'In' the castle, or a 'view' of the castle?

I've stayed at LUMLEY castle in NE England - kind of between London and Edinburgh.

If you want to know about that one, let me know.... ;)

We've only stayed in two castles, in France and Germany. We really enjoyed the experiences. Looking at the photos on Langley Castle's website, the castle guest rooms had me itching to stay there. Plus easy access to all the public rooms early or late in the day. The guest rooms in what look to be the castle's former stables and outbuildings look very nice, too, and I'm sure they'd be comfortable. Just not the same ambiance. If the weather is less than pleasant, having to go outside to access the castle amenities may be a factor.

We stayed at a castle in southern France and it was quite memorable. My vote is to stay in the castle.

Allen, we haven't stayed at Langley Castle. But, we have stayed at Barcaldine in Scotland and loved it. I think you've also stayed there.

Looking at the pictures of rooms at Langley Castle, I would choose staying in the castle if it's in your budget. The castle rooms seem to have a lot of character - arched window, alcove seating in the deep stone walls in some rooms, fireplaces in others, beamed ceilings. It will be tough choosing which room to book.

You'll have a view of the castle everytime you return to the castle.

That's presuming they ever leave the castle !!

(Just kidding, I know Allan is an up-and-at-em early guy.)

I too vote for staying in the castle if the budget allows.

Langley Castle is somewhere I would love to stay at, but could never ever justify to myself on a budget basis.

It's worth noting that any rate (except the winter Sunday Lunch and stay rate, seemingly) includes a 45 minute tour of the Castle. As a local I am deeply aware of the Castles long and involved history. I must have passed there scores or even hundreds of times and wished dearly that it was open to the public, not just as a hotel.

On that basis (of the history of the place, and a suspicion that there is more to explore than I would see on the tour) if I did magic up the budget I would certainly elect to stay in the Castle itself.

Allan, I sent you a PM.

I've stayed at LUMLEY castle in NE England - kind of between London
and Edinburgh.

If you want to know about that one, let me know.... ;)

Thanks Stella. We did look at Lumley but Langley's location made more sense for this itinerary. I'd still love to know your impressions about Lumley.

I would choose staying in the castle if it's in your budget. The
castle rooms seem to have a lot of character - arched window, alcove
seating in the deep stone walls in some rooms, fireplaces in others,
beamed ceilings. It will be tough choosing which room to book.

As for budget, it's sustainable for 2 or 3 nights but certainly wouldn't be if we stayed at places like this for the entire month. It's the character of the rooms within the castle that have me leaning that way. It appears one of the view rooms has an outdoor patio that also a priority for us nowadays. We tend to look for rooms with a patio or balcony. But mid-April in the evening? How often will we use it? And a walk-in shower over a bathtub. My wife is 5' tall and a shower it's something we prioritize when possible because she has trouble stepping into the tall bathtubs.

I know enquiring minds want to know, and when we make a decision I'll update this.

I looked up its price for a couple nights in mid-April and given hotel rates nowadays, I didn’t think the rates were bad at all. Many non-castle hotels cost the same or more. Stay there if you can swing it.

I don’t think you can make a wrong decision depending on room availability and cost. I think that you will spend more time enjoying being in the room and the castle than looking at the view so I would choose the best room. Enjoy your trip

Allen, we try to balance the budget with splurges for some areas and then more economical rooms at a b&b or over a pub in others. And even some of these stays have been memorable due to the hosts or the setting.

Are you venturing into Scotland this trip? Have you come across Braidwood Castle? It's about 2 hours from Langley Castle near New Lanark in the Clyde Valley.

We did look at Lumley but Langley's location made more sense for this
itinerary. I'd still love to know your impressions about Lumley.

We mainly chose Lumley for it's location - I wanted to spend a day in nearby Seaham combing the beaches for sea glass and it was also on our route from London to Edinburgh.

We stayed in the guest house part of the estate rather than in the castle itself which suited me fine. Our room opened to a courtyard with a beautiful English garden and I enjoyed being close to the outdoors (and I made friends with the resident cat named Poppet who roamed the gardens and reminded me of my tuxedo kitty back home!) We had our meals in the castle itself and although I usually don't expect much from British cuisine, the breakfast was fantastic.

However, the decor in the guest rooms and the common areas of the castle was a little outdated - and by that I mean it evoked the 1980s rather than the 1380s!

I wouldn't call it luxurious, but we did enjoy staying there. It was quiet and charming in an understated way, and a short distance from Seaham which was our primary destination.

By the way two other Castles in Hadrian's Wall Country which you can stay at are Otterburn Castle- https://www.otterburncastle.com/

and Naworth Castle- https://www.naworth.co.uk/index.php

Don't discount using the patio/balcony in April. Certainly this April in Cumbria we had a good few days which were well mild enough. We are now in October and yesterday was certainly mild enough to use it.

This week (including this morning) I've had several days of superb sunsets and or sunrises.

I'm in a town, not in big sky Hadrian's Wall Country but the sunrise this morning was excellent. If my patio hadn't been facing in the wrong direction, it would have been a morning cuppa time watching it.

Another left field advantage of staying at Lumley Castle is that it is right next door to one of Britain's major cricket grounds and the home of Durham cricket club. There will be games there next April although whether the schedule will marry with yours is anyone's guess.

Are you venturing into Scotland this trip?

We are not. Bamburgh is a far north as we're going.