Perfectly imperfect – and so much fun

Augill Castle B&B is a crenellated, turreted castle with 13 guest bedrooms set in 15 acres of Cumbrian grounds. For anyone who’s dreamed of staying in a proper castle, this is your chance. For the last 25 years it has been welcoming guests and, as a family home, they’re well used to allowing everyone to make the most of the experience.

Augill Castle was built in 1837 as an extravagant gentleman’s weekend retreat. It doesn’t aim for absolute luxury, rather comfort, friendliness and informality. Furnishings are rustic, sometimes antique, sometimes contemporary and always eclectic, with touches of humour and design flair. It’s a rare sanctuary of mild eccentricity.

There are five guest bedrooms in the main house. To suit such an idiosyncratic building all are different, with their own individual decor and quirks. Some are ideal for couples while others are perfect for families. There are turrets for wardrobes, claw-footed baths, stained glass detailing and original leaded windows with glorious views. Some have floor-to-ceiling arched Gothic windows; others bay windows stretching the whole width of the room. What they share are big comfy beds, dreamy soft linens, deep baths, decent showers and huge towels and fluffy bathrobes.

Still in the main castle but with a degree of privacy and independence there are two further superking/twin rooms at the eastern end of the castle, occupying part of an upper floor or in part of the old Orangery, with huge Gothic arched windows opening directly onto the garden. Two more rooms in the castle’s North Wing interconnect as a family suite, ideal for families or groups of friends, with a superking and twin beds – with plenty of space for another. That means there are nine guest rooms in the heart of the castle: a perfect fantasy of a distant past of knights errant and maidens, jousts and feasts.

There are two further suites in the Orangery and Gatehouse, with arched Gothic windows into your own private garden, and family Estate Houses converted from the old stables. Each comes with its own garden, front door, turrets and castellations: little mini-castles in their own right.

Breakfasts are superb, using local ingredients that are often sourced from the Castle’s own working estate that raises native cattle, sheep and pigs. Augill Castle’s aim is to serve good food cooked with love, simply and without fuss. There’s no more communal dining here – things seem to have moved on – but what was the Castle’s sitting room has been converted into The Music Room Restaurant. This serves afternoon tea taily, dinner every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with lighter suppers available on other evenings on request. Private dining is also an option: for this it’s usual to use the library, which is entirely separate from the main dining room.

If you’d like a drink before or after your meal that’s all on hand. There’s The Great British Bar for aperitifs or digestifs showcasing the best of small distillers, brewers and fermenters, as well as artisan mixers. While the focus is on domestic produce a carefully curated selection of wine and brandy vintages from the world’s finest vineyards is available to pair with your meals, and Augill Castle is fully licensed. But the excellent service is never intrusive: it’s pared back in style, always on hand if needed but discreetly laid back, so that, if you want, you can make the place really feel your own.

Augill Castle is beautifully set in 15 acres of the Eden Valley amongst working farmland that provides many of the ingredients used in the kitchen. It’s right between two of the UK’s most popular National Parks, The Lake District to the east and the Yorkshire Dales to the south, with the North Pennines AONB filling in the gap to the northwest. There are few more beautiful parts of the UK.

Best of all is your spectacular home, with its refined but relaxed 5* comforts, relaxed and romantic but also informal and forgiving. The atmosphere varies with the seasons. In a quiet midweek winter night you might have the place almost to yourself, with the chance to play on the piano and fulfil your castle fantasies on the battlements and in the grounds. During school holidays families fill the place: as your hosts never tire of pointing out ‘Augill Castle has always been at its happiest when it is full’.