Bickleigh Castle

We stayed a few days ago and it was wonderful. I had many questions before coming here so I will answer them in this review. We stayed in the castle room and paid £195, it was expensive but it was worth the money to have this unique experience. You have a separate entrance with a large entrance hall then up the stairs to your bedroom. The bathroom is opposite and there is a flight if steps up to the Great Hall which you can of course sit in. The bedroom has a small television and a kettle for tea and coffee. There is a large guest lounge in another building with a bigger television. We were the only ones staying here so we had the lounge to ourselves which was great. There are seats and tables in the courtyard and we sat in the sun and drank our own alcohol. There are local pubs I believe but the path would be dark to walk so we had lunch out and I ate a pot noodle for tea (dinner). We had a continental breakfast the next morning which was very filling with cereal, toast, hot croissants and fruit and yogurt. You could pay for a hot breakfast but this was ample for us. John took us on a guided tour of the castle and church which was fantastic, so historic and he was so interesting. We had such a lovely stay and I would absolutely recommend staying here.

Fascinating historic castle in a beautiful setting. The tour was incredibly interesting and informative. You really understood how proud the current owners are of their home. and combined with a cream tea incorporating locally sourced delicious scones we had a wonderful afternoon. Would totally recommend.

I stayed here for one night. It is basically a B&B which transforms into a hotel for wedding events. Accommodation is in listed thtached cottages, with one room in the castle itself. Continental breakfast was good - cooked costs extra. No evening meals but there's a good pub not far away. Staff were great. Highlight was John's knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour of his castle after breakfast - allow time for this! Overall impression - a bit amateurish, but in a good way. Great value.

A beautiful venue for a lovely tour of the castle and grounds followed with a lovely cream tea. The hosts were very knowledgeable about the historic castle, and nothing was too much trouble. The owner Sarah was so welcoming and made you feel like you were a special guest. I would highly recommend going . The atmosphere was very relaxing and you felt like it was a step back in time. Walking around the grounds was at your own pace staying for as long as you wanted. The tour was about 90 mins and John the curator was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble. I would highly recommend a visit. Open for the tour and for cream tea on Thursdays at 12:45 and 2:30 pm. April til October. (I believe) Good value for the price too.

We visited because I'd been given a voucher for a tour and cream tea. We thought at one point we were at Fawlty Towers .. confusing signage about whether or not the property was open, no-one milling around to make enquiries, when we eventually found out where to report to we were greeted with a very brusque attitude and to be informed we were lucky they had decided to open today because they were soooo busy, told to sit in the 'lovely seats' and generally spoken down to - we never discovered what they were busy doing. We felt we were an inconvenience to them. Cream tea was OK, much the same as you'd get from in any supermarket cafe - no choice of scones, seedless jam - mine didn't have any fruity lumps. I was disappointed we were asked if we wanted one or two scones. Didn't realise the state of the milk jug until after we had used some - inside could do with a good scrub so the inside is as white as the outside. We wandered around the castle and gardens - took us 30 mins max - very small. The Chapel was locked so we couldn't look in there. Fortunately we are able to find humour in our experience but we certainly won't be going back or recommend friends visit. We will, however, go back to Fisherman's Cot pub and Bickleigh Mill, both of which are around a mile from this venue, where staff are immensely more hospitable and crockery is clean!

What a lovely place to stay in a cottage in the grounds of the castle. The hosts were wonderful and John took us on the tour of the castle. There is so much history and we went over to the small chapel and had a little recital on the organ. She host made us we welcome and the breakfast as well. I would certainly return again.

From the moment we arrived we were greeted with a friendly hello from a person walking through the yard. On arriving at reception we met Wendy, a more friendly, relaxed and obliging individual you could not meet. As this is a book by appointment venue you actually felt as if you were a VIP. Wendy gave us a run down of the layout of the castle and the surroundings also the timing of the guided tour of the castle. As we booked a cream tea as part of the visit we told to let her know when we were ready for it. So informal, So relaxed. Whilst waiting for the tour we were approached by Sarah, the boss, she sat and was genuinely interested in finding out about us and also thanked us for visiting. Next was the guided tour with John. Sarah and Wendy already were giving us the heads up that John has so much information to share and he can go off on tangents. This was done in a tongue in cheek manner and you could tell they held him in high regard. The tour was very informative and yes Johns knowledge was immense. He also added the right amount of anecdotes. Fantastic. After the tour we continued chatting to John, Wendy and Sarah, again the sense of being valued was a breath of fresh air. I lived in this area for the first 20 yrs of my life and never visited. 58yrs old now and it was a superb experience. I highly recommend a trip. This was a buy a gift selection purchase given to us by family and we couldn’t have asked for a best afternoon. I will just add the walks around the gardens were so peaceful and relaxing. Thank you to the gardener who had a chat and shared the best way to go. Very friendly chap. The location is idyllic as it is right next to the river Exe. Thank you to everyone concerned. We will definitely recommend this best kept Mid Devon secret to friends and family.

Bickleigh Castle is a beautiful place. I had the pleasure of being hosted here for a wedding this weekend. The staff are very friendly and approachable. The grounds themselves are beautiful, with stunning buildings, lawn area (with croquet), tennis court and court yard. The venue are amazing at hosting, the food was on point, the decorations were fit for a princess and for myself the violinist playing modern songs meant my Bridgerton dreams were granted. The room were spacious, ours had an on-suite bathroom, hot drinks making facilities and TV. You can get appliances such as irons also at reception, although it would be great for them to be available in the rooms themselves. The beds are very comfortable with lovely soft bedding, full pillows and adjustable heating with the radiators. For weddings, I cannot recommend this place enough, our whole family and friends stayed on site and we had all buildings and the castle segment to ourselves. We were treated with respect and hospitality, and had the best time. There is plenty of room for wedding breakfasts, room for children to play and space to enjoy the sunshine and a dance floor with a bar. The staff are always available to help and to chat to, with this being said you had freedom to roam and play, it was an unforgettable weekend. Staying over two nights gave our families chance to get to know each other and make amazing memories. Thank you to all who made our stay special!

The castle is actually part of a castle, plus later buildings. The castle bit is very historic and special. However, there isn't really enough there to warrent more than a 30 minute look around. I am a member of Historic Houses so visiting cost me nothing except showing my membership card. I'd have been very very disappointed if I'd paid cash to get in. As it was, I just wasted my time. Upon arrival we wandered around the garden/grounds. Sorry, but they are scruffy although pretty, with no interesting plants for a keen gardener to enjoy. We joined the guided tour at 2.30pm but would have been better off going around on our own. We thought we'd miss out on the guide's knowledge and insight. This is where the 'oh dear' really set in. The guide talked for about an hour on bits of history very very slightly linked to the castle. He proudly showed off reproduction painting and very ordinary antique items. I am very keen on history and art, the subjects fascinate me, but I was so bored! and there was no way to escape in a polite way. The castle is also a wedding venue. They are, perhaps, better at weddings.