Barden Tower — Attraction in Barden

ok 1st off the POSTCODE BD23 6AT had me at a finishing point roughly 2miles away from the tower/ruin on a very tight twisty B-road (which has got some stunning views around sunset!!!!

next a nice sign found in the parking area, in short if your not a paying guest/customer then there's a parking fee of £10 (I've an image to show this (this is undoubtedly due to people parking on the grounds & then popping off for a walk along the river or along several other walk ways nearby)

anyway! the area is very quiet/peaceful (unless you manage to have a royal mail van pulling up nearby blasting music out lol)

anyway (again) the ruin is situated on a hill top next to a small restaurant & I believe a small chapel (no-one was around so I didn't go near the chapel just incase) all the open area's are fenced off so you cant journey inside, which does spoil the occasion somewhat & quite afew signs on the ruin itself warning not to climb or go inside etc due to dangerous conditions. I'm not sure why its referred to as a tower as it looks to be more of a ruined house without any tower??!!??

overall its a nice place to have a short visit, however theres not much to see "there is a lot of ducks present as you'll notice in my images!" you cant picnic near the site, so it kinda spoils that for children.. theres lots of partially covered rocks on the rear side with nettles & weeds around so you'll need to keep an eye out for younger kids. there is a nice river walk & parking area just next to a nice bridge (see map you cant miss it) this walk way has nice peaceful views however you cant really see the tower due to its location back away from the river behind a small wood etc. however if you've plans to visit here, your best bet would be to visit the abbey just down the road ^& take a stroll to this tower/house ruin & back again, there is a lot more to see that way & you'll enjoy the occasion a lot more. I've not tried the restaurant (closed when we visited) so you could enjoy the ruin & the sights & ducks whilst possibly eating outside or enjoying a calm relaxing drink outside.

so I've scored it low for a ruin alone to visit, it could be improved a lot more. the last comment is the area as a whole its stunning... the Yorkshire countryside in this area is truly amazing... not forgetting other sites any family can visit making it a totally unique day out for the...

Barden Tower is Grade I Listed. It is a huge ruin with no roof and approx. 100m around its perimeter. Although there are some clear views into the interior, the building itself is not considered safe to enter and guard rails and fences are in place at ground level.

The site dates back to the 11th century when a Hunting Lodge was constructed by the Normans and which also served as the district Forest Court to mete out savage justice to poachers. DIsh of the day was wild boar.

Over the centuries the Lodge gave way to a huge fortified house. WIth various improvements and additions, in its heyday, the building would probably have been very grand. Of particular note are the Tudor type arches which allowed for relatively low but wide doorways and windows. Perhaps an interesting visit for a budding architectural student? For the rest of us, being about 4 miles up the valley from Bolton Abbey, it might be appropriate to visit both on the same day. Entry to the grounds is Free.

Within the curtilage of the tower, quite nearby, is a restaurant set up quite recently (2015) within a renovated Priests House and large adjoining Chapel which were once closely associated with the tower. (See Priests House Restaurant, Barden on...

Was there for our sons wedding,and what a beautiful, magical place it was. Wondered why they had chosen this place so far from home(Hull) till we drove up to it, and saw this magnificent building, it was breathtaking. And as for the wedding itself, the staff couldn't have been more helpful if they had tried. Was a great day and certainly one we will never forget. I would highly recommend ...