Barnard Castle: County Durham

Number 19 - Barnard Castle

After staying at Lumley castle overnight we set off in the morning and headed for Barnard castle. It's managed by the English Heritage and sits in a lovely little market town. We parked a bit of a walk away, but it wasn't a problem as there were lots of things to look at as we pootled along.

From the outside the castle doesn't look like there's that much to see and do, but once you get in it's actually really big with lots of the ruin still in tact. We were pleasantly surprised and actually spent quite a while there.

It was built in the 12th century and overlooks the Tees Gorge, so lots of fantastic views. You could climb stairs that took you to the top of the various turrets.

There was also a lovely herb and flower garden which Chloe loved as she is a keen gardener.

There were swathes of green fields, and crossing them took you to other parts of the castle and a rather lovely drawbridge etc. It must have been really huge when it was all in one piece.

Costs: £5 approx for adults

Hints and tips: Don't be deceived by first impressions, you get a lot of castle for your money!

Lumley Castle: Chester-lee-Street, England

Number 18 - Lumley Castle

Lumley Castle was a special one as we were staying there overnight. Us, sleeping in a castle - the dream has become reality! We took advantage of a Groupon deal for a discounted stay there. It was only once we hit the road that we realised we had a crazy distance to travel. Luckily we'd planned to see castles on the way up and way back to make the most of it.

By the time we got to Lumley, the journey up had already taken us to Ashby de la Zouche, Bolsover, Sandal and Pontefract. So we were tired and ready for bed - ideally a 4 poster bed.

We turned off a roundabout and drove up an incredibly long driveway, when we saw Lumley in the distance we just started clapping and whooping, it looked like paradise.

Lumley castle was built in the 1300s and is named after the man who created it, Ralph Lumley. Unfortunately Ralph didn't get to enjoy his amazing home as he was involved in a conspiracy to overthrow the King. It all went wrong, he was captured and executed. So me and Chloe were determined to enjoy it on his behalf.

When we arrived there was a prom in full flow with lots of limos arriving and puffy dresses on show. We stood there critiquing people's outfits (less is more etc etc) and it all made me feel very old, even though I am actually young and cool, obviously.

Checking into our delightful little room was lovely, it was in a cottage round the edge of the castle. We had a twin room, with very posh and luxurious furnishings. The towel holder was something to behold, a little gold/brass woman with a very posh toilet:

After that we went for a wander round the grounds which were beautiful. The castle itself was really big and most of it was used as the hotel and restaurant. Staff were in medieval dress which was a nice touch. Lots of basques and art work to look at too.

As the prom was in full swing we decided to get room service. We went for the fanciest thing on the menu... a burger and sticky toffee pudding for dessert. It came in huge silver domes so we felt very posh eating it on our beds.

Cost: You'd need to stay or eat at Lumley to get access to it, so costs would vary.

Hints and tips: as Lumley is an event venue, maybe check on their website or call them to see if any other events are happening when you want to visit. As this could restrict the bits of the castle you can see.

Want to know why we're visiting this castle? Find out more about our challenge.