Woodhouses Bastle
Walls a metre and a half thick and a stone spout for pouring molten lead on raiders. That detail alone will do the job.
The short answer
Woodhouses Bastle is in Holystone (NE65 7AN). It's privately owned and free to wander round. Free access; no set hours published.
What you actually see
A ruined fortified farmhouse, or bastle, from the Border Reiver years, with walls about one and a half metres thick and a stone spout for pouring molten lead on unwelcome visitors.
Known for: A spout for pouring molten lead on raiders.
Tips before you go
Lady's Well, a small pool where St Ninian is said to have baptised early Christians, is a short walk from Holystone for a second stop.
Where Woodhouses Bastle is
Holystone, NE65 7AN. OpenStreetMap ↗ · Directions ↗
Castles near Woodhouses Bastle
Harbottle Castle
3.5 miles north-west as the crow flies · Harbottle · Free to wander · Free
Tosson Tower
3.9 miles east as the crow flies · Great Tosson · Free to wander · Free
Elsdon Tower
4.6 miles south-west as the crow flies · Elsdon · Outside only · Free
Edlingham Castle
11 miles north-east as the crow flies · Edlingham · Free to wander · Free
Black Middens Bastle House
14 miles south-west as the crow flies · Tarset · Free to wander · Free
Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens
15 miles south-east as the crow flies · Belsay · Paid entry
All 39 castles on the map · Things to do in Wooler, Rothbury and the Cheviots
Events at Woodhouses Bastle
- Nothing listed at Woodhouses Bastle in The Northumbrian Almanac right now. It is refreshed every week.
Questions people ask about Woodhouses Bastle
How much does it cost to visit Woodhouses Bastle?
Free.
When is Woodhouses Bastle open?
Free access; no set hours published.
Is Woodhouses Bastle good for kids?
Walls a metre and a half thick and a stone spout for pouring molten lead on raiders. That detail alone will do the job. Time needed: 20 to 30 minutes.
Is there parking at Woodhouses Bastle?
Car park in the Holystone Grange parkland, then about 0.1 miles on a permissive path.
Is Woodhouses Bastle worth visiting on a rainy day?
Not really. Most of it is outdoors, so save it for a dry day.
What is Woodhouses Bastle famous for?
A spout for pouring molten lead on raiders.
All the castles
39 castles on a map
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