UK Castles....which ones are a must see?

We are headed to the British Isles this summer. There is a 10 year old boy in our party but he's super shy and not into social stuff. Which castles would be a must see? So far I am thinking about Edinburgh castle, Newcastle castle, Alnwick castle, and Stirling castle. Thank you for your help! :)

There is not really a castle at Newcastle but you should really see York minster as well as Durham cathedral.

In north east you should visit Cragside first house in the world

)it by electricity (owned by Armstrong of guns fame ) as well as Bamburgh castle.

Northeast resident here

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All of the ones you mention are in the North. The biggest and best in the UK are Edinburgh, Windsor and The Tower of London. A young boy would likely enjoy The Tower most (but give the Crown Jewels a miss). If he likes Steampunk type things, then a tour of Tower bridge would also go down well. The York railway museum is also quite an experience, and there are several preserved steam railway lines like http://www.svr.co.uk/

If he is into Harry Potter then The Warner Bros Harry Potter experience is well recommended. https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/ Alnwick Castlewas also Hogwarts in a couple of the films I believe.

It would help to have an idea of your itinerary and the lad's interests. (apart from castles)

We are headed to the British Isles this summer. There is a 10 year old boy in our party but he's super shy and not into social stuff. Which castles would be a must see? So far I am thinking about Edinburgh castle, Newcastle castle, Alnwick castle, and Stirling castle. Thank you for your help! :)

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We are headed to the British Isles this summer. There is a 10 year old boy in our party but he's super shy and not into social stuff. Which castles would be a must see? So far I am thinking about Edinburgh castle, Newcastle castle, Alnwick castle, and Stirling castle. Thank you for your help! :)

Newcastle has only the keep still standing in the middle of the city and so not much to see

Alnwick Castle I believe was used as a set for Harry Potter[and the castle grounds have a tree top adventure garden]

if Harry Potter fan then Durham Cathedral and adjacent Castle also used

Edinburgh Castle there is a lot to see and great views of the city as it is set high above the city

Stirling castle I know nothing about

Dover Castle has a good range of things to see and do, from the remains of a Roman Lighthouse, to a Medieval keep that was recently restored by English Heritage to underground tunnels built to house troops in WW2.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/?gclid=CP-JlZ6CrNMCFYEV0wodVKINMQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

But as Bob++ says if we know where in the UK you are visiting we San suggest better options.

Stirling Castle is well geared up to children. However in that area only a mile or two from the Castle and even better IMO, is Bannockburn, where there are fantastic interactive displays. It's the site of probably the most famous Scottish victory over the English. It would be ideal fro a 10 year old (and anybody!) http://battleofbannockburn.com

Durham Castle is a good one with great guided tours. Nearby Beamish is also full of interest in that it's a recreation of a village from times gone by with lots of things to interest youngsters. Worth googling.

There are plenty of castles to choose from. :)

The suggestions have ranged Stirling in Scotland to Dover on England's south coast - they're the small matter of 500 miles apart. ;)

As Bob says, we need to know your ports. And preferably also dates/days-of-the-week and hours in port.

And if there are ports where you want to do other things, no worries - we can suggest castles for as-yet un-planned days.

JB :)

Assuming that you might be spending some time in London - The Tower of London really is a must-do for a 10 year old.

I also gather from what you mentioned that Newcastle might be one of your ports:

North of Newcastle and a personal favorite of mine is Warkworth Castle. It's south of Alnwick and so could easily be done on the same day. Another thing of interest (depending on the 10 year old's tastes of course) is Hadrian's Wall - The Roman fortress at Housesteads is particularly good and also would provide a chance to actually walk on the wall. Aydon Castle is a fortified manor house near the wall on the way to Housesteads..

In Edinburgh - don't miss Edinburgh Castle! Craigmillar on the southern outskirts of the city is also interesting. To the East of Edinburgh are Direlton and Tantallon castles - but they would be a bit of a drive unless you are spending more than one day in Edinburgh .

Do lets us know exactly which ports you will be stopping at.

Some very good suggestions here by other posters. But, having been a somewhat shy & socially awkward 10-year-old myself many years ago--some say I still am that--I'm going to make another suggestion that doesn't involve a castle per se but that your boy might find just as fascinating, if not more so:

If you are going north to Edinburgh, stop at York for a few days. The city of York contains:

An extensive medieval wall (built partly on Roman foundations) that encircles the center of the city--the most extensive medieval wall anywhere in Britain. Walking along the footpath atop the wall feels like walking on the ramparts of a castle, and gives fantastic views of different parts of York:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_city_walls

http://www.visityork.org/York-City-of-York-Walls/details/?dms=3&venue=3610893

The York Railway Museum, a train-lover's paradise. What 10-year-old isn't fascinated by trains?

http://www.nrm.org.uk/

York Minster--the second-largest Gothic cathedral (after Chartres) in northern Europe, and in my humble opinion, the greatest cathedral in Britain. (I say that having been to more than twenty of them, including the wonderful cathedrals at Canterbury, Salisbury, Ely, Lincoln, Durham, Norwich, Worcester, Hereford, and Wells.)

Clifford's Tower. All that remains of York's Norman castle (built on the orders of William the Conquerer) is the keep, known as Clifford's Tower. It's not all that impressive compared to the great castles that are extant elsewhere in Britain, but does have a long, fascinating, and dark history. I've never gone inside.

The York Castle Museum. The name is a bit misleading--it's really a museum of life in York through the ages. An outstanding museum of its kind--the place fascinated me at an early age:

https://www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk/

The Jorvik Viking Centre. https://www.jorvikvikingcentre.co.uk/

The Shambles. http://www.historyofyork.org.uk/themes/medieval/the-shambles

Venture into Wales and see two very good 'real' examples at Pembroke, Haverfordwest and Carew in the south and Caernarfon and Conwy in the north.

If you're doing a round Britain cruise you may be stopping in Liverpool, the home of the Beetles.

We were in the city last June when Silhouette was visiting and I heard many people's surprise at how beautiful the amenities at port were- 'we'll come here again.'

The renovated Albert docks were particularly impressive.

Also the Catholic Cathedral ( known locally as Paddy's Wigwam') is worth a visit. We happened to go in when a choir were performing.

We are headed to the British Isles this summer. There is a 10 year old boy in our party but he's super shy and not into social stuff. Which castles would be a must see? So far I am thinking about Edinburgh castle, Newcastle castle, Alnwick castle, and Stirling castle. Thank you for your help! :)

I have just spent a lot of the Easter weekend up on the Northumberland Coast, love it there.

Alnwick Castle is a must, and Alnwick Gardens of course.

Bamburgh Castle is also very impressive, as are the beach and sand dunes.

Seahouses about 5 mins away from Bamburgh is a lovely but bustling fishing harbour town, with a lifeboat station that is worth a visit too, my grandsons love it.

Edinburgh Castle..also a must.

Hope you have a great time !!

If you are in London when the Queen is away during the summer, you can see Buckingham stateroom.

http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

If you are in London when the Queen is away during the summer, you can see Buckingham staterooms.

www.royalcollection.org.uk

Or, Windsor Caatle outside of London.

I grew up in Kent (the very South East of England), and it's fair to say you're never far away from a castle in Kent - Dover, Hever, Reculver, Rochester, Deal, to name but a few! The prettiest of them all though is Leeds Castle, which is in Leeds village, near Maidstone. I used to love Dover Castle as a kid, and I love Leeds Castle as an adult. Depending on the time of your visit, Leeds Castle have lots of events on throughout the year.

Further afield, Windsor Castle is a bit of a "must see" for foreign visitors, and Warwick Castle is also great for kids.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/galleries/Britains-best-castles/ This is quite a useful web page to have a look through.

Many Castles in Wales, it seems like there is one around every corner.

http://www.castlewales.com/home.html

If you are in London when the Queen is away during the summer, you can see Buckingham staterooms.

 

 

www.royalcollection.org.uk

 

Or, Windsor Caatle outside of London.

Going into Buckingham Palace was the highlight of the many trips we've taken to London and the UK. I was amazed that we could take as much time as we wanted in each room/area. The rooms are so opulent that you really need time to take in all of it. Many of the rooms had benches in them, too, which allowed for time to view it from all sides.

Going into Buckingham Palace was the highlight of the many trips we've taken to London and the UK. I was amazed that we could take as much time as we wanted in each room/area. The rooms are so opulent that you really need time to take in all of it. Many of the rooms had benches in them, too, which allowed for time to view it from all sides.

I have taken the private, and the general tours and plan on taking a tour again in 2018. I HIGHLY recommend a tour.

Many Castles in Wales, it seems like there is one around every corner.

 

http://www.castlewales.com/home.html

More castles in Wales per head of population than any where else in the world.

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