Best Western Walworth Castle Hotel

Super special family stay We arrived bring two children and two older people, my FIL is reliant on a wheelchair and very unwell The staff couldn't have been more wonderful with my FIL and our children, the food was brilliant and the bar staff and restaurant staff made the experience so special the castle is beautiful and the history sheet really interested everyone , coats of armour and playground were brilliant too we stayed in the turret in the suite giving us a separate room from the kids on a sofa bed they lived the free biscuits and my FIL relished the unlimited breakfast we'll definitely recommend and come back

Nestled remotely outside of the charming city of Darlington is this historic gem of a hotel. It is like stepping into a Time Machine into the 1100s when nobles and knights roamed the lands. Everything from start to finish was wonderful. The staff was warm, the food at the restaurant delicious, and the beds comfortable. The cherry on top of a perfect stay was the hospitality provided by Ashley and Dale at reception. These ladies went above and beyond to make sure everything was the best it could be. Special tip: ask for a tour of the hotel dungeon! Highly recommend this hotel for anyone in the area.

First impression as you drive up to reception excellent. Receptionist gave a warm welcome to the hotel. Check in quick. Large car space to park. We were on a winter warmer, DBB (2 course)+ a cocktail. Room was standard double large bed, good size bathroom, tea coffee ect. small wardrobe but big enough for a few nights. Dinner menu lots of starters, mains and desserts. We ordered, food was freshly made hot and very tasty.( large portions). Breakfast was a mixture of buffet and freshly made food, again one of the best fried breakfast ever. Check out at 11am was quick. THE WHOLE STAFF WAS EXCELLENT a credit to this hotel. The whole stop over was a great wow factor experience. Would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to family and friends.

Have a lovely two night stay here We stayed in room 16. Was clean, modern and huge. Staff were great and friendly. They could not do enough for you. Food was really nice as well. Breakfast was lovely and we were able to get that to the room as well. Will definitely come back and stay again

Daughter and son in law married here yesterday. Fairy tale wedding took place in the dungeon, beautiful candle lit ceremony. It was wonderful, well organised and very personal. The staff were marvellous all day, it was a treat. Every part of the wedding from meet and greet to the final part of the evening was great, a day to remember. Thankyou Walworth.

Walworth Castle was a super venue for the wedding we attended. The castle is very attractive and added to the romance of this special occasion. So, I feel sad to write this review. The issue with our bedroom (Room 17), but chiefly the hotel's response to it, coloured an otherwise joyful weekend at a lovely couple's wedding. We booked two nights in a ‘Four Poster – Superior Double' costing £332.10. Room 17 was medium sized and pleasant. However, it was above the main entrance and, when we went to bed, we could hear guests talking/smoking outside. At 5am a loud humming sound started waking us both up. I rang the ‘24 hour reception' to ask if anything could be done, but the call went through to an answering machine, so I left a message. No one responded. Next morning, we asked at reception and were told, ‘That's the generator. It comes on at 5am each day'. Apparently, it's normally people in Room 25 who complain about it. We asked to change rooms and were shown Room 31, a small room in the eaves. It was clearly not as good a room, but we took it in order to get a decent night's sleep. The receptionist said she would ask the manager to give us a credit note or a refund for the difference in the costs of the two rooms. For our second night Room 31 was quiet. However, it was tiny, with a shower/toilet in what can only be described as a cupboard just a foot from the end of the bed. The window was high up and looked over the roof, the décor was dated and carpet not particularly clean looking. However, we slept. On check out we asked about the refund for the difference in the two room costs and were told the manager wasn't willing to provide a refund as we had ‘chosen' to change rooms. We were incredulous as our choice had been between a ‘rock and a hard place'. Other minor things would not be worth mentioning had the two rooms we had been satisfactory – no bottled water, slippers, bathrobes, conditioner or body cream in the ‘superior' room. As others have said, the four poster wasn't what you'd envisage – it was a double bed with a wooden frame attached. No option to order newspapers. Large TVs constantly showing promotional videos in the dining room and the guest lounge. Our weekend in a ‘superior' ‘four poster' room at a castle certainly didn't live up to expectations. However, the wedding was very special and we wouldn't have missed it for the world.

In September 2023, we had our wedding at Walworth Castle Hotel. The venue was brilliant and the staff seemed to be always helping anyone that needed support. The deputy Manager, was amazing. He worked with us through the whole day and coordinated with all the venders that made the day easy to work with. The Honeymoon suites were quite large but the beds were not comfortable - it was the only downside as otherwise it was awesome and when taken up with Management, they advised they will look to replace/update the beds. The day itself couldn't have gone better. It was very hot outside, 29'c and the hotel chilled our water and put out ice buckets with our chilled water for guests to enjoy. Staff were quick at everything and I (as groom) was able to relax and enjoy the day whereas usually I want to control every aspect of an event. The food was wonderful, great portion sizes and really enjoyable. When we went for testers, we tried a few variant's and ended up mixing the menu selection into something we liked. This was taken note of any tasted wonderful. We had several friends with dietary requirements from intolerance to allergies and everyone was taken care of within the normal going out of food. They were not left to wait, they were served and were able to be a part of everything with everyone else. The outside area has areas for children/people to play, outside seating and a generally nice relaxed space. The staff were wonderful and it felt welcoming to everyone. Many guests have commented on how nice the wedding food was to us, which was great too. We had a wonderful time and do go back for the food on a weekend as their meals are really tasty and good value for money.

We booked afternoon tea for my niece's 9th birthday as she wanted to be a lady that lunches. The room was beautiful and my niece had been given her own throne to sit on. The 3 girls had their drinks served to them in cocktail glasses which made them feel very glamorous. The food was absolutely delicious (especially the warm sausage rolls), I loved the jam sandwiches that the children were given. The staff went above and beyond to make us all feel like royalty, my niece was treated like a princess which she loved. Can't thank all those at Walworth enough for making a birthday to remember.

Great way to experience staying in a castle, staff were fantastic, accommodating and very knowledgeable along with the offer of a castle tour whilst staying at the hotel. Would definitely recommend. Both evening meal and breakfast was superb.

Extremely happy with recent stay. Received a warm informative welcome. Room was really good (you must remember this is a castle!), it was well heated room very comfortable. Restaurant/bar great staff, relaxed atmosphere, a good menu, food great. Breakfast was exceptionally good. Staff were all terrific.

We booked Walworth on the Winter Warmer package as an mini getaway. The package included a 2 course meal in the 1189 Bar & Kitchen, 1 cocktail per person and a full cooked breakfast and a standard double annex room. This is the 1st time in almost 20 years we have visited Walworth and to be fair nothing seems to have changed in the way of the hotel decor. Its looking a little tired to say the least inside but the grounds outside are nice, if it had some investment poured in it could be right up there with the best of rest in the area. We didn't bother upgrading room as we would not have time to make full use of of it arriving later in the evening. Room was just a basic double and small though the bed was very comfy, however bathroom was very dated. Lights in room were all wall lights and non dimmable so even with just one on it was quite bright. Onto the food and the staff, each member of staff we encountered were all very friendly and helpful and attended to our every need especially in the restaurant. The food was excellent in both the evening meal and breakfast, the free cocktail was really nice and strong too and not just a cheap offering. Drinks are on the expensive side especially the wine but that is to be expected as it is a hotel and also a fine dinning environment. Overall we had a nice stay and the package was value for money, would we stay again - maybe but only if hotel had a revamp.

After paying for the most expensive room , at time of booking. Four poster suite. Large room with separate living, bathroom, bedroom. At the top of the hotel at the end of a dark corridor. Initially the key card entry was not activated, so a trip back down the five flights of stairs was required. The key card did work after that but several attempts were needed each time. Once in the suite it is spacious but very dated. The four poster bed , is exactly that , a small bed with four plain post tied together by thin lats with no dressing on the bed what so ever. The dead lock inside the door did not work. This was reported but no alternative was offered. When I asked if all other rooms had doors that locked from the inside the reply from reception was " I'm not sure". This was our valentine night away. So basic security and safeguarding requirements, in my opinion we're not met. The food, bar and restaurant staff were all fantastic.

We stayed in the King James suite, what an excellent suite. Lovely big jacuzzi/spa bath, big living room area and a grand 4 poster bed. What you got for the money was brilliant, definitely be back again.

Stayed at this hotel on the 9th February, the stay was bought for us as a Christmas present from my parents. Unfortunately on the day of our stay one member of our family took poorly, leave only 3 of us able to attend. One been my daughter who is only been 18 didn't want to stay in a room alone. The staff were very quick to accommodate us in a room with 3 beds so that she wasn't left on her own. The room was beautiful and the food was amazing. The staff were extremely helpful and welcoming. We had cocktails as part of our offer which were made by a lovely friendly young gentleman attending to the bar. After our amazing two course meal he gave us a tour of the dungeons. We were also showed around by a lovely lady, apologise i didn't get a name but the managers wife. She showed us around the ballroom and other rooms sharing her spooky goings on with us! Adding a little excitement to our stay. We couldn't thanks the staff enough it was an amazing evening we would love to do all over again. We have taken away wedding brochures a❤️ thanks again to all the staff at Walworth castle you are truly an amazing team

We had our wedding here last weekend, it was absolutely amazing the staff were amazing and the managers were amazing. On the lead up to our wedding and on the day we couldn't of asked for more of them! So pleased we chose to have our wedding here, food was unbelievable aswel and all our family and friends commented on how much they loved the venue, the food and how good the staff were. If we could do it all again we would choose this castle again. Thank you so much guys! All management should be so proud of the team they have here, it's 3 star hotel with 5 star service and cleanliness !

This is a 3 star hotel with 5 star staff. We took advantage of the winter warmer deal and really enjoyed the experience. The setting is superb and the food of very good quality. The staff made us so welcome and made time to have a chat which is so important. That really makes you feel at home. Highly recommended.

Warm welcome staff really friendly and efficient. The food from breakfast to afternoon tea to evening meal were all delicious and there was plenty of it. The bedroom was lovely and big and comfy couldn't of asked for more

Booked and went for Sunday dinner. Very warm welcome on arrival, the staff were absolutely brilliant. Sunday roast was probably one of the best I have had for a long time. Roast pork with crackling. Delicious, cooked to perfection, and the crackling was crunchy. All the veggies were very well cooked. No soggy veg. Came out with a big jug of gravy. Puddings were just as good. Cheese board can feed at least 4. Will be visiting again very soon. Just a lovely place to visit. Well worth every penny.

great stay in the cottage for 3 nughts, it wws clean and tidy very welcoming the hot tub was excellent. the stay was for a friends 70th birthday so we dined in the restaurant the meals were delicious and the service was excellent. Dale who showed us to the accommodation looked after us perfectly and showed us around the dungeon. there is plenty to do in the area, we visited Usher House, Auckland castle and Miners art gallery. All in all a great break. Thanks to all the staff for all the great work they did.

Grand afternoon tea , was excellent . Super service ,quality home made food ,pleasant surroundings. Reasonable price . Beautiful building . Very pleasant staff , quantity of food was more than enough .Will definitely return Home made cakes and scones melted in you mouth.

Beautiful place with a nice room. The room would have been nicer if there was heating, wife was very cold. When I complained I was told "the heating is on a timer". At no point during out stay did the heating come on. I borrowed an iron from reception only to find that it was broken when I tried to use it, so had to go and get another one. At tea time we chose the roast dinner from the menu, the Yorkshire puddings were stale and the meat was bone dry. It was evident that they were still serving the food that was made in the afternoon, at tea time. If they cannot serve fresh food at tea time then it simply should not be on the menu (we did enjoy the starter). At breakfast time we sat and waiting a very long time for our breakfast, when I complained, we were told that our order had not been taken (even though we had put our order in). The place is beautiful, however I would not return here.

The room was a long way from what was described and pictured online. The promised garden view was a car park and a strip of grass. The bed was rock hard. The room seemed not to have seen a paintbrush for at least 20 years, it was extremely drab and dreary. Privacy was non existent, every conversation could be heard as you walk along the corridor, very noisy children were a disturbance to us from three rooms away! To add insult to injury a cocilation pint and half of shandy cost me ten pounds. There was no peace to be found even in the super right overlit lounge. The space was dominated by one large noisy family, they are totally entitled to enjoy themselves but there was no alternative to retreat to

I loved this hotel so much on my first stay that I returned. On my first stay I stayed in the old dormitory part of the building which was added on when the building was used as a school many moons ago. On this trip I stayed in the castle part which is known as the west wing. Fantastic room - fantastic food and fantastic staff. Stop reading this and go and book.

Be aware that although they advertise as having EV charging available - all they have is an external plug socket..and only one! So unless you have the correct lead, and are prepared to wait a very long time - and lucky enough for it to be free, don't rely on getting a charge when you stay. The staff are pretty clueless on all things ‘EV' so don't expect too much help there either!

Stayed here for two nights after attending a wedding in Thirsk. Our room was in the castle on the first floor. The castle was built in 1189 and has been added too and renovated over hundreds of years. The grounds are amazing and stretch over many acres. The staff are very friendly and helpful and the food is of highest quality and presentation. Breakfast choices will suit all but the full “Castle” breakfast will set you up for the day. A wonderful experience and a great venue for weddings. Highly recommended and hope to return again.

We stayed the night, as we were attending Kinren. The hotel looks lovely and has good front driveway car parking. The staff were friendly and attentive. The breakfast was really good with lots of choice. Our only gripe was the room, £160 for a very small room, hard pillows and no hot water for a shower. Cobwebs hanging from the ceiling over the bed.

Simply gorgeous venue. Beautiful grounds. Stylish restaurant with delicious food..service attentive but......handwritten manager's recommended wines on easel in restaurant was hilarious, simply full of dreadful spelling mistakes. It started off 'manegment' recommends......and so it went on. Very funny, not meant to be of course, but a little bit more care should have been taken as it looked very unprofessional and like it has been written by an eight year old!

We had booked to go to another venue to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary, which was cancelled with about 2hrs notice! We rang on the off chance for a table and the lady I spoke to couldn't have been more helpful. We rearranged our guests for a slightly later time. From beginning to end , everyone we met was friendly, attentive and professional. The good was simply delicious and we all agreed that we have had the best day and probably the other venue wouldn't have been a patch on yours. Thank you so very much for saving the day and making it all so memorable, we can't thank you enough. Kindest regards Karen and Mark Thompson

The castle was as splendid as the photos on the website. The castle interior was tastefully decorated maintain the grandeur of the very old building. Our castle room was nice, spotlessly clean, with a super comfortable bed. We slept very well every night. The cooked breakfast was made from good produce. There were also buffet items available. We had dinner at the hotel twice during our stay again tasty, made from good produce, with large portions. I really enjoyed the roast beef dinner. All of the staff were friendly and helpful. We had a very enjoyable and relaxing 4 night stay. We shall definitely come back.

Amazing staff , food was brilliant room was lovely great location staff couldnt do enough for us we will be staying again. Afternoon tea was amazing. Breakfast was brilliant we were even given a tour of the castle dungeons brilliant

I was going to give this hotel four stars as, despite it being clean, spacious and in a beautiful area, it could do with a lick of paint and some updating. However, we had a wonderful experience due to the extra effort from the staff. We were given a free tour of the dungeons and everyone couldn't have been more helpful or friendly leading. Very memorable and enjoyable.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The staff were warm and welcoming, the food was amazing and nothing was too much trouble. The rooms are spacious and clean, and we would definitely recommend to anyone considering staying there.

Firstly, I have stayed here before and have never had any issues. Sadly, when an issue was reported, it wasn't resolved. A gentleman did try and assist, but away from that I was given poor advice about alternatives and no compensation for the additional actual costs and two hours of driving and charging, which went against the only reason I selected this hotel.

We didn't expect too much as the price was quite cheap. From the outside it looks lovely but decor and finishings need a complete overhaul. Staff on reception and bar extremely friendly and helpful. Room was okay, clean but bathroom was pokey. On checkin we were asked to book a time to come for breakfast which I've never experienced before and actually we missed breakfast because we didn't get up in time and to be honest if the chef needs to know time didn't feel they would be up to much!

After a courteous and prompt response to an email enquiry we visited Walworth Castle for a light bite to eat. Both starters we of satisfying quantity and taste. Our visit was further enhanced by the thoughtful staff how brought a water bowl for our small, obedient dog and those staff who spoke with us during our visit. We were so impressed that we've booked a table to bring family for Sunday lunch.

What a gem of a find. All the staff are exceptional, very friendly and very helpful. The castle is amazing, full of ancient architecture. Very clean and beautiful. On arrival we were upgraded to a room with a four poster bed which was excellent. That was just because they had the room free at that time ( great service ). We had a guided tour of the dungeons and bridal suites when we asked for one. We made friends with everyone and will certainly come back again.

From Terry How anyone could find fault this hotel or It's staff beats me ,but everyone is entitled to thier view. We stayed 2 nights, a group of 4 (family friends) and were upgraded courtesy of the hotel. We ended up with a 4 poster bed that needed steps to climb onto Ha Ha, my wife 74 and 5 foot loved it. The hotel the staff from the dishwasher all the way down to the manager were brilliant 10 out of 10, we will be back in November.

Friendly hotel which we use when visiting family in the area. The rooms are very comfortable and the breakfasts are very good too. Plenty of free parking at the front of the hotel. Friendly helpful staff on reception.

We stayed here on a short break before moving on to a Lake District wedding. It's a great location for exploring North Yorkshire and County Durham. If you are looking for a wedding venue in this area then it is well worth considering. The staff are all very friendly and knowledgeable of both the local area and the local “spirts” said to inhabit the castle. Just to say this place is the real thing. A castle whereJames 1st stayed on his trip to be crowned King of England. His room is now the bridal suite and well worth a look if unoccupied. It has a dungeon (available for weddings if that's your thing) . The food is fantastic and the proportion's enormous. Not a place to come to lose weight! Also reasonably priced. One of the best stays we have ever had in a UK hotel.

We had our wedding here on the sunday. Was outstanding, obviously I'm bias. The staff however were outstanding Phil looked after us on the day then ullsal on the night both were great. We took the bridal sweet which was great. My partner is gluten free and they happily accommodated her. The surrounding are beautiful We got married outside and they prepared inside just incase of rain were other places don't. The food for our meal was hot and delicious even when serving 78 people at the same time. Breakfast on the morning once again did gluten free which is very important to us. We stayed the next day and had a lovely day sitting in the grounds talking to helpful staff josie and Dale. We then set off for our honeymoon the next day having had a wonderful time at walworth to Hereford 236 miles away. When arriving we soon realised this wasn't for us as we wanted to be back in such a warm staffed, gorgeous declious food place. We rang up travelled again the next day to come back for a further 2 days. On returning we werent disappointed at all we eat our meal on the evening having traveled 4 and a half hours and realised it was worth every minute of the journey. Our server Ashley was brilliant crack as well as serving us brilliantly in her job. She made our dining experience even more worth while. All in all I know this is a long review but our story needed to be told. Thank you very much walworth and all the staff (sorry if u read this and i missed u out) for first of all making our wedding special then looking after us on our return. We will be back regularly hope others read this review and realise what a wonderful place walworth castle for a wedding or a overnight stay Daniel and Terri Nowell

We needed a convenient location to attend a family funeral plus a couple of relaxing days to explore the area. Staff were welcoming and helpful. Breakfasts were hot and delicious. We did not sample the evening meals as nothing appealed, with some weird items on the menu, We stayed two days in annexe (west wing) room 6, then upgraded to a room in the main building, room 21 which was spacious and more modern. Great quiet location.

When going to walworth castle, you will get professional, friendly service, rooms that have lovely detail especially the King James suite (highly recommended) Food is superb. The staff were amazing with helping me with my nut allergy and alleviating any concerns. Location is peaceful and when walking around the grounds and looking at the country, its hard to believe you are only 10 mins drive to the M1(A) always love staying here. We got married here last August so we enjoyed having our first wedding anniversary at the place where the magic happened.

Lunch time with friends was a let down. Service was nice though. I had a quiche and it was a real let down. It was quiche with salad and coleslaw. The quiche itself was ok to be honest I have had better. The coleslaw was tasteless. The quiche was small and came on a big plate of lettuce! There was far to much lettuce! Should been a meal quiche salad and chips . I had to buy a portion of chips! What was even more shocking is £18 for a vegi burger! Where did they make these prices up from it was terrible! This used to be my favourite place to eat, not sure what has happened to the menu but its poor. We have not been for a couple years as menu changed and not for the better. We won't be going back I am afraid!

Without doubt the best hotel staff we have ever had the pleasure of meeting. The team at Walworth Castle will make your stay a great experience. Unfortunately the hotel is disappointing, we had a four poster suite and it is nothing like the pictures on the website ( felt totally mis sold) The suite is very tired with holes in the curtains , cracks in the washbasin,very lumpy sofa and chairs and even though a new boiler has been fitted only tepid hot water was supplying the bath. On a positive note the breakfast is great. I would of normally said something about the room, but the staff were so good it made impossible to complain. After speaking with friends who have stayed at the Walworth in the west wing that would be our future choice. I think the owners are very lucky to have such an amazing team.

Reception staff was friendly and helpful. The food in the restaurant was excellent. The waitstaff was friendly and helpful as well. The staff made you feel at home. The rooms were large in comparison to some hotels. They were clean kept clean each day.

This trip was to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary. We had a lovely classic room with a four poster, which was surprisingly warm in the older part of the castle. Everything about our stay was wonderful. The staff were welcoming and friendly. There was a family atmosphere, but everything was spot on. We were treated in a special way on our Anniversary. We will return to this Hotel and cannot recommend it highly enough and haven't mentioned the fantastic location too.

I was looking to find a venue half way between where we live and the Lake district that was suitable for a family ( 20 of us) get together. After visiting many other places we booked the ballroom at Walworth after meeting and discussing our needs with the Events manager who could not have been more helpful. We were three generations of family,half of whom had travelled from Australia and who were enjoying a brief visit to the Lakes. The youngsters had great fun together on the lawns outside. They also enjoyed the "mystery" tour of the Castle complete with dungeons.The two Knights in shining armour that greet you at reception also went down well. The venue was perfect for us- plenty of space in a light and airy room with direct access to the gardens and a play area. We had pre-ordered our food from the hotel menus - 19 different dishes all excellent and served without a hitch with staff on hand to look after our every need including ongoing drinks requests. This is a friendly and welcoming hotel whose staff are the best.

We just had a lovely wedding anniversary at the Walworth Castle Hotel. The staff were delightful and were happy to help make our stay special. The food was lovely and reasonably priced. I special shout out to Ashley who was full of useful information about the food, the local area and the history of the building.

We stayed at Walworth Castle for our wedding anniversary. Walworth is a special place for us as it's where we stayed on our wedding night and have stayed a few times since. We stayed in the Jenison Suite and it was absolutely amazing, it had a 4 poster bed, jacuzzi bath and just perfect for a special occasion. We ate in the restaurant and the food was beautiful. I big shout out and thank you to a lovely lady Ashley who looked after us all day and night in the restaurant and bar nothing was too much trouble for her and she remembered us from a previous stay. An absolutely perfect stay and we will definitely be back in the future.

We needed an overnight stay near Darlington and this suited us admirably. There was so much of interest to see in the hotel with its suits of armour, dungeons and leaflet on its history. Far more interesting than being in a standard hotel. Lovely grounds to wander through too and it was so quiet. The beds were a little on the firm side for us but that is a personal preference.

Fantastic place to stay. Really friendly staff. Room everything you need . Food lovely evening meal and breakfast. Grounds and views great . The castle itself fabulous so old and lots and lots of history. The staff we're very helpful and even got a tour of the dungeon.

We had booked afternoon for my mother in law as a Xmas present. Really enjoyed the food, very wholesome afternoon. An improvement would be, staff need to be in the room more or visit the table. Couple occasions we had to get up out our seats and ask for stuff. Over all, very pleasant! Thank you!

We stayed as a group of 5 friends on our annual weekend away. We actually didn't stay in the hotel but stayed in the lovely castle lodge with its own hot tub. Spotlessly clean, great facilities. We usually go somewhere different every year but plan to come back here. We ate in the hotel on Saturday night and again for Sunday lunch. The restaurant was full and I'm not surprised. The food was excellent, best Sunday lunch I've had in ages. The manager was so nice and gave us a guided tour of the hotel, including the dungeon. He was clearly very proud of the place, and rightly so, it's fascinating and lovely. His wife was so cheery and welcoming too, made us feel so relaxed and at home. For those people who have said the rooms are dated, then perhaps stick with Premier Inns. This is a castle built in the 1100's and the rooms are in keeping with its history. If you can't appreciate that, then it's a shame for you. We loved the place and definitely plan to return to stay in the hotel. It was dreadful to hear that some people have been asked to leave because of their abusive behaviour towards the staff. What on earth is wrong with people? Well done to you all at Walworth and thank you for our lovely welcome.

I booked this as a Christmas present for my brother and his fiance. I upgraded to a 4 poster room. My brother sent me a picture the sheets were crumpled the four poster was merely a frame. It's was very basic and not at all luxurious as advertised. The room was also very basic with not even a bottle of water.

We initially intended to stop overnight in the Lake District as a Christmas present for my wife but due to the awful weather, we rebooked somewhere a bit closed (Walworth Castle) and what a great decision that was! The castle was built in the 11th century and is a Grade 1 listed building so not the warmest of places but we were never cold in the time we were there. We booked a 4 Poster castle room which was fantastic but due to a last minute cancellation we were offered the opportunity to upgrade for free, which we jumped at and our upgraded room was even better, what a great start to our overnight stay. After a bath we went downstairs to the very comfortable residence lounge before heading into the eating area for our evening meals and boy what a treat we were in for. Both meals (main and sweet) were superb and a very good portion as well, something I found very refreshing and we both cleaned our plates. We were waited on by two young but excellent people Henry and (I forget the young girls name), who were very friendly, made us feel very welcome and both were very informative. Our bed was super comfortable, so we both had a good night's sleep, despite the castle supposedly being haunted. When we initially checked in we met the wonderful Lisa who was brilliant all night (a real star) and she gave us a tour around the castle dungeons, which you can hire out for an alternative wedding if you so wish. The castle ballroom caters for both traditional and none traditional weddings, a perfect venue for a wedding or just a romantic weekend away in an old castle. The morning breakfast was just as good (and filling) as the pervious nights evening meal and the food there has got to be the best we have ever had anywhere and we go away for an overnight stay once a month every month – we will be back to Walworth Castle again in the future, we loved it there! You can view my ‘full independent' review of Walworth Castle Hotel on my YouTube Channel: Alan METALMAN – Outdoors

I have never before felt so cold and uncomfortable during a stay in a hotel in the UK, totally inadequate heating for the weather conditions. We had Sunday lunch two weeks earlier and we had the same experience regarding cold venue. We will now be visiting again.

Where do I start! We only stayed for 1 night before going home to Scotland but the staff ,the castle and the food was all amazing, thanks to the fantastic chef and kitchen staff we can't stop talking about our meal lol, from the evening receptionist with the red hair , the young lad who served us our wine, the mangers wife Ashley and the restaurant supervisor/manager I didn't get his name but had a very festive jumper on to the hk team that we spoke to in the morning and again all the staff we encountered in the morning, all professional and very friendly we spoke a lot to Ashley and the supervisor/ mgr , he indulge me in my love for history and castles and showed us the dungeon room and another room, absolutly loved it here, we will be back in April to stay longer hopefully so we can go and have a walk around the gardens and stay in the castle and do a bit more exploring, the annex building we stayed in was clean but definitely booking a room in the castle for April. We Just loved it here. Thank you and Thank you chef for a fantastic meal!.

Stayed here for the night after our daughter bought us but from buyagift. We paid £75 to upgrade and was a little a disappointing if I'm honest. There was a bath only and no shower and the bed was a simple double! The staff, food and night was brilliant. There was a Micheal Buble tribute night on and the managers wife was so lovely and accommodating she arranged for us to join the tribute and it was well worth it. The food was lovely and the breakfast was on point. The service and staff are second to none. I wouldn't bother upgrading though next time x

Dropped in today for a drink in the lounge. We arrived with our pup and were made very welcome. The general manager was very friendly and went out of his way to make sure we were made welcome, even putting the fire on for us even though we were the only ones present addibg to the lovely atmosphere. All the staff were very nice we encounted, even considering the fact my pup was behaving out of character and been noisy (lucky only us there). We would have stayed longer if not for him playing up like the toddler he is. 'Angela' came over to speak with is and was very reassuring about it which was above and beyond. Saw a lovely afternoon tea pass by us and we are talking of booking next year. (Without the toddler pup) It's the staff and service which make a place which has resulted in my 5 star review. Would recommend

Took family for a celebratory meal to the restaurant,60th birthday for twins!There was a murder mystery evening on in the function room on the same night but the restaurant still accommodated our booking.The meal was beautiful,customer service excellent and none of us had to wait long for food and drink to come to the table.We had brought a birthday cake to be brought out at the end and the staff were fab and so helpful with keeping this a surprise and singing happy birthday and brought us a special knife to cut it and share out.Would definitely recommend the restaurant and will be coming back again

The place was beautiful and secluded. The staff are super friendly and go out of their way to accommodate you. Great venue in the summer for outdoor seating. Would love to know if any walks nearby for the winter.

We brought 48 people on our first visit and were so well looked after, that we came again as a couple, and were just as pleased as we were the first time. The evening meal was really very nice, we would go back again,

I have stayed a Best Western hotels in the past and been disappointed on all occasions but not this time. From the warm welcome at reception to our beautiful very large room with a four poster bed and sofa area looking out onto the beautiful grounds of this very old and well kept castle. Our spacious room with ensuite was lovely and quirky. My partner had ordered flowers for my birthday and the hotel ensured they were in our room on arrival. The ground are well kept and thr hotel spotless with lovely fireplaces in the bar and restaurant lit to keep out the cold. Like all places to survive they are cutting back on utilities and heating in room only comes on after 5pm, so room often chilly but we were out most of the day and you can go sit in the lounge where it was very warm. I don't mind this as it would be a shame if they had to close because of the current situation . The food was lovely, well presented and hot, service by Harry was great, lovely young man and Melissa gave us a free tour of the dungeon and rooms that are steeped in history and visitors who never left shall we say lol. They do weddings and other functions including murder mystery nights which we will defo be coming back to do one and stay over again but sadly not until early next year now. If you need it good disabled access and lots of parking. Nice walks in the ground A pub called the Dog 5 mins away in the car but a must is a visit 10 mins drive away the Fox Hole you need to book as busy even on week nights, food is amazing as was the service. Bishop Aukland only a short drive away if you want to walk around shops, showing signs of recession but Masham also not far away and its a lovely village with breweries and quaint shops, Gin shop a must visit as is the brewery tour Biv thank you to all the staff for making my birthday a fabulous one, the birthday card from the totel was a nice touch Wish I could put more pictures on here, loads more to see

We experienced a fabulous service from all staff members. Our room was wonderful with fantastic views. Our evening meal and breakfast was delicious. Vegan options on the entire menu were impressive and nicely made.

We paid £119 for the Winter Warmer offer. This included bed and full English breakfast, a 2 course evening meal and a pre dinner cocktail. The food was great quality and portions were large. The staff were all really friendly and service was excellent. We opted for the cheapest room option, but even this was well equipped and very comfortable.

Lovely place and grounds , we stayed one night sun 23rd oct, lovely friendly helpful staff , delicious food , lovely spotless clean rooms in the west wing, room 9 ,, we have thoroughly enjoyed our stay , thank you , regards Lynda and Joe Jackson

Lovely setting, pleasant staff, good breakfast. Evening meals—the roast of the day was a bit like a school dinner. Poor. The steak was over cooked. Desserts good. Evening meal the following day - gammon - was very good & again the dessert was good. Room lighting poor, corridors dark & chilly

Me and my partner have just got back from a 2 night stay here. Honestly from the staff to the food to the actual castle. Absolotely fantastic. We loved it. Food was delicious. Staff were like family. So friendly and nothing was to much for them. We will definitely be returning. A special thanks to Jess...Brenda...kelly, Melissa and Lorraine. What a lovely bunch. They even took us down in to the dungeon etc and explained the history which we loved. Cheers lasses :)

Our daughter and her fiancé booked Walworth Castle for their wedding about 20 months ago. The experience has been absolutely amazing from the moment it was booked. A huge thank you to Jolene and Melissa and to to all of the staff who are exceptional. Nothing was too much trouble the food and service was exceptional. I cannot speak more highly of the whole experience and would definitely recommend to others

We came to Walworth Castle today for afternoon tea and it was absolutely lovely! We arrived and straight away we're shown to our table, we were served by Melissa and she couldn't have been more lovely! She was attentive and made sure we were ok, filled our tea's up and gave us a box to take anything leftover home. The food was lovely and the staff couldn't have been more helpful! We will definitely be back, as soon as possible!! Thank you again x

I had high expectations based on the photos on the website and the price I was paying. The restaurant and food were lovely, breakfast was ok but not worth the money and the room was disappointing - big and warm but damaged furniture and the bathroom was very dated, which did not add to the character of the lovely castle. We booked a four poste bedroom, and it just wasn't as expected and quite flimsy. The bed was comfortable....

Limited staff available at this hotel. The rooms are a very strange layout and very cold. Hotel is in desperate need of modernising. Breakfast was shockingly expensive for the choice that you got. Our room came with several spiders, which tells you that this is not very clean!

Stayed in Room 19 which has the enormous bay window. Light and airy lovely fresh room with four poster, sitting and dining area and walk in closet. Was everything you could ask for. Bed wasn't the comfiest. Restaurant had a good selection, breakfast was excellent - hot food served at your table. Staff were friendly. Would definitely recommend.

Staff were extremely friendly and careing, breakfast was excellent, very quiet and peaceful location. Room was a little small, but very comfortable. I would definitely stay again. Hotel is in a great location.

Booked two rooms to meet up with family visiting from overseas and the location was perfect. The rooms in the West wing were "cosy" but fine for us and at a competitive rate. Breakfast was good and cooked to order and enjoyed in a relaxed setting. We will be returning as it is such a nice rural location, handy to get out and explore Teesdale and North Yorkshire, though we will look at a larger room next time. Must also say how friendly and helpful the staff were throughout our stay.

Terrible experience. I booked afternoon tea there with a few friends for my hen party. Despite knowing in advance we were a hen party, when we arrived there we were told there was a wedding on and I couldn't openly celebrate it as my hen do due to their one bride policy . we weren't even allowed to sit in the gardens despite ringing them the day before and them telling us we could. They even rang me on way home to mistakingly allege that we had not paid for some drinks. They had two clear opportunities to tell me before the day they had a wedding on! One member of their staff was rude. I complained to manager who wasn't interested. Ruined my day with their terrible communication skills

Four poster room was nice but basic. No bottled water, coffee machine, limited toiletries. A wedding was taking place which didn't help our experience as lots of banging at night. Food was nice, staff attentive, definitely a three star venue

Our second visit to this beautiful castle. We were given a warm welcome by the receptionist who could not do enough for us and was very pleasant and nothing was too much trouble for her. We stayed in room 3, the last one in the annexe, very quite and out of the way, this did not matter as you can access the restaurant through the corridor into the hotel and do not need to go outside. The room was large and had a large Plasma T.V with lots of channels to choose from, T.V and WIFI had perfect reception. The room and bedding was spotlessly clean. The room had a brand new bathroom, which I have to say was very small as there was not much room between the sink and the shower unit, it had a power shower and lots of hot water with lots of fluffy towels. The only point I would make is that this bathroom would not be suitable if you have a disability, which unfortunately I had but I managed to over come the issue. I did not mention that I had a disability so the problem was mine and not the hotel as I feel sure that if I had mentioned it to reception they would have moved us to another room if at all possible, but we were happy where we were. Breakfast and evening meals were cooked to perfection good quality food piping hot, plentiful and the staff were very freindly, sevice was excellent at all times morning and night. Just like to thank all the staff for making our stay a happy one and appreciate everything they did to make our stay a happy one. See you all again.

We are staying nearby and decided to treat ourselves to Afternoon Tea in the Castle. The reviews were good so we were looking forward to ending our holiday on a high. Sadly it was a bit of a letdown. We were put in a room with no real features and no other guests, not even a view from our table,, not the surroundings we expected from the photos. The only time we saw a member of staff was when the tea was served, with no follow up to ask if more tea was required. The saving grace was the bite sized cakes which were good. All in all not really worth the £40 Maybe we would have had a better experience if the hotel had other guests.

Our daughter and son in law chose the castle two years ago and not one family member or friends were disappointed at all. From start to finish our stay and the beautiful wedding ceremony and wonderful meal was superb. Big thanks to all the staff who made their unforgettable special day

Lovely venue. My room was completely fine in the west wing.although I gathered from other guests the rooms Are a bit of a lottery. Some really happy some really not for what it cost them. So maybe thats something for management to look at. Breakfast was very nice. Staff are friendly and really do try to help. Completely unacceptable that there was no bottled water for sale the morning after the wedding and an uncle that doesn't drink informed me they didn't have any the day before either as he had stayed for 2 nights. When I asked a member of your staff about this I was told they are still waiting for a delivery. Not acceptable and I hold the management to account for this. If your supplier let's you down then find an alternative or use your initiative. Staff made an effort to put glasses of tap water available at the bar after I confronted them about this which was appreciated. I enjoyed my stay but think I've been honest in my review. If your charging +£100 a night then you really have to raise the bar. Its the little things that count.

Stayed at Walworth castle for my brothers wedding, we stayed one night the price was quite expensive. The room was really small. The only toilet roll was nearly empty on our arrival. Bed was very uncomfortable and the pillows were extremely thin and uncomfortable one of the worst nights sleep we have had in a hotel. The lounge bar ran out of glasses early in the day, staff seemed a little bit disinterested.

Perfect place to relax and unwind. Set in a large garden. This hotel has history, rooms are large and airy. You need a car to get here; plenty of free parking and friendly staff. The restaurant serves excellent food and the portions are very generous, this goes for dinner and the English breakfast. Reasonable prices considering the decent size meals. Well worth a visit if you are transiting or touring the area

We stayed in a suite for our years anniversary, complimentary stay. Staff are unbelievably friendly. Restaurant is very nice and food is perfect including the breakfast. My only concern and it's being picky, the jacuzzi in our room seemed to leave a yellow stain around the waterline in the bath which was easily cleaned. Not sure what it was but could have maybe been ladies makeup. First world problems I know and like I said it's being picky as it's literally the only thing to be negative

My husband & I took our grandchildren to stay for 3 nights in a 4 poster room. The hotel is out in the countryside so a drive away from local attractions but this,was fine for us. The granchildren enjoyed the outside play area. The waiting staff at breakfast were ver friendly & patient with the children & the reception staff (bar 1) that we saw were also very friendly & enquired about our day & stay. We were given a tour of the 'dungeon' & again the male member of staff was very friendly. The only negative comment was on the last night when we could hear the TV being played & the guests talking in the room next door. I would definitely recommend this hotel & would return.

I honestly enjoyed my stay with the family.. breakfast wasn't all that.. the environment is so fascinating the kids loved it, my 4 year old little girl didn't want to leave… the history of the hotel is wow I love history I guess I was at the right place…Receptionist stuff was only friendly on the arrival after that the rest is story.. cleaning stuff where very friendly :) If you're a traditional person yes I Recommend

Just spent two nights at this hotel having bed and breakfast and dining in the restaurant. My room was in the West Wing which is not part of the castle itself but was very clean very functional and comfortable. I dined in the restaurant on both nights. The food served was excellent however the menu did not change on either night. Had I been staying longer I would like to have thought that would've been another menu available. Breakfast each morning is served in the same restaurant and accessed down a passageway which appears to be for the staff to use when serving in the restaurant in the evening. Breakfast was good quality filling there was plenty of choice. However it was a shame that the breakfast staff were busy talking and I had to ask for ketchup and sugar as neither were available on the pots on the table, sadly this was not checked and should've been done so. On my next visit I'm sure this will have been rectified. But reading this review should not put you off going there you must go there. I even got a private tour of the dungeon and the lady was so helpful explaining everything. This hotel trades under the best western group and I generally find these hotels to be extremely good at a high standard.

We took the opportunity to stay in a castle while on our trip in the U.K. The Walworth Castle did not disappoint The rooms were nice, the bed was comfy, but high off the ground. We stayed in a room with a 4-poster, the view was beautiful and eveything was clean, well-kept and there were plenty of amenities. The restaurant was good and we enjoyed our meal. The staff was very nice but a little slow. The grounds were beautiful and we enjoyed a stroll in the evening after dinner.

My 50th birthday pressie from my partner. Couldn't of faulted a thing!!absolutely we shall return. Maybe next year for Appleby we will stay with you again, so June next year we will b returning to stay in our favourite castle again!!

Lovely out of the way setting with fabulous surroundings. Hotel staff very friendly BUT they don't offer cocktails!!! Really strange for a hotel like this. Hopefully they will rectify because it's something to be expected when a break away.

Myself and my partner got married at Walworth castle on 12th July and we would both like to say a huge thank you to all of the fab team here, they went above and beyond to make sure our whole day ran smoothly and were so friendly and welcoming to ourselves and all of our guests. The food provided was exquisite and well catered to suit all guests requirements and Melissa and Jolene helped everything flow well, worked so hard to make our day special, and put our minds at ease throughout the day. The team were fantastic and helped us every step of the way with no job being too difficult no matter the time of day or night, the room/bridal suite was simply beautiful and so clean and well kept. We had the most perfect wedding day and beautiful memories to treasure forever so we wanted to thank each and every member of staff from Walworth for all you do. We couldn't recommend the venue highly enough and their beautiful range of ground made for breathtaking photographs on the big day, simply stunning place inside and out.

This hotel set in an old castle is a very good place to stay. The location is excellent. The building is interesting. Restaurant is good with friendly service and generous portions. our bedroom was spacious comfortable and well equipped.

Just spent a night here (11/7/22). Great looking and impressive place. Staff so friendly and efficient - really 11/ 10! Stayed in the Castle itself, so glad as gpt the full "ambience" of the place. Room clean and welcoming, lovely view over the front drive. Evening meal (roast dinner) was superb, couldn't fault. Breakfast equally nice - was great to be offered a change such as porridge with fruit and honey. Beautiful grounds to look around or sit out in..... All on l a great stay, will definitely be back when next in the area. Not cheap- but you absolutely get what you pay for - 11 / 10 all round! PS loved the complimentary bottle of water upon checkout...

What a lovely place to stay. Its not often you get to stay in a real castle. The whole place screams character but the staff dont take it for granted with excellent friendly service to back it up. Everything isnt perfect - the floors are a little uneven and the walls arent always straight but its a castle. The rooms are clean and comfortable and tell you some of the history. Breakfast is stunning

Our first stay with Best Western, although our first date was at Walworth Castle. Hence on my birthday, having moved from the area 22 years ago, Hubby booked a nights stay. From arrival to departure the Staff were superb, room was well equipped, clean and comfortable. For the first time ever, actually given the WiFi password on arrival, it was a superb connection. Nice outside gardens, seating areas, child's play area, (should you need it, well equipped), views of fields/countryside, various birds, animals came during our visit, never seen some of them before. Quite location, a function which ended at 11pm prompt was a bit noisy, as were some people who'd obviously decided to stay over, passing our room. However it didn't spoil our stay, would highly recommend, to any age group, we will stay again. Special thanks to the receptionist on duty 9am Thursday 29th July, who had no problem in taking more photos than we asked for, (sorry, can't remember her name).

An awful room. This was to be a luxury suite, far from it. Cheap 4 poster bed with a mattress that sags in the middle, out of date decor, bathroom sink cracked, carpet loose and bunched up so you trip on it while your walking.

We have just got married at Walworth Castle and it was absolutely amazing from start to finish, we could not fault the venue, the food, or staff in any way!! You all made our day perfect so thank you very much.

Just like to say our stay was wonderful. Restaurant and staff very professional Breakfast was outstanding Leanne our server was so down to earth, professional and looked after us throughout. Will definitely be returning

The restaurant staff did not know I'd pre-paid for the evening meal. The pre-paid meal is a con and a mis-representation. No where during the booking process does it say that pre-paid means about £21 contribution to the meal. There were no items on the menu that could add up to £21. So you'd either pay-over-the-odds for a £17 meal or pay-more-again for a £25 meal. What's the point of pre-paying for a meal??? I'm still waiting for the the hotel manager to call me and explain, as promised by the check-out receptionist.

The hotel and the staff are amazing,the location is stunning and the food well so good,breakfast was really good and cooked to how you want it,my only issue was we had a double room and it was a bit small no room to move really.

We stayed here using a buy a gift unfortunately due to some mix up our room had bags in it, think it may to do with a wedding, the manager was very apologetic and quickly offered us a new room, he couldn't have been nicer as I could tell he was very busy with the wedding. And I would like to say that he was very good, Unfortunately I have to say a few things let the room down out bathroom was tired and dated, with mismatch cheap toilet seat, bath panel that was worn, and peeling paint. although the bed had a mattress topper, the mattress is in need of replacement, as is the sofa. This is offered as luxury stay on buy a gift, and although the castle is beautiful, the rooms do not reflect luxury. But like I say the staff were amazing helpful and friendly, the grounds are lovely, and our meal was very good, and the restaurant decor is really nice. Just a shame the price of the buy a gift voucher plus the weekend supplement does feel expensive,

We said we'd go against just for the evening meal, food was amazing both evening meal and breakfast, rooms very clean and staff very friendly the grounds are beautiful and well maintained. Price was a fair price all in as well.

We treated ourselves to a night in this 12th century castle hotel with lots of original features and lots more besides. We stayed in the annex and the room was small but great for what we needed at a great price. The staff were very friendly and helpful and nothing was too much bother. We had dinner and breakfast there too and the food was delicious. I would definitely recommend a visit.

A genuine English cadtle country residence set in around 18 acres grounds in open countryside about 15 minutes drive outside Darlington. Imagine any branded motel/hotel you have stayed in before, and then compare this Best Western gem where it will quickly make you feel like you are 'to the manor born'. Walworth Castle is a refreshingly different and reassuringly quiet and comfortable residence complemented by professionally-created and cooked meals to savour and a very attentive staff. Having spent around 12 nights there in the last 6 months or so during our visits from Canada, my partner and I urge you to try the Walworth Castle experience. You won't be disappointed!

Beautiful location and wonderful building. A really lovely hotel and well worth a visit I stayed in the annexe building and wasn't disappointed. The interior of the hotel is very well put together and the terraces outside perfect for a sunny drink.

We went to Walworth Castle for afternoon tea for my mum's birthday, the food was all lovely and the service was very good too. The dining room was nice and the castle and grounds are lovely. There is a great children's play area too. Would definitely return.

Pleasant stay in lovely surroundings. Staff friendly and helpful. Stayed in west wing double room which was clean with bath and overhead shower. Average room but comfortable bed. Few issues with tv (freezing) and faulty towel radiator but did not report due to one night stay. On BBD deal which we thought was all inclusive but on check out given a bill and told evening meal was an allowance towards your meal and different needed to be payed. Food tasty and well presented but our stay spoilt due to no cooked breakfast order being taken by staff so ended up waiting 45 minutes to be served. Would probably stay again but upgrade to better room in castle and not stay in wing

Somewhat disappointed with my stay. I booked a suite but failed to read the small print, you only get a large room. The carpets are tired throughout and need replacing. Don't bother filling in the online check in form to ‘save time' I did so but was presented with another one to complete on arrival. Also check your bill on departure. I prepaid for dinner, mentioned this in the restaurant but was billed again. The food on offer is basically ‘pub grub'. Portions are generous but avoid the Yorkshire pudding. Finally take your own loo rolls, never experienced anything so fragile!

Very enjoyable. Excellent evening meal and breakfast. We were on a special deal which offered great value for money. Liked our room which offered great views of the country side. Would we stay a again? Definitely!

We had a lovely overnight stay in one of the castle rooms, with the added bonus of a four poster bed which felt very luxurious. All of the staff were fantastic and they went above and beyond to ensure that we had a lovely stay. The food quality and value for money for both the 2 course dinner and breakfast was excellent. Excellent standard of vegetarian breakfast offered. The views from our bedroom were stunning. Lovely little touches like fresh milk that you could request for having coffee in your room and also a bottle of water to take with you when you leave for your journey home were well received. I would thoroughly recommend this hotel.

Stayed for an overnight spring special at Easter. If special means waiting for food. New staff more interested in their own conversation than finding out where you meal is. A laughing apology and then losing the order again and again, See husband's review. Failure to provide goods offered. No mention on booking or checking in of pre-authorising card for payment to room bill, resulting in card not authorised and being chased around the hotel for payment EVERY TIME we ordered a drink from the only bar open. The problems were mentioned to the Manager (who had chased us for card payment when ordering drinks!) He offered us "a better rate with him directly when we book again" As if!-

This castle needs a Knight in shining armour to sort out poor staffing issues! Waited an hour for starters during evening meal service. Order got lost....then had to repeat our food order twice....and waited and waited again! If card is not pre- authorised for payment be prepared to be chased around the hotel every time you order a drink....from the only bar open ...other bars closed! Do check you get all you pay for ...still waiting for chocolate coated strawberries which should have accompanied Prosecco at evening meal and may have supressed our hunger whilst waiting for our starters!

Very good accommodation, clean, quiet (except if you coincide with a wedding, worth asking when booking),friendly staff fabulous food. If anything could be changed is the quality of the coffee and the fact that it could be better to have a breakfast buffet with hot and cold choices.

Very lovely hotel. Our room was very large and clean. It was a surprise weekend for my boyfriends birthday and the hotel had put a birthday card in our room, which was a nice touch. Breakfast was very nice also.

Booked here for Mothers Day lunch. We were welcomed with a glass of Bucks Fizz and warm and friendly smile. My mum has trouble walking, so we were taken a different way into restaurant to avoid the steep steps, and every member of staff made us feel welcome as we went in. The food was brought out promptly and was absolutely beautiful. The roast beef dinner was pipping hot and perfectly cooked and very reasonably priced for a 3 course meal and the sticky toffee pudding was to die for. Everything was perfect from the staff to the surroundings. Definitely will be back for food and would recommend to others. Thank you all for making it a great Mothers Day for all the mums who visited you that Sunday.

Where do we begin. From the very second we drove to the grounds we we stunned and it just got better and better. We were shown to our suite which was stunning but we were the offered the opportunity to view some others and we decided to splash out on the bridal suite. Wow just wow it was stunning from the four poster bed to the jacuzzi bath to the ceiling and chandelier in the sitting room it was all just amazing. Everything was incredibly spotless and the food was delicious, hot and plentiful. The staff could not be faulted each and everyone we encountered from the domestic staff or "the cavalry" to the General Manager were exceptional and offered probably the best service we have ever encountered. Thank you all so very much for making my birthday such a special occasion you even managed somehow to rustle up a couple of inches of snow for me to wake up to. This really is the place to go to, to be spoilt and to be made to feel special and very much welcome.

We booked the Walworth Castle Hotel for our Wedding Anniversary and stayed in the beautiful Ayscough Suite with four poster bed. If I had one criticism it would be the mattress which wasn't very comfortable but it was a small price to pay. I felt a little like the Princess on the Pea. Notwithstanding the food was great for both breakfast and dinner, the staff couldn't do enough for you and all in all it was a great experience. There was a wedding on Saturday but the noise was not noticeable in our room. A lovely touch was the bottle of Prosecco upon arrival for our Wedding Anniversary . The hotel is surrounded by beautiful country side and you definitely need a car to get out and about. We will definitely return to this beautiful hotel.

Stayed overnight on 25/03/22 to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary, taking advantage of the Step into Springtime one night package. Super deal and great, friendly staff, from the youngest members of the team to the most experienced. Shout outs to Joleen on Events and to the Restaurant Manager (sorry, forget his name) who superbly dealt with a very difficult customer during evening service. Food was excellent, both the evening meal and breakfast. Hotel is spotlessly clean with great outdoor space. Have already booked to return!

Stayed overnight on 25/03/22 to celebrate our wedding anniversary, taking advantage of the Step into Springtime package. Super deal and great, friendly staff, from the youngest members of the team to the most experienced. Shout outs to Joleen on Events and to the Restaurant Manager (sorry, forgot his name) who superbly dealt with a very difficult customer during evening service. Food was excellent, both evening meal and breakfast, and hotel spotlessly clean. Have already booked to return!

We were walk-ins… exceptional service… could not have been friendlier it more accommodating. The castle is amazing! Built in 1189. An unforgettable experience! Highly recommend! Beautiful rooms.. lots of space!

Stayed at the castle for one night with my friend we both loved it. Staff are friendly and helpful specially Lisa (red hair) she told us some history and took us around and to the dungeon what an experience. Rooms are very clean and have tea/coffee facilities. Hairdryer TV towels condiments. Lovely and warm which I didn't really expect with it been an old castle

Stayed for 2 nights. The annexe has thin walls so you might want to choose a castle room, but apart from that we really enjoyed our stay. An evening meal is a must, we had delicious mushroom starter followed by beef stew and dumplings and a sticky toffee pudding. The team running the hotel were warm and friendly and the room was very clean and fresh. The Castle is set in well kept beautiful countryside.

Booked overnight for husband's birthday. The 12th century castle is externally impressive and in lovely surroundings. We found the staff extremely friendly and always willing to help to improve our stay. We stayed in a superior king bedroom with a four poster bed and this meant having to use steps to get into bed - very high and I'm only 5ft 3ins tall! Restaurant is more bar environment than a formal dining room but lovely evening meal and great breakfast

We had a voucher for the Grand Afternoon Tea. Booking was easy, service was excellent. They'd noted I'd asked for no mayonnaise on sandwiches when booking and reconfirmed this with us on arrival. The room was very pleasant. They boxed up our leftovers to enjoy at home. Cakes were light and tasty, scones warm and the homemade sausage roll warm and tasty.

So let's get the good out the way first. The staff , especially the women in the morning ( Monday ) the lady at breakfast was the friendliest I've found in a long while. So kind and nice mannered , the girl on reception was also super friendly and helpful . Now the bad , dinner , so on Sunday evening I had limited choice being vegan as is the norm at many best westerns but what I could choose from I selected a Thai green curry. Sunday was also roast dinner day , and in my Thai green curry I had Brussels and carrots. I get profit margins and food wastage scares walworth but I've also been to Thailand and I don't think they know what a Brussel sprout is. I was annoyed and if it wasn't for the two ladies this would have scored less stars.

Room was dated and bed was uncomfortable. The TV was unwatchable from the bed as we stayed in a four poster bed and the bed post blocked the view. Staff are lovely though and the food was really nice (dinner and breakfast).

We were lucky to win a Facebook competition for the winter warmer stay and we can highly reccomend it! We were welcomed by Jess who couldn't have been anymore helpful if she tried. We stayed in double castle room 27 which was small but perfectly formed and spotlessly clean. The evening meal was great and the breakfast the next morning was delicious. We will be back and will recommend the offer and hotel to our friends and family. Thank you!

We stayed for one night over the weekend. Staff on arrival were very welcoming and helpful. We stayed in a suite in which had everything we needed and we had a comfortable nights sleep. We booked afternoon tea, had dinner in the evening and breakfast the following day all of which were served well and extremely tasty, especially the breakfast, best we've had. It is a lovely hotel to spend some time and all the staff are excellent, friendly, helpful and efficient. Would definitely love to stay again. Thanks to all

Stayed there for several nights recently and found the staff exceptionally helpful and friendly. The evening menu had a good selection of high quality food which was plentiful and well presented. Breakfast was equally delicious. The castle was built in 1189 but internally is modern and comfortable.

The room was lovely, the only problem I had was the bathroom. It was an amazing size, the bath was to small with no separate shower! The water pressure was to low on the shower. The food was OK but the menu was very limited! The staff where super nice and helpful.

A succinct review is all that's really needed here. I booked us into Walworth Castle hotel staying in a four poster suite as a Christmas gift for my husband. The friendly & helpful staff definitely help make this place from queries regarding booking through to checking out. Food was very good, well prepared with good portion sizes. Room was very spacious & comfortable. Hotel had a relaxed atmosphere & lounge area was very comfortable. In all, a real castle stay experience which should be added to a bucket list of places to stay. Thank you to all the staff who made us feel at home. We will definitely return.

Had a lovely overnight stay with family, aged 5 months to 61 years, and everyone had a great time. The staff at the hotel were incredibly attentive and friendly which enhanced the experience. The rooms were beautifully presented, comfy and clean, as were the restaurant and lounge and the food was good. Would love to return

We were a group of four ladies away for the night for relaxing stay and a giggle. Perfect venue to get away for this. The rooms were clean and comfortable, the food for dinner and breakfast was excellent and the staff friendly and helpful. Special mention to Mary on reception, Jess on reception and breakfast restaurant and Jamie our attentive waiter for dinner and breakfast . Thank you we made some lovely memories during our visit.

Visited for afternoon tea. Whole experience was lovely. Staff very friendly and made us feel extremely welcome especially the waiter. Nothing too much trouble. Scones light and tasty as were the dainty cakes and sandwiches. Finished with a glass of prosecco. Will definitely return.

Absolutely amazing time yet again. From the moment you walk in to the minute you leave the staff are fantastic so friendly and nothing is a bother. Walworth castle staff 10/10. We had an evening meal which was beautiful and so tasty 10/10. The breakfast again was lovely 10/10 ( castle breakfast) All in all fantastic time away. Will definitely return.

We were married at Walworth Castle in October 2021. It was our second attempt at a wedding, following the closure of the previous venue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The wedding and events team could not have been more accommodating. Jess was hugely supportive throughout the planning process, helpfully providing any information we required. Our pre meeting with Jolene the week before put our nerves at ease and gave us a run down of the plan of the day. The evening before the event the restaurant staff were amazing in supporting a family get together for 20+ people. The duty manager ( Unzel) was especially helpful, even moving tables around in cardinals court when we were undertaking some last minute preparation. On the day of, Jolene was a godsend. She had the full day running like clockwork. I can't express enough how thankful we were to have her as master of ceremonies. We booked the King James Suite for the evening before (technically for free as part of the bridal package, including a nice afternoon tea) and evening after the wedding. The room was huge and absolutely beautiful! The staff kindly brought breakfast up to my room the morning of. Overall it was an amazing day and I am so glad we married at Walworth Castle.

There are hotels one might be obliged to stay at by one's itinerary, and there are hotels one might choose because of a historic experience complemented by truly excellent staff. Walworth Castle is of the latter type and quite literally a world away from your regular chain hotel/motel. It is a perfect location for functions such as weddings, theme nights (murder mysteries and James Bond theme nights occured during our stay) or for a simple, romantic, get-away-from-it-all weekend. Before returning home to Canada, we have already booked our next stay at Walworth Castle for the spring of 2022 when we return to the UK for a family wedding......and we are already looking forward to our next visit to the Castle where the staff genuinely make their guests feel like they have arrived home.

The staff, the building and value for money allow this review to be four stars. We visited just before Christmas. And it was just fine. A pleasant stay. For what we paid it was value for money. Room was a four poster, a little tired, but fine. Lovely sweet touch with petals on the bed and a hand written card. Food was overall tasty. And the staff were lovely! Castle, it's history and the location was fab! A few recommendations would go to the hotel management: A beautiful historical restaurant for our evening meal, a lovely atmosphere spoilt by a tv showing Emmerdale and Coronation Street, subtitles on but also the sound!!! Hearing the opening and closing theme tunes whilst eating what was meant to a romantic meal, was amusing at first but also disappointing and did not suit the setting we were in, it cheapened the experience. The volume off and nice music in background would've been perfect. It does sound like a stupid complaint but really, such an easy thing to change that'd make a big difference (I did ask, nothing happened). Ironically the next morning, for breakfast which was served in the same amazing place, the tv was on again, this time gmtv, but there was also Christmas music coming from a speaker. Sitting directly under the tv, I asked for the tv to be off. Thankfully it was. It was lovely. Finally, we had booked a winter warmer deal. When we sat down for our evening meal we were presented with a winter warmer set menu- main and dessert. We had no idea of this menu and had been looking forward to a starter and main from the menu that is on the website, in our room and outside the hotel's front door. I asked three times if we had to have this menu. To be told yes. Finally I told the lovely young waitress that we were prepared to pay extra, did not want a dessert (or a winter warmer burger) and could this please happen. She came back to say that her manager had agreed this was ok. We were prepared to spend more money but we're initially not allowed. In other hotels we've stayed at it is common practice to give a set amount to be spent within a deal price. Give the set menu a certain price and if guests wish to go off menu they can. I was surprised that this wasn't used, at it gives the hotel more opportunity to make revenue. (I'd also add that the £9 glass of white wine served to me when we first arrived was not chilled and not a quality wine you expect for £9! Staff were lovely and I didn't want to upset by making an issue at that point. It was fine. ) Overall, a nice stay! Thank you to the staff and the Castle itself for making it so!

Just fine for a short stay. Food menu seemed usual but we quite liked that and the food was excellent both in terms of quality and quantity. We knew that the hotel was situated in the countryside so location was not a problem for us.

We booked Walworth to get away for our 10th wedding anniversary. The deal included two meals a day and the value for money is quite something. The staff are incredible, even when not on the menu the Chef knocked up pancakes for the kids. Nothing was too much trouble. The building is stunning, some aspects of the interior are a little dated however that is a very minor quibble. The three star rating is a little misleading as from a guest perspective it's an easy four. Go on, book a ‘winter warmer' deal, you won't regret it!

When we arrived at our room which had an overpowering smell of bleach. We thought it might go within a short period but after considering we thought we should report it. The staff was outstanding. We were given an upgrade to the main castle and a fabulous room. They didn't question our reaction which we found to be a breath of fresh air, unlike the room. The food in the restaurant was extremely well cooked and delicious. Breakfast was equally good with great quality products. If back in the area we will certainly book again.

Fabulous property, with staff that genuinely care about the guests - a rarity these days if corporate hotels. Staff left a card & rose petals on our bed for arrival for our anniversary weekend. Great location. Excellent food. Highly recommended.

i have always wanted to live like a princess in a castle so my hubby surprised me with a night here and what can i say because i have mobility problems we requested a ground floor room which they gave us. The room had everything we needed and was very clean. We booked a table in the restaurant for the 4 of us , the food was wonderful i couldn't fault it. THe staff were very friendly and helpful. And breakfast was just as good

Reception and building fine but beyond that very average. Dated room. 80s decor. Impossible to turn off the radiator due to exposed pipe, therefore poor quality sleep. Bathroom freezing and mirror impractical. Breakfast very poor. Was served a sausage that was chewy. Obviously reheated from the previous day and very badly microwaved. And one mushroom. Yes, one.

Winter warm deal fabulous value for money food was fabulous , staff was lovely castle was great and good to read the history on it , definitely come back on another deal well worth it , would love to do a murder mystery night , with a night stay over

Just returned from our 4th 2 night stay in last 6 months. Place full of character. Excellent proper steak pie, not a stew and crust as served at other places. Staff are welcoming and friendly. Already booked another stay for December

Offers so much from the outside but letdown inside. We stayed here around 10 years ago and had memories of it being nice but room was a real letdown this time. Depressing dowdy and gloomy. Sort of room you don't want to stay in unless it's to sleep. Smelt of frying as above the kitchen and fans were audible over the TV. Luckily switch off overnight but on again for breakfast service. No pictures or wall mirror. Exposed Ariel cable tacked to wall. Dingy bed side lights or full on ceiling light, no standard lamp etc More like a premier Inn or dormitory. Very clean and neat though and although bathroom layout was odd it was clean and good shower. Restaurant was more pub grub so don't expect fine dining but food was nice and service friendly and efficient. Nice ambiance in the restaurant. Living flame gas fire in the bar just tacky. Why not a real log one. It's a castle for goodness sake!

Walworth Castle is a beautiful hotel, set in great surroundings, loads of history very atmospheric, the staff are great and couldn't do enough to help us enjoy our stay. The food was and fantastic very tasty and presented well

Had a one night stay on the winter warm package. Was fantastic value for money. Upgraded to the better room which had a four poster bed and nicely furnished. Deal included a 2 course meal and breakfast. Service in the bar/bistro was flat with some confusion around the package we were on. If we hadn't have made them aware we were on the winter warm package we could have ended up ordering from the full price menu as this is what was laid out on the table. Food from the set menu was ok and breakfast the following morning filled a hole. Would definitely consider staying again.

Made a booking from the Walworth Castle Website, which does not mention it is part of the Best Western chain, nor that it has a 3 start rating. That website sets a very different expectation to the experience. Booked Dinner, Bed and Breakfast, about £320, so reassuringly expensive for a single night with the plan being to propose to my partner. We arrived and were ignored by the receptionist who was on a call then took another call. Couldn't check in until 3pm, but weren't offered to check if our room was ready - the Bridal Suite. There was a wedding in full swing so couldn't get to the bar for a drink and no seating area available. Got into our room and found it very underwhelming. Decor tired and tatty. Mattress didn't fit the bed, it was too short, so the pillows disappeared between the headboard and the mattress. No shower in the bathroom. Drinks from the bar not well served, had to ask for ice in the G&T and no lemon or lime. Dinner likewise sub standard, starters, 1 x Lamb and 1 x Halloumi were like something from Iceland and heated up. Rump steak to grisslty and tasteless, although it was cooked well. After dinner Brandy served in a tall glass, and when asked for a Brandy glass were told that they didn't have any. Nowhere to sit and have a drink after dinner, so had to return to our room. Needless to say, didn't make a proposal there.............. Breakfast was great I was guilty of not complaining throughout the stay, as I felt that could only make our experience worse and could do nothing to rectify If you are after a 3 star experience near Darlington, and can get a deal for £50, then maybe this is the place for you P.S> The duty manager was a star and did everything she could, including sending us away with 2 small bottles of Prosecco and flutes for a plan B proposal at a local waterfall

Amazing stay , fantastic staff who couldn't do enough for you .Helped make my daughters wedding an amazing day.The food was all fresh and pipping hot .A first class wedding value that doesn't cost the earth

Brilliant stay in Walworth Castle, lots of history and haunted too. Staff were fantastic, especially Jolene who gave me a personal tour of the dungeon and told me the history and the ghost story. Jamie the barman was great and Jess on reception too. Massive room in the Walworth Suite in the oldest tower part of the castle where the ghost roams, which freaked my wife out a bit, but I loved it. Suits of armour, coats of arms and great to stay in a castle for the first time. Good food and Guinness too. A fantastic night away.

we had 3 nights here absolutely loved it . breakfast you help yourself to cereal and toast and the waitresses take you orders for cooked foods all delicious. evening meals were also very good. room clean slightly dated but very comfortable. we stayed in Walworth Suite it was massive but lovely. the staff are outstanding all very friendly and helpful. we will visit again

We had an amazing night and the receptionist Vicki made our stay Bloody marvellous! What a wonderful day/night and Vicki made my stay fabulous! Friendly, fabulous and canny! Great venue, good food! And we had a wonderful drag act provided by tiny Middlesbrough! Great night xxx

Very nice hotel, a car is needed as the location is very remote. Clean and comfortable and very nice food. The staff are very friendly and helpful . The grounds are nice with outdoor seating if rthe weather is nice.

Stayed here as part of a group tour. Room was large and charming. A lift would be nice but not possible in such an old building. Staff were happy to take suitcases upstairs. Food was excellent with plenty of choice and well served

Gorgeous hotel. Huge sign at entrance about being respectful to staff and miserable receptionist were a bit off putting on arrival. Unique room but in need of tlc. Not quite bridal suite material especially given the cost of the room. Needs a face lift. Lovely breakfast. Gorgeous grounds. Staff on check out lovely Would stay again if price was right or rooms had been updated as building itself is beautiful and in a lovely location.

Room we had booked for 2 nights was tiny! No wardrobe to hang my bridesmaid dress and a smell whenever the toilet was flushed. Cobwebs thick with dust hanging from ceiling and curtains which spoilt what was an amazing wedding with good service and food. Wouldn't want to stay in those rooms again unfortunately.

We staid here for the winter warmer deal which is outstanding for the price we paid, we had a lovely room, breakfast, 2 course meal and a cocktail at a bargain price. Hotel is so peiceful and tranquil

I'm not usually one to write reviews but in this case I felt I had to as had a lovely afternoon here with my partner and her mum. The castle is in a lovely setting on the outskirts of Darlington and is a great place for photo opportunities as it really is a beautiful place with lots of character. We visited for afternoon tea, (which was delicious), but what has prompted me to write this review is the staff who work at the castle. They are an absolute credit to the hotel and a particular mention must go to the lady, (unfortunately I didn't get her name!), who served us afternoon tea and also gave us a tour of the dungeon and a number of other rooms in the castle. Both myself and my partner came away with a promise to stay for the night in the near future and this was solely down to the service received from the outstanding staff.

This place is absolutely beautiful. Our room, the Hansards suite is just superb. Wonderfully appointed and super clean. The food is excellent and really plentiful, we couldn't finish it. The staff are so nice and while some of them are obviously new and training they did a great job and we all have to start somewhere. Please don't listen to the negative comments. We were very nearly put off by them and we are so glad that we weren't. In all this is a lovely castle hotel, in a lovely setting with beautiful rooms and friendly staff. We will definitely be back, no doubt whatsoever. One of the nicest planes we've stayed.

Firstly I would say that initial impressions are very favourable. Nice, imposing castle style building with gardens. Reception desk was also polite and jolly as we were checked in. However, upon reaching our room on the west wing we were very disappointed. Tiny room, very tired and in need of attention in the bathroom. It also proved to have little sound insulation as we found out when our neighbours arrived next door. Much too expensive for £170 per night. Dinner was reasonably good. We shared 6 tapas dishes and enjoyed them. Breakfast was simple; the cooked food fine. Both dinner and breakfast were well served by the staff. I suspect as a wedding venue there is a captive audience for rooms here. If you are just passing and looking for overnight accommodation I would be tempted to drive by next time and get a better room elsewhere for significantly less money.

Me and my husband got married here on Saturday 4th September 2021. The whole day was perfect and we highly recommend Walworth castle. The staff are amazing, gorgeous food and amazing grounds. Jess the events manager was absolutely brilliant helping us plan our wedding and nothing was a trouble. We will definitely be back. Thank you!

What a beautiful castle but the rooms were such a huge disappointment The bed was so old we didn't sleep at all during our stay,rooms were so hot,amenities were not working properly or not at all Such a huge disappointment and unfortunately we won't return

Thoroughly enjoyed our two night stay. The hotel staff are doing a great job during hard times. Our room was a little small but comfortable. Great ambiance that reflects the age of the building. The Castle breakfast really does set you up for the day.

We received an unrequested upgrade on arrival to a fabulous suite. The staff were friendly and helpful despite a number being very new in post and still in training. Credit especially to Melissa (hope I've got the name right!) who gave us an enthusiastic personal tour of the dungeon after breakfast! Nice to see staff who are happy. The grounds were super and the food good. Would have liked some wifi availability, even if only in one of the communal rooms. In these covid times we would have liked a bit more encouragement for guests to wear masks when moving around and the shield at Reception to stay up to make the point.

Lovely setting. Impressive grounds. We had upper room in annexe. Bathroom well appointed and v good shower. Bedroom rather 'tired', but comfortable beds. Main problem was very thin walls and very noisy self closing room fire doors, such that room seemed to shudder if anyone nearby used their door.It felt as if we were in the next door guest room and unfortunately their noise: group speaker phone calls, conversations and Tv until 1am made for poor sleep quality. I suspect the annexe was built when sound insulation was not prioritised, but perhaps main building bedrooms are better.

Staying at the Walworth Hotel darlington. I have to say it has been a somewhat poor and tacky overnight stay here. Booked the suite in the turret, and it's so basic and of a very poor standard, 1. Cobwebs 2. Tv doesn't work 3. Bent nail stuck out of the architrave 4. Main door lock, doesn't fit into frame 5. Very basic room furniture 6. Four poster bed looks like , b&q seconds. For dinner I had the Beef and ale pie at approximately £17 Dried Beef Carrots and courgettes, dried out and unseasoned, Gravy was reasonably good Overall I think the kitchen staff didn't really care. I did find a positive, the young members of the staff always had a smile. To conclude, certainly not worth another visit , asking way to much money for its low standards.

Excellent stay at hotel would recommend it highly, friendly staff warm welcome, surrounding area is stunning, history of the castle is a interesting read, the room was spacious and very quiet from others

Looking for a classy hotel for one night, finding a review on TA that said this hotel could easily be 5*. I don't think so. Room was small and musty which for £170 was unacceptable.(I understand that rooms are being refurbished, but we were unlucky) The staff are all welcoming and helpful, but let down by the product.

From the minute we walked through the door we experienced great customer service, fantastic food, relaxing and luxurious accommodation and will definitely be going back! The food portions were sizeable and great choice of options all cooked to a high standard. The staff were superb and attentive to our needs. We had a slight issue with our room and it was sorted efficiently within 20 minutes of the call being put in.

The main problem for the hotel is arriving at the gates you think it's going to be great. 12th century in part with many later aditions,it looks like a top class country hotel. Our visit was for 1 night - drop our bags return late and leave so we'd booked cheap rooms. Upon entering rooms 1 and 2 of the west wing we were hit by that awful smell of damp,it really gets up your nose and if asthmatic like my wife is an issue,knowing they're full and bearing in mind the length of our stay we decided to just not make a fuss. Television coverage for the whole area has been affected by an outage but tv in room 1 was dead anyway. Breakfast disappointing,even budget hotels can offer some sort of continental style offering,here sadly it was the full english or little else.Basic coffee and tea no espresso.Budget ingredients throughout,wife had to change seat as was sitting on cereal from previous day. Why the generous 3 stars? Its rated 3 star....tragic really for a place that could do so much more but staff were all polite and friendly,surroundings are nice,spotlessly clean bedrooms they just appear to be grossly underfunded.

Visited Walworth for the first time ever and it has to be said, what a nice place in a lovely location, delicious food and great service too, nothing was too much trouble. Had a 2 course evening meal, I chose the steak and ale pie with fresh veg and chips and gravy, followed by an equally delicious Turkish delight with chocolate shavings and ice cream. Total bill was about £27 ,including a couple of soft drinks, fantastic value for the quality and general overall experience. Will definitely be back next time I'm in the area.

Wonderful hotel, very helpful friendly staff but the castle is not very disabled friendly. Needed a lot of help getting to the restaurant and my room on a mobility scooter. A simple ramp in the lounge would sort this out. The staff were wonderful though and served my meals in the lounge. With the ramp it would have been 5 stars all the way.

The best thing about this hotel is the friendliness of the staff. Then the exterior and setting itself. But Best Western need to spend some money on it. The decor is dismal and tired. The sitting room has a huge tax dominating it and all joy dies within you as you enter. Not a place to relax in. The cooked breakfast was generous and excellent. Very slow service one morning when they seemed short staffed. No ice to the room as they positively only want you to drink in their bar. No wifi and it seemed no urgency to fix it. This truly historic building needs some love.

Walworth Castle is the place to stay, staff are so friendly and can't do enough for you . Beautiful grounds and the castle itself is stunning. Breakfast is lovely and lots of choice too. I wouldn't stay anywhere else

From the initial enquiry to the event itself the staff were very friendly , kind , attentive and professional. Nothing was too much for them. We hired the ballroom for Afternoon Tea for 20 of us. It was delicious with plenty of choice and as much tea/coffee we could drink. We has a very enjoyable afternoon.

Went here to celebrate a 50th anniversary. We had five rooms for all the family. Only bad point was the size of the double room in the West Wing. The staff are extremely friendly and professional. The evening meals was excellent and at a reasonable price.

From the lady who checked us in (and sorted out the fact that booking.com had charged for breakfast but not booked it with the hotel), to the bar/table/domestic staff, the welcome was delightful, and really made the stay. We'd only taken one of the least expensive double rooms, so as expected not in a 12th century bit, but it was comfortable and had a pleasant outlook over greenery. Breakfast was good, and served in a Jacobean dining room; and the grounds have a variety of places to sit and relax in, or eat in, or admire the castle from, or take in the views down to the Tees and out over the country beyond. An excellent spot for a night away. :-)

For a holiday where you can explore the north east and North Yorkshire, this is a fantastic place to stay. It's a castle! The staff are like family after a couple of days. The good type of family, that is! and as for value for money, this is pretty much unbeatable.

From booking to eating to sleeping - every need was catered for and nothing was too much trouble. We stayed in room 19 - the four poster suite and we didn't want to leave! Building was beautiful and grounds stunning. Cannot wait to return.

Overall the place is lovely. However the room was very small there was mould growing in the shower didn't look like it had a good clean. The room was very over priced. Staff were lovely however there was nothing to really drink at breakfast.

Lovely four poster suite, immaculately clean with lovely extra touches such as rose petals on the bed and a birthday card for my partner. Staff were amazing, nothing too much bother and Sandy did an incredible tour of the dungeons which my partner loved. Food was delicious and substantial and overall we had the most perfect stay.

Excellent hotel, we just stayed the one night at the start of our 9 day holiday. The food and service were excellent. Loved the character of the hotel. We stayed in the castle part in a 4 poster bed which was a superb experience and definitely recommended. A real find, and definitely planning to visit again.

A great hotel with fantastic staff. The rooms are very clean. Was disappointed with the menus in the restaurant. Food is a reasonable quality and it is alright if you like spicy(ish) food and chips. Thank you to Susan on reception and Megan (lounge & restaurant) who made the stay special

This is a lovely hotel to stay in. The rooms are spacious and elegantly designed. We stayed in a spa bath suite. The only downside was that the bath kept coming on every 15 mins on its own. The bath fittings are outdated and there was no hand shower. This is a must in most hotels. Breakfast was lovely and bed were comfy. Would love to return if the bath fittings are updated It's a very welcoming place and we had a relaxing trip

Lovely hotel in the middle of absolute nowhere. Booked for my partners 24th birthday. We had a great time. We were in room 28, a beautiful room within the main castle with a four poster bed. The bathroom consisted of a double shower and toiletries were provided (as were tea and coffee facilities in the bedroom). The breakfast was okay. It was nothing out the way special, a little bit on the sparse side, but it was adequate. I would've liked a few more options like pancakes or eggs benedict or something. One thing I wasn't a fan of though was the lack of wi fi signal in the bedroom. In the main restaurant, the wi fi worked amazingly. But in the castle itself, it was barely existent, I was constantly battling with it to get the wi fi to work; let alone get any 3G. Hence the reason I knocked a star off. I mean it's not the be all and end all, but when you're paying a fair whack for a room you expect everything to be top notch. Overall though, I would 100% recommend this hotel to anyone who wants a special and unique stay. It was great.

This is the fourth time we've stayed here and are already looking forward to going back. The staff are always friendly and helpful, the Castle and gardens are lovely and we enjoyed a very tasty well cooked breakfast.

My wife and I stayed here overnight. We enjoyed an evening meal which was very good ( steak ). We had the full English breakfast with all of the items piping hot. The room in the castle was clean and the grounds are nice for a stroll. The staff are very friendly. As the hotel was quiet we had a tour of the dungeon. Many thanks to Sandie in the dining hall and Susan on reception. We will definitely stay again and recommend this hotel.

Rooms and hotel is good and clean - functional. Be aware though that breakfast can take up to two hours. The staff are lovely and professional but not very organised. Waiting for 2 hours to get breakfast is a bit poor when you have a 300 mile journey - I would recommend the hotel team let guests know the expected wait time.

Myself and my wife married at Walworth Castle on 29.05.21. We simply cannot fault the staff or venue in everything they did for us before, during and after the wedding. Big thank you to Jess who helped plan our wedding and was always available for help and advice. Nothing was too big or small of an ask and we couldn't have made it to the day without you Jess. Unsal was our master of ceremonies who helped the day be everything we imagined and more. His energy and charm helped add the extra touch to the first class service we received on the day. All of our guests have commented on this, so massive thank you for that. The food we were served on the day was absolutely amazing and we cannot thank the chef enough...make sure that scotch egg ends up back on the menu haha! To any couples looking for a wedding venue, you'd be lucky to have the castle as a backdrop along with an amazing team of staff who will look after you from the second you walk through the door to view the venue! Thanks again to everyone at Walworth - Mr & Mrs Lowes

I spent two days here with my husband and really enjoyed it! The castle looks amazing and the views and surrounding countryside made it feel so cozy and picturesque. Every staff me member was very friendly and polite and it was in diving distance of lost of attractions so didn't feel bored. The food was very tasty would definitely recommend the restaurant although the drinks are quite pricey but that's to be expected in the setting. Thank you for a lovely stay Walworth Castle!

I visited this hotel today and have to say, right from pulling into the drive, I was impressed. The most stunning looking historic building, with beautiful, well kept grounds. After having a tour of the ground floor, the building is sympathetically decorated, with a stylish restaurant. The cardinals court looked like an amazing venue for a wedding. The hotel was clean throughout and very welcoming. I ordered drinks for outdoors and it was a pleasant tranquil place to enjoy my glass of wine. I would like to mentioned both Unsal and Sandy who delivered friendly and excellent customer service, nothing was too much trouble. I will most definitely return

The castle is a gorgeous building restraunt food is amazing little over priced but good quality food bed comfortable bath far to small and room to small nowhere to hang clothes once you had shower room was full of condensation

Arrived at 1 pm on Saturday 22nd May receptionist on duty pleasant We were given room 14 in the west wing nice and clean overlooking back of castle Went for a walk in the grounds looking for Falconry centre as mentioned in the guest book it's been closed for over a year We sat in the lounge for the afternoon. service was quite slow but could be down to new staff following reopening on Monday gone Had booked table for dinner in the 1189 bar and kitchen Food was good. We had steak which was cooked well at £18. 95 we found it to be a reasonable price. Drinks however are quite pricey a glass of prosseco was £8.95 a bottle £30.00 Gin served with no ice and lemon However this could be down to just opening again Breakfast food was good plenty choice but again had to ask for cups plates sugar most of the staff were young and obviously inexperienced. I would hope the hotel will put this right after all with food and drink bill plus stay costs most people will be spending a fair amount of money

Had a nice family meal here tonight. The staff were very good but the food was not what we would have expected for the price! No background music made it a pretty quiet do until we put our own on via a phone

Beautiful place wonderful food only down side is the room 21 we stayed in was very noise with the fans from the kitchen and you got a smell of food in the bathroom Room clean lovely to walk around hotel with local pictures and interesting snippets of previous Kings that have lived and visited the castle beautiful views over Durham country side

it was a really fun experience for me and my family and we would love to go there again. the staff are amazing at helping people with there enquiries and the rooms were big enough so yeah there was enough heat.

Having spent several overnights here throughout 2020, even under the strict restrictions that we have found ourselves in, I have always been greeted with a happy smiling face, helpful, friendly and courteous. The restaurant has not been open of late but it always offers good food when it is. Hopefully 2021 will be different and things return to some sort of normality

Many thanks to all the staff who put on a magnificent show for the kids to be able to see Santa. Extremely well organised in such hard times. Can't wait to come and spend a couple of nights with you sometime in the future.

Not enough heat in the bedroom, quilt on the single bed not big enough to cover your body. Paid extra to have breakfast but got nothing. You advertise the restaurant is shut but why be asked to pay for breakfast when there is non. Other hotels offering grab & go bags

My wife and I booked a one night stay at Walworth Castle as a little treat for missing other holiday getaways due to Covid 19. Checking in was very well organised and efficient. Big shout out for Bethany and Susan on the reception who were fantastic and informative about the facilities and the Castle history. Nothing was too much trouble. We loved the Castle period decorations, especially the suit of armour in the reception and the kings throne on the stairs. We stayed in room 17 (the haunted room) which included a four poster bed and a lovely newly fitted bathroom. We didn't book an evening meal on our stay, but we ate breakfast and it was hot and delicious. We will definitely come back again when the Covid 19 restrictions have been relaxed. Anybody thinking of having a special celebration or a night away wont be disappointed.

Booked last minute yesterday, felt very welcome on check in. Lovely little place, perfect for a nice relaxing break Evening meal was delicious, breakfast was very nice Room was in the annex, clean and fresh

Stayed here Thursday evening. What a wonderful stay we had. On arrival the reception staff were friendly and helpful. During our stay we had coffee in the lounge, drinks before dinner and dinner in the restaurant, plus breakfast. All the staff who looked after us were amazing, so friendly and helpful. I only caught one staff members name, Holly, who was fantastic. As were all the staff. Thank you.

We came to walworth castle for our 12th wedding anniversary stay we booked the vip castle stay advertised on Facebook I was expecting a little bit more of the room with it been advertised castle room where else would a king or queen stay. shabby dingy room I think anyway no furniture matched bed was like sleeping on a stone slab I still have stiff neck and shoulder and it's a week later! Ive slept in better beds on the side of a motorway in a travel lodge when been travelling down the country The chocolates and rose petals processo was a nice touch but I was a bit gutted with everything else The receptionist when we arrived at hotel was lovely very friendly and made welcome explained all the regulations due to COVID etc We had meal in bar on evening the food was gorgeous loved the garlic mushroom starter but there was a couple of issues in the bar also like u can't go to bar to order drinks because of COVID rules but you have no drinks menu to know what drinks are actually served at the bar and cost and 2 young girls serving the full restaurant I was finished a drink for nearly a hour before I got another.also with the castle being cashless I asked at end of night for the bill and all I got told was we have your room number we have charged it to there and when I said no I'd like a receipt it was like I'd asked for gold for all I know I could have had any ones drinks or meals added to my bill Also got told the charges to room would come out at check out but were taking before 8am on the morning so if there was any queries I'd have to claim money back not a very good service really The breakfast in the morning was pretty average for hotel breakfast we left hotel around 9am as if had enough was in agony with shoulder from awful night sleep and just wanted to go home

Stayed overnight for a treat, it was wonderful. We had room 35, I would highly recommend it. The room/apartment was immaculate (as was the rest of the hotel). Bed and pillows were so comfy and it was so peaceful. Booked evening meal and breakfast in advance. Food was superb. Staff were all very helpful. Thank you, a birthday to remember!

My husband and I have just had a romantic night away at Walworth castle. It was absolutely first class. The staff were all very friendly and helpful especially Alison. The hotel is beautiful, we had a room with four poster bed, prosecco and chocolates it was lovely. We had a meal in the restaurant which was delicious and also breakfast the next morning. I definitely recommend people to visit and we will definitely be going back.

Just returned from a two night break at Walworth castle ,and what a great break it was . On arrival we were greeted with smiles, and we had the things we needed to know explained to us for a safe stay . The staff here are exceptional, and nothing was a problem for them .The food here is lovely and reasonably priced , we had the beef dinner and the castle burger , on Saturday night which was top notch and the strawberry cheesecake which was delicious . We had room 16, the Jenison suite which was huge , with a spa bath ,but no shower , which didn't bother us and the bedroom in the turret with lovely views over the fields . We didn't know this lovely little castle existed ,until now , but we will definitely return in the future. Once again a big thank you to the very hard working friendly staff :)

We booked an overnight stay to celebrate my birthday. Check-in went smoothly. We were staying in room 26, the Victoria Room. Upon first entering the room, we both immediately noticed a smell, like stale tobacco smoke. It was a bit like the smell you might get in an old pub. We immediately spoke with Alison on reception who told us that unfortunately that night was 'a full house' so there was nothing she could do. She asked if we would like an air freshener to make the room smell better, we declined as we thought that would make the situation worse. She didn't listen and about 10 mins later an air freshener was brought up to the room anyway. We opened the windows to air the room and that seemed to help the situation. Spraying the carpet, curtains and upholstery in there with some Febreze to lift the smell of staleness might be something staff would consider to make a better first impression of this particular room. Our room had a bottle of prosecco waiting for us, sitting in a cooler which once contained ice but had melted a while ago. There were some frayed silk rose petals on the bed and a small box of milk tray chocolates on the dresser. A brown cardboard bag was left next to the kettle which contained sachets of coffee, sugar, UHT milk, three small bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel. We ate in the restaurant that evening and I was pleasantly surprised that the kitchen was able to prepare a vegan meal for me. I had the artichoke starter (without parmesan cheese) followed by the most delicious veggie burger I have eaten in a long time. The burger was crispy on the outside and halloumi had been replaced with a side of houmous. The four poster bed was a highlight. Comfortable with clean linen, however a ridiculous amount dust had built up on top of the posts. I've added a photo to this review as I would have expected during Covid-19 times that cleaning would have been stepped up a notch, sadly that did not appear to be the case. The chandelier in the room also had visible cobwebs on it. Breakfast the next morning was served in the restaurant which was a pleasant space. I asked if the vegetarian option could be made vegan and staff were happy to help. Vegan breakfast was disappointing. It consisted of 1 meat free sausage, 1 hash-brown and a small amount of beans. It would have been nice, for example, to have replaced the egg with a second meat free sausage. Before we left we were allowed to explore the dungeon at 10am. It was interesting to explore under the castle. Don't believe that this is an actual dungeon though, more like a wine cellar or pantry. It was nice for a one night as a one off treat, but lacked the wow factor that usually comes with hotels in this price range.

Rooms are very spacious & well kept. Staff will do whatever they can to help. Never been served so promptly as in the Restaurant here. Food is excellent. Gardens & surrounding area are lovely. If you want a quiet place to stay which is central to other places to visit then this is it. (Raby Castle / Deer Park & Barnard Castle within easy reach.)

The Walworth Castle is an ancient building, remodelled in Victorian times and with the addition of a later wing, which is where we had two rooms. All staff were charming at all times, but Covid restrictions are creating poor value. Our rooms were dull and one (ours) had a bathroom that was not terribly clean with fittings in need of renewal. The hotel is a three star and these rooms are no better than a premier Inn. Covid restrictions meant no bed making or bin emptying or bathroom cleaning and we were there for three nights, so not really a hotel experience at all. The restaurant is not a particularly appealing room , breakfast has to be ordered from a limited menu as no buffet. All condiments are in plastic packets. The evening menu had only one vegetarian menu, and nothing particularly fresh or appealing. The roast was pork or turkey, surprising in an area with more sheep than you could wave a shepherds crook at in a lifetime. And a starter of ‘fresh asparagus' in late September raises eyebrows. The hotel has efficient and friendly staff and the building could be great but there is little to recommend the rooms or the food. Nothing awful but all deeply average, especially for the price. It served a purpose as we were dropping a child at Durham and wanted to spend a few days exploring the area.

This was our first time at Walworth Castle, we booked for one night but on arrival was so impressed with the venue we tagged another night onto our stay. The castle has a wonderful authentic feel with modern bathrooms, our room had a four poster bed with steps to get up! The breakfast was good, the restaurant good. The staff were warm and welcoming and nothing was too mush bother, true service with a smile

An excellent hotel and for us also the location. We found the staff extremely helpful and all requests were carried, even being able to offer us food We asked and was not in the menu. Also I asked for an additional lamp to be able to read with. We have stayed in many hotels around the world and would definitely mark this hotel in our top 5. We would definitely return in the near future. I am a very light sleeper and in the room we had it was so quiet I slept all the way through the night And this is very rare.

Stayed for a long weekend as part of our ruby wedding celebration. We had a 4 poster suite in the castle that had recently been refurbished. Food although limited choice was excellent both breakfast and Dinner. Staff were friendly and helpful. If you ask Tasha nicely you may get a private tour of the castles dungeon. Will definitely stay again when next in the area.

My partner and I had food here and it was delicious! Service and food was excellent! Good value for money and We are very happy that this is on our doorstep! Haven't been for years but will definitely be back!! 10/10!!

First night away since March and was not disappointed, the grounds & castle look magnificent, the staff are really friendly and helpful, lots of precautions/measures in place re distancing, food in the resaturant was delicious, only the breakfast was a little disapointing, room was a bit warm but overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay

The staff are so friendly and welcoming, which was the highlight of our one night stay at the end of our long day of driving. Looking at previous reviews, however, I see that we're not the first guests to have complained about the noisy fans underneath room 25 - which we mentioned to Alison on Reception straight away, who kindly suggested perhaps moving to an alternative room; but unfortunately this was not possible because it was a full house. The noisiest fans were turned off overnight, but there was at least one fan that continued all night. It would, I'm sure, be appreciated by future guests if that, too, could be switched off overnight. However, for a guest wanting to work in their room during the day time, the noisy fans would make this difficult. Can the hotel silence the fans? On the positive side, room 25 has been recently redecorated and the bathroom refitted to a high standard, and the bed is very comfortable. The hotel is a great building and is set in lovely grounds. However, we felt that the dinner menu did not really do justice to the grandeur of the setting, being essentially over-large portions of cheerful pub grub. We felt awkward at the amount of food wastage we saw due to the enormous portion sizes. Also, while we appreciate difficulties caused by the current need to socially distance, the side room where a number of the restaurant tables were placed did rather lack atmosphere compared to the main restaurant/pub area. We were disappointed that both our evening meal and breakfast were in the side room, and so we did not experience the proper restaurant.

3 couples just had 3 night deal at Walworth Castle and can't recommend it enough. Everything about it staff, food, and Corvid 19 precautions were 1st class. Friendly atmosphere, nothing we too much trouble for staff, all polite and happy to be back working again. One of our party has a serious nut allergy and the chef remembered. Food was more than enough and cooked fresh every meal. Breakfast was to order which saved a lot of waste. 1st class stay. Thank you to all Walworth staff it was just the break we needed. Raby Castle and gardens worth a visit and we had a picnic at Selset reservoir scenery was wonderful.

We were given a friendly welcome by Susan as we arrived at the hotel. Staff were extremely attentive to guests. It was reassuring to see measures in place for COVID safety, including our little bag of coffee and toiletries. We ate in the restaurant and can highly recommend the burger. Breakfast was equally as good. We had some issues with noise from kitchen fans below our room (25) which resulted in me sleeping in the car from 2.30am. I was advised that the fans were turned off at 9pm. I would've asked for room change if I thought this was going to be an issue. I did leave the hotel feeling that nobody believed me about the noise and that there was no interest in the incident. There were so many positive aspects to our stay but this tainted my experience. However, the manager has since been in touch and offered us another night at the the hotel. Hopefully our next stay will involve a restful nights sleep.

Visited on 1st September 2020 for afternoon tea with two granddaughters (aged five and three). We received a very warm welcome. The afternoon tea food was very special. One of the best that I have eaten. Lovely selection and so fresh. Staff members could not have been more attentive. The children asked to return, in the future, even before the meal was finished. They also enjoyed the play area. Our fingers are crossed that Christmas events are able to take place this year. Thank you so much to everyone that we met.

My husband surprised me with a night away, he wanted to do something special as we hadn't spent a great deal of time together, we had worked throughout the lockdown and had added stress with my Mother being ill and in high risk category. So as I drove home from work Friday night he rang to say we would be spending Saturday night in a lovely hotel. He showed me that he had booked a four poster room with garden views and after looking at the rooms all but one four poster room were amazing with beautiful views and I joked that we would probably end up with the room without a view. He had messaged the hotel regarding breakfast and evening meal ahead of the visit. On arrival the place is gorgeous, people were sitting outside and observing social distancing, we went to book in complete with masks and used the sanitiser available, as we waited the receptionist had to come out into the main area and as I would expect donned a mask (well done!), (sadly not all guests wore masks and I can't believe that all of these were exempt), we checked in and gave credit card details in order to do contactless payment, the Receptionist was lovely (Alison). Then we were advised that for breakfast the only slots available were 7.30 and 7.45, every week day I get up between 5 and 5.30 for work, so as you can imagine on a rare chill weekend the pull of a lie in was strong, so we opted for the Grab and go bag, bacon, sausage or both in a Ciabatta bun. We then asked about evening meal and were told only early slots were available at about 6.15pm, or we could have service in the room with a tray charge of £5, my husband advised he had already booked for 8, and sure enough we were on the list but it had not been highlighted on the form. We were advised of the location of the bar, restaurant etc and advised where to find out room. The room was number 33 9Baron) on the 2nd floor and sure enough it was the room I joked about, this is not a garden view unless you are about 6 ft 5 inches tall (i'm not), I was disappointed but the room was clean and a good size and well decorated. The bathroom....if you have a mobility issue this is not the room for you, with a massive step up in the bathroom. The bathroom was very very dated, it badly needs an overhaul (Best Western chain I hope you read this!), a beige bathroom suite with a white toilet seat, bath mat was a good touch but old, cracked sink and ill fitting bathroom accessories like the toilet roll holder which sloped down so the roll was hanging off. As we had expected disposable tea and coffee facilities, no water so my husband had to go get me some from the bar. I asked my husband if he would prefer to have our meal in the room instead of the restaurant (this is our first time away following the pandemic and I have to be careful for the sake of mother. He asked at reception and they said it wouldn't be an issue and just to ring down what we wanted. My husband ordered the steak pie and strawberry cheesecake and I the vegetable lasagne and apple crumble. As we had time we decided to have a walk round the grounds, it's not acres and acres but a pleasant evening stroll in the sun. We decided to sit and have a drink before dinner, my husband went inside and got two bottles of wine (white and red), a young lad waiter/bar staff helped him bring the drinks and glasses outside, he was lovely! There was also a young girl came out to clear tables of glasses I assume, I was a little taken back after a guest asked her to bring them some drinks, I thought this a little rude as obviously the hotel is slowly getting back up to speed and she would have other duties to do and to be fair the bar was about a 30 second walk! Just my observation as I don't like taking advantage of people, but a shout out to the young girl who obliged. After returning to the room we had dinner brought to us by the same young lad who had helped earlier (he deserves praise, sadly didn't get his name, bringing up the trays observing social distancing and wearing a mask, well done!). The food we got was tasty, my husband thoroughly enjoyed his pie and mash, I felt that although the taste was there not a great deal of vegetables but a lot of pasta so I got full quick (hence I didn't eat it all), desserts were good, and huge! Other guests were loud and lacked respect for fellow guests with their noise, but in hotels this happens. The shower was good in the room, but the ventilation was very noisy and you could here other rooms ventilation. The Manager helped my husband the next morning bring our grab and go bag and drinks up, they were actually really nice, the sandwich was a good size and sausages/bacon cooked well. You also got a pastry, muffin, apple and fruit juice. The one thing I am not sure about was the cost, for the room with breakfast we paid £184 through Booking.com,( I have looked on the website direct and cannot see this room at all or it's normal price which is a bit of a flag to me), and got charged a further £90, two bottles of wine, two bottles of water, evening meals (about £20 each) and a tray charge. I am sad to say the room was not worth £184, and as we didn't receive an invoice I can only assume we paid roughly about £20 per bottle of wine (again average for a hotel). The staff were lovely, well done and you get 10/10, I wish guests would acknowledge that the staff put themselves at risk to help your stay matter and better respect of this would go a long way! Food tasty and filling 9/10 (1 point down for the amount of pasta and lack of veg) taste was definitely there. The room I have stayed in better and would expect more from Best Western I would say 5/10, simply because it is advertised as a room with a garden view and the bathroom was not up to the standard I would expect paying that kind of money. I do understand that hotels etc have been hit hard by the pandemic but prices still need to realistic we are used to paying around £200 a night but the rooms have been far more superior. Would we stay again, yes but please Best Western take care of this beautiful place and it's staff, update the bathrooms, and look at that step in room 33, there was a second bed in there for a child, I would have been worried sick if I had small child trying to get down that step. (Maybe build a little step to reduce the height). I would like to wish Walworth Castle Hotel and it's staff all the very best! and thank you for the first chilled weekend I've had since March!

Stayed with my family as a special treat on route on a long journey. The look on my daughter's face as we turned into the drive made it worth it alone. The castle looks amazing and gives a real sense of history - a refreshing change from the ubiquitous chain hotels. The staff were very friendly and helpful and covid precautions were taken seriously. The rooms were comfortable, peaceful and had everything I would want from a hotel room. We certainly slept well and felt well refreshed from our journey. We had dinner and breakfast here which were both very good. I'd particularly recommend the fish and chips which were excellent. Loved the beautiful grounds and surrounded by splendid countryside. I would recommend a visit to the nearby Archers ice cream farm - delicious!

My husband and I met at the castle 3 years qgo and we returned for our wedfing night 31st of July. The staff where absoluetly lovely they couldnt do enough for us. Stayed in room 19 four poster bed suite. It was devine. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay thank you all for making us feel like royalty. The grounds also looked beautiful If you want to stay in a well run beautiful castle well you wont go wrong with Walworth castle Kind regards Mr and Mrs Hunter

Absolutely fantastic place from amazing staff.. gorgeous rooms well ours was and with fab views ..Susan the front house manager went above and beyond for our stay and made it that bit more special ..we'll be back soon

We had a lovely stay at Walworth Castle Hotel. All of the staff were friendly and welcoming in particular Susan on reception who helped us with ideas for places to visit around the area. We had two rooms at the top of the hotel, ours with a lovely four poster bed. We felt very safe in light of Covid with measures put in place by the hotel. Loved the little bag made up specially for you with your tea and coffee and biscuits every day. The countryside around the area is stunning and we travelled far enjoying the sights particularly High Force Waterfall, Bamburgh Castle, Alnwick, Whitby and Robin Hood Bay. Thank you to all at Walworth Castle.

Great hotel stayed in the castle very clean and comfortable fabulous staff amazing food highly recommended will be visiting again soon. Would have liked to have stayed longer in the stunning countryside exploring. Loads of history and original features in the castle. Didn't see the ghost though

We stayed here for one night as a getaway from the Covid crisis as a change of scenery. The hotel is very nice and service was excellent. There are good Covid measures in place, we had excellent deal with room, cream tea, bottle of wine and breakfast included. Staff were excellent and very friendly. If you want to try something different this is the place to come to. Restaurant was spacious and food was excellent. Pleasant surprise and we will be back.

Thank you Walworth castle for a perfect day/night away..been a long time since me and my partner have had a night away,,the room was perfect so big lovely poster bed,, absolutely spotless..we had room service delivered and it was amazing..all posh and beautifully presented..everything was thought of because of covid 19..cutlery was individually wrapped..cups to be used and thrown away in rooms..a little bag made up specially for you with your tea and coffee and biscuits in room..a bottle wine,,cream tea,,breakfast included in the facebook flash sale..it was a bargain..and just wot we needed to recharge ourselves after having babies and in process of moving house..thanks again xx

Stayed two nights during a spot of travel to celebrate an anniversary and meet family. From the first smile from Susan in reception until we left, the staff were smashing. Courteous and helpful. Great surroundings. Menus were curtailed due to present constraints but were enjoyable and substantial. Great job done by all.

We needed a room for just one night in that area so chose Walworth Castle as it looked interesting. We had no idea what to expect during these difficult times but we were not disappointed. The staff were great, the room was great and similarly the food though limited in choice because of the current situation as very good. Shall try to get back there when things return to normal.

Booked as a one night stopover on way to a family gathering further North and so pleased we booked to come here. The staff are so kind, friendly and helpful. We were initially greeted by Callum who kindly made us a cup of tea on arrival! Jess at reception couldn't have been nicer and no task was too much trouble and Kate looked after us brilliantly with plates of delicious food and made sure we never went thirsty! We had a cream tea and evening meal which were both perfect and am looking forward to a cooked full English breakfast this morning. Lots of Covid precautions in place and we felt very safe in all areas of the hotel. Excellent work by all the staff and can whole heartedly recommend this hotel as a pleasant, safe and comfortable stay. Thank you to all staff, well done!!

Little did we know creeping in at 3pm on Sunday 5th July - the second day of lifted hospitality lockdown restrictions - that we would be the very first guests to stay in this magnificent hotel since its closure. And what a memorable time we had... We were booked into a four-poster suite bedroom with our two young children, and we will always remember the experience and how fantastic the staff have adapted to this "new normal": sanitisers at reception, protective screen in place, masks by the staff if we felt it necessary, the rooms cleaned and deep-cleaned again prior to the visits, paper bagged room extras, staff distance kept and respected. There was nothing we could have asked for a safer experience for the family. The room itself was incredible - a 3 room suite and a full castle to explore almost to ourselves because of the lack of bookings since opening. The grounds were well kept, the staff friendly and clearly happy to be back to work, smiles on their faces and doing what they must in the circumstances. Every member of staff was attentive and went out their way to make this a special stay for us: hot breakfast wasn't going to be provided due to the pre-warned kitchen closure but announced when we arrived that they had brought in a manager to cook and serve the breakfast himself. The front of house manager also providing whatever we needed and more. The owner of the castle met us the next day and gave a personal tour of the dungeon and also historical memories and significance of the function rooms. I appreciate we were the first (of two rooms) to stay in the hotel in two days and it was understandable that the service would be first class; but to experience the passion and pride in a beautiful and historic (built in 1189) building first hand was clearly a special moment for all involved. **** My hope is people are not afraid of the new changes - they do not detract from the experience and if anything - we feel closer to the businesses; people running these places and the "community" experience of having been in and slightly out of lockdown. **** In other news: The food (breakfast) was excellent. The kitchen opens today (Monday 6th July) for evening meals so we had to eat elsewhere, but I'm sure it will be great too. The room was spacious and we slept very well. Very clean. We will be back. It is a superb base for more adventures in the near future and a first-class example of English hospitality.

Had a recent 2 night stay in four poster room. Beautiful venue - excellent service - excellent food. Well worth a visit. Decent value for money. The staff were all very welcoming, friendly, and helpful. A particular note of thanks to General Manager, Andi, who was very friendly and would always stop for a chat and to see how we were doing, or if there was anything else that could be done for us. The restaurant staff were fantastic and the food was faultless - we enjoyed an evening meal in the 1189 Bar Kitchen, a superb breakfast in the restaurant as well as breakfast in our room. The kitchen kept us well fed with a fantastic carvery dinner on the Sunday. We look forward to returning when we can.

Walworth Castle is an astonishing place to stay. It's easy to think that you're booking at a castle and it will be amazing. But this is genuinely amazing. The rooms are fantastic, the restaurant and food is awesome and the staff are, without exception, friendly and wonderful people.

My husband and I attended a Tall Tales murder mystery at Walworth Castle and stayed over in room 21. The room was really spacious, bathroom looked recently refurbished and the mattress was lovely and comfortable. The food at the event was delicious and breakfast the next morning was the best avocado and poached eggs I've ever had, beating even my own! Every member of staff we encountered was friendly and polite. There's just a really lovely atmosphere throughout the place. We can't wait to return!

The male general manager was rude/arrogant throughout the night/the next morning to various family members, this wasn't just one of comments it was regular probably happening 5 times during our stay. I got the impression he was doing it on purpose to try and make us feel awkward/controlling. Won't be staying again.

On our first visit we stayed in a castle room which was fantastic and as we were booked in the wing this time, didn't know what to expect. We weren't disappointed as the room was very modern, comfortable and had everything we needed including plenty of tea/coffee etc. The bathroom was very clean and had lovely toiletries and large fluffy towels. We had a drink in the bar which had a good selection of draught beers, ciders etc and were reasonably priced. Breakfast was excellent with plenty of choice from the cold buffet table and delicious full English waitress served. Service was a brilliant in all areas, the staff being friendly and nothing was too much trouble for them. Will definitely return.

From the minute we entered we were treated brilliantly. Alison on reception was so lovely and helpful. We had a cream tea booked however decided we needed to stretch our legs first, Alison said this would be fine and just to let reception know when we wanted it. The cream tea was great especially with an added glass of fizz. The room was clean, the bed was comfy and the shower bathroom was fine.Breakfast was lovely with plenty of choice. We had a great dinner on our second night. Great location for fabulous walks just an all round great stay.

Stayed overnight on the dinner bed and breakfast deal . Great reception- lovely room and great food . Really lovely overnight break. The staff make this place they are so polite helpful and friendly. Definitely recommend!

Stayed here for one night last year and have been meaning to leave a review since anyway,here goes. First impresions were an obviously very old main building with an apparent bags of history. On entering the place was neat and tidy with the odd suit of armour dotted about - very period. Our room was clean and warm with every facility provided for a comforable stay. Downstairs into the main 'ancient' building for evening meal and which was really very good, the staff being attentive anf friendly as indeed, are the N.E. folk theirselves and which is why, we travel from Cumbria, to the N.E. anyway ! Avery pleasant evening unravelled till we retired to arise for an equally tasty breakfast. Would we stay here again -- absolutely we will !!

Walworth is an exceptional hotel. Beautiful venue, great staff, from management all the way to house keeping. They are all so friendly and welcoming and go above and beyond for all their guests. We've stayed here for a few days in their suits and have also visited just for a day out. We have also been for several meals there. We are never disappointed.

Perfect staff and wonderful place. From the beginning of our booking to booking out was so easy. The receptionist Susan was amazing, helpful, caring and so welcoming. Evening meal by the fire was so homely and the food was excellent. The choice of breakfast is the best we have ever been offered, we had a breakfast bagel which was really tasty, the buffett had a selection for everyone. Definitely going back there in the future, useful for when we go to the nearby racecourses.

We wanted a little luxery within our means not too far away from home so booked a four poster room 32 (neville) it was big clean and what we wanted. The bathroom was dated but was acceptable...until!!!! We placed a cheeky bottle of prosecco to chill in the sink to chill then popped down to check out the bar as with the room it inc dinner & breakfast. After a pint and looking after the menu popped back to the room to run a bath, with a glass of prosecco, so When the tap was pulled on the sink? The bath gluggled the most awful sewage smell of manky dirty water started filling up over, it was revolting it was like a scene from a comedy/horrer as i then started throwing up!. Thankfully we where helped moved to the next room within minutes. We recieved a drink free 1 gin 1 whiskey for the upheavel, tbh i thought was tight. Anyways the food is another level! 5 stars it really was quality! I may not be back to stay but i will be back for a night out or to try the carvery . The staff and check in where friendly and very welcoming. Its just a shame for what i experienced.

Thought we would give Walworth another try as we have lovely memories there (due to our wedding day a few years ago) but our last meal we had there approximatley 2 years ago was very poor - hence we didn't rush back, but .........tonight it was AMAZING!!! The food was absolutley gorgeous, the presentation was as good, the staff were lovely and the bar/restaurant has been re-vamped and looks great!

On our way back from a weekend away further up north, i thought we would call in just for a coffee. Over the years I have stayed here in most of the main rooms, From the King James suite and alot of the others when been here for work. It's nice to see and It is refreshing to see the updated styling of the building, but if you are proud in mentioning this is a 12th century house (not a castle) then turning it into a boutique is such a shame. Just as a reference from the following: "The present manor house stands on the site of a previous manor house or castle which was built around 1150 by the Hansard family. There is no evidence that the building was ever used for defence" It's a lovely house you have here and what you are doing or have done is taking away its history. Don't paint everything grey and chique it up with vintage style furniture, you have history here, don't hide it. I appreciate that for business it's what it's about but it's a bit more than a travel lodge. On seeing other reviews about management I can only say with a kind heart you need to get a like for like replacement for Mary and Surinder I think it was. Advice....keep the original wood, don't hide history and done change it. It's a lovely 12th century home not a castle. The pull up banner in the lounge needs to be changed to say different than that of a castle, even lumley castle was converted from a home and not for defense. The building that deserves the right to use this title is "Chillingham Castle" ...King Edward 1st stronghold, in northumbria. Walworth is lovely, but with history comes responsibility, please don't cross over into modernisation, you will loose what was. C x

Nice peaceful surroundings in the countryside and not too far from the town. With good size rooms and interesting architecture. Ideally situated for countryside walks, or as we used it as a centre point to visit places of interest. In the area.

Had to move to this hotel after a disaster the previous night at a different hotel (Not BW) and it was fantastic, food was awesome and surprisingly very well priced to stay in a Castle. It was actually cheaper than where i was !! The staff are brilliant and i was upgraded to King James Suite (Honeymoon) as my radiator in room had a fault, no hassle and couldnt have done more to make me welcome. I travel a lot and will only be using BW from no on and Walworth Castle when im up that way :)

We had a surprise party at this hotel & all the teams from the events staff, front of house and restaurant team were amazing. Lovely friendly team who looked after us and ensured the surprise for my husband was timed to perfection. The food was incredible too, beautifully cooked, tasted amazing and the service was impeccable. All 20 diners were very happy with their meals. We will definitely be returning. Well done to all of the Walworth Castle Team.

Seriously over priced, very ordinary Christmas lunch in a lovely setting. For 85 pounds a head, not including drinks or wine, we felt most disappointed in the quality of the food for that price point. Ambiance and staff / service good.

Wanted to say how much we enjoyed our 2 night new year's eve stay here. The castle is kept beautifully, and all the staff were wonderful. It was ideal for a traditional New year celebration. After ddinner there was a casino night and disco laid on. We would definitely recommend it.

The castle is in a beautiful location. Very large car park. From walking in and being greeted by the receptionist until leaving the next day, every member of staff was friendly, helpful, efficient and went out of their way to make our stay special. The castle itself is a joy to be in and is charming and full of fascinating items. Our room was wonderful - The King James 1 suite! One member of staff was kind enough to show us the Ballroom and that was magical and then she took us into the dungeons - fascinating. Then there was the food! Lunch, dinner and breakfast!! All superb. Great choice, well cooked, ample portions and delicious. A wonderful stay and we will be back xx

Fab place, fab night. My partner loved it. Very friendly staff, good parking. Room a tiny bit tired but the building is so lovely I really didn't care. Vegas themed new year party went down well although the dancing room was a little small and not exactly ideal for a dance floor.

What a way to start 2020! Fantastic venue amazing staff will definitely be staying there again. My partner and I stayed for the cassino New Year's Eve event and we weren't disappointed. Lots to see and do not forgetting the beautiful surroundings.

Walworth Castle is a first class hotel. Staff invariably friendly and helpful. Food was good and service excellent. I especially liked breakfast. Only minor criticism was the room was a little on the "cool" side

Never booked a room but attended the gatsby ball recently it was amazing the meal was beautiful all the staff were amazing the room was done lovely couldn't fault it look forward to booking something else thank you

We arrived here to be greeted by Susan Head, the receptionist, she was lovely and so welcoming. After talking to her she asked if we would like to stay in the main part of the castle in a room with a 4 poster bed. When we went to the room WOW it was a suite and absolutely gorgeous. I told her she had made our holiday. We had a meal in the restaurant and it was cooked to perfection. Nothing is too much for the friendly professional staff here. I will definately be returning.

Nice tea warm welcome. Fire and comfortable surroundings very quiet which we enjoyed. Would visit agains lots on over the Xmas season although days odd as most people work in the week so will find difficult to attend some events.

Great value accommodation in spectacural castle surroundings. Well worth a stay, rooms are very adequate, warm and cosy, and dining facilities easily accessible, and offering succulent cuisine. Highly recommended.

Beautiful location and some helpful staff. The restaurant staff however are a different cup of tea. Very unhelpful and surly. Shame as they let the place down. The grounds and rooms are lovely as is the lounge. Rooms can be a bit noisy as little insulation between the rooms however this is the case with a lot of hotels. With staffbetter trained in customer service could be a great place.

My wife and I stayed here to celebrate our first anniversary. We stayed here as part of our wedding package as we were married at the hotel in 2018. As always the staff the friendly, the food was great and the room was very nice. We will be back again I'm sure.

Went with a large group for a birthday celebration. The quality of the venue was fabulous, the function room, the Cardinals Court was beautifully laid out and made our party night great. The food here was exceptional as was the breakfast which is cooked to order. The accommodation was well equipped and the rooms were very comfortable. Many of our guests enjoyed the four posters. What made it for us were the staff. They were all friendly, helpful and extremely professional. They couldn't do enough for us and made our event wonderful and so memorable. As organisers it was a pleasure to work with you all.

We stopped over here as part of a long trip north. The staff were delightfully helpful and the food was plentiful and excellent. The building itself is a mixture of old and (relatively) new. We will stop here again.

We went here for my partners birthday, I have always wanted to stay in a castle, reception was very friendly and check in was good, when we arrived to our room it was small with no wardrobes, the smallest bathroom in history, where you had three steps up to it and a small uncomfy double bed, on the first night in our room I was walking down the steps from the bathroom and cut my foot open on a carpet gripper sticking through the carpet, reception were good and brought plasters and recorded the accident but no one came to fix the problem, take your slippers!!! The setting in the dining room was cosy also with a log fire, the evening meals we had were average just like pub food, however the breakfast was excellent and staff were really friendly. There was a wedding taking place on the Saturday so it was very busy and noisy not a pleasant experience and trying to sleep that night with doors banging and people shouting was a waste of time. There was plenty of parking and the grounds were beautiful, however we wont be going back, it was expensive for what we received, we booked it through booking.com and on the day we were to travel rooms were cheaper than what we had paid.

A special treat for us on our Wedding Anniversary. Cannot fault the delicious food, so delicately offered and presented by a charming waitress together with tea & coffee. We loved it all. For once it did not matter keeping to our diet !

A great facility and excellent staff. The food is high standard. The room we stayed in needs minor improvements. Overall a nice experience and would return at a later date. The Manager was very helpful and considerate to our customer needs.

Staff very helpful, breakfast very generous and pub meals very tasty. Bemindful to ask for a room away from the bar as the music can be heard from the room of an evening. Bed comfortable and room size generous

Expected much, much more! Initial welcome at hotel - absolutely fine, no problem. Room (no.27) POOR. Very small - no wardrobe! No easy chair(s) to relax in. Very poor sound insulation - we could hear noise (TV's, conversation and wc's flushing) from adjacent rooms until early in the morning)The bathroom lacked layout space for own toiletries. Breakfasts - extremely good, once again - no problem. Dinner on the Saturday evening - oh dear, where do I begin - POOR. I chose the French Onion soup - not good, unsophisticated and tasted like onion gravy. The individually wrapped butters that accompanied the bread roll were served on a dinner plate that was piping hot. Therefore, when I unwrapped the foil, liquid butter ran out all over the plate! My main course was the chicken parmo and simply lacked an sense of sophistication in terms of taste or presentation. The pint of bitter I had? Below standard and lifeless - maybe the gas cylinders in the cellar weren't switched on at the time, or they were empty? The site and grounds - very, very pleasing. Spacious, well kept and excellent long distance views. Parking - no problem. Staff - very good Hotel's environmental policy - excellent - the first time I've seen a hotel's written policy. Very encouraging to read. To summarise, potentially an excellent venue - I just got the impression that parts of it are begin to look, and act, 'tired' and require refreshment.

My team and I have stayed at the Castle previously and returned for another stay due to the quality of venue and service that we received the first time. On our arrival for this trip, we were met by Susan H. Susan is the prefect person that you would want to greet your customers. Nothing was too much trouble and her service was spot on. She is an invaluable part of that team. Along with Jack, who showed us around the undeerground area previously, it was great. The rooms were clean and warm. I had the pleasure of the Ayscough Suite. To say this suite is stunning is an understatement! Exceptionally spacious indeed. Our evening dinner was cooked and served perfectly. Beef brisket with a huge amount of veg for a good price. Other venues may charge a lot more for what we had. Served by the staff that used cloths to deliver the plates so as not to get fingers an thumbs on the side (silly thing perhaps, but noted by us. Wine was superb. Breakfast was perfectly cooked again and set us up for the day. The grounds are stunning for a walk after breakfast. I spoke with Susan to re-book for November, but there are no rooms available for the dates sadly. I will defintiely check back a week or so before travelling again to see if they can squeeze us in. Susan, jack and the team, really well done and thanks for looking after us.

What a beautiful Castle, the wedding we attended was arranged to precision from start to finish, wedding breakfast gorgeous and the buffet a wide variety of choice. Our room was spotlessly clean and comfortable, loved the extras (biscuits & toiletries) It was a wonderful experience to stay in such a beautiful listed building, enjoying not just the perfect wedding but the surroundings. Many Thanks

My wife and I would like to say a massive thank you to Walworth Castle and all the staff for making our day so special in such a beautiful place. The food is great & piping hot with plenty to choose to say there's a lot. We'll treasure the memories for the rest of our lives, we're back in November (Well what a surprise). Thank you. Anthony and Nicola Short.

Had brilliant stay hotel is amazing room was gorgeous and staff from reception to the bar were great will definitely be returning thankyou so much we loved it and the food was great and reasonably priced

We were lucky enough to be invited to Walworth Castle Hotel for a friends 25th wedding anniversary/vow renewel. On arriving at this glorious venue, we were taken aback at it's beauty and prestige. The staff were incredibly welcoming and friendly. The castle itself inside is plush and stunning. Our room was one of the suites, which was big enough to have a game of tennis in. The gray 4 poster bed was delightful and the bathroom was huge. During our stay, we were treated with great respect and humility by our hosts, Michael was amazing and had all the details of the wedding in hand. The food for the wedding breakfast was amazing, the drinks were of good value and the breakfast the next morning was of high quality. As we checked out, we were thanked very much for staying with them and given several bottles of water in glass bottles to take on our journey home to keep us well hydrated. They really cared about us. Thanks to all the staff for an amazing weekend which we will always remember.

In the past few months I have stayed twice at the Walworth Castle Hotel. Both times a lovely greeting at the reception, the lady could not have been more helpful. Lovely rooms on both occasions. Everything I would need for an overnight stay available. Parking is very close to the main doors great when it's hammering down! There is also a car charge point available. The bar area is very nice but can get busy at times the food is very good. Will defiantly stay here again when in the area,great value for money.

Great location and especially for a wedding venue. Fantastic food, a great choice of breakfasts.. Staff we came across at reception and in the bars all brilliant and could not do enough for you. Don't stay in room 2 though unless you are by yourself as the room is far too small especially if you are trying to get ready for a wedding.

You cant help but be impressed when you pull into the hotels driveway. For me the service, rooms and ambience were all excellent. Staff are attentive and go out of their way to make your stay a good one. Both the evening meal and breakfast were a pleasant and unhurried experience, with a good choice of menus. A happy stay over.

This hotel is a small castle and looks very grand form the outside and the reception area, Lounge and restruarant are all decorated in keepin with the castle. Very calm and relaxing enviroment. Lovely grounds and wooded area. Clean, comfortable accomadation, excellent food. Very good value for money.

We stayed in a suite at the top of one of the towers. It was very quiet and peaceful. The bedroom had a four poster bed. The only thing about the whole visit I didn't like was that the suite was not as cosy as I'd have liked. It had no pictures on the walls or finishing touches that would have made it more like a castle stay, but it would perfectly suite any minimilist visitors. The bar and restaurant was lovely, the food delicious and the service second to none. Would definitely stay here again.

Stayed here for a wedding in July, which provided a lovely setting. Husband unexpectedly had to go to hospital during our stay but the hotel's customer service was exceptional in their support making sure I was ok and had what I needed especially while handling the unforeseen circumstances on my own and not knowing the area, so that I didn't have to worry about extending my stay last minute. It was comforting that all the staff were aware and cared, so I was looked after. Can't thank them enough for this. Restaurant offered hearty comforting meals with a nice ambience and attentive service; the lamb with the shepherd's pie was delicious, and a good wine selection. The only minor downer was that we were assigned a particularly small room, which made wedding prep difficult, and having seen the rooms either side of us being much bigger and for the same price. But understand that the hotel was fairly full at the time and they were unable to swap us. Would return if staying in the area again although hope we get a better room next time!

Stopped on off chance they might have a table on Sun Lunch, staff great, very helpful, lunch was lovely although the beef was a little dry and the guy carving had no or little sense of humour! A very enjoyable lunch. Well worth a visit

We only stayed one night but were put in a lovely twin room in the main part of the hotel. The reception staff were very friendly and gave advice on where to go for dinner. Breakfast was cooked to order and very nice. The pastries didn't look amazing but there was also cereal, yoghurt etc. Parking was plentiful and easy. We were asked about our stay upon checking out, and given bottles of water for the journey!

We really enjoyed our stay. Friendly and helpful staff, comfortable rooms and great food. Nothing was too much trouble and meals were amazing. The grounds are lovely to walk in and I would recommend visiting the Birds of Prey centre too.

Looks great from the outside but sadly our room did not live up to expectations. It was so small we had to breathe in to pass each other (and we are not huge) and the bathroom was worse. There was a little lobby inside the main door before the bedroom and bathroom which was useful for your cases as there definitely wasn't room in the bedroom for them . Room lights were worked by your room entry card, which was fine, but we just turned off the bedside lights after getting into bed and I suffered an awful "hum" through the night not realising it was from the lights. Once you've heard something like that you can't get away from it. We only realised that was what it was when we took out the card to go to breakfast the next day! No wardrobe just a modern "pole" with arms that you put your clothes hangars on. We had emailed ahead to ask if we could have blankets, as we hate duvets. No problem they said but the duvets were piled high on the only chair and the said blankets were squares of polyester which didn't even cover the bed. Beds would have been comfortable except for the springs! Fortunately I had put some blankets in the car. We found meal portions were huge. Nicely cooked though. Service was slow and tables not cleared. We asked the waitress for tea and she carried on mopping the table. Beware of satnav irregularity getting there.

We stayed for one night on our way to Scotland, choosing this hotel for its character, food and grounds at a very reasonable rate. The customer service from the time of booking and throughout our short stay was excellent. Staff were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble. We enjoyed a walk in the grounds and through the small woodland after our long drive. Dinner in the restaurant was first class as was breakfast. Our room in the west wing was well equipped and clean. Although on the small side, it was comfortable and there's even a ‘pillow menu'! Thank-you for an enjoyable stay. We would definitely return.

A spontaneous dinner and night away in this beautiful castle, we were upgraded on arrival the receptionist Susan was lovely. We had s four poster room with an enormous window looking over the gardens, the dinner and breakfast were fantastic and a good price. The atmosphere throughout was warm and pleasant, would definitely recommend to friends and family.

Visited for lunch. The grounds are so impressive but is let down by the cleanliness of this hotel. It really is in need of a deep clean. Toilets especially need a lick of paint and why are they putting carex liquid soap for use instead of their signature toiletries. Then theirs where we are which is dark and gloomy and far too many tables squashed in their so much so, you are practically sitting on your neighbours lap. Was booked in here for Xmas day lunch but have cancelled. Not nice

Brill week in the little cottage with hot tub. Had dinner at the castle for my birthday. Had the meal for 2. It has to be the best meal we've ever had the meat was cooked to perfection. The veg was. Brill and plenty full. You gets lots of veg. 2 Yorkshire puddings. Lots of gravy all was beaut also pudding was. Delicious too Would return here and recommended to anyone The staff was so friendly. And cannot do enough for you. We have been looked after very well. The grounds are nice for dog walking. Nice woods also. And lots to do. To travel to as well

stayed at the hotel for 2 nights as went for a wedding. The room was a four poster bedroom couldn't believe how nice it was. plenty of space in the room and a lovely bed. The breakfast in the morning was really nice with friendly staff. would definitely recommend this place if want to have a wedding here or just to get away for a few nights.

Booked this for an overnight stay with my wife. Only live a few miles away but never been here before.Greatly impressed with the location and entrance to the castle.Very nice lady on reception couldnt be more helpful.Rooms are a bit dated but very clean with all the amenities you need however this only added to the fact that it is a CASTLE and not a new build. Had drinks and food in the restaurant food was delicious and reasonably priced but limited choices on menu. All staff were very helpful and courteous.We will return for one of the theme nights that is operated by the hotel. All in all a great stay for a reasonable price

We arrived on a saturday afternoon, there was a wedding on which the hotel informed us a few days before, we didn't mind as they were in the garden area. Check-in was quick and efficient, we were given room 31. This room is on the second floor in the castle and out of the way, our room can only be described as ‘harry potters cupboard' the bathroom looked like a cupboard, it was very small. The room itself was ok but there was no view, all we could see was the roof below. If there had of been other rooms available we would have happily moved, however we were only here for 1 night so stayed. Breakfast service was not great, they seemed short staffed as glasses were not replaced, we had no milk with our teas. However, the food was tasty and filling for a day of exploring. Not sure if we would stay here again, if we did we would ask to not stay in room 31.

Stayed 1 night so we could attend Kynren. About 20 mins from the site and set in beautiful countryside. Staff really friendly and helpful. Would definitely stay here again. There was a wedding on the day/night we stayed and someone rang me a few days before to inform me of this.we were in the West Wing so was very quiet. Thought the courtesy call was a nice touch.

I stay here regularly and every time the service and attention is excellent. The resteraunt has an excellent chef and the staff take good care of you and are professional and helpful. Rooms are very comfortable and the staff will help you with any requests to make your stay as comfortable as possible. I recommend anyone to stay here as you will be well looked after, enjoy great food in wonderful surroundings for a great price too.

We enjoyed the comfort of the room and the hospitality of the staff at the reception. The Walworth suite was just wonderful to stay in. We dined at the 1189 and the food on the Saturday evening was delicious and service was reasonable. Breakfast was good also. An excellent stay over all.

Stopped here as it was the venue for a wedding I was attending, everything about the day was beautiful, Hotel, Grounds, Room and Staff all impeccable and the day was fantastic. Will definitely go back for a little getaway one weekend.

I got married here it was amazing they couldn't have done more as a service. The day flowed without any hitches due to the very organised team led by Michael thank you for adding to very special memories

Lovely stay. Every member off staff were perfect nothing was too much trouble for them. Esp Andrew Katie Rachel and Julie. Every meal I ate was lovely and had no faults and they more than happy to meet dietary requirements. Room was nice just right for 2 people a few cobwebs behind main door but wasn't an issue to remove when I mentioned it to house keeping. Everything else was spotless.

Stayed for 2 nights with my wife following a couple of nights in Newcastle at a wedding. The hotel had a wedding event on the Sunday we arrived (28th July) which meant that we had to endure the evening disco until midnight. The function room is in the centre of the castle with the guest bedrooms all surrounding it and the noise pollution in the room is quite loud. Thankfully we had nothing to be up early for the next day but a hotel should be a hotel first and host functions only if it is equipped to do so without all the guests having to be disturbed. The grounds are huge so a purpose built marquee could be installed. Apart from this issue the hotel is amazing, stunning to look at, clean and comfortable room and fantastic food at breakfast and dinner in the restaurant. Almost perfect.

This hotel has the best front desk Manager Sue Head and her staff are second to none. We stayed 3 nights recently unfortunately it was for a sad occasion for us. But Sue did all she could to make our stay stress free and enjoyable.She was amazing. Unfortunately I cannot remember the other member of the team but she as from Kent She as such a pleasant and helpful lady. If you ever stay at Walworth Castle be assured you'll receive a smile and warm welcome.

We stayed at Walworth Castle for a family wedding and the wedding was perfect. Ice cream on such a warm day was a nice touch, afternoon tea rather than a dinner was also a genius move, so much more social at the table. I was disappointed with our room, it was so small it had no wardrobe just some hangers which for one night was OK but if you are planning to stay longer insist on one of the bigger rooms. Although we booked a double room for 2 people when we checked out we were charged an extra £10 for a breakfast as "although you booked a double room only one breakfast is covered" I have never in my live heard anything so ridiculous and thought I must have misunderstood but no the receptionist stated that although we booked a double room only one breakfast was chosen!!! not sure that is even an option on booking sites. It took the shine off an otherwise perfect weekend.

Stayed in the lodge in the grounds of the castle. Lodge was stunning with every possible convenience, including a hot tub. We ate at the castle for a Sunday lunch and an evening meal and both were excellent - good service and quality food. The icing on the cake was an afternoon tea in the lounge - quite simply stunning.

We recently stayed at Walworth Castle Hotel on a Friday and Saturday night as we were attending a wedding in the local area. When pulling up to the venue, it really is a stunning setting with beautiful grounds. We were greeted at reception by a lovely lady - there was some problem with my card but was not an issue, she sorted everything promptly and directed us to our room in the west wing of the property. The venue was particularly busy with weddings on both the Friday and Saturday and people were kind of loitering around the reception area which isn't particularly big so we found ourselves wrestling through people to get to our room - maybe we just got bad timing. With regards to the room itself (room 6), we were paying £150 per night for bed and breakfast - and this is absolutely shocking for the size and quality of the room that we were given. Just about enough room to walk around the bed, not particularly clean at all, and there were cobwebs all over the place. In the bathroom alone there were 5 large spiders and a number of smaller ones which didn't make for a particularly comfortable shower in such a small bathroom. Had I paid around £70 - £80 for the room, I wouldn't have thought much of it but to charge this much for such poor quality is terrible. The room was so outdated and needs a freshen up for sure (as well as a deep clean...) Breakfast again was disappointing - cooked and continental options but these are limited. Ordered the full english on the first day which took half an hour to come - and then the scrambled egg was clearly microwaved, sausage was weird - the black pudding was good but didn't make up for the rest. My fiancée had the eggs benedict and said it was gloopy and didn't taste too fresh. Just to add to this, we came back from the wedding on the Saturday night only to find our keycard didn't work in our door. Went to reception to get a new card but there was no-one on duty - and there was no way to call them so we were stood there for 15 minutes until someone showed up - he wasn't apologetic at all either There are rooms in the main castle so I don't know if these are better quality, but we were well and truly ripped off for what we experienced - I would not recommend this to anyone. Lives up to the other Best Western hotels I have stayed at unfortunately.

We stayed at Walworth Castle for our nieces wedding it was truly amazing - gorgeous hotel, grounds and fabulous food the staff were super friendly and helpful too. Fab place to visit if you're looking for somewhere beautiful and remote up North

My daughter was married at the hotel on the 26 July. From the moment we arrived on the day before to the moment we departed on the Saturday all the staff were outstanding. Special mention to Michael the manager who oversaw the wedding and kept everything ticking along nicely. This hotel is a fantastic wedding venue and I would have no hesitation in recommending it.Thank you to all the staff for making my daughters wedding such a special occasion.

I booked a night at the Walworth Castle Hotel for my husband's birthday and it certainly made it special. We found the staff to be very pleasant, helpful and enthusiastic about their work and the Castle. Before leaving we were treated to an impromptu tour of the dungeon, complete with evidence of secret tunnels, we also looked inside the tower library with it's gruesome story of a maid being bricked up inside (this happened a couple of hundred years ago, not in recent history!). We also got to see inside some of the premier rooms and suites which although decorated in a sumptuous medieval style were bang up to date in their facilities! Our thanks to the lovely Julie and Tatcha and the other members of staff who helped make our stay such a memorable one. We hope to return again soon, maybe to see the autumn colours in the Castle woodland and see a demonstration at the Birds of Prey Centre which we missed this time.

We had a two night stay here to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary. We booked the week before and then read the reviews and were concerned about the negative comments regarding food and service. The place is so impressive, spotless clean and staff obviously have a keen eye for detail as the whole place was immaculate. The majority of staff are youngsters who provide a level of service well beyond their years and are not shy of doing the extra mile for you. The food was scrumptious and all 4 of us definitely put on a few pounds. Based on our recommendation my in-laws are going to have a couple of nights here in a few weeks time. Thank you to all the staff who made our weekend a memorable one at this truly magnificent venue.

Enjoyed most things about the castle. Our room was rather small but others were available. Good location to visit a number of places including Barnard Castle and Beamish Museum Food was excellent and we felt good value.

We recently got married at Walworth and we could not give them a better recommendation! Ailsa and Rachel helped us plan our perfect day and there was very little they that they were not able to do. They were both full of ideas and made sure everything was in place. All of the staff during the day were fantastic and there were no issues. Michael was very patient and guided us through the day seamlessly.

Stayed in a very large suite in a tower. There was a four poster bed. I felt like a princes looking out of the window! The suite was so large it had its own private corridor. Unfortunately the shower was positively dangerous the temperate went from straight from stone cold to boiling hot without any intermediate temperature. It would be very easy to be seriously scalded. We told the management who were took appropriately serious note of this. The breakfast was average ie nothing bad or good about it. The grounds are lovely with a large pond and bird of prey zoo.

Sadly breakfast let the place down. We stayed over as we needed to be in Durham early the next day for a University open day. Arriving for breakfast at 8am there was not much on offer in the buffet - plain croissants, juice and what I think was grapefruit on a stand so high I couldn't actually see what it was! So we opted for the cooked breakfast which took over half an hour to arrive!! The restaurant was not at all busy so there must have been very few staff working. By the time our food came we really had to go, just rushed a few mouthfuls. The outcome was a late departure, the park and ride was full and we missed the first hour of a very busy day. All in all could have driven from home and arrived at the same time. What would have been a lovely stay otherwise just left me utterly frustrated.

Jaw dropping 16th century manor house, absolute pleasure to visit.and would not hesitate to select it again given the opportunity. Although on a business trip, it would make an ideal base for touring the north east such as Durham, Newcastle and much more.

Really wanted to leave a fabulous so annoyed I cant. Stunning building, immaculate gardens and impressive public areas. Greeted by a lovely lady on reception who was training, very welcoming. On arriving at our room we had unfortunately been allocated a twin although we had booked at Double. We booked last minute for a very reasonable rate which I appreciate. We were informed they only had one other double room available which had a very small bathroom located in the castle which was again not a huge issue and we moved across to the room at the top of the building. We sort of got the impression that the lady knew this wasn't going to be the best choice but it was this or the single beds.The room itself was tiny and the bathroom was very very tight almost to the point where it was impossible to sit to use the toilet. As we were told this was the only room available and we didn't really want to sleep in single beds we accepted this gracefully and got on with enjoying our stay the staff were lovely about it and apologetic so we just carried on. We had a absolutely incredible meal in the restaurant is really lovely although we were asked half way through our main course if we would be having a dessert as the kitchen was closing which was a bit irritating. The restaurant 3 members of staff working and all very inexperienced and awkward not helped by the same CD on continuous loop throughout the evening and again at breakfast. We enjoyed a drink in the lounge area following our meal and as it got late it dawned on us that there was only 5 or 6 other guests in the whole hotel. We retired to our room and in fairness had a really good nights sleep, the bed was comfy, The room was just really really depressing and dark, and not in a characterful way either, poor old carpet, odd down lighters and poor furniture. Really think this should be a Single occupancy Room. Expecting to see lots of people at breakfast which would have explained the "Full" hotel the evening before again completely empty. The thing that's really got me is that if we had been allocated a wrong room changing it should not be an issue if other rooms were available we should have been offered an upgrade which we would have been happy to have paid for. The room we were given was a downgrade which just seems so odd when clearly other rooms were available but just not offered. Really strange. We were told this happens a lot with the bedroom allocations. Perhaps consider adding zip and link beds into your wing bedrooms which will give your more flexibility and easy to sort out if this happens again. We really did have a nice stay at the castle, its lovely, the food is tremendous the staff are friendly. The room move just really ruined the stay. We will stay again but will be more careful to ensure we dont have the same issue. Mr Newman

Last time we visited was not a pleasant experience, but this time we had an amazing 4 poster room overlooking the gardens. The bed was very high, but comfortable. The room could have done with a sofa rather than two chairs. You could ask for "real" milk for your drinks rather than UHT. We didn't have dinner, but the breakfast was very good in a newly renovated period room. If there's a wedding on, then be aware there could be noise, depending where you are in the building - this didn't really bother us on our visit even though it was warm and we had the window open. It did mean that parking on the front was restricted so there is additional parking round the back.

8 ladies had a nice lunch. All the food served at the same time and the menu has good choices. Very good roast of the day tasty fish and chips. Nothing much left on our plates which is always a good sign. Only problem is the lighting in the room it is dimly lit and we had to get out our mobile phones to read the menu.

I have stayed here several times on business in the area. This time I used it as stop over on the way to Newcastle airport for our holidays. I have always had a great room but this time I was upgraded to lovely room in the castle turret. The wife loved it, big rooms, great views of the country side. The food is always good and reasonably priced. Staff are very helpful and polite. It made a great start to our holiday. Thanks Walworth Castle

We used the room as somewhere to crash after a wedding at nearby Headlam Hall. The room was perfectly comfortable, although we were given twin beds instead of a double, which is a bit irritating. The place was clean and we had a good night's sleep, though. We had a few starters to pick at from the 1179 restaurant and that was pretty decent too.

We have just had a two night stay, for my daughters wedding. The staff at Walworth Castle are outstanding, and added to the special event. The venue is superb, food is fantastic. The setting is beautiful, totally would recommend for that special family event

Excellent organisation, perfect setting & friendly, professional staff. The food was cooked & presented to perfection & special diets catered for. Great place to relax & well cared for grounds with outdoor seating, space for children to play overlooking the surrounding countryside. Drinks are a little expensive but probably comparable to other hotel prices. Would recommend this venue for a special occasion.

Stayed here with my husband for the weekend had a lovely relaxing time as usual. Love staying here food is fantastic, the castle is beautiful inside and out and the staff are so friendly and welcoming. I would highly recommend staying

Visited on Sunday 2nd June for a family lunch. We ate in the restaurant the service was excellent and the food was superb at £14.95 for 2 courses its fantastic value for money. The roast lamb was excellent, it was so tender and there was plenty of vegetables as well. Definitely worth avvisit

Myself and my husband got engaged at Walworth Castle 17yrs ago staying in the king james suite, i entered a competition in March 2019 and was lucky to win a all singing/ dancing stay, we booked but somewhere along the way dates got mixed up and shouldnt of been allowed on a weekend which i found out 3 days prior, on the verge of tears we all know how hard it is to get a child free night and some r&r, then there was SUSAN in reception customer relations...what can i say she worked her magic and couldnt do enough to make this happen for us and YES we are staying as planned....Thank You Susan see you at weekend!

Called in this morning en route to Raby Castle and by chance saw the sign for Walworth Castle hotel. What a wonderful find. I'm visiting 60 castles this year and in doing so stumbling across some hidden gems. This being one of them. The lady on reception was so delightfully helpful. We were given a leaflet on the history of the castle - told about the dungeon and advised that Tache would be able to take us into the historic foundation. We had a lovely tea coffee - the most enormous cookies and then had the pleasure of Tache giving us a guided tour of the Dungeon. We were really impressed with her knowledge natural wit and charm. Our short visit was so enjoyable, the decor is brilliant and the grounds fantastic.

This castle was built in 1189 - how awesome is that?? The experience of staying in such an old building was enhanced by the wonderful staff. Jess in Reception was a delight, as was Tachia ( who took us on a tour o& the dungeon!).

I have stopped at a few B.W. hotels, but Walworth Castle was exceptional. Set in beautiful grounds. Although it was only an overnight stay as soon as we entered the hotel everything was relaxed and friendly, receptionist was informative and had a lovely sense of humour. The hotel was very busy as there was a wedding taking place, but that did not effect the attention we was given. Our room was well set out and very comfortable. Evening meal was good quailty ingrediants cooked to perfection. When paying our account we showed our B.W. gold card and was told that we must always show it when first booking in, as we would be entiled to a upgrade if a room was available. No one as ever mentioned this to us before. Thank you so much for a lovely stay. Hope to return in the neat future for a longer stay. Chris

This hotel is possibly the best all round hotel that I have stayed at in recent years. I am a regular business traveller and have stayed at BW and non BW hotels all over Europe. Walworth Castle has tremendous curb-side appeal. This carries on throughout the entire hotel. Walworth Castle has been featured on the BW TV advert and this is a well deserved accolade. The staff are all extremely friendly and helpful. They are all locals and have good knowledge of the local area. The staff exhibit a sense of pride in their jobs this is rarely seen these days. The restaurant service is 5*+ and a lot of the food ingredients are locally sourced. The breakfast is to die for!! I strongly urge anyone considering a stay at this hotel to do so. You won't be disappointed. I have stayed many times, always on business, I am however planning to visit as a vacation destination and am very much looking forward to this. In conclusion, in my opinion this hotel is a real Gem!!

We loved Walworth Castle for so many reasons so I'll leave the one personal negative to the end of this review. We'd always wanted to stay in a castle and with its location, history (1189 AD) and value for money this one came up to expectations. The staff were amazing from the Manager Mike to Julie at reception to the dining and cleaning staff. Mike gave us a private tour of the dungeon and volunteered showing us the best and most interesting route to our next stop in Edinburgh. Walworth Castle isn't actually a castle in the way you might think of Edinburgh or Stirling Castles and there is no evidence it has ever seen battle. It was intended more as a home and since it was built in 1189 has had many lives including a school and POW camp. Now it's clearly a hotel with some pretty nice surrounds. Our room in the main castle rather than the annex was gorgeous. Light and bright with a draped high four poster bed and a huge bay window overlooking the lovely gardens. Breakfast was great with lots of choice and cooked dishes prepared freshly for each guest rather than the usual buffet. Now, reluctantly for the negative. You would expect a castle to have good soundproofing, but no. On the second night of our three night stay we couldn't sleep till after midnight because our neighbour was watching a movie and the sound of the movie and then his ablutions easily travelled through the walls and were quite off-putting. Also – there is a general policy of playing music through all the public spaces in the hotel which we personally found intrusive and aggravating especially as it was often quite loud. The choice of music played was also generally inappropriate for the historic ambiance. Music can really work but this didn't for us. We are admittedly sensitive to noise and unfortunately our lovely room was directly above the dining room where music was played most of the time. It was impossible to escape the low insistent bass, and piercing beat even when it was quite soft. In fairness, the staff were very patient and accommodating with our pleas to turn it down – as happened when we tried catching up on our sleep with an afternoon nap on the 3rd day! The trouble was they would turn it down and then the system automatically would turn it up again after a little while. So although we loved the castle and had a wonderful stay if you want quiet avoid room 28. And check if there is a wedding or other function scheduled as from other reviews we see that this can also be a a noise problem.

Visited the castle tonight for a meal with friends after a visit to the fabulous Walworth Castle Bird of Prey Centre. Good service, great food and fabulous surroundings. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

Stopped for early evening meal with my elderly mother on 11/5/19 and had a great time. We didn't book a table but were catered for all the same. We ate a Platter for two which is chicken breast, lamb rump, belly pork and Yorkshire pudding with roasties and mash with veg. It was outstanding. We also topped this off with the largest glass of Gin and tonic that my Mam has ever seen. The kitchen is a new addition and well set up, the staff were great, the food spot on so thanks to everyone.

We have stayed at Walworth Castle Hotel twice before. This time just for one night whilst visiting the area. Reception were helpful and friendly and for the second time we were upgraded to one of the superior rooms in the old part of the castle. We stayed in the hotel for evening meal which was fine if not as good as our previous stays and real ales are no longer served. Only downside was that they were having problems with a smoke alarm so everyone had to leave the restaurant until it was established as a false alarm. It went off a few more times before we left in the morning. Hopefully it is fixed now! We would still go back to this hotel if in the area. Breakfast was excellent.

All I can say is what a wonderful experience the whole weekend of our daughter's wedding was. We arrived on the Friday, we had a four poster bedroom, in the castle itself, with a sitting area overlooking the grounds. The staff were most helpful and extremely friendly, giving us all the information we sought. We had a meal in the restaurant and were pleasantly surprised at the quality and also the reasonable cost of the food and drink. The wedding itself was well organised, the meal was excellent and the evening buffet was spot on. Breakfast was also good. Continental style to start off with followed by any hot food from the menu. The staff could not do more to make the wedding a total success. We can totally recommend this venue. If we are in the area and need a hotel, we would certainly stay again.

The venue is superb. Location is fantastic and quiet. We did stay during the week, so no functions on. Restaurant was awesome. Chef is top notch. We had the Roast Beef. Great portions and perfect taste. Breakfast was the same. Staff were the best we have experienced. Friendly (not overly friendly that you feel awkward), approachable and helpful. (Julie and Jack...thanks!) Set on a huge area, great for an after breakfast walk. We will be using this venue as our regular hotel from now on when in that area. Thanks!

Great place to stay ! and excellent food.A bit out of the way for business trips but then a great place to unwind and relax with some good wine and company. Lovely grounds and great service with a 24 hour desk

Stayed two nights over the recent Easter holiday. It was an impromptu last minute thing. Really enjoyed it. A place full of history and character. Would make a great venue for wedding or family event. Standard room was a little plain but very clean and had plenty of space and a comfortable bed. Food in the restaurant was excellent. Good quality ingredients, well prepared and presented at booth breakfast and dinner. Was a little disappointed that a couple of the preferred options weren't available but the alternatives were tasty and enjoyable. Staff were well turned out, friendly and helpful though some of the newer ones could do with more training (as is always the case when you're learning but bar service could be slow). Reception staff first class. All in all a very reasonably priced and well run establishment. Recommended.

Was looking for a castle to stay in for another item to tick off bucket list and found Walworth Castle on Best Western site. On line booking was simple and found the hotel easily off the A1. First impressions on driving into the grounds was how immaculate the lawns and borders were and plenty of parking. Reception booking in was friendly and efficient and directed to our suite. Having seen it on line ,I knew what to expect, but partner was blown away by four poster in large well furnished room with a very large bathroom too. Room was clean ,plenty of power points( with usb sockets also) tea coffee etc. Minor gripe with bath robes- we are not all waif like models and for a normal man a bit tight and revealing. We did not use the lunch or evening meal service but breakfast was excellent. Plenty of cereal choice,pastries,toast, fruit juices etc. The cooked breakfast menu was also extensive. Orders were taken by cheery staff with no request too much to ask. We had an issue with noisy guests outside of the hotel at 10.30pm but a call to reception solved the problem in seconds- excellent service. Check out was simple and efficient with two bottles of water given for our journey-a nice touch. All in all a great stay, fabulous room, fabulous staff and a reasonable price too. Well done to one and all we will return. ps please sort pot holes at entrance from the main road.

Turned up to a beautiful old castle. Entered reception to be met by a really friendly and helpful young girl. Chatted away to us and really made us feel welcome. My husband had requested room 19 - 4 poster HUGE bedroom - on the 1st floor. I was over the moon as it was my birthday and my hubby had pulled out all the stops. Rose petals, my favorite wine and chocolate covered strawberries were waiting. We had dinner reservations in the restaurant/bar. You are packed in tight but this is part of the castle experience. Old style wood and quirky decorations and ornaments. The staff were brilliant, we didn't catch the waitresses name unfortunately but Harrison was the waiter who couldn't do enough to help. Food was really nice, good honest pub food, cooked to perfection. The staff were always checking the tables to make sure we had what we needed. Attention to detail was brilliant for such a young team. After dinner my husband asked 'What is in the dungeon' and straight away Harrison said 'Would you like to see'. He went to get the key and down we went and he told us about the history and that they sometimes use it for weddings! Really patient and nice young lad. We went back to the room - there was a wedding on so it was really noisy but it was only about 10.30 so not a big deal. We did call reception at 12.30 when the noise would stop and almost straight away it quietened down. I remember back to my wedding so understand being quiet isn't at the forefront of your mind. If you are bothered about noise then I wouldn't book when there is a wedding on as the wedding party room is in the centre of the hotel. No escaping the noise. Breakfast was fabulous and check out was as friendly as check in. Was everything perfect in the hotel, no, but was my stay excellent with great staff, yes. I would stay here again without a shadow of a doubt!

The first impression is good - you've entered the drive of a castle. There is plenty of parking too. Reception is inside the castle, and has friendly and efficient staff. The room, ours was in the annex, was large enough, with a decent TV, and good en-suite facilities. Breakfast and evening meals were both good, with accurate service. We enjoyed our stay here. Doubtless helped by good Spring weather, the impression of the hotel grounds was good - well kept and charming. Would I stay again - yes.

Lovely castle hotel in beautiful grounds just 10 minutes from A1 and Darlington. We upgraded to a superior double and werent dissapointed with our large room and four-poster bed. Good and quality food for both breakfast and evening meals. The staff also gave us a tour of the dungeon and haunted (maybe) library tower. Excellant value for money.

This is a very unusual hotel and very interesting, we went at the wrong time of year, its too expensive to heat in the winter. The staff were great and the room was nice and tiny, but still too cold, it would be great in the Summer.

My husband booked a short stay in a suite - totally gorgeous! Massive room, four poster bed, a bathroom bigger than some hotel rooms, lovely grey decor with yellow accents, and soooo much character. The staff were personable, helpful, and friendly. We enjoyed discovering the history, the many different public rooms, and the compact grounds (the nature trail is short but pleasant). And, having arrived late on Sunday afternoon, we can highly recommend the Bar Kitchen 1189 for a late roast lunch. Admirable selection of wines, many gins, and bottled beers to tempt the palate. Can't wait to go back! Thank you to every member of staff for making our mini break truly enjoyable - we will be back!

Our room was small but full of charm with a double four poster bed at its centre, a magnificent view and full of period features that added to an experience of historical time travel. The staff very kindly took us on a tour of the dungeon as my wife was keen to spot any ghosts the poor chap who took us down got covered in cobwebs bless him and started freaking out as he was scared of spiders which provided me with some entertainment lol. We had our on private dinning area in the tower room with rose petals and candles decorating the table and room which was magnificent, an extensive menu to choose from and personal care of Callum our waiter. The food was without fault and filling, I couldn't finish mine despite it being delicious. We both slept very well despite the wedding party below and woke to a fantastic breakfast in bed cook with local fresh ingredients the eggs were the best ever. The staff are five star and make your time there special so thank you Susan, Callum, Holly and the rest of the team names I can't recall sorry but you're still the best especially the young chap covered in cobwebs you made our anniversary.

****Very Poor Service**** Attended Walworth Castle as part of an evening Wedding Reception. Well all I can say it what an experience, within 2 hours, having to run around and find service staff for the bar. There was a total lack of organisational skills, not deploying the staff in the areas requiring customer service. The whole customer experience was extremely poor, despite raising concern to the Head Receptionist Andrea, who was extremely defensive and lacked empathy for her customers at the establishment. Followed up with a conversation with Andrew the Duty Operations Manager, who took on board the feedback. It will be interesting to see if any improvements are made. My own opinion is this was like a faulty towers operation. Toilet facilities totally lacked, no loo role and they were disgusting, no glasses available at the bar, and some staff just didn't care about the whole customer experience. I would certainly not recommend Walworth Castle.

Stayed several times on business, with colleagues. Due to my rates, I'm generally in the "lesser nice" rooms than my colleagues, but honestly not an issue. Lovely, quirky doors leading the lovely rooms. The best part of this hotel: the ladies at reception. Absolutely lovely! Really friendly and helpful. The staff at the bar, whilst fairly efficient, not as friendly. Very good food served in the bar/restaurant. Shame their is no facilities in this hotel (gym/pool) as this would make it even better, and more popular I'm sure. Parking is great, straight in front of the hotel. Would definitely return.

Got to say the staff everyone from the under manager to bar staff reception were amazing my Daughters wedding was excellent from start to finish. Food excellent the place was imaculate. Setting awesome. Loved every minute of it. Only down side was the Manager was rude not very helpful what ever courses the rest of the staff go on he should be on them. Breakfasts also very good. Drinks are expensive only down side. Loved this place.

Having got engaged here back in 2010 we try and return on a regular basis as we do have fond memories of the place. From arrival to departure all the staff (but particularly front of house) couldn't have been more helpful. We did arrive earlier than the check in time for lunch and reception sorted out an earlier check in and the administration of check in whilst we ate. We did enquire about private dining in the library which was unfortunately unavailable that evening but appreciate we should have booked this in advance so our fault. We booked a castle room (number 19) which had been refurbished since our last visit and we loved it. The only gripe is the shower situation (takes ages to warm up and not very powerful) but appreciate its an old building and plumbing works may be tricky. The bathroom seems large enough for a separate shower and larger bath which would finish the room off lovely.... The evening meal was lovely, we opted for the roast English Meat board for 2 for mains which was massive (we shouldn't have had starters first)! The wine list is good which a range of options and prices to suit. Overall another fabulous stay and Im sure we will be back soon.

Friendly staff. Poor internet access.code given did not work in room . The shower was ok but don't put on eco as cold even tho the sign asks you too. Service was good. Sunday roast was as always tasty and value for money. Breakfasts were good with a good selection to choose from.

Recently stayed here for a friend's wedding and paid to stay in the castle, this was my first mistake! After ascending the 3 sets of stairs we eventually made it to our room. The room (31) was tiny and a very simple bog standard room, something you get in a b & b in Blackpool or somewhere. As we were at a wedding we only had time to dump or bags and get back to the ceremony. By the time the night had finished and we made our way back to our room up all the stairs it was gone 11pm. At this point I went to go to the bathroom! It was TINY! It was that small I could even get on to toilet to use it, meaning I would have to travel all the way back to reception whenever I need to loo. The bed was a standard double! For the £130 I spent to stay here I got nothing for it other than a bad back. The following morning the place had a power cut so couldn't get a shower or make a cuppa tea. This just topped off a miserable night away. I know it's not the hotels fault for the power cut but it is theirs for the standard of room! One last thing before I leave this post the drinks for the wedding party were ridiculously expensive for a double vodka and red bull was £10.20! I won't be staying here again!

Very polite well mannered staff , was ungraded to a 4poster room at short notice , the lady behind reception ( Susan ) was one in a million very helpful! The food was delicious with a great service. Such a beautiful place to stay would certainly recommend staying here!

Friendly & helpful staff all round. Food good, if there's any criticism, it would be of the ginormous portions, leaving us unable to try the desserts! Only there for 1 night due to attending a wedding nearby. Wouldn't hesitate to go again though.

We stayed in the lodge for a weeks holiday with 2 kids and a dog. Although on first night was a little worried with a number of flys in the entrance and bedroom, the rest of the stay was as we expected. We was welcomed into the lounge at the castle hotel with the kids and dog, the scones and cookies were lovely. Could not fault service was good. More towels could have been provided - maybe a change half way through week - but got told its self catering, got told there was a washing machine but wasnt one, hot tub was great kids loved it - found out on last night there were speakers that connected to bluetooth-no run through on how to etc. I think there should be a cover over tub as one night it rained and nowhere put towels only inside - a long few seconds to get warm after coming out the hot tub. We called at the The Spotted dog made to feel very welcome and food amazing only 5 minutes drive away. So question would i stay there again maybe yes but not in the lodge - there is a cottage which looks amazing but is expensive for a weeks holiday but it is 3 bedroom and a massive garden. just a note there is No pubs withing walkin distance. I did also read on one of the reviews about traffic going past - sometimes it could be quite noisy. i dont like being negative about anything but it could have been better.

We've had a lovely time at the castle, stayed in the Baron room which was big enough for a family of 4 (which includes a baby). Had dinner and breakfast in the newly refurbished Farmers restaurant, great decor, good food, friendly and attentive staff. The historical setting, the grounds, the kiddy play area and the dungeon were all great fun and very interesting. Our 7 year old daughter cannot wait to come back. Special thanks to Julie, Liam and Beth for a very warm welcome and a comfortable stay!

We were looking for a winter hideaway and Walworth Castle was just prefect. We stayed in a suite in one of the Tudor towers which was fabulous. Four poster bed, double spa bath, enormous sitting room with 18th Century plasterwork on the ceiling, couldn't be better. Everything was clean and comfortable. Furniture and decor wasn't ultra modern chic but was in keeping with a period hotel and worked perfectly. Staff on reception, bar and restaurant were all really welcoming and friendly. Had a family run atmosphere rather than corporate chain. We ate in restaurant twice, newly refurbished Farmers restaurant looked great and again was in my keeping with period hotel. Food quality was good without being great. Only suggestion is to improve beer selection, even a few local bottled real ales would have helped.

Castle converted to a hotel, built in 1189. Stayed at the annex, not in the castle. The lighting in the room is on the darker side, maybe for the ambiance. The floors in the castle creaked, not in the annex. Staff was very friendly staff and the breakfast was awesome.

Stayed over one night here and enjoyed the stay. Booked an annex room but was upgraded to a castle room which was nice and spacious. Quite a remote hotel with not much nearby so decided to eat there too, food was lovely and didn't need to wait long, good menu and drinks selection along with friendly staff. Very well priced hotel and would recommend highly, just bear in mind you need transport to stay here and it is a remote hotel so not much to do locally, great for a rest :)

Stayed for two nights visiting a friend who lives nearby. Lovely welcome at reception and staff were helpful and friendly all through our stay. We had a four-poster suite in one of the castle towers. Comortable lounge area, good bathroom and superb bedroom. Room felt a little tired and could do with a freshen up - but that's just being picky! Breakfast was superb with plenty of choice and well cooked. We ate in the restaurant both nights too. Not a huge choice but good variety, and the food was excellent.

Walworth Castle is a good quality 3star Hotel. The staff were very pleasant and helpful . The rooms are clean ,Spacious and well used. The room we were in would benefit from a refurbishment but was more than adequate . The hotel is well situated for all locations near to to Darlington ,Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland , Newton Aycliffe etc. The National Rail Museum at Shildon is worth a visit and entry is free. Barnard Castle is within easy reach not to be missed.

We held a retirement party here for around 50 guests and it was excellent. Everything was prepared well in adavance and the room looked great.. The food was mostly outstanding although the vegans reported that their dishes whilst perfectly nice enough, were a bit bland. Staff are excellent - very pleasant and helpful and will put themselves out to be helpful. I would definitely recommend this hotel for a function.

Farmers Bar was shut for revamp. We tried the carvery and were quite disappointed overall. Seating is cramped and it doesn't help when parents let their kids mess around inbetween the tables (not the hotels fault I guess) and even worse when a largish party has half a doz very excited and noisy kids. I know kids will be kids but. Again its not the hotels fault as such but maybe they should have a quiet word with some parents. Just a thought. Food wise it was disappointing on many levels. 3 very nice joints, beef, pork, and gammon but no chicken/turkey as a real white meat option. I had the pork and it was good. Veg was OK but very "carvery" level.. watery turnip, hard carrots, etc.. and amazingly no mashed potato!!! Gravy, which to me makes or breaks a meal, was watery :( Value for money at £9.95? Maybe/maybe not. Service was generally good but as another reviewer pointed out the "chef" who carved the meat needs to learn how to smile a bit more and his assistant just need to learn how to smile. Bar staff were OK but the small bar gets very crowded as that's where you have to go to pre-pay for your meal and get a "ticket" for your meal. Never had to do that before. Would we return? Nope. Lovely setting but just too many negatives for me.

This is a very pleasant hotel - with all the essentials for a comfortable overnight stay. The bed was very comfortable, shower room spacious and well appointed and all the usual amenities provided. I did think the bar and lounge were less inviting than I would have liked - which is probably just down to poorly designed lighting. The dining room also lacked 'cosiness' - but that was well compensated for by the quality of the food. I ordered a roast dinner - as I thought it would be a safe option. I think it's the best roast dinner I have ever had - everything perfectly cooked, hot and full of flavour. The staff were excellent too. The meal certainly contributed a lot to the enjoyment of my stay.

We've just had our second lovely stay in Walworth Castle and we'll certainly be back again! The staff at Walworth really make your stay something else, we had a slight issue with our room on the first night and the lady on reception sorted it out promptly and professionally, for which we were very grateful. All staff from the moment we checked in were so friendly and attentive. The food is fantastic and very reasonably priced, as are the drinks. We ate on both nights and thoroughly enjoyed our evening meals and breakfasts too, where there was a great range to choose from, including vegetarian options. Thank you Walworth :)

I stayed at this hotel for 2 nights. The castle itself is beautiful, we had a lovely room in the castle which was recently renovated with a lovely bathroom and spacious room, the bed is really comfortable too. Breakfast was lovely with a nice selection. The staff were very friendly and couldn't do enough for us. I will definitely be staying here again!

This is a fine hotel and one that we have enjoyed on several occasions the staff are so friendly the rooms are always clean and well presented. Most weekends there is a wedding taking place and of course the castle make a great backdrop. We have found the food good and filling. The only draw back is there is no lift as the building is so old they cannot have one fitted.

Thankyou to all the staff and especially Susan on reception who was so polite and helpfull from the first contact with my wife on the phone when booking. She is a credit to best western hotels. Food was good and the room was at a high standed and clean. This castle is deep in history and has great views from the grounds. Will be booking again .

This was a one night stop over and it was a very pleasant experience. Upon driving up to the castle, it was very impressive. The staff at reception were friendly and very helpful. It goes without saying that this is an old building and as such this has creaks and imperfections but all this is part of its charm, along with its fascinating history. Dinner was astonishingly good value and exceeded our expectations, as was the breakfast. We found every member of staff very pleasant and the hotel very clean.

Visited for a weekend break and we were not disappointed. The grounds and the hotel are stunning and the staff were the friendliest and most helpful I have ever seen. Thank for making us feel like royalty in this beautiful castle. We will be back soon

When my husband & I attended a wedding it was an awful experience from the moment we arrived , the receptionist greeted us with may I have your payment card for accidental accidents I said we've already paid then the duty manager micheal was stood there saying which part do you not understand very rude and sarcastic ! We struggled with all our clothes and bags to the room on our own as he never helped us ! We arrived in the room which was very disappointing as we had paid for a castle room but it was dreadful as the decor was so dated it smelt fusty the room looked onto the car park from the large open bathroom with no privacy . The bed was right next to the toilet the plug in the sink did not fit the toilet never flushed properly ! What an awful experience we never stayed the night in the end so we headed home . Later that week I rang the castle to complain then micheal who answered was very rude again then I decided to write a letter to the owners and explained about the experience and they just stuck up for micheal I really don't know why as this so called gentlemen is ruining there business as the staff think he's rather rude and arrogant and most of the guests at the wedding was commenting on his behavior and if anyone does stay here when there's a party on don't tell the bar staff as they will charge you extra as they did my husband what a rip off don't stay there I wish I had booked a b& b or even a travelodge what an awful experience

What a lovely place , well kept Staff always happy to help ,made you feel welcome . Our family there was 32 of us and we were well looked after . Breakfast was lovely also evening meal was amazing very nice . Room 21 was lovely and comfy and really clean . We have already said we will come back to the castle maybes in summer .

I cannot praise this hotel enough. As my husband and daughter will verify, I am very hard to please and I can honestly say that our stay was faultless. We went with friends for the Murder Mystery Evening for my husband's 60th birthday. The event itself was very well organised and fun. The meal was a set menu but was lovely. My daughter has severe food allergies and not only did they cater for her but checked in advance whether she would be allowed the meal. As she was not allowed the dessert, the chef made a chocolate brownie with cream for her. They took her allergy very seriously and consulted with us all the time. The staff were faultless and could not do enough to look after you, without being intrusive. Efficient, friendly, professional (and fun at the murder, mystery event). As it was a surprise for my husband and we had taken balloons etc for his birthday, the receptionist hid them behind the desk and the restaurant manager set them up on the dining table for us. The rooms and hotel were extremely clean and well kept. We had a room with a 4 poster bed in and it was very spacious and well equipped. Breakfast was delicious and again they catered for my daughter's allergies. Both my husband and our friends have decided that we will be going back again for a longer stay. Beautiful setting too for walking and photographs. If you are wanting a lovely break away then book Walworth Castle now!

Day of our stay was for a wedding at the castle, which began at the same time booking in time started. We asked for an earlier bookin, they didn't even try!! they offer you a room at the venue for the wedding.. at their venue! and you can't get ready for it in your room? Thats the worst experience i've ever had. The room was in the wing DON'T EVER get these rooms, smallest piece of rubbish i've ever stayed in, hidden away kettle as no room to store anything. ABSOLUTE SHAMBLES!

The WALWORTH CASTLE Hotel also has two self catering accommodation ie The Walworth Cottage and the WALWORTH CASTLE LODGE in the Best Western - WALWORTH CASTLE Hotel grounds. These two self catering accommodation are owned by the same owners Mr and Mrs Swain, owners of the Walworth Castle Hotel, and you can book these accommodation as well as the Hotel rooms within the Castle or the Annexe. All the accommodation Castle rooms, cottage and Lodge, (we stayed at) can be booked direct with the Hotel ( It is a privately owned Hotel but linked to the Best Western Hotel chain, by the owners Mr and Mrs Swain). We booked the Best Western - WALWORTH CASTLE LODGE direct with Best Western-  WALWORTH CASTLE Hotel staff, as stated the WALWORTH CASTLE LODGE is situated within the Castle grounds. Same accommodation business as the Walworth Castle Hotel and owned by the same owners We booked the WALWORTH CASTLE Hotel Lodge for 7 days for my partners special birthday celebration. On booking we dealt with Jess Todd from the WALWORTH CASTLE Hotel Reception via email,  telephone and booked direct with her. She was excellent, professional with superb customer service. Thank you Jess. On arrival for our trip, we were dealt with Julie, at Best Western-  WALWORTH Castle Hotel Reception. Again very good customer service. Liam,  a member of staff was called to show us the Walworth Castle Lodge and give us access with the keys from the reception.. (NB : The Best Western - Walworth Lodge self catering accommodation is situated at the entrance,  grounds to the Best Western -  Walworth Castle Hotel.  It is part of the Walworth Castle Hotel accommodation. Any issues we had to report to the Reception of the Castle Hotel, collect keys to the Lodge and return the keys, staff we dealt with are employed by Best Western - Walworth Castle Hotel). On initial staying in the Lodge. It was excellent for our needs, extra living space and decor, hot tub, main bedroom and en suite were excellent. We wanted a large living space for 2 adults and a dog. Liam confirmed, the Hotel had also left some milk, bread and eggs for our stay, which was a nice touch. I mentioned to Julie and Liam we were interested in any cancellations for Christmas 22 Dec 2018 for 5 to 7 days for the Walworth Castle Lodge. I wanted to book both stays when I booked it with Jess, from the Reception at Walworth Castle Hotel, but Christmas had already been booked by a guest and New Year also. The next morning while walking the dog,  in the grounds of the Castle, I bumped into the Walworth Castle Hotel Manager called Michael. I think he was ensuring I was staying at the hotel, which I was, this was good security in my opinion. I confirmed we were staying in the Walworth Castle Hotels Lodge.  I confirmed excellent customer service from his staff members on the Reception -  Jess on booking, Julie and Liam the night previously. He stated If we wished we could take our dog into the Hotel Lounge, if we wanted a drink, the lounge had an open fire/tv etc, which was very nice of him and we did visit with our dog during our stay. ( This lounge was in the main part of the Hotel). I also mentioned to Michael - if any cancellations for Christmas 22 Dec 2018 for 5 to 7 days for the Castle Lodge. We would like to book the Lodge again with Walworth Castle Hotel. He seemed on initially talking to him, quiet, reserved but I was able to have a conversations and discuss that the booking was for my partners special celebration. That we really liked the Lodge on initial inspection. We went out for the day and on our return to the Lodge that evening, we could smell sewer odour,  drains smell coming from the far toilet/shower down the corridor. In the corridor leading to this toilet shower and other rooms ie kitchen, main bedrooms where fitted and switched on electric air freshener plugs turned on by the Hotel. I opened the door to this shower/toilet and the smell hit me. It was very strong sewer drain smell. It seemed stronger if you had the doors closed to the corridor and the smelling toilet/ shower. We had to open the windows and doors to alleviate the smell. The next morning while walking the dog around the grounds, I went to reception to report the smell, which seemed to be stagnant sewage odour and remaining smell.  This shower, toilet was not used by ourselves throughout or stay, we used the en suite toilet/shower/bath. On arrival at Walworth Castle Hotel Reception, Jess was on duty again and I started to explain, I didn't want to complain but there was a very bad sewer/drain smell, Jess started to apologise and stated she would arrange for Shane, the maintenance man who was on duty on Monday at 0900hrs to attend to have a look. As she was doing this, Michael, the Hotel Manager, came out of the back room door to the Reception, he had heard me stating this to Jess. Michael then just asked “have you used the toilet or shower?” I said no, we are in the main bedroom and using the en suite, I was a bit concerned, annoyed by this comment. Michael didn't apologise like Jess did. I again I reiterated to Michael I didn't want to make a complaint but there is an issue with this toilet/shower sewer bad smell. He stated he would arrange on Monday for Shane to have a look at it. I stated to Michael that on the Friday on our leaving you may have to do a proper fix, I was aware there was a wedding being held at the Walworth Castle Hotel this day. I thought Michael would have apologised for the issue, but he didn't. Later that morning on getting ready to leave to go out for the day, Brenda the Walworth Hotel cleaner appeared. She stated she had some drain bleach to put down the drains, on her flushing and checking the shower trap, which was adequately clean, but the smell started to emanate strongly again on flushing the toilet. Brenda confirmed due to the Sewerage Works down the hill, they are not supposed to put stuff down the drains. She could smell the issue, but it was not as strong as the previous day due to us having the windows and doors open. But when she flushed the toilet, the smell returned stronger. She placed the drain stuff in the shower and toilet, we thanked her and went out for the day again. Again, we were not using the toilet or shower. On our return that evening, we could still smell the drain bleach Brenda had used. I spoke to Hotel Reception that night on arriving at the Castle Lounge/Bar for a drink and that the bleach seemed to have masked the smell for now. That evening, while passing the Hotel Reception, I heard a guest staying at the Best Western – Walworth Castle Hotel rooms saying there toilet had drain smells as well. I new then that there was an issue regarding the whole locations and drains, I am intelligent and I am aware the hotel, small parts of it are 12th Century and a grade listed building. But on speaking to staff throughout our stay, we were informed there was an issue with the drains at the Hotel. They had, had an issue allegedly when the Sewer Plant went off line. Honesty is the best policy. On speaking to Michael, Hotel Manager again raising the issue about the drains, he confirmed also there was an issue re the drains smell. I reiterated to him that the issue needs repairing before a family books the Lodge and they make an official complaint while at Walworth Hotel.  I didn't want to make an official complaint at this time, but hoped they would repair it. I thought Michael, the Manager would have apologised, it would have gone a long way. But he didn't. He did confirm the owners of Best Western – Walworth Castle Hotel and the two self catering accommodation, including the Lodge we were staying at. We're a Mr and Mrs Swain, they had in fact lived in the Walworth Castle Hotels -  Lodge till September 2018, when the Lodge went on line for self catering accommodation/rental. Ie other company or Hotel direct. This was the Lodge we were staying at within the Hotels Castle grounds. (Also during our stay, chatting to other staff they confirmed the Owners had moved out of the same Lodge in September 2018. When it went online for rental with the Best Western- Walworth Castle Hotels main Castle Hotel rooms). On talking to various members of staff, about this drain issue, it must have been a problem in Sep and Oct 2018. I was of the opinion that Mr and Mrs Swain, the Owners of the Hotel,  would have been aware of such odours from the toilet/shower while they lived there. I got the impression from staff it was a long standing issue regarding the drains. Due to the fact staff confirmed that since the Walworth Castle Lodge had gone on for rental in September 2018, it was only used by romantic wedding couples, or couples like us. Never been fully room booked, ie 2 double bedrooms and 2 single beds.(Ie no families, children) I was concerned on full occupancy usage, the smell maybe unbearable. The next morning Shane,  maintenance came to the Lodge, he came into the Lodge, looked at the shower and toilet, checked the clean shower trap, I advised him to be aware that the bleach was still in the shower trap from Brenda's visit and pouring concentrated bleach down it. I explained the strong smell returned a day later and that there is a sewage problem to this property and that all the drains all appear to be connected. I explained to Shane the evening before, my partner had a bath, I was using the sink in the same en suite bathroom, on pulling the plug bath and the sink at the same time, the sink wouldn't drain. On the bath draining, the Sewage bad smell/drain smell became very strong again from the toilet/shower down the corridor and remained till we had to open doors and windows again. I explained this to Shane for “ fault finding” for the plumber they would need to call. Again I am aware again the Hotel and Walworth Castle Lodge are old buildings and need maintenance,  but when your are spending £665 for a stay, it shouldn't have drain problems. Shane confirmed the previous sewage problem from the plant like other staff had mentioned. I am not stupid, I was aware there was an issue and could cause a H&S issue, if not rectified in the long term. Shane said he would try and get the local Plumber to have a look that morning or when we leave on Friday. (This was Monday) . Shane agreed there was an issue and needed looking at or the drain in the wall to be opened up. Tiles removed to gain access etc. I explained if Nigel the plumber needed to come, we would be out for the day again. I explained to Shane, as I had previously to Michael, Hotel Manager.  I loved the Lodge on initial staying, it had all of the facilities we needed, but felt let down regarding the sewage smell. We left for the day and left it to Shane to organise.  The plumber didn't visit. On our return I was informed Michael, the Hotel Manager was on 3 days off before organised Wedding on the Friday. The smell was back again, I poured the bleach from under the sink Brenda,  cleaner said to use, if the smell returns. But this didn't assist. It was normal bleach and toilet cleaner. That night while in the Lounge,  the Hotel receptionist asked me on passing, was I staying at the Lodge, I said Yes. She said she had just received a message from the Hotel Manager that they had a cancellation for the Lodge for New Year for 7 days. I explained I had asked for any cancellations for Christmas ie the 22nd Dec 2018, I also stated that my partner was in the Castle Hotel Lounge actually on the internet looking for accommodation for this period, I also stated that due to the Sewage problem, I would only stay if this maintenance issue was rectified. I said to her was the Manager, Michael still off for 3 days off still? She confirmed yes. I then asked her how much was the Lodge going for New Years Eve/New Year 7 days ? She didnt know. On returning to my partner in the Hotel Lounge, we looked up the date for this New Year 2018 stay for 7 days and it was back on for rental for £1,471.(Third party site) We both agreed with the current sewage smell we would not stay here or pay that amount for sewage/drain issues. It is an absolute shame, we both loved the Lodge at the initial stage.  Staff were very friendly. I thought we could put up with the smell for 7 days, hoped the Hotel management would action our feedback regarding the drains. But on returning to the Lodge each evening, the smell started to become very, very annoying and disappointing. The next evening we had some rain, on sitting on the couch in the livingroom, I heard a loud leak, dripping water, on looking behind me I could see rain water dripping from the conservatory to the livingroom  ( I took photos and videos the amount of rain water coming through) The floor had a puddle of water on it and the water was coming from, through the plastered wall out of the UVPC fascia from the conservatory. Also there was electric light fitting and no doubt electric wiring in these walls next to the leaking conservatory. On entering the conservatory, there was also a less amount of water leaking in here, but there was a wall light approx. 1 to 2ft away from the leaking conservatory. I knew full well that the conservatory lead flashing was leaking,  the water was leaking into the interior walls and livingroom of the Lodge. I videoed the leaking conservatory. I was annoyed by this fault now, added to the Sewage smell. I walked over to the Hotel Reception and spoke to Liam, a member of staff. I reiterated the Sewage problem and now we had a leaking conservatory. I showed him the video of the leaking conservatory. I said to Liam that I was aware the Owners of the ( Best Western) - Walworth Castle Hotel, a Mr and Mrs Swain had moved out in September 2018, so then the Lodge was up for rental as self catering. I stated, they must have been aware of the Sewage/drain problem and now a leaking conservatory. I stated I was concerned a leaking conservatory into interior livingroom walls where there was Electric wall lights. I felt disheartened I had paid for this Lodge and it had obvious maintenance issues. Liam stated that the owner of the (Best Western) – Walworth Castle Hotel and self catering accommodations, a male called Chris ( Mr Swain) had just walked past us into the restaurant and he would see if he would discuss the problem and issues with me. On Liam's return about 2 minutes later he stated he would get some towels to clear up the leak. I stated I presume the owner Chris didn't want to speak to me? Liam didn't answer that question.  But stated he would meet me at the Walworth Castle Lodge with the towels. I left reception and went back to the Lodge. A minute later Liam arrived. I showed him the leak in the livingroom and the leak in the conservatory and near to the wall lights. He placed the towels on the floor to mop up the water. I again advised him, it was a leak due to the lead flashing needed repairing. I advised him, I was disappointed. I would just leave the towels on the floor for when we leave. (The towels remained there till we left, soaking up the water leak, remainder days of our stay). Liam, agreed to just leave the towels there and he then left. He confirmed he would get Shane, maintenance to come over the next morning. The next day while walking around the grounds, I bumped into Michael, the (Best Western) -  Walworth Hotel Manager who had returned from his days off, we had a chat and then I stated to him that the sewage smell was still there from the toilet/shower and now there was a leaking conservatory. I stated I hope that the Owners rectify these problems, because initially I loved the Lodge, but these issues had spoilt our trip/holiday and was very disappointing. The leaking conservatory was a Health and Safety issue regarding electric wall lights in the conservatory and could cause issues if the water drained to the electrics. I advised him of this leak near to the wall lights/ electrics. He assured me they would look at it and rectify. Again unfortunately, Michael, Manager didn't apologise for the issues. I do like Michael, seems a nice man. But as others have mentioned just an apology, like Jess gave us, goes a long way as customer service. We received again no apology. I explained to Michael, the Manager that I wanted to book the Lodge for Christmas and for February again for 7 days each. But wouldn't at this stage, book a return, due to the sewage/drain problem and now leaking conservatory. He stated the issues reported they would be looked at when we left on the Friday. Later that morning, I was at another venue within the Walworth Castle Hotel's grounds. While I was there, Shane, maintenance visited the Lodge and my partner was in. He stated to my partner, the leaking conservatory would be the leaves blocking the conservatory causing a leak and he would get his ladder and remove the leaves. Which he did. On my return, my partner said of his actions. I confirmed it was not the leaves blocking the draining, but it is the lead flashing/siliconing to the conservatory/exterior lodge wall that required repairing. That night, again it rained and again the rain was coming in again  (pictures and video taken again to prove time line). The next morning on leaving I advised Jess on the Reception, that her customer service was excellent, she was professional, in dealing with us and I wanted to love the ( Best Western)  - Walworth  - Lodge as on initial day of our arrival, but the Sewage and leaking conservatory had spoilt our stay. I thanked Jess, for her assistance and customer service. On leaving Reception, Shane,  maintenance was entering, I advised him again, that the sewage drain issue needed to be looked at and repaired asap and that the conservatory was not blocked leaves, causing the leak, it was the lead flashing leaking to the conservatory to the main Living Room , which needs replacing. Again I reiterated that the leak was near to electric wall lights, wiring. He said oh right, I will have a proper look. CONCLUSION:- Staff we came across were professional, customer focused. I wanted to give the ( Best Western) - WALWORTH Castle Hotel -  Lodge a 5 star stay. It could have been an excellent stay, but was spoilt by known maintenance issues ie sewage/drains to the rear shower/toilet room and then the leaking conservatory near to wall lights/electrics. I am disappointed, no apology was given by Michael The Best Western- Walworth Castle Manager or even Chris ( Mr Swain) the actual Owner of the whole Walworth Castle Hotel and accommodations,  Mr Swain who was made aware of the issues by his staff. He wouldnt speak to me, a guest who had a genuine issue – poor or lack of customer service. Felt as if I was reporting issues they were fully aware of and he was not interested in. Their staff tried their best to rectify maintenance issues, that are out of their control, these maintenance issues need some investment. I would suggest,  take the Walworth Castle Hotels -  Lodge (Self catering accomm) off rental till you can rectify the issues. As stated I wanted to book the Walworth Castle Hotel – Lodge, self catering accomm with the Hotel again for Christmas and for Feb 2019 for 7 days each. I was also recommending to family and friends to stay here, ones with families and young children. But current experience we had, I can't recommend the Lodge till issues raised to management/owners are rectified. It's a shame. Mr and Mrs Swain, the owners of ( Best Western) – Walworth Castle Hotel,  2 x self catering accommodation within the Hotels grounds i.e.  Cottage, Walworth Castle Lodge, ( one we stayed in)  you have a good product,  you just need to iron out some maintenance issues. Also as owners speaking to and apologising to guests does go a long way! Positives, excellent location – excellent, friendly staff. Gave 3 Stars for the initial stay, could have gave less stars, but wanted to be honest and fair for our stay. I hope this feedback is taken on board and maintenance issues rectified. (Pics/videos can be provided, added if required

Theres nothing particulary bad about this hotel but at the same time theres nothing particulary great. The room i got was tiny were my colleagues was massive its just luck of the draw. Rooms are kind of in keeping with the exterior (which is beautiful) but at the same time they are a bit dated and rough around the edges. Farmers bar is nice but the food and evidently been hit in the microwave and everything came out nuclear. All in all its a room and a bed. Nothing to write home about but nothing much to complain about

We stayed at the hotel for a Christmas party night, the night was excellent and although small the room was clean and adequate. The staff were excellent, however my breakfast should not have left the kitchen, I had eggs benedict and my hollandaise sauce had split and curdled leaving my plate sat in oil.I received an apology but did think it should have been deducted from our bill.

We visited this hotel for a Christmas party night (our second recent visit).staying overnight.The Christmas meal was excellent followed by a disco ,which was a hit from start to finish.All The staff at this hotel reception ,bar staff ,waiters to cleaning staff were all outstanding ,the accommodation was o k .The breakfast was excellent.I would highly recommend this hotel.

This has been my second stay at Walworth Castle. The first stay we stopped in one of the double rooms which was a nice spacious room, on the second stay we checked in to a four poster suite. After spending a few minutes in the room we noticed the lights were flickering and making a buzzing noise. Fortunately we received a phone call asking if the room was okay, after explaining the situation we were moved to another suite promptly. The great service is one of the many amazing features of the hotel

We travelled from the South to Walworth Castle arriving on a very wet evening. The entrance to the Castle and Lobby were somewhat dour albeit the Receptionist could not have been more welcoming. Our room and the passages to it were worn and, with suitcases, were quite a climb. The room itself was not particularly welcoming and, preparing to go out for dinner, we found the drain to the hand basin was blocked. Breakfast the next day was plentiful and served by a very friendly and helpful member of staff albeit the dining room itself mirrored the dark demeanour of the rest of the Castle but was warmed and brightened by a blazing fire. Full marks to the Receptionist and Waitress but, in comparison with other hotels in the area, very over-valued at £106 B&B. Would we visit again? ………….probably not.

The approach view heralds something special... but the service, the dining arrangements and its delivery did not meet those expectation. The reception staff were excellent with their welcome and room allocation but the restaurant staff didn't seem to be customer aware nor able to make you feel valued. The decor and ambiance in the restaurant was unconvincing and flat - so much more could be done. A real shame as I would have considered taking may partner to stay in a castle...

Had a really good stay here for my dad's birthday. There was a large wedding on at the same time but never felt it was a problem for us service wise. Staff were helpful and attentive and nothing was too much trouble for them. The only issue was a rather rude manager who could learn a thing or two from his much younger staff about the art of customer service!!

What a truly fantastic castle this is to stay in, The staff was brilliant they just couldn't do enough for you especially (Julie) on reception who gave us a guided tour of the castle, Afternoon tea was divine sandwich's scones sausage rolls and cake with a big pot of tea or coffee all freshly made. Good in the restaurant wash seasonal and very good we left with full belly's with the more than adiquate portions. The room was out of this world with a massive four poster bed. Tasteful decor and a modern style bathroom. Beautiful stay, beautiful staff. All reasonabley priced too. We will be back.

From the minute we arrived to our departure the experience staying at Walworth Castle could not have been better, fantastic food, stunning hotel and service i have seldom received in any hotel budget or high end. Not the first time nor last at this hotel, but everything about the stay just gets better and better. fresh cooked breakfast, perfect coffee, evening meals that were a little too much to handle, was beaten by dinner on both nights of our stay. if i had a negative it would be that my favuorite drink was only available smoothflow and not draught, but not worth knocking points off for this very minor issue. I managed an upgrade to one of the rooms with four poster bed and bags of room to move about. cannot wait to return to the castle, worth a read up about its history too, would certainly recommend.

I have just left Walworth castle after an amazing nights stay for my mums 60th birthday! We attended to murder mystery evening which the castle held. Over the last 6 months I have been in contact with one of your reception staff members ‘Jess' who I would like to give a special mention too. She has been so attentive with helping me to sort out payments and organisation. I was able to send decorations for my bedroom and she was kind enough to decorate my mums room and upgrade it for her. She was kind, warm and friendly over the phone and through email, and the castle is very lucky to have her as staff. The room was stunning, clean, perfect for an over night stay. The murder mystery evening was amazing! But my only reserve was that the food was a bit cold and dry. The entertainment was fab though! And would definitely think about returning for another in the future. Thanks so much for a pleasant stay and making my mums birthday so awesome and memorable!

We stayed in an annex room the weekend 16/11/18 to 19/11/18. I have never known more friendly staff and this was everyone, not just front of house. The food was great - do have the roast dinner if you are hungry- you wont be afterwards! It was a cold weekend but everywhere was warm inside. 2 little niggles - a rather odd pole arrangement was acting as a wardrobe, no, even a small proper wardrobe would have been much better. On the Sunday night having taken our dinner order there were no staff around to chase up our drinks and starter. We had to go to reception to remind them. If it wasnt for the above it would have been five stars!

Great welcome, room upgraded a nice surprise and all staff at the hotel were so friendly and professional. Resteraunt food excellent, staff welcoming and attentative when required nothing was too much trouble. Everything combined made my stay extremely enjoyable.

Stayed here for 1 night in November as I've always wanted to stay in a castle. We received a lovely warm welcome from Julie who checked us in quickly and answered all our questions. I would also like to mention Tacha who was very entertaining in showing us around the dungeon and explaining more about the history of the castle. We stayed in a suite and it was more modern that I expected and I would have preferred a more traditional room. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was that for a non-smoking room it smelt of cigarettes. Not the fault of the hotel but it did dampen our stay. We had dinner and breakfast at the hotel and they were fantastic. The chef and the team really do deliver here. The food is delicious, nicely presented and you will receive a generous portion. I would definitely return again for the food and the service alone.

My husband treat us both to a lovely afternoon tea at Walworth...and what can I say? It was beautiful and thoroughly enjoyed it. The staff were very kind and helpful. Afterwards we had a lovely walk around the picturesque grounds. We also attended a family wedding here a couple of months previous. What a stunning day and night. Thanks to all at Walworth. We will be returning.

Great location just off A1. Beautiful historic building. Helpful polite & friendly staff. Clean rooms. Excellent price. Stayed one night & had evening meal in restaurant which was nice & good service. Didn't have breakfast which was not included in price. Definitely recommend.

We stayed here just for one night , building is stunning and rooms very comfortable and clear , but while the staff on duty were doing their best it was clear they were stretched so lacked the quality service and attention you would expect . The main bar was closed clearly because they could not staff it . Food was ok but limited choice , all in all a decent place but lacks the edge so would probably try somewhere else if I was in the area again . Decent value for money

Thank you to all the staff at Walworth Castle. From the minute we arrived, we felt welcome and relaxed. The room was lovely, food in the Farmers Arms was tasty, evening meal and breakfast, and the staff were all friendly and helpful, making us feel very much at home. Just what we needed.

Had a family Sunday lunch here, we usually eat in the restaurant but we had the carvery in the bar for a change, definitely worth going, food was fresh,hot and really good selection, staff were really friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend and would go back

Arrived for a surprise booking in a castle suite for my husband's birthday. Staff very welcoming and room 35 Walworth Suite was spacious and spotless. The entire castle and grounds are very attractive. All the staff are very attentive and make sure that your stay is going to be memorable. The meals and afternoon tea were delicious and in lovely surroundings. Thank you for the surprise birthday card on arrival too . We had a lovely visit. Would come back in an instant.

I simply cannot find fault with this property at all. I have stayed here now a few times when visiting Durham because of its beautiful location, comfortable rooms, welcoming atmosphere and lovely staff. From the moment you enter you are made to feel at home by the warm welcome and generally homely atmosphere. The property itself is beautifully maintained and full of character - the reception, the restaurant, the lounge, the rooms - all of them are unique and lovely. We were lucky enough to be upgraded on this visit to a wonderful room with a four poster bed - and steps inside the room to access it (I love this!). The room was spacious, cosy, elegant and warm. It was a perfect way to introduce my partner to the hotel, as I had been telling him it was my favourite! We had a lovely meal in the restaurant. The food is exceptionally good - generous portions, cooked well and well presented. The choices were good too and we could have eaten everything!! I'd highly recommend eating here, even if you are not staying - you will not be disappointed (the cod nugget starters are excellent!). The staff here are all lovely too - nothing is too much trouble, they are all warm and friendly, and we felt welcomed at all times. They are a real asset to the Best Western name, and if all hotels were staffed like this, the travel world would be a better place. I look forward to coming back again soon!

We had a lovely Sunday lunch with an incredible selection of vegetables to go with the great choice of starters and main courses. The food was well prepared and served in good time. The staff were very friendly and attentive. Recommended

Really loved our stay at Walworth castle and can"t wait to return. Quality hotel without feeling too stuffy and formal. Relaxed atmosphere and polite staff. The room we stayed in had everything we needed but next time we would love to stay in one of the suites for the added luxury.