The Castle RollsA survey of every visitable castle in the United Kingdom

The Great Roll · compiled 2026-07-14

Every visitable castle
in the United Kingdom.

405 castles, across every heritage body and private estate that opens its gates — English Heritage, National Trust, Cadw, Historic Environment Scotland, and every independent castle besides. Ratings and visitor intel mined from over a million real reviews.

The 10 top-rated castles

#1 Barcaldine Castle

Barcaldine Castle

Argyll and Bute, Scotland

★ 4.9 · 266 reviews

 #2 Roch Castle

Roch Castle

Pembrokeshire, Wales

★ 4.9 · 246 reviews

 #3 Hever Castle

Hever Castle

Kent, England

★ 4.8 · 13,800 reviews

 #4 Dunnottar Castle

Dunnottar Castle

Aberdeenshire, Scotland

★ 4.8 · 13,279 reviews

 #5 Castell Dinas Bran

Castell Dinas Bran

Denbighshire, Wales

★ 4.8 · 1,349 reviews

 #6 Castell y Bere

Castell y Bere

Gwynedd, Wales

★ 4.8 · 548 reviews

 #7 Glenapp Castle

Glenapp Castle

South Ayrshire, Scotland

★ 4.8 · 513 reviews

 #8 Carnasserie Castle

Carnasserie Castle

Argyll and Bute, Scotland

★ 4.8 · 462 reviews

 #9 Glengorm Castle

Glengorm Castle

Argyll and Bute, Scotland

★ 4.8 · 257 reviews

 #10 Piel Castle

Piel Castle

Cumbria, England

★ 4.8 · 213 reviews

The chart — all 405 plotted

Find a castle — search, or enter a postcode for the nearest

England — 196 castles

Scotland — 121 castles

Wales — 69 castles

Northern Ireland — 19 castles

How this roll was compiled

Every entry started from the official property lists of the UK's heritage bodies — English Heritage, the National Trust, the National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland and Cadw — then extended to every private estate, council-run castle, castle hotel and independent trust with a genuine visitor offer. A castle only qualifies if the public can actually get in: a ticket booth, a regular tour, an open ruin, or a hotel occupying the building itself. Earthwork-only sites with nothing standing are left out by design.

Ratings, review counts and the practical notes on each page are drawn from real, current visitor reviews — not written from a brochure. Where a fact came from a single reviewer rather than a verified source, it's phrased that way rather than stated as settled history.

Quick answers

How many castles are there in the United Kingdom?

This roll lists 405 castles with a genuine public offer — ticketed entry, regular tours, an accessible ruin, or a hotel occupying the castle itself. Thousands more sites have castle earthworks or foundations with nothing standing to visit; those are excluded here by design.

Which UK castles are free to visit?

109 castles in this roll are free, open-access ruins with no ticket booth — mostly Cadw and Historic Environment Scotland sites maintained as scheduled monuments. Look for the 'Free, open access' badge on any entry.

Can you stay overnight in a UK castle?

Yes — 59 castles in this roll offer bookable accommodation, from English Heritage holiday cottages within the walls at Dover and Walmer to full castle hotels like Thornbury and Amberley. See the full list on the Sleep in a Castle page.

What's the difference between English Heritage, National Trust, Cadw and Historic Environment Scotland castles?

They're the four largest heritage bodies caring for UK castles: English Heritage (England), National Trust (England/Wales/Northern Ireland), Cadw (Wales, the Welsh Government's service), and Historic Environment Scotland (Scotland). Each runs its own membership scheme, and a single membership only covers its own properties — this roll covers all of them plus every private, council and independently run castle besides.

Which is the largest castle in the UK?

Windsor Castle is widely cited as the largest continuously occupied castle in the world, and Dover Castle is the largest castle in England by area. Several Scottish and Welsh entries in this roll — Stirling, Edinburgh, Caerphilly — are also among the largest in their own countries.