Entry passes · The Castle Rolls
National Trust Explorer Pass.
The National Trust looks after 22 of the castles on the roll. 18 of them charge for entry - that is where this pass earns its keep - and 4 are free to walk into anyway, pass or no pass.
The pass, verified
Entry to many National Trust places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus free parking in National Trust car parks, on a 4, 8 or 14-day pass - from £31.50 for a 4-day single adult as of July 2026. It replaced the old overseas-visitor Touring Pass; check eligibility and the covered-places list on the National Trust page. National Trust for Scotland is a separate charity - its castles are not covered by this pass. Full details and current prices: the official National Trust Explorer Pass page.
Confirm before you buy
Pass coverage is set by the operator and can change - a handful of sites, events or seasons are sometimes excluded. Before buying, check the castles you actually plan to visit against the official covered-places list on the page linked above.
Castles where the pass matters - 18 charging for entry, best-reviewed first
Corfe Castle
Dorset
Photo: Tallguyuk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Dunster Castle
Somerset
Photo: Hchc2009, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Powis Castle
Powys
Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Bodiam Castle
East Sussex
Photo: Antony McCallum, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Chirk Castle
Wrexham
Scotney Castle
Kent
Sissinghurst Castle Garden
Kent
Photo: HARTLEPOOLMARINA2014, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Wray Castle
Cumbria
Photo: James@hopgrove, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Penrhyn Castle
Gwynedd
Photo: Hefin Owen from Wales, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Sizergh Castle
Cumbria
Photo: Christopher Down, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Castle Drogo
Devon
Photo: Stanleykswong, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Lindisfarne Castle
Northumberland
Photo: matthew Hunt, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Croft Castle
Herefordshire
Photo: Tabbipix, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Castle Ward
County Down
Photo: Irishdeltaforce, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
St Michael's Mount
Cornwall
Photo: Werner Wilmes, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Tattershall Castle
Lincolnshire
Photo: BoraSimon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Compton Castle
Devon
Photo: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Dalton Castle
Cumbria
Photo: Kevin Waterhouse, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Free anyway - no pass needed - 4 open-access National Trust castles
These are also in the National Trust's care, but they are open-access ruins with no admission charge - a pass adds nothing here, which is worth knowing before you count them toward its value.
Dunseverick Castle
County Antrim Free entry
Photo: The original uploader was Pdean at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Duffield Castle
Derbyshire Free entry
Photo: Beep boop beep, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Rayleigh Mount
Essex Free entry
Photo: Luke Cops, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Marisco Castle
Devon Free entry