Whittington Castle — Attraction in Whittington

First day open after refurbishment. Toilets clean but in a very bad state of repair & only 2 unisex cubicles on whole site. By lunchtime both were out of order. Only other toilets available are in a nearby ( very small) coffee shop, not connected to the castle. Appalling given that the site has supposedly just been refurbished. Staff in café generally friendly & helpful, one young man in particular who went out of his way to be helpful. Food was good, except that smoked salmon with cream cheese & rocket on a ciabatta & a bloomer sandwich came without the cream cheese & rocket as specified on the menu with no explanation. One portion of cream cheese was produced after a long wait, but the second portion had to be requested four or five times, until finally the information was given that the cream cheese had run out. Hiccups like this could have been forgiven as it was the first day open, if we had been properly informed but to fail to let us know what was going on wasn't OK. The till wasn't working when we went to pay - again, surprising after a "refurb" The site is lovely for a peaceful stroll and the board with information about the castle...

A pleasant castle with a good gatehouse and the rest in ruins. Easy to find and well signposted. Parking was good and no problems finding a space on a hot, sunny day. There is also an overspill car park just in case. The modern toilets adjacent to the car park are unisex, which confused a few people. The ticket machine was not working, so we paid in the café. The path leading to the gatehouse is suitable for people with mobility problems, with a mix on other parts of the site, meaning most of the site is readily accessible. It was easy to imagine how it was in days gone by and lots of odd corners to explore.

Plenty of space for children to play/run on large, flat grassy areas. Although no designated play area, there is a gazebo viewpoint to climb up to. The café/shop is adjacent to the gatehouse and was busy while we were there, selling (well stocked) ice creams, etc. Staff were welcoming...

The castle is mainly a ruin, but this is a community run castle where lots of events and weddings are held throughout the year. Large pay car park but no admission fee to the castle grounds which are open day and night. Lovely duck pond that was part of the original moat. Quality wooden bridge over it. Nice place to walk your dog with lots of wild grassed areas. Children's play park behind the castle grounds. Large church opposite where events are held. The olde boot pub and restaurant is opposite where good food is served. There is a cafe at the castle for food, plus you can purchase duck food here to feed the ducks. The part of the castle that remains intact is haunted. Ghost groups do investigations regularly here, plus Most Haunted was filmed here several years ago. Overall it's a nice place to spend a...