There's something really special about Langley Castle near Hexham. It's five minutes off the A69...an easy 25 minute drive from Newcastle...and it's perfectly situated for exploring the magnificent scenery of Northumberland. But there's a problem.
As soon as you leave the main road and pull into the driveway at Langley Castle, you are faced with the most wonderful view. A lot of castles are dramatic in a brutal way….but Langley Castle is the sort of castle you see in a Disney fairy tale. In other words, once you’ve arrived you’ll not want to leave.
It’s the sort of problem to have. May 17th is when Langley Castle will be opening its doors once again. In many respects though, Langley Castle has never closed. You can’t just lock the doors on a 14th century building for six months. The rooms need to be aired, the kitchen needs to be kept maintained and the grass still grows.
“We can’t wait to get going and meet our guests,” said General Manager Margaret Livingstone-Evans. “Over the last year, when we’ve been allowed to open we’ve had a 97 per cent occupancy, but any business that has no paying customers for ten months out of twelve, is not going to find things easy. Thankfully our American owner has been hugely supportive and we’ve kept the majority of our team together. We’ve been extremely busy behind the scenes devising new attractions, new tours as well as some exciting new activities here at the castle. In fact, we’ve been so creative and proactive that the Government used us as an example of how to make the best of the situation.” Most of you reading this will already be familiar with places like Hadrian’s Wall, Kielder Forest, the Northumberland Coast and the various castles. However, do you really know about their background? Do you know how Hadrian’s Wall was built or how the Romans lived. Do you know the history of the River Tyne? Do you know about some fascinating stone circles? Langley Castle has teamed-up with several local businesses to help you discover new and interesting places and well as trying something very different.
“We’re keen on using local firms and local people as much as possible here at Langley Castle. Our menus feature as much local produce as our chef can source. Nearly all of the team are from this area and, when it comes to devising interesting events or tours, we use local experience. For example, staging abseiling events. Paul Mordue is the main organiser of this really popular attraction. He wanted to raise money for Maggie’s Hospice, so he asked for 200 volunteers to find sponsorship and then get them to abseil down the castle walls. We’re now going to offer guests the opportunity to do this. Imagine if we get the bride and groom at one of the many weddings we stage here at Langley Castle to be photographed halfway down the wall. How’s that for a unique wedding snap? We’ll also have Halloween and fancy dress abseils.
Kevin Robson is a fascinating guy who knows everything there is to know about Hadrian’s Wall. His tours are wonderful. Guests will be given the opportunity to go back in time and discover Ancient Britain through the eyes of the people who lived in Northumberland 2000 years ago. As well as guided tours of Hadrian’s Wall there are tours to the castles of the Northumberland coast as well as visits to three of the oldest stone circles in Britain.
We work closely with Kielder Observatory to give guests the opportunity to visit their Dark Sky Park. Kielder is Europe’s second largest area of protected night sky. We’ve called this special event Starry Knights. We organise everything and when guests return to the castle at around midnight, they’re treated to cheese and biscuits and a nightcap.
If guests fancy having a day out exploring the region, we can provide picnics and hot drink flasks. We’ll even help with transportation if required. To be honest, whatever the guest fancies doing, we’ll get it sorted.” As you can see, Margaret is the sort of General Manager who makes things happen.
Without doubt, Langley Castle is a stunning place to stay….and there’s always something going on. And of course the castle is also home to one of the region’s top restaurants.
Langley Castle has fought a lot of battles over the year….and Covid-19 is the latest. But, as you can see, the Coronavirus never stood a chance against Margaret and her team.
For more information and to find out what's going or how to book a room or a fabulous meal, give the team a call at Langley Castle on 01434 684 019 or go onto their website, www.langleycastle.co.uk
