Stay in a castle 1

Step back in time to the days of knights and battles, when castles were vital to the defence of a kingdom. Visiting historic castles is undoubtedly a highlight of any trip to Britain, but if you really want to live Britain’s heritage, why not stay overnight?

Royal connections

Step back in time to the days of knights and battles, when castles were vital to the defence of a kingdom. You’ll feel like royalty while staying in an apartment in Hampton Court (www.hrp.org.uk), Henry VIII’s palace on the banks of the Thames, or spending a night in the Garden House of Powis Castle (www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-powiscastle_garden/), a spectacular medieval castle that was home to Welsh princes. Imagine pledging your allegiance to royalty north of the border by staying in Traquair Castle (www.celticcastles.com/castles/traquair/index.html), Scotland's oldest inhabited house, originally owned by the kings of Scotland.

Steeped in history

Wherever your visit to Britain takes you, you’re never far from a castle reflecting thousands of years of human habitation. Amberley Castle (www.amberleycastle.co.uk/), for example, has stood in the West Sussex countryside for over 900 years, originally beginning life as a hunting lodge for the Bishops of Chichester. A later owner was Queen Elizabeth I, who held the lease from 1588 to 1603.

20th century newcomers!

Jumping forward in time to a 20th-century building; Bovey Castle (www.boveycastle.com/pages/home.asp), set within 368 square miles of the Dartmoor National Park in South West England, is an Edwardian mansion built in 1906 that has been transformed into a prestigious holiday retreat. The castle promises to have the ambience of a permanent house-party of the 1920s and 30s – a touch of Agatha Christie, the Orient Express and Hercule Poirot all rolled into one.