threads on these two places. You might want to search if you don't get enough information from this thread.

Thank you for the suggestion. I will research it and see what I can find.

We have been to both Leeds and Warwick. Leeds is very picturesque and the grounds very nice but it is really more of a nice residence than a true castle. Warwick on the other hand has it all - it is a 12th century castle complete with dungeon as well as a 19th century residence. It has evolved over the years and as a result is a very interesting contrast between the medieval and the more modern function. I highly recommend it.

Perfect descriptions! Thank you. Warwick sounds more like the place for us. Appreciate your help!

I've been to both Leeds and Warwick and second the opinion that Warwick is probably a little more interesting. I went to Leeds four years ago and it was my first "English Castle" and I really liked it. In fact I still have a photo of it framed in my home (the castle reflected in the mote). But then last year I went to Warwick and I really liked that one even more. Plus they have more displays (they are owned by Madame Trussaud's and have wax figures dressed up and displayed in various settings, more places to climb around in and pretend you are in a real old castle (if you like that kind of thing, I do). Lovely setting on the river. And the town is a nice, quaint town also. It made a very nice day trip from London. After the castle we had tea in a lovely little tea shop and poked around in some antique shops. I have some photos of Warwick Castle posted at pbase.com/annforcier if you would like to see them. Sorry, I don't have any of Leeds (took those before I went digital). It is scenic also though.

Just to add my two cents, I went to both castles last year and I by FAR preferred Leeds. Warwick was just too touristy for me. It felt like Disney had taken over a castle. While it is an outstanding structure, it just has been way too commercialized. Leeds was like seeing how the other half lived, in a very real way. But with that said, either one would be a fun trip and will get you out of the city. So really, you can't go wrong.

You're right; the answer to this question will be very subjective. With that said, my vote goes to Warwick as well. Be sure you go to the very back of the castle grounds and see the folly. Also, if you're up to it, climb the dark, narrow stone steps to the top of the castle.

Leeds is in a lovely setting and the grounds are very pretty. But that is about it. Inside is probably one of the least "stately" stately home in the UK. The majority of folks only visit the gardens - and save the extra £ it costs to go inside.

Warwick on the other hand is "the" ultimate medieval castle. There are some "disneyed" exhibits. But Mme Tussauds has owned it for nearly 30 years and it is definitely not too touristy. The exhibits in the cellars can be skipped - but Tussauds hasn't "ruined" anything. All of the main floor, dungeon, Clifford's Tower, etc. are just the same as when the family still lived in it back in the early 70's.

the main addition is the Edwardian country weekend upstairs in the family quarters. And this is an EXACT representation of what it really was like. There are old photos of a weekend party and all the figures duplicate the scenes.

We went to Leeds Castle about two years ago and loved it - the grounds are absolutely wonderful.
I agree with the interior not being as interesting as Warwick but the highlight we felt was the absolutely beautiful floral arrangements in most rooms. Apparently the late (American) owner of the castle had left provision in her will for these to be kept up and changed each week. They really were stunning.

How I despair.

Leeds Castle is a stately home, just because something is called -Castle does not imply that it was a fortification. Leeds Castle is an elegant home, and has a very warm and welcoming atmosphere about it. If you think that it is "too modern" daph my dear, America must be but an infant.

Is it Leeds Castle (or is it Hever?) that has the Dog Collar Museum? Small, but pretty interesting! And I like both Hever and Leeds - inside and out!

I only visited Warwick once (and it was 20 years ago), but I loved it! I've been disappointed that my intineraries haven't allowed me to go back. The atmosphere at Warwick was wonderful - I distinctly remember sitting at a picnic table on the lawn, watching dozens of peacocks and peahens show off for the tourists.

If I had to pick, I'd do Warwick in a heartbeat, but I've been to Leeds (and Hever) several times, so I'm probably pretty biased.

Gayle

Leeds Castle is the one with the dog collar museum.

My parents live close to Leeds Castle ans so I've visited many times...it is very picturesque and certainly worth hopping off the motorway to have a quck look as you speed by, but I wouldn't go all the way out from London specifically to visit it.

The interiors are fairly modern...last redone in the 1930's and compared with many National Trust properties there are really very few rooms to see. You won't find interesting period interior that you might enjoy elsewhere. For example I was recently in Norfolk and visited Oxborough House with my mother I found it far more interesting historically...at Leeds I've always had the feeling that they try to make the history more than it is...for example the room where they have a long line of very tenuous connections to royalty...sort of Henry VIII passed by once and almost stopped in for a sandwich!

We regularly visit England armed with the British Heritage Pass so have seen a lot of the beautiful estates/castles etc. Leeds is beautiful as you walk up to and around it but we found it very disappointing inside. Particularly when there are so many other places in Sussex/Kent to see. What about Chartwell, Churchill's country home or Knole the ancestral home of Vita Sackville-West? Sissinghurst, VSW's world-renowned garden is also in the area and a bit further south you can visit Rudyard Kipling's home at Bateman's. Igham Mote is a tudor delight and the Scotney Castle ruins are much more photogenic than Leeds. Dover Castle is as impressive as Warwick without all the froufrou and it has an excellent display on the World War II tunnels. As others have mentioned I would even visit Hever rather than Leeds.

Warwick Castle is commercial but is still impressive, and if it's your first castle it's a good introduction. Plus it has the advantage of being near Stratford so you might also be able to slip in a few of the Shakespeare properties. If you are driving to Warwick I also wouldn't miss Sudeley Castle, it is the resting place of Henry VIII's last wife and is lovely. A bit further on from Warwick is Baddesley Clinton which is a moated manor house and the contrast with Warwick makes it even more delicious.

I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever you choose.

Hi,
You should investigate London Walks Explorer Days - they do day trips to Leeds Castle combined with either Rochester or Canterbury. You get a 1/2 day at Leeds which IMO was plenty of time - the grounds are beautiful and they have an interesting garden centre if you are interested. Richard with the red cap does the trip and he is very entertaining - you get plenty of free time on these Explorer Days so you don't feel that you are part of a tour group all day. They also do Warwick Castle.

I just got back from England last night, and while planning my trip was making a simlar decision - which castle to visit. I was debating between Warwick and Leeds and after a posing a similar question on this board (I'm sure it's archived somewhere) I chose Warwick. (Though we didn't go to Leeds I'd still like to see it perhaps on a future trip, it sounds lovely too.) There was only one teeny problem I had with Warwick Castle. The day we went was a public holiday - Easter Monday - and the place was very crowded with families. That in itself was not really a probelm, but a lot of the parents there had been coerced by their children into purchasing child sized battle gear in the gift shop so there were rather a lot of little boys running around with these wooden swords and I was just waiting for someone to get hurt. I think if I was the manager of the site I would only allow sword purchases to people on their way OUT of the place.

But I didn't see the peacocks & peahens on the lawns that leonberger mentioned - maybe they had the day off? Did see some impressive hawks though.

If you're traveling by public transportation Warwick seems a bit easier to get to than Leeds - there's a direct train from London Euston station and it's easily walkable from the train station to the castle. I think for Leeds it's several miles from the nearest train station so a bus or car trip is required. While we were heading back to the Warwick train station we went by a different route than we'd arrived, and happened on a secondhand book store where my mom found 10 books by an obscure English author whose work she collects that she didn't have yet, so she was really thrilled at finding them. There were a couple on the shelf and the lady running the shop said she had some more in the back and brought out a huge stack for Mom to look through - she was in book heaven.