Upnor Castle — Attraction in Frindsbury Extra

Poor unfriendly welcome. Apparently as it is council run you have to do both the nhs app and also they do their own written record. Wasn't the case at another council run place earlier today. Lady doing tickets was almost rude and gave the impression that as it was council run they were better than anyone else by what she said and how it was said it. She just just kent on counter staring at my card, did she even want me to visit before she said she had ti see a name on the card to record for track and trace, since when is id required for that? I hope they are volunteers and not paid staff as i saw 5 staff.. all just wasting time talking, as you made such a big thing of the rules you have come up with why don't you do the basics and sanitise the high contact areas.. handrails counters etc... it was made clear on entry you must spend 10 minutes in each area no more. I was TOLD my visit had to last 45 minutes! There is no seating on the benches in the grounds... but on the council bench outside the gate you can all sit, does that really make sense? They have covered up closing times on the board outside.. why? It states on the council webpage and english heritage website the opening and closing times. If you stick to their covid rules don't bother trying to read the panels in the poorly lit area where they are displayed as unless your a very quick reader there will not be time. My ticket i got on arrival is apparently a timed entrance ticket, however you just go straight in... and entrance information online says no pre booking just turn up! So in fact it is not a timed ticket its just the receipt for paying to get in (btw no hand sanitiser was used before serving me but I was forced to use it even though a lot affect my skin) There is clearly something a miss at the site with regard to use of staff time, covid 19 changes and processes. The entrance fee was not worth it here, look at the picture on the board outside there is nothing else to be gained by going in. The small village surrounding it is delightful and nice to see. There is also a free car park as you approach the village, best to park here as limited parking and turning space...

Upnor castle was one of those places on the list to visit that we never got round to. Now reopened for the summer and having joined English Heritage, we enjoyed complementary entry. Crucial and unexpected to the attraction was the short stroll from the car park through lower Upnor (the historical village). However brief, walking down this high street was steeped in atmosphere with traditional vernaculars of various periods lining the street. Before hitting the water's edge a left turn brings you through the gate of the castle grounds, at that point all very 19th century in feel. The grounds surrounding the fortifications, while not overly big, do enjoy significant tranquility. In fact, given the very militaristic history one is visiting, this is another delightful surprise and we ended our visit relaxing a while on one of the benches provided for seating. The castle itself has a few rooms set up for visit with a somewhat lacklustre text-panel based exhibition mounted in the main building. While one gets a sense of the strategic importance and the fateful battle with the Dutch exposing complacency, disarray in the chain of command, lack of morale in the military, and defensive weaknesses, it's a little tiresome to put the essentials together from the current dated presentation. Surely more could be made of this to make a visit more rewarding. Still, it is pleasant how free one is to wander the various buildings, rooms, courtyard and bastion. The place is keeping a sense of adventure, making it also very enjoyable for the young. Meanwhile the views over the waterway lend a sense of geographical context as well as an interesting view through time with the recent fronting dockside development. All in all we enjoyed our visit and would recommend to come to Upnor if for the atmosphere alone. If you have time, perhaps linger in one of the villages pubs or...

What can I day, I love this castle, its a great place for kids to explore and spend time in the gardens. This time, we decided to bring our friends kids as well (they were working and we were on leave). This is promoted by Engkish Heritage with the membership of 6 children can come along with an Adult.

Not even in the Castle or Grounds, my wife was waiting for me and one of the staff came out and just gave my wife and the kids the most nasty look. Basically, an issue with people with several kids. As I came around the corner all I could see was this rude woman, giving the stink eye to all the kids and my wife....ànd the me. The boys were excited and were looking into part of the building block, she blatenly had an issue.

We go into the gatehouse to get out tickets and at that point I was disgusted. She then started watching the kids like a hawk, with a look of disgust on her face. Nothing was said by her, it didn't need to be, we were not welcome.

I went to show my membership number online as I had only just joined. She then spoke up "We can't use membership numbers! Nothing we can do". No hello or niceties and trying to stip.us entering. After me stating that this is not right and I am a member She then pushed a leaflet in front of me and stated "This is an ENGLISH HERITAGE site, not a playground you know' At this point I took the tickets and said "Yes I know".

I am absolutely disgusted by her attitude and rudeness Part of English heritage is to drive education for kids, but having someone like this immediately judging large families and basically saying don't have fun. There is a thing called Diversity and Inclusuon, and if the lady is reading this, you need better manners and actually talk to people rather than look...