Greystoke Castle — Attraction in Greystoke

I am not one for leaving a negative review, but the experience we had here needs to be documented, whether for feedback or to advise others of what to expect. Upon arrival we decided to have a quick drink and some refreshments first, before considering a walk around the garden. At this point we were at an utter loss of where to go due to very miss leading signs or a total lack of them with no guidance. One sign telling us to go around the back to the café to which we did, but also a sign on the front door saying coffee shop in the butler’s pantry. On our search for the café we passed many outside areas with seating to what looked like temporary bars of somewhat but all closed or behind gates. We then decided to give this up and go inside to find the coffee shop. A man inside answered my question of to where it was, as you guess no signage. Upon entering the back room / coffee shop, ( Not quite as advertised on the website as “ Indulging in afternoon tea in the drawing room of Greystoke Castle is an experience steeped in history and elegance, As you settle into plush sofas”) Ok we are not having the full afternoon tea, but teas and a scone, in what is best described as the back broom cupboard with Ikea tables and chairs. At this point I will warn all those wishing to order anything from here to pre-order 6 months in advance!! I have never known anyone take so long to make 3 pots of tea and 3 coffees! We were the only customers there and if it was inside 30 minutes I will be amazed! God forbid if they have a rush on… While we where all ordering my partner questioned as to why a cup of tea was £8 she had seen on the till, to be told “ it was the joint tea and a scone price – Any more questions???” Now don’t get me wrong, but if that was an attempt of humour, it most certainly wasn’t, quite rude we all thought! After taking so long to what we thought was going to be a quick cup of tea, looking through the window it had started raining. We inquired about the inside castle tour, but thought £15 each was a little steep and decided not to bother, but told we cannot miss the ancient woods. We decided we would try and find the toilet and asses the weather and decide whether to do the garden tour at £6 each. We did manage to find the toilet eventually outside and around the back, these are best described as derelict and in the middle of maintenance. The toilet cistern lid was off and no handle and I presume you where expected to pull the flush manually from inside – not on your nelly was I putting my hand in there, I will pass on that then!! By this point the rain had become very heavy and looked set in for the afternoon, making a walk around the garden not very appealing. We all decided to scrap the walk and go back to base and play cards and await our Sunday dinner later that afternoon. As we were practically around the back of the castle we decided to continue around and back to the cars. We walked across the grass looking over the pond and to the entrance of the woods we were told about earlier – nothing special to see here we thought. As we approached the cars the lady from the coffee shop approached us and very angary told us this was private property and where are our tickets! I followed and approached her to personally question what was the problem? To be told very rudely this is private property and we don’t have tickets for this area please leave!! In absolute shock and dismay we quickly got in the cars to leave. At no point did we know that we was the area/garden we was expected to pay for. We visit a lot of gardens and castles, so know quite well what to expect in a castle garden. What they appear to have at Greystoke is a very large lawn and pond, with a small woods that you are expected to pay £6 to look at when you have already seen it from the café window and upon searching the outside WC. We truly expected the paid garden to be off somewhere and a little more than a bit of well-cut lawn. As a family we would never try to deceive anyone or try to do wrong, so to be spoken to in this manner is...

My partner and I love to do afternoon tea and have tried several in the area. It was a bit confusing when we first arrived, as there was no clear reception area and we weren’t sure where to wait to be seated. We had the room to ourselves, which was lovely, though I do wish we’d been seated at the bay window table. Not sure why we weren’t. Once settled, the food was delicious and plentiful, with the unique addition of cheese and crackers, which we haven’t seen before. Everything was high quality and beautifully presented. The only drawback for me was that there was no option to swap the tea for coffee, which I would have preferred.

The staff were friendly and attentive, though it was clear they’re still new to the role. For example, we had to ask for forks. Their attire was also a bit casual for the grandeur of a castle setting. That said, they did a great job packing up the generous amount of food we couldn’t finish, though some nicer takeaway boxes would be a welcome touch in the future.

Overall, a fabulous afternoon tea experience. We’ll definitely be back. I’m just nitpicking because the setting has so...

Visited the castle on the 13/7/25. The Promotional Tour lasted 50 minutes. Shown round a few rooms full of damp & dry rot, being constantly told told that Tom is going to do this & Tom is going doing to that. Had about 3 minutes of history of the castle at the end (only because i asked) £15 for a promotional tour (£25 if you want a drink & a slice of cake...really??? National Trust & English Heritage don't rip you off that much!!!) Think Mark,the guide, is more suited as a promotional manager than a guide. I am sure the castle will be great as an events venue when it is finished. For an extra fiver visit Brougham Castle (the views & history put Greystoke to shame) & Acorn Banks & Watermill. Both nearby & a lot better value for money. We visited both over the weekend. C'mon Greystoke...nice looking building outside, but you are miles away from being a...