Bamburgh Castle

The castle is absolutely amazing—an impressive, overpowering structure that dominates the landscape and immediately captures your attention. Its size and presence make you appreciate just how significant it must have been throughout history. The building itself is in great condition and clearly very well looked after. Everywhere you turn, you can see the care and effort put into preserving it, which really enhances the experience. The views from the castle are fantastic, offering a sweeping look over the surrounding area. The coastline is especially beautiful, and the beach nearby is stunning—a perfect spot to take a walk, relax, or simply enjoy the scenery. It adds a wonderful contrast to the strength and solidity of the castle walls. We also visited the tearoom during our trip, and it was a real highlight. The scones were amazing—fresh, warm, and full of flavour. It’s the perfect place to take a break and soak in the atmosphere. When leaving, we passed through the shop and discovered the almond rum, which was very special and well worth trying. Overall, the visit was fantastic. The castle, the views, the beach, and the food all come together to create a memorable experience. It’s definitely well worth a visit.

It was unfortunate the place was closed. The view on a sunny day was amazing. Took some great pictures with friends. The beach right next to ot was clean and everyone was friendly. Friendly pets that were Well Trained roamed around but those that were not an more aggressive were on leash. Water was very blue and clear when going over the sand. A good look and lot too far of the main road as well.

The castle offers a lovely view from the grounds; however, I can’t recommend paying for entry at the current price. During my visit, we paid £43.50 for two adults, including £6 for parking. For that amount, I expected considerably more content and historical depth. The exhibits are heavily focused on the current family and the Victorian era. Personally, I would have preferred to see more emphasis on the castle’s earlier history, especially given its origins dating back to around 547 AD, but that may come down to individual taste. Interestingly, I found the nearby church to hold far greater historical significance than the castle itself. The World War II display felt somewhat out of place, and the kitchen area has clearly been converted into an extension of the gift shop, which further reduces the amount of authentic content on offer, and there isn’t much to begin with. I also found it odd that the guidebook we bought didn’t include a map, and there were no clear directional signs inside the castle grounds. This made it surprisingly difficult to know where to go or whether we had seen everything, which detracted a bit from the experience. In addition, many of the windows were quite dirty, which took away from what could have been some lovely views from inside. I think we may have just expected too much. By contrast, I found castles such as Warkworth, Alnwick and even Skipton to offer a much richer historical experience for a similar or even lower price. While Bamburgh’s setting is undeniably beautiful, the overall visit felt more like a family heritage exhibition than a deep dive into its remarkable past.

Oh I really enjoyed the visit to this castle. I was a bit disappointed with the Christmas decoration as all the windows had been blacked out and I felt it detracted from being able to enjoy the actual castle. Also the pirate scene in the Great Hall was disjointed and just looked like bedsheets hanging from the beautiful ceiling which also could not be seen properly. Need to revisit this place without the Christmas in the way.

Excellent Christmas decorations with rooms themed on foll stores such as Rumplestiltskin. The Emporer and the nightingale. Jack and the been stalk. Great informative staff friendly and professional. Superb views from the vast walls. A totally must see Castle.

The castle sits on a hill overlooking the sea and the nearby town. The views from the castle are stunningly beautiful. There is a lot to see in the castle as well as outside. I would say give yourself two to three hours to be sure you see everything. Would definitely recommend a visit.

What an amazing place to visit. The grounds have some stunning views over the beach. The rooms are kept in great condition. The staff were brilliant and informative. There is parking at the castle which is £6 or you can park across the road in another car park. The gift shop was great and there are toilets near the cafe's. I felt there was not enough toilets for the amount of visitors.

This is the most impressive castle i have seen to date, the views are amazing and the history is second to none. The castle itself is massive and very imposing, just imagining being in that time having to look at this daunting castle, wow, absolutely amazing, definitely a must see for anyone that has ever watched the Last Kingdom.

My wife and I visited in September 2024. We made a Last Kingdom pilgrimage from London to York (Eoforwich) to Durham (Dunholm) to Bamburgh (Bebbanburg) taking in many historic Roman, Saxon and Viking sites along the way. We had so much fun and Bamburgh was the pinnacle of our trail. The castle itself is in incredibly well kept condition. Most of the building is Norman (like most of the medieval structures around Britain) though there is a small stone footing of Saxon origin, and some of the old Roman lookout. Its a muscular structure with an imposing silhouette on the hilltop overlooking the sea, that can be seen for miles around. We took a guided tour with one of the custodians and she was great. Shared so much knowledge and stories of the castle. We then took a self guided audio tour of the interior and State rooms. All of which were beautiful and majestic. The grounds are well groomed and easy for anyone to navigate, with smooth paved paths everywhere. Its a hill-fort, so yeah, its going to have some steepness but nothing too extreme once you are up in the parking lot. The views from up there are just beautiful. We had really great weather that day, clear and sunny, you could see for miles. The highlight for us surely was the Last Kingdom exhibit in the great hall that had props and costumes from several seasons of the show. TLK was one of our very favourite TV shows so it was a real bucket list item to visit Bamburgh. It really didnt disappoint. I wish we had more time, than the three hours we spent at the castle, to go walk on the beach.

We stayed in the castle at the Neville Tower for a week and it was absolutely amazing. First things first: the staff there was completely, absolutely, 100% over the top nice and helpful. From the first person we talked to when we arrived to the last person we said goodbye to on our last day the staff was incredibly nice and just so wonderful. They made an incredible spot that much more enjoyable. The castle itself is beyond words. So much history, such incredible views, so beautiful to look at from all the different perspectives, it was something you could never get tired of. There are actually a few apartments at the castle, and I spoke with a gentleman who had lived there for 20 years! It's hard to imagine. Staying at the castle wasn't cheap, but if you want to do a "once in a lifetime" kind of trip like we did you won't be disappointed. Spending a day there would be great too, but staying there was awesome because we had the run of the place after it closed to the public at 5:00 every night. I loved walking the grounds in the evening or early morning before the public was let in (10:00 AM). Having the whole place to yourself is a unique experience.

It's not every day that you get to go to a castle being from Texas. This is my favorite castle in the UK. My family went and had a picnic at the castle before entering. We didn't purchase tickets in advance and the process went smoothly. There was a fun and engaging kids activity to do as well. We toured the grounds and all inside the castle. It is well-kept and incredible. The video upon walking into the castle is very engaging as well. It was a gorgeous day with incredible views. I love the blue clock at the castle and the copious amount of deep history throughout.

Bamburgh Castle was part of my 1-day coach trip "The Borders", courtesy of Highland Experience Tours, from Edinburgh. We were not allowed to enter the castle itself (because, apparently, it was only open to children's groups on that day), but I can say that the impressive fortress and the wonderful ocean scenery (along with dunes to walk among and forests to pee in) are well worth an along-the-road visit. Really, it's the wonderful seascape that will most impress castle visitors. If the weather's any better than awful (Interestingly, the weather changed from bad to good once we entered Northumberland from Scotland), you'll have a terrific view of the sea and the dunes below you. That's really all I can say about this place (see my pictures).

A powerful, strategic build on top of volcanic rocks overlooking the untamed North Sea! One of my favorite castles in the North of England. I have never seen a castle so mesmerizing than this one. It stands high on top of a rock and you look out on to the sea, feeling the wind in your hair and smell the fresh sea salt air, feeling free of any chains and wish you could fly, if it is just once :-) You park on the ground and walk up a pathway to the stronghold, passing by several of its impressive gates. Imagine you walk on grounds on which a Britain stronghold has been build since the 4th Century, if not before. The Britons defeated by the Anglo Saxons and raided by the Vikings and they defeated by the Normans and so on. A neverending story of brutality and struggle for power. You pay an entrance fee of £7 ( I think) Having past the gates you enter a courtyard overlooking the sea. There is only one way through the house, but you can see a lot. The old hall and lots of adjoining rooms and staircases and all the treasures that come with the castle. You end up in the tea room and can enjoy a scone and tea. I would say this castle is more for adults and teenagers interested in history, but you don't have it far if you decide to give your children a bit of Harry Potter experience in the nearby Alnwick castle. I will go there very soon again.

Bamburgh Castle is an architectural wonder on the Northumberland coastline. The grounds are beautiful and the museum is interesting. There is a nice tearoom in the clock tower but the best bit of the entire thing is the keep. The state rooms of the Castle are beautiful to look at and each room is different and charming. There are public toilets (modern version) next to the tearoom and everything is relatively easy to access. My only complaint is that the prices are a bit steep.

Magnificent castle in coastal setting Recently our family of four visited a number of castles in Northumberland and Bamburgh Castle was by far our favorite. Partly because of the setting - set high atop a hill surrounded by coastal grasses and beaches it is the embodiment of 'windswept grandeur'. Partly because it was restored in the late 19th century by a gobsmakingly rich inventor and industrialist and is more or less intact with Victorian touches. Partly because of the interesting little museums and displays that have been placed throughout the castle . And partly because of the surprisingly tasty cafe/tea room - home to the best scones and ploughman's we had anywhere in GB - better than in London or Edinburgh.