Near a city · The Castle Rolls
Castles near Leeds
15 castles sit within 40 miles of Leeds, spread across Yorkshire's ridings - Knaresborough and Skipton out to the north-west, Pontefract and Sandal closer to home, York's Clifford's Tower a short trip east.
Map
Every castle on this list - 17 in total, 4 free to enter, 3 you can stay overnight in
Harewood Castle
West Yorkshire · 7 mi away
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
Hazlewood Castle
North Yorkshire · 10 mi away
Medieval-core castle hotel and spa
Photo: Ian S, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Sandal Castle
West Yorkshire · 10 mi away Free entry
Wars of the Roses battlefield site
Photo: Abcdef123456 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Spofforth Castle
North Yorkshire · 11 mi away Free entry
Photo: TJBlackwell, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Pontefract Castle
West Yorkshire · 12 mi away 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
Knaresborough Castle
North Yorkshire · 15 mi away Free entry
Free grounds; keep and museum seasonal
Photo: Redvers, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Ripley Castle
North Yorkshire · 17 mi away
Guided tours; check current availability
Photo: Anthony Foster, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Cawood Castle
North Yorkshire · 17 mi away
Gatehouse holiday let
Photo: Chris Heaton, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Clifford's Tower, York
North Yorkshire · 22 mi away
Keep of York Castle; new roof deck
Photo: Tim Green from Bradford, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Skipton Castle
North Yorkshire · 22 mi away
One of England's best-preserved medieval castles
Photo: Adrian Taylor, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Conisbrough Castle
South Yorkshire · 26 mi away
Cylindrical keep with restored floors
Peveril Castle
Derbyshire · 33 mi away
Photo: Darren Copley from Sheffield, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Castle Howard
North Yorkshire · 34 mi away
Clitheroe Castle
Lancashire · 35 mi away
Free keep; museum in castle grounds
Middleham Castle
North Yorkshire · 35 mi away
Richard III's childhood home
Helmsley Castle
North Yorkshire · 36 mi away
Photo: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Bolton Castle
North Yorkshire · 40 mi away
Mary Queen of Scots imprisonment site
Photo: ASPope, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Distances are straight-line ("as the crow flies"), not driving or train time - check the operator's own site for real travel options before you go.
Common questions
How many castles are there within 40 miles of Leeds?
This roll lists 17 visitable castles, fortresses and tower houses within 40 miles of Leeds. Of those, 4 are free to enter and 9 charge admission. The other 4 have restricted access.
Which castles within 40 miles of Leeds are free to visit?
4 of the 17 castles within 40 miles of Leeds are open-access sites with no admission charge, namely Sandal Castle, Spofforth Castle, Pontefract Castle and Knaresborough Castle.
What is the best-rated castle within 40 miles of Leeds?
Castle Howard is among the highest-rated castles within 40 miles of Leeds on this roll - 4.6/5 from 8,811 Google reviews.
Can you stay overnight in a castle within 40 miles of Leeds?
Yes - 3 of the castles listed here offer overnight stays, namely Hazlewood Castle, Cawood Castle and Castle Howard.
Can you reach any castle within 40 miles of Leeds by train?
7 of the 17 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), Clitheroe Castle (Clitheroe, 0.2 miles) and Conisbrough Castle (Conisbrough, 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 within 40 miles of Leeds?
Not all of them on the same terms. 4 of the 17 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.