Castle Howard in York

Looking at their booking form, they have good availability for tickets every day. The only advantage is buying ahead of time is you save £4.50 on a very expensive ticket... (I hadn't realised it was that much now!)

From their frequently asked questions "what do I do if I'm late for my arrival time sliot" the answer is
"If you happen to be running late or early, your booking barcode will still work so there is no need to try to re-book. Please check our public opening times if you have any concerns."

I have rung them this morning and they confirm that you will be able to enter what ever time you arrive but bear in mind last entry to the house is 3pm and gardens is 4pm.

We did Castle Howard in 2017 and purchased tickets at the door.
We enjoyed visiting the Castle.

We bought Castle Howard tickets the day before our visit in May. No problem. Not crowded.

I was just watching this last night looks like quite a shack

https://youtu.be/kDOTG4gGp6s?si=yn79gOn_q-kPX1tP

(I hadn't realised it was that much now!)

wasleys, that's what kept me from going there on this past trip. Well, that and the fact that I was there in 1996 and the time factor. I must say that Chatsworth House was pretty grand and I really enjoyed that. But I think Castle Howard is even more expensive.

Although I did love seeing all the peacocks on the grounds at Castle Howard.

Thank you for your comments to my post. It is helpful to know there is flexibility around a timed entry. I’ll check availability as we get closer to August.

You are right Mardee. Castle Howard is a lot more expensive than Chatsworth and the house just doesn't have the WOW factor of Chatsworth. I must admit I have been quite disappointed on the two trips I've been there (one was an 'ordinary 'visit, the other was for the Christmas decorations. ) There are better and more impressive stately homes

We were hoping to visit Chatsworth on this trip but it was too difficult to get there from either London or York. We originally booked a couple of days in the Peak District which is where Chatsworth is located, before traveling to York. But the timing didn't work....Maybe another trip.

To Chatsworth in the Summer, from London, you could take East Midlands Trains to Chesterfield, then the special Open Top 'Peak Sightseer' buses from the Station to Chatsworth at 1012 and 1102,

Returning at 1652, 1752 and 1822

There is then an hourly service from Chatsworth to Castleton and the Blue John Cavern during the day.

Or train to Sheffield for the hourly all year #218 (from the adjacent Sheffield Interchange) to Chatsworth and Bakewell, last one back at 1907. It is a 47 minute journey.

PS- York to Sheffield takes between 45 minutes and 1 hour 10 minutes by direct train, at least hourly, sometimes 2 or 3 time an hour.