Every castle on our list on one map, from the big paid ones to pele towers you can see in five minutes: seasons, prices, parking, buggies, dogs, what each one is like with kids, and a Castle Passport the bairns can tick off.
We list 39 castles, towers and bastles across Northumberland: 9 paid attractions, 14 free to wander round and 10 to look at from outside, plus three with occasional open days and three you can stay or eat in. For a family day, start with Bamburgh Castle (castle and beach in one), Alnwick Castle (the Harry Potter one) and Belsay Castle (play area, gardens and a medieval castle). Dunstanburgh Castle is the best walk and Lindisfarne Castle is the island adventure, timed around the tide.
Northumberland isn't short of a castle. Drive anywhere up here for long enough and you'll pass one, and they run from Bamburgh Castle on its great lump of rock to pele towers in villages where the whole visit takes five minutes, including getting everyone back in the car. This is our list of 39, with what each one costs, where you park, whether the pushchair is any use, and how it goes down with children who mainly want to know if there's a dungeon.
Roughly, they come in a few kinds. The paid ones (Belsay Castle, Alnwick Castle and Bamburgh Castle) tend to have the car parks, the cafés and the organised stuff for kids, and the prices to match. The free ruins (Berwick Ramparts, Etal Castle and Prudhoe Castle) are where a seven year old can storm the walls with a sandwich in each hand. Then there are the ones you can only look at from outside, the ones that open a few days a year, and three you can sleep in or eat your tea in. Every entry says which is which, including the honest ones that are a look from the road and back in the car.
Two warnings before you set off. Opening times up here are seasonal and a few are a moving target (Lindisfarne Castle opens around the tides and Alnwick Castle's own pages don't agree on the last day of its season), so every castle has its season written out in plain words and a link to the official page. And a few of the winter months on the map are our best reading of what's been published, which the season notes say, so check before a long drive in January.
For the bairns there's the Castle Passport: tick a castle off when you've been, watch the number climb, and print the paper version for the glovebox. Ticks stay on your phone and nothing is sent anywhere.
If you only do one or two, here's where we'd start, depending on who's in the back of the car.
The best all-round family day
Belsay · Paid entry · Rainy day
The Wild Man play area, a playground by the café and trails, then a walk through the old quarry garden that ends at an actual medieval castle. Probably the best all-round family castle day in the county.
Harry Potter fans
Alnwick · Paid entry · Rainy day
Broomstick training where the Hogwarts flying lesson was filmed, have-a-go archery and Dragon Quest in the Artisans Courtyard. Under tens will be sorted; a teenager who has gone off Harry Potter might need bribing.
Castle in the morning, beach after lunch
Bamburgh · Paid entry · Rainy day
A proper clifftop fortress with one of the county's best beaches directly underneath, so the day splits itself: castle in the morning, sandcastles after lunch.
An island expedition
Holy Island · Paid entry
Walking out to a castle on a rock, on an island the tide cuts off twice a day, feels like a genuine expedition. The inside is small, so the lime kilns and the walk do a lot of the heavy lifting.
A proper walk to a proper ruin
Craster · Paid entry
The walk is half the adventure (sheep, sea, a castle that gets bigger as you go), and at the end there's a shop selling medieval toys, which is either a reward or a trap depending on your wallet.
Ghost stories, for nine and up
Chillingham · Paid entry · Rainy day
It sells itself as one of the most haunted castles in Britain and has a torture chamber, which is catnip for ghoulish nine year olds and possibly nightmare fuel for a nervous five year old. Know your audience.
Free, with walls to walk along
Berwick-upon-Tweed · Free to wander
Walking round the top of a whole town, past gates and bastions with the sea on one side, is about as good as free history gets. Hold small hands on the unfenced bits.
A cheap stop with small change
Chathill · Paid entry · Rainy day
Unsupervised rooms laid out as a 14th century guard room and prison, plus a room about Flodden. A lot of tower for a few quid in an honesty box.
Lindisfarne Castle is on Holy Island, which the tide cuts off twice a day: see the Holy Island crossing times.
The Castle Passport
Rank: Not started yet
Tick "Stamped" on any castle below, or on its own page. Ticks are saved on this device only. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Filter by area or by what you need today, or sort by what's nearest to you. Tap a castle for its full page.
"Open in" uses each castle's usual season, and a few winter months are our best estimate where nothing is published yet (the season notes say so). "Buggy friendly" includes the partly manageable ones; each says which bits aren't.
Paid entryFree to wanderOutside only, open days, or stay and eat
Holy Island · TD15 2SH · open
Walking out to a castle on a rock, on an island the tide cuts off twice a day, feels like a genuine expedition. The inside is small, so the lime kilns and the walk do a lot of the heavy lifting.
Known for: Roman Polanski's Macbeth (1971) and Cold Feet
Berwick-upon-Tweed · TD15 1DF · open
Old walls and a flight of steps called the Breakneck Stairs, right beside the station. A good free extra on a train day out.
Known for: Its great hall was knocked down to build Berwick railway station
Berwick-upon-Tweed · TD15 1DF · open
Walking round the top of a whole town, past gates and bastions with the sea on one side, is about as good as free history gets. Hold small hands on the unfenced bits.
Known for: England's most complete bastioned town defences
Duddo · open
A jagged ruin on a crag, with a small path round the back if you fancy a scramble (Visit Northumberland warns it can be overgrown).
Etal · TD12 4TN · open
A gatehouse and a big broken tower to peer into, plus grass for a picnic. About ten minutes of storming the walls before someone asks about ice cream.
Known for: Captured by James IV in the days before the Battle of Flodden
Norham · TD15 2JY · open
Huge broken walls above the Tweed with Scotland on the far bank, though with the keep fenced off there's less clambering than there used to be.
Known for: JMW Turner's paintings of Norham Castle
Ford · open
Plenty of North East children know it from the inside on school residential trips, which is the only way in.
Known for: Taken by James IV on the eve of Flodden
Twizel, near Cornhill-on-Tweed · open
A roofless, never-finished castle in the woods, reached by a short track from an old stone bridge. Spooky in the good way.
Known for: A Georgian Gothic castle that was never finished
Wark on Tweed · open
A mound several metres high and a legend about a king and a dropped garter; not much standing, though.
Known for: The Order of the Garter legend
Bamburgh · NE69 7DF · open
A proper clifftop fortress with one of the county's best beaches directly underneath, so the day splits itself: castle in the morning, sandcastles after lunch.
Known for: Bebbanburg in The Last Kingdom; also Macbeth (1971 and 2015) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Chathill · NE67 5DH · open
Unsupervised rooms laid out as a 14th century guard room and prison, plus a room about Flodden. A lot of tower for a few quid in an honesty box.
Known for: Honesty box entry and a Flodden room
Beadnell · NE67 5AX · open
Telling children their chips are being served inside a medieval tower with walls about nine feet thick buys you at least five minutes of peace.
Known for: A village pub built into a pele tower
Alnwick · NE66 1NG · open
Broomstick training where the Hogwarts flying lesson was filmed, have-a-go archery and Dragon Quest in the Artisans Courtyard. Under tens will be sorted; a teenager who has gone off Harry Potter might need bribing.
Known for: Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets; also Downton Abbey and Blackadder
Craster · NE66 3TW · open
The walk is half the adventure (sheep, sea, a castle that gets bigger as you go), and at the end there's a shop selling medieval toys, which is either a reward or a trap depending on your wallet.
Known for: Painted again and again by JMW Turner
Warkworth · NE65 0UJ · open
The great keep is a warren of rooms and stairs, there's a World Builder trail, and on Sundays and Mondays the Hermitage adds a riverside walk and a short boat crossing to a chapel cut into the rock.
Known for: Scenes in Shakespeare's Henry IV; the Hermitage chapel carved into the riverbank
Edlingham · NE66 2BW · open
A small ruin in a riverside field with a tower that visibly leans. Ten minutes of fun rather than an afternoon, and the leaning bit does most of the work.
Known for: The leaning solar tower
Alnwick · open
Count the vans that have to turn back: low traffic still squeezes through the medieval arch, tall vehicles go round.
Known for: Also called the Hotspur Gate
Chillingham · NE66 5NJ · open
It sells itself as one of the most haunted castles in Britain and has a torture chamber, which is catnip for ghoulish nine year olds and possibly nightmare fuel for a nervous five year old. Know your audience.
Known for: Ghosts (the Blue Boy) and Most Haunted; also the film Elizabeth
Harbottle · open
Broken walls on a big grassy mound with a view down Coquetdale, and a permissive path down to the River Coquet for stone throwing.
Known for: Birthplace of Margaret Douglas, grandmother of James VI and I
Great Tosson · open
A short field walk to a proper ruined tower with the Simonside hills behind. A quick tick on the way to or from a Simonside walk.
Holystone · NE65 7AN · open
Walls a metre and a half thick and a stone spout for pouring molten lead on raiders. That detail alone will do the job.
Known for: A spout for pouring molten lead on raiders
Tarset · NE48 1NE · open
Shows how ordinary farming families in reiver country protected themselves: the living quarters could only be reached at first floor level. More of a story than a playground.
Known for: A Border Reiver bastle raided by the Armstrongs in 1583
Near Tarset · open
Low grassy walls by a burn, for keen explorers and completists only.
Near Wark on Tyne · NE48 3NT · open
Better for grown-ups than bairns: it's a house to look round, not a ruin to charge about in.
Known for: A 14th century pele tower joined to a Jacobean mansion
Elsdon · open
A chance to explain why even the vicar needed a tower, on a village green made for running about.
Known for: A fortified vicarage recorded in 1415
Kielder · NE48 1ER · open
Not a fortress, but it's the start of Kielder's forest trails and bike routes, which is what they came for anyway.
Known for: The Duke of Northumberland's hunting lodge at the heart of Kielder Forest
Corbridge · NE45 5PJ · open
Room to run about inside the walls (ball games allowed, kites not), a real medieval toilet to giggle at and battlements to walk along.
Known for: One of England's least altered fortified medieval manor houses
Prudhoe · NE42 6NA · open
A gatehouse, a deep ditch and a cracking story: this castle saw off William the Lion of Scotland twice.
Known for: Holding out against two Scottish sieges in 1173 and 1174
Allen Banks, near Haydon Bridge · NE47 7BP · open
A ruin at the end of a woodland walk is the oldest trick in the book for getting reluctant legs moving, and this one works.
Known for: A ruined pele hidden in the Allen Banks woods
Greenhead · open
A gaunt ruin you can walk right up to, and a neat way to explain where so much of Hadrian's Wall went: some of it is in here.
Known for: Built with stone robbed from Hadrian's Wall
Dilston, near Corbridge · open
More of a Jacobite story to tell in the car than a day out for small children.
Known for: Home of the Jacobite Earl of Derwentwater, executed in 1716
Langley on Tyne · NE47 5LU · open
A real medieval tower you can sleep in, if the budget stretches. Afternoon tea is the cheaper way through the door.
Known for: A tower with 12 medieval garderobes
Humshaugh · open
Nothing for a family visit beyond a look.
Corbridge · open
A small tower in the middle of town: a two-minute look on the way to an ice cream.
Known for: One of Northumberland's three fortified vicarages
Belsay · NE20 0DX · open
The Wild Man play area, a playground by the café and trails, then a walk through the old quarry garden that ends at an actual medieval castle. Probably the best all-round family castle day in the county.
Known for: The quarry garden walk from a Greek Revival hall to a medieval castle
Cresswell · NE61 5JU · open
A real pele tower a few minutes from the beach at the top of Druridge Bay, and it comes with its own ghost story.
Known for: The legend of the White Lady
Morpeth · NE61 2PW · open
You can sleep in a proper castle gatehouse (it sleeps 7), which is an easy sell to any child; everyone else gets a look from outside.
Known for: Holding out in a Civil War siege in 1644
Bothal · open
A gatehouse castle to look at from outside; not a visit.
Mitford · open
A broken keep on a mound. Better as a story than a visit.
Known for: A five-sided keep
From The Northumbrian Almanac: anything in the next three months at one of these castles.
Until Sun 1 Nov
Bamburgh Castle, Bamburgh
An indoor trail of theatrical sculptures around the castle, each one hiding a common saying for children to work out. Included with admission and a good one for a wet day. Organiser ↗
Until Sun 1 Nov
Bamburgh Castle, Bamburgh
Costumes and props from the Netflix series set in Bebbanburg, including Uhtred's sword and shield, shown in the King's Hall. Included with a castle ticket, and the Wessex Throne is there for photos. Organiser ↗
Until Mon 26 Oct
Bamburgh Castle, Bamburgh · £39.95 adults, £19 children 5 to 16, under 5s free (includes castle admission)
A 90 minute guided walk with Ragnar Lundgren through the real history behind Uhtred of The Last Kingdom, with all-day castle entry included. Some paths are steep and uneven, so it is not suited to limited mobility. Organiser ↗
Until Thu 22 Oct
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick
The castle's 2026 season ends on 22 October, so there is still time for the State Rooms, the grounds and the October weekend events before it closes for winter. Organiser ↗
Thu 1 Oct to Sun 1 Nov
Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens, Belsay · Included with normal admission; English Heritage members free · Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens
Pupils from Bridgewater Primary show nature-inspired art, including photography and collages of Belsay Hall made with local artist Lindsey Robinson. Included in a normal visit. Organiser ↗
Thu 1 Oct to Sat 31 Oct
Kielder Castle, Kielder · Halloween sheet £1.50, or free with the £4 trail pack
Find the cauldrons along the 1.5 mile Room on the Broom trail at Kielder Castle, solve the clues and finish the crossword for a sticker. The gravel path suits pushchairs, apart from one short steep bit. Organiser ↗
Sat 3 Oct to Sun 4 Oct
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick · Included with castle admission
The Newcastle Garrison live history group fires a replica Napoleonic cannon on the Gun Terrace every hour, weather permitting. Organiser ↗
Sat 3 Oct to Sun 1 Nov
Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens, Belsay · Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens
Artist Dan Gough's installation of 400 ceramic squirrels, made in response to the decline of the red squirrel, returns to the North East in the East Quarry Meadow. A small number of the squirrels are for sale. Organiser ↗
Sunday 4 October 2026, 11:00
Prudhoe Castle, Prudhoe · Free
The inner ward and manor house at Prudhoe Castle open on the first Sunday of the month; the outer ward is free to explore every day. Upper floors and the chapel are reached by steep steps. Organiser ↗
Sat 10 Oct to Sun 11 Oct
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick · Included with castle admission
Costumed experts bring a Victorian kitchen to life with traditional tools, period ingredients and historic menus. Organiser ↗
Sat 24 Oct to Sun 1 Nov
Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens, Belsay · Included with normal admission; English Heritage members free · Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens
English Heritage's half-term Halloween at Belsay, with interactive storytelling, spooky games, a themed trail and a daily fancy dress competition. Booking ahead online saves 15%. Organiser ↗
Sunday 1 November 2026, 13:00
Cresswell Pele Tower, Cresswell · Free
The volunteer-run medieval tower opens for an All Saints Day and Halloween afternoon, and the walled garden next door is free to visit too. Parking is about 200 metres away. Organiser ↗
Sunday 22 November 2026, 10:00
Kielder Castle, Kielder · £38 solo, £46 team of two (plus booking fee)
A winter run, bike, run from Kielder Castle: a 10km trail run, 12km on red-graded mountain bike trail and a final 7.5km run, raced solo or as a pair. Organiser ↗
Sat 28 Nov to Sun 29 Nov
Ford, Etal, Heatherslaw and Ford Castle, Ford
More than 70 stalls spread across Ford, Etal, Heatherslaw and Ford Castle, with vintage buses between the villages, outdoor food and festive entertainment. Admission tickets are sold at the estate information points and dogs on leads are welcome. Organiser ↗
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We list 39: every castle, tower and bastle we think is worth knowing about for a day out, from the big paid castles to towers you can see from the road. It isn't every fortified building in the county: Preston Tower alone was one of 78 pele towers recorded in Northumberland by 1415.
14 are free to wander round: Berwick Castle, Berwick Ramparts, Duddo Tower, Etal Castle, Norham Castle, Edlingham Castle, Harbottle Castle, Tosson Tower, Woodhouses Bastle, Black Middens Bastle House, Dally Castle, Prudhoe Castle, Staward Peel and Thirlwall Castle. Another 10 are free to look at from outside only. Parking is not always free, so check each castle's page.
The ones with enough under a roof are Bamburgh Castle, Preston Tower, The Craster Arms, Alnwick Castle, Chillingham Castle, Chipchase Castle, Aydon Castle, Langley Castle and Belsay Castle. Most of the rest are open ruins, so save them for a dry day.
The easiest are Aydon Castle and Belsay Castle. Partly manageable, with steps or rough ground somewhere: Lindisfarne Castle, Berwick Castle, Berwick Ramparts, Etal Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Alnwick Castle, Dunstanburgh Castle, Warkworth Castle and Prudhoe Castle. Each castle's page says which bits are a problem, so you know whether to bring a carrier.
Of the paid castles, Bamburgh Castle, Preston Tower and Belsay Castle list winter opening, Bamburgh Castle only at weekends for part of it. 13 of the free ones have no closed season. Some winter months are our best estimate where a castle hasn't published dates yet, so check the castle's page before you go.
Lindisfarne Castle: Roman Polanski's Macbeth (1971) and Cold Feet. Bamburgh Castle: Bebbanburg in The Last Kingdom; also Macbeth (1971 and 2015) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Alnwick Castle: Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets; also Downton Abbey and Blackadder. Chillingham Castle: Ghosts (the Blue Boy) and Most Haunted; also the film Elizabeth.
Going by the dates on our list, the earliest are Prudhoe Castle (11th century earthwork, rebuilt in stone in the 12th century), Mitford Castle (late 11th century; stone keep early 13th century) and Alnwick Castle (from around 1096). As a site, Bamburgh Castle is older still: the crag was a royal seat of the Anglo-Saxon kings before the Normans built there. Dates for early castles are rough, because several began as earth and timber before the stone went up.
Free for English Heritage members: Dunstanburgh Castle, Warkworth Castle, Aydon Castle and Belsay Castle. Free for National Trust members: Lindisfarne Castle and Dunstanburgh Castle. Bamburgh Castle and Alnwick Castle are privately owned and give no English Heritage or National Trust discount.
Dogs are allowed, usually on leads, at Lindisfarne Castle, Etal Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Preston Tower, Dunstanburgh Castle, Warkworth Castle, Edlingham Castle, Black Middens Bastle House, Aydon Castle, Staward Peel, Belsay Castle and Cresswell Pele Tower. Not at Alnwick Castle and Chillingham Castle (assistance dogs only). Several only allow dogs in the grounds and not inside, so check the castle's page.
