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Yes you really can take the kids to stay in a haunted castle. There is a Haunted Castle at St Briavels Gloucestershire and what’s more it won’t cost you a fortune.
St Briavels Castle near Lydney in Gloucestershire is bona fide 12th Century castle featured in many ‘most haunted’ tv programmes. Owned by English Heritage and operated by the Youth Hostel Association, St Briavels Haunted Castle must be one of the most unusual places that you can stay for the bargain sum of £65 for a private room for 4 – yes that’s for the whole room for 4 people, not per person. Dorm beds start at £18 per person per night. Check website for details of up to date pricing and availability – this place is popular and gets booked well in advance.
If you haven’t been youth hostelling for many years you will be pleased to know that the daily chores are history so you won’t be washing up or sweeping the floors. You will be supporting an organisation that maintains some unique buildings and you get the chance to stay in some inspirational places. For every kid who has dreamt of going to Hogwarts, staying the night at St Briavels Haunted Castle may be the closest they are going to get and my dds were raring to go.
St Briavels Haunted Castle has been many things over the years, a hunting lodge for King John in the 13th Century, a courtroom, a debtors prison and an armaments store. Executions took place here and its easy to believe that the souls of the imprisoned and the executed may still wander the uneven stony corridors within <shiver>.
We had a family dorm room for 6 people and our friends had a family room for 4 people up a stone spiral staircase. Our room, the Oubliette holds some ghastly secrets. The dorms are basic with bunk beds and spartan furniture. You don’t come here for luxury accommodation you come here for the experience!
To read more about St Briavels Haunted Castle please continue to the original post from Where Jo Goes by clicking here.
NB: Image is by Thomas Tolkein
You crack me up. Great time reading this and enjoyed the photo too.