County guide · The Castle Rolls
Best castles in Yorkshire
19 castles across Yorkshire's four historic ridings - North, West, South and the East Riding - among them the medieval core of Hazlewood, near Tadcaster, now run as a hotel and spa with peacocks loose in the woodland. In the South Riding, Conisbrough keeps a cylindrical keep of the late 12th century - one of the earliest and best preserved of its kind in England, and the setting Walter Scott borrowed for Ivanhoe.
Map
Every castle on this list - 19 in total, 5 free to enter, 3 you can stay overnight in
Scarborough Castle
North Yorkshire
Photo: Stephen Montgomery from Kallangur, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Castle Howard
North Yorkshire
Clifford's Tower, York
North Yorkshire
Keep of York Castle; new roof deck
Photo: Tim Green from Bradford, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Skipton Castle
North Yorkshire
One of England's best-preserved medieval castles
Photo: Adrian Taylor, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Knaresborough Castle
North Yorkshire Free entry
Free grounds; keep and museum seasonal
Photo: Redvers, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Helmsley Castle
North Yorkshire
Photo: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Richmond Castle
North Yorkshire
Photo: Andrew Bowden from London, United Kingdon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Ripley Castle
North Yorkshire
Guided tours; check current availability
Photo: Anthony Foster, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Bolton Castle
North Yorkshire
Mary Queen of Scots imprisonment site
Photo: ASPope, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Sandal Castle
West Yorkshire Free entry
Wars of the Roses battlefield site
Photo: Abcdef123456 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Conisbrough Castle
South Yorkshire
Cylindrical keep with restored floors
Pontefract Castle
West Yorkshire Free entry
Free entry with visitor centre
Photo: Initial photograph by Rept0n1x, cleaned up and adapted by Hchc2009, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Middleham Castle
North Yorkshire
Richard III's childhood home
Pickering Castle
North Yorkshire
Hazlewood Castle
North Yorkshire
Medieval-core castle hotel and spa
Photo: Ian S, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Spofforth Castle
North Yorkshire Free entry
Photo: TJBlackwell, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Skipsea Castle
East Riding of Yorkshire Free entry
Earthworks of Norman motte and bailey
Photo: Dr John Wells, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Harewood Castle
West Yorkshire
Conserved 14th-century fortified hall-house viewable via a free footpath; interior currently closed to visitors.
Photo: TJ Blackwell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Cawood Castle
North Yorkshire
Gatehouse holiday let
Photo: Chris Heaton, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Common questions
How many castles are there in Yorkshire?
This roll lists 19 visitable castles, fortresses and tower houses in Yorkshire. Of those, 5 are free to enter and 10 charge admission. The other 4 have restricted access.
Which castles in Yorkshire are free to visit?
5 of the 19 castles in Yorkshire are open-access sites with no admission charge, namely Knaresborough Castle, Sandal Castle, Pontefract Castle, Spofforth Castle and Skipsea Castle.
What is the best-rated castle in Yorkshire?
Scarborough Castle is among the highest-rated castles in Yorkshire on this roll - 4.6/5 from 8,836 Google reviews.
Can you stay overnight in a castle in Yorkshire?
Yes - 3 of the castles listed here offer overnight stays, namely Castle Howard, Hazlewood Castle and Cawood Castle.
Can you reach any castle in Yorkshire by train?
7 of the 19 sit within 1.5 miles of a railway station, the closest being Knaresborough Castle (Knaresborough, 0.1 miles), Pontefract Castle (Pontefract Baghill, 0.2 miles), Conisbrough Castle (Conisbrough, 0.5 miles) and Sandal Castle (Sandal & Agbrigg, 0.5 miles). Those are straight-line distances from the station to the castle, so the walk on the ground is longer than the figure.
Can you go inside every castle in Yorkshire?
Not all of them on the same terms. 4 of the 19 restrict what a visitor can see. Hazlewood Castle and Cawood Castle are hotels, so there is no way in without booking a room or a table. At Harewood Castle the building itself isn't open to visitors, so you see it from the grounds or from outside. At Ripley Castle you get the grounds or a booked tour rather than free run of the building.