English Heritage: Warkworth Castle and Hermitage

I love a good castle, this is an excellent example of what a castle should look like and how they change over time. I was lucky enough to see this in the sunlight and enjoyed wondering around the site. It is an English Heritage castle, and costs unless you are a member to get in (I am not a member) but I still think it is worth a visit. The English Heritage staff were friendly although they were fairly pushy (hard sell) of membership although when I was first asked I clearly said I did not want membership, I was asked 3 more times during the process of getting my ticket, this is the only reason the site only get four stars from me.
The Castle Keep is really impressive with good views.

Beautiful but large sections of the Castle are in ruins. Great car park w/​toilets.
Warkworth Castle is an English Heritage site that looms over the quaint village of Warkworth. It is beautiful and offers room to roam over ancient courtyards and stones but those looking for an intact castle will be disappointed.
That said, finding parking in the village itself can be a daunting task and the large car park adjacent to the castle offers a convenient way to visit Warkworth.

We saw many castles and historic sites on our 3 week holiday in the UK, but this was by far our favourite. We just happened to stop by one late afternoon and pulled in to see about using the toilet. We decided to pay to go in since we had to pay for parking just to take a photo of the outside, and we were so pleasantly surprised by what we experienced. There seemed to be nobody there but us — one other couple was taking photos and walking around quietly in another area, so other than the employees at the entrance, we really felt we had a castle to ourselves. And what an amazing place it is…
If you’re into castles, and not the kind people are living in, but the kind with history in the air, take an afternoon to wander around this place. Explore every room and staircase. Bring your camera and sense of adventure. And go an hour before closing after they’ve done all their entertaining events on a weekday. You will not be disappointed.

The castle is splendid and powerful with a keep that is totally unique.

A fantastic castle. English Heritage have really made the most of this place. Lots of events all year round and a very interesting place to visit at any time.

Anyone travelling in or around Warkworth can’t fail to be impressed by the imposing sight of Warkworth castle set on a hill at the top of the town. Once the home of the wonderfully named Harry Hotspur the castle is well worth a visit. Unlike many castles there is enough left of Warkworth castle for visitors to get a real feel for the layout of the castle and a sense of what it must have been like to live there during the many phases of its colourful history. There are wonderful photo opportunities both in and around the castle, take time to stroll down to the river Coquet before or after your visit for another great vantage point and a lovely walk in its own right.

This just has to be one of the most delightful little castles you can vist. It is set in beautiful surroundings and well worth a visit.7 miles south of Alnwick on the A1068 it’s very accessible and can’t be missed as it stands tall and proud. It dates from the 14^th century and is still roofed and almost complete. The rooms open to the public are open on certain days but not all. The castle has a cross shaped keep and there is a hermitage and chapel further down it’s only accessible by boat though. Lots to see and at only £4.00 adults and £2.00 for children it’s a very cheap way to spend a delightful few hours.

We stumbled upon Warkworth Castle by mistake, we’d heard of it when reading things to do in Northumberland and decided to take a chance and visit it. We were not disappointed, you get to a pay and display car park but if visiting the castle you get the money back on the price of your admission, it was quite cheap for two of us to get into and we spent hours there. Firstly we walked around looking at the ruins, while the perimeter of it is ruins, the main body of the castle is intact and you can wander in and out of the all the different rooms. After we’d spent an hour doing that we went back and got the free audio tour and redid the whole visit to know the history. There are some rooms open in the castle at specific times but due to staffing issues these were shut when we were there. There is a tiny gift shop where you buy your admission that also makes hot drinks from a machine if you need warming up. It was well worth the money and I’d recommend it any day.

This is my favorite castle.
It is free to english heritage members and children that come with you go free
Otherwise it is £4 for adults, It has just recently starting charging £3 for parking which you get back when you buy a ticket or get your free ticket if your a member
I would recommend a trip across to the hermitage where the holy man had a little chapel and two rooms, It has carved into the fireplace the flood levels over the centuries
This is closed until april 2009 due to the recent flood when only the very end of the walkway up to the caste was not under water
The castle itself has plenty of room for the kids to play and loads of places to explore
It was the home of the percy family — The outside is ruined but some of the keep is still roofed and contains the duke rooms filled with furniture
The keep dates from the 14 century — it has dungeons and several wine and food cellars down stairs and you can get a little lost at first going up one staircase and down another
Upstair using the main staircase is the fantastic great hall and next to that a lovely chapel
It sometimes has special events and look out for the open air plays in the summer which are a lovely romantic evening with the castle as a backdrop