Huntington Castle & Gardens — Attraction in The Municipal District of Tullow

Our stay was ..first of all much to short. We( my wife and me) were totally blown out of our socks because of this beautiful experience!!! When we arrived at Huntington castle our welcome was one you would love to experience EVERY day. Our host Alexander(also the owner of the castle) was even though he was busy bringing baby sheep into this world, very hospitable and took time to show us to our room. We got an extra big bed because of my lenght and the room was in the original castle itself!!! Opening the wooden windowdoors in our bedroom presented us a fairytale everytime we opened them. Really ....staying in this castle felt like a once in a lifetime and a HUGE privelege!!! Please excuse me while writing this beautiful review if i go of topic several times and also excuse me for my (dutch) english as i am from the netherlands. There was so much warmth experienced at huntington castle i REALLY don't know where to begin or where to end...:) So as we arrived at the castle we were just in time for the complimentary castletour given by our lovely tourguide. This tour was jawdropping ,ashtonishing as it was telling us a lot about the castles history and it's inhabitants. We saw beautiful rooms...artifacts taken in by the former castleowners during their trips around the world walls covered with beduintents ....huntingtrophys from long ago ...garments worn by soldiers ....a beautifull brideschest ...a chair older than the castle itself and so on and sofort...to much to name in this review. We also went into the basement which the tourguide described as the dungeon. What we saw there i will leave for you ( the new castle explorer) to discover yourself. What i can tell you is the fact there was a well in the basement where the castle has been build around because of life neccesity number 1 Water.... The gardens with a HUGE diversity of trees...water....lifestock(chickens ,peacocks and sheep) were just as ashtonishing as the castle. Trees that have been around as long as the castle . We also had a tasty, lovely breakfast in a very beautiful breakfast room as a part of the castle itself. Next to it you can visit a tearoom where all sorts of things are being sold ...like a nice cappucino ,mouthwatering pastry's as well as toys ...books about the history of the castle etcetera etcetera. We also spoke to alexander's wife claire as we both wanted to help maintain this beautifull piece of history and got to borrow two sets of boots (their's) to help with the baby lambs. I also offered to help them paint the castle or even mow the beautiful maintained lawns just to help them out. We WILL stay in contact with alexander and claire because this is going to be a yearly comeback for me Jacko and my wife Gillian. thanks again Alexander and Claire for this unbelievable opportunity we got presented. Don't hestitate to contact us in case...

Let's start on a positive note. There is a lovely tea shop here which is free to visit. They make nice coffee and have a range of treats to go with it. At present you can sit outside in the castle yard and it is very pleasant. If you wish to visit the gardens then you need to buy a ticket. We paid €19 for a family of five. We had been to Altamont House earlier in the day and were making our way back to Kildavin. We were given stickers to show that we had paid and an impressive map. We headed into the gardens and took a stroll around. They are nice and have some very old trees but they are small and not very interesting. We had completed the circuit in less than twenty minutes. We had a look at the castle forecourt then, my back garden is bigger, and with some trepidation decided to check out the adventure playground. You walk across a nice field which was home to a pig at one time and into a small copse that houses the playground. The only adventure you will have here is avoiding being stung by nettles or scared by brambles! There are a number of slides and swings but everything is covered in moss and mildew. We were excited by a tractor racing circuit until we're realised that the one plastic tractor would not pedal or steer and there was no other tractor to race against. Because the playground is in a wood it is full of flies and midges as well! I'm not saying about this place, do go and have a coffee in the beautiful sunlit yard but don't bother with the gardens unless they reduce the price substantially! Also please note that picnics are...

What a great surprise.

Such an interesting place. Really friendly family make one feel truly welcome into their ancestral home. Packed full of wild and weird knick knacks collected by their intrepid relations whilst travelling all over the World back 100's of years ago.

The gardens are spectacular with a 500 year or more old yew tree walk. Bluebells hiding in the woods. The more you look the more you see.

Lovely olde worlde tea rooms in the court yard selling coffee and tasty cake along with an eclectic mix of really interesting books and bits and pieces.

Met a lady in the court yard with day old chicks! Not something you see everyday!

I really recommend booking in for a night or two. Wonderful breakfast of fresh local ingredients happily served by family members along with a story or two.

All the bedrooms are different, some with en suite and some not. It's like stepping into a time gone by. Worth a peek!

Take the tour of the castle at pre arranged times you will not be disappointed.

Walk from the castle in the evening down to the local pub (5 minutes) and enjoy the flavours of all the local brews and then pre book into the excellent Sho Roe restaurant for an evening meal you will not forget in a hurry.

Highly...