England’s Greatest Castles: A County-by-County Guide
England is a country stitched together by castles. Drive an hour in almost any direction and you’ll pass one — a crumbling Norman keep on a hilltop, a moated medieval fortress, a royal residence still flying its flag. But with over 800 castle sites scattered across the country, where do you actually start?
That’s exactly what this guide is for. We’ve travelled the length of England — tent in the boot, flask of tea at the ready — to bring you the very best castles in England, organised county by county so you can plan a proper trip rather than a scattergun sightseeing dash. And because this is Campsites and Castles, we’ll point you towards the camping opportunities near each one, so you can turn a castle visit into a full weekend under canvas.
If you’re planning a bigger adventure across the whole of Britain, start with our Complete Guide to UK Castles and come back here when you’re ready to dig into England specifically.
Let’s head north and work our way down.
Northumberland: England’s Castle County
If England has a castle capital, it’s Northumberland. Centuries of Anglo-Scottish conflict left this wild, beautiful county with more castles than any other in England — and several of the country’s most spectacular.
Bamburgh Castle is the show-stopper. Rising from a volcanic outcrop directly above one of Britain’s finest beaches, it’s the castle you’ve seen on a hundred calendars, and it’s even better in person. The current fortress dates largely from the Norman period onwards, but the site has been fortified for well over a thousand years. Arrive early, walk the beach at low tide, and look back at the castle from the dunes — it’s one of the great views in England.
Alnwick Castle, seat of the Dukes of Northumberland for over 700 years, is the second-largest inhabited castle in the country. Film fans will recognise it instantly (those broomstick lessons had to happen somewhere), and the neighbouring Alnwick Garden makes it a brilliant full-day visit for families.
Dunstanburgh Castle offers something different: a gaunt, romantic ruin reachable only on foot along the coast from Craster. The half-hour walk — kippers from the famous smokehouse in hand, ideally — is half the pleasure.
Camp nearby: the Northumberland coast is superb camping country, with sites within easy reach of all three castles. It pairs beautifully with a Hadrian’s Wall detour too.
Camping Near Bamburgh Castle: The Best Sites in Northumberland
Yorkshire: Ruins, Keeps and Royal Drama
Yorkshire’s castles tell the story of medieval power struggles in England’s biggest county.
Richmond Castle in the Yorkshire Dales boasts one of the oldest stone keeps in the country, with views down the River Swale that justify the climb alone. Skipton Castle is one of the most complete medieval castles in England — fully roofed, wonderfully preserved, and a favourite with children who want a castle that still feels like a castle.
Don’t overlook Middleham Castle, childhood home of Richard III, sitting quietly in racehorse country, or the dramatic clifftop ruins of Scarborough Castle, where 3,000 years of history overlook the seaside town below.
Camp nearby: the Dales and the North York Moors are packed with campsites, making Yorkshire ideal for a multi-castle touring weekend.
Cumbria: Border Strongholds and Lakeland Romance
Carlisle Castle guarded England’s north-western frontier for 900 years and has seen more sieges than almost any other in the country. Mary, Queen of Scots was held here; the castle’s medieval walls still dominate the city.
Further south, Muncaster Castle near Ravenglass combines a lived-in historic house with gardens, owls, and a reputation as one of Britain’s most haunted homes — while pretty Sizergh Castle near Kendal offers a gentler, National Trust-flavoured day out on the edge of the Lake District.
Camp nearby: you’re spoilt for choice — the Lake District is arguably England’s best camping region, and both castles sit within easy striking distance of lakeside sites.
Warwickshire: The Medieval Blockbusters
Warwick Castle is England’s great castle theme-day experience. Yes, it’s commercial — but beneath the jousting shows and birds-of-prey displays sits a genuinely magnificent medieval fortress on the River Avon, with over 1,100 years of history. For families, it’s hard to beat.
Just down the road, Kenilworth Castle offers the perfect counterpoint: vast, ruined, atmospheric, and steeped in the story of Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, who rebuilt whole sections of it to woo her. Visit both in one trip and you’ve experienced two completely different sides of English castle life.
Camp nearby: there are several well-regarded campsites within twenty minutes of Warwick, making this one of the easiest castle-camping weekends in the country — we cover the best options in our guide to campsites near Warwick Castle.
Best Campsites Near Warwick Castle: Your Complete Guide
Kent: The Gateway Fortresses
Kent has always been England’s front door, and its castles were built to keep that door firmly shut.
Dover Castle is the big one — the largest castle in England, commanding the White Cliffs with a great Norman keep at its heart and secret wartime tunnels burrowed deep beneath. Allow a full day; there’s easily that much to see.
Leeds Castle (confusingly nowhere near Leeds) calls itself “the loveliest castle in the world,” and rising from its moated island, it makes a decent case. Hever Castle, childhood home of Anne Boleyn, adds Tudor romance and superb gardens to the county’s roster.
Camp nearby: the Kent Downs and the coast around Folkestone offer plenty of sites, and the county works brilliantly as a heritage camping trip from London.
East Sussex: The Picture-Perfect Moat
Bodiam Castle might be the most photographed castle in England, and one look at it explains why: a perfectly symmetrical 14th-century fortress rising sheer from a broad moat, looking exactly the way a child would draw a castle. It’s a ruin inside, but the exterior is flawless — arrive on a still morning for mirror-glass reflections.
Nearby Herstmonceux Castle offers a rarer sight: a moated castle built in warm red brick, one of the earliest brick buildings of its scale in England.
Camp nearby: the High Weald is dotted with small, characterful campsites — this corner of Sussex is perfect for a quiet couples’ camping weekend.
Dorset: The Ruin on the Hill
Corfe Castle is what happens when a thousand years of history meets Civil War gunpowder. Deliberately destroyed by Parliamentarian forces in 1646, its shattered towers still crown a steep hill above the prettiest village in Purbeck. Catch it at sunrise from the surrounding hills — or from the window of a Swanage Railway steam train — and you’ll understand why it’s a photographer’s pilgrimage site.
Camp nearby: the Isle of Purbeck has some of southern England’s best-loved campsites, several with views towards the castle itself.
Cornwall: Legends at the Edge of England
Tintagel Castle trades on the legend of King Arthur, but honestly, it doesn’t need to. The setting — a ruined medieval stronghold split across a headland and a near-island, joined by a spectacular footbridge, with the Atlantic crashing below — is unlike anywhere else in Britain.
Round out a Cornish castle trip with St Mawes Castle and Pendennis Castle, the twin artillery forts Henry VIII built to guard the Fal estuary, facing each other across the water.
Camp nearby: north Cornwall’s clifftop campsites are legendary in their own right; pitch near Tintagel and fall asleep to the sound of the sea.
Campsites Near Tintagel: Glamping and Camping in Cornwall
Berkshire: The Royal One
Windsor Castle needs little introduction: the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, a working royal residence for nearly 1,000 years, and home to St George’s Chapel, one of the finest medieval buildings in England. It’s the most-visited castle in the country for good reason — book ahead, arrive for the Changing of the Guard, and give yourself the whole day.
Camp nearby: the Thames Valley has more camping options than you might expect, putting a royal weekend within reach of any tent.
Campsites Near Windsor Castle and the Thames Valley
Shropshire & the Welsh Marches: Border Country
The border between England and Wales was once the most fought-over strip of land in Britain, and its castles show it. Ludlow Castle presides over one of England’s loveliest market towns; Stokesay Castle is technically a fortified manor house, but it’s the best-preserved one in the country and utterly charming. Just over the Herefordshire border, Goodrich Castle above the River Wye is one of the finest medieval ruins in England.
Camp nearby: the Marches are quiet, green and wonderful for wild-feeling (but legal!) camping — an underrated castle-touring region that deserves far more attention than it gets.
Planning Your English Castle Adventure
A few practical tips from our own trips before you load the car:
Membership pays for itself quickly. Many of the castles above are cared for by English Heritage or the National Trust. If you plan to visit more than three or four sites in a year, an annual membership will almost certainly save you money — and turns spontaneous “shall we stop at that castle?” moments into free detours.
Check opening days in winter. Coastal and ruined sites in particular often reduce their hours from November to March. Always check before travelling.
Book the big names ahead. Windsor, Warwick, Dover and Tintagel all get busy in school holidays; timed tickets bought online are cheaper and guarantee entry.
Pair castles with campsites. This is the whole philosophy of this site: a castle visit is a great day out, but camping nearby turns it into an adventure. You’ll catch the quiet golden-hour light after the coach parties leave, and you’ll wake up ready to explore before the crowds arrive.
Which County Wins?
If we’re forced to choose, Northumberland takes the crown — no other English county combines quantity, quality and setting quite like it. But the honest answer is that England’s greatest castle is probably the one nearest to wherever you’re pitching your tent this weekend.
Where are you heading first? Let us know in the comments — and if you’re planning a night or two under canvas near any of these, our campsites-near-castles guides will help you find the perfect pitch.
Planning a wider trip? Don’t miss our guides to the best castles in Scotland and the most spectacular castles in Wales.
