Stay in a castle

Step back in time to the days of knights and battles, when castles were vital to the defence of a kingdom. Visiting historic castles is undoubtedly a highlight of any trip to Britain, but if you really want to live Britain's heritage, why not stay overnight?

Powis Castle

Royal connections

Staying in a castle is an experience you'll never forget. Imagine yourself as a king or queen, a lord or lady. You can stay in an apartment in Hampton Court (www.hrp.org.uk), Henry VIII's palace on the banks of the Thames, or spend a night in the Garden House of Powis Castle (www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-powiscastle_garden/), a spectacular medieval castle that was home to Welsh princes. Imagine pledging your allegiance to royalty north of the border by staying in Traquair Castle (www.celticcastles.com/castles/traquair/index.html), Scotland's oldest inhabited house, originally owned by the kings of Scotland.

Amberley Castle

Steeped in history

Wherever your visit to Britain takes you, you're never far from a castle reflecting thousands of years of human occupation. If only their walls could talk, what tales they would tell! Amberley Castle (www.amberleycastle.co.uk/), for example, has stood in the West Sussex countryside for over 900 years, originally beginning life as a hunting lodge for the Bishops of Chichester. A later owner was Queen Elizabeth I, who held the lease from 1588 to 1603.

Bovey Castle

20th century newcomers!

Jumping forward in time to a 20th-century building; Bovey Castle (www.boveycastle.com/pages/home.asp), set within 368 square miles of the Dartmoor National Park in South West England, is an Edwardian mansion built in 1906 that has been transformed into a prestigious holiday retreat. The castle promises to have the ambience of a permanent house-party of the 1920s and 30s - a touch of Agatha Christie, the Orient Express and Hercule Poirot all rolled into one.

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