Walworth Castle Hotel, BW Signature Collection

The grounds were so peaceful for a walk, and my wife explored more of them while I was working. She came back impressed with the woodland and the setting. We stayed at Walworth Castle Hotel during a work trip, then made it into a short city break together. That was well worth it. The building has real historic character, from the grounds to the corridors, and the atmosphere is unlike a regular hotel. Our room was modern and comfortable. Breakfast was very good, and dinner was excellent, hearty food. The staff were friendly and helpful the whole time. They even showed us the normally closed castle dungeon and shared a little background about the room, which was a memorable surprise. A lovely place to stay if you fancy something different. I'd happily return.

The suite was huge, but the banging and constant loud rumbling kept me awake all night. It sounded like pipes, I assume. Don't book room 30 if you want to sleep. Check-in for our celebratory package was fine, but the pre-dinner cocktail choices were very limited, so we ordered from the cocktail menu instead. The two-course meal was nice, though service was poor. There were hardly any pleasantries, and nobody mentioned the extra charges on some food items included with the package. We were told we could only choose from certain wines, so we picked one of those. Breakfast was okay, but the service felt flat and uninterested, like we were a bother. I won't be back. The staff could use some customer experience training. Such a shame.

The staff were cheerful, welcoming and really helpful the whole time, and the atmosphere was lovely. We had a wonderful visit to the Walworth Castle restaurant. The food was excellent, generously portioned, great value and beautifully presented. We'd be happy to go back.

The castle is old, crumbling and tired, and could use a full refurb from top to bottom. So if you want spotless five-star luxury, this isn't it. But its age is part of the charm: it's clean, fascinating to explore, full of beautiful, authentic castle features, and has lovely child-friendly gardens. We found parking easy, and you get to stay in a real castle for very little money. There was renovation work going on, which may deal with some of the tired parts. We stayed for a weekend at the end of January 2026 and had a great time. Our room in the main house was warm, comfortable and quiet. The staff were friendly and helpful, the food and service were good, and the on-site bar and restaurant were great. Breakfast was included and was great too. It's in a lovely countryside location and makes a good base for sightseeing in Barnard Castle, Robin Hoods Bay, Whitby and elsewhere. Great value for money, and we'd happily stay again.