{"id":73140,"date":"2015-10-12T15:02:15","date_gmt":"2015-10-12T14:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/turkeyalwan.net\/?p=73140"},"modified":"2015-12-31T14:04:59","modified_gmt":"2015-12-31T13:04:59","slug":"top-10-most-extravagant-castles-to-stay-in-the-uk-ireland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turkeyalwan.net\/2015\/10\/12\/top-10-most-extravagant-castles-to-stay-in-the-uk-ireland\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10: most extravagant castles to stay in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

Monday newsletters<\/a>\u00a0always feature\u00a0top 10 travel lists<\/a>\u00a0to inspire.<\/p>\n

Today (October\u00a012, 2015): Top 10\u00a0<\/strong>most extravagant castles to stay in the UK & Ireland.<\/strong><\/h5>\n

One of the greatest tourist attractions for visiting the UK & Ireland is the spectacular array of castles which spread from the very far north of Scotland to the heart of England. Originally built as defensive fortresses, as the centuries past and wars were fought in more open terrain, the castle slowly became a thing of beauty. This was particularly true in Scotland where the age of enlightenment ushered in hugely important architects like Sir William Bruce or Robert Adam who was commissioned to build beautiful castles like Culzean, which combine the masculinity of a traditional castle with modern day aesthetics. During the Georgian era a lot of fortified houses were built to give the impression of a castle but offered the comfort of a family home.<\/p>\n

The Victorian era ushered in new architects like James Gillespie Graham (Ayton Castle), William Smith (Balmoral Castle) or the very famous David Bruce (Balfour Castle). This was a more ostentatious era and a lot of these castles did not survive the post war period, having been used as schools, hospitals and army billets and effectively trashed. Indeed in the 1960\u2019s they were pulling down castles at the rate of two a week and particularly in Scotland & Ireland, many were lost. The scale of the Victorian castles was simply not sustainable and few could afford to keep them up. However somehow a lot did survive and there are some wonderful examples throughout Britain.<\/p>\n

If you are looking to stay in a truly extravagant castle, here is my\u00a0list of the top 10.\u00a0Despite crippling costs and decades of punitive taxation many of these\u00a0historic castles have thrived over the last twenty years and many embrace everything from weddings to rock festivals. \u00a0There are different avenues for making money but the running costs of these old buildings are huge and relentless, so their owners are to be commended for preserving such a vital part of the UK and Ireland’s heritage.<\/p>\n

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10. BALFOUR CASTLE<\/a><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Balfour Castle on Orkney, designed by David Bruce, is a fine example of a beautifully preserved, Scottish Baronial castle. Watching over a tiny island, 6 miles long, this castle is first and foremost a family home and it retains every bit of its Victorian splendour having been luxuriously renovated and decorated with every modern comfort. Once you have arrived at the castle, it gives the feeling of being exceedingly remote, however, it is relatively easy to get to by helicopter landing on the lawn or scheduled flights into Kirkwall followed by a short boat trip to the island.\u00a0With a billiards room, private cinema and media room, golf room with golf simulator visitors aren\u2019t short of things to do. For the more outdoorsy types there are wonderful walks, bird watching, tennis, trout fishing, seal watching, sea fishing trips and visits to local attractions.<\/p>\n