May 17th 2021 will go down as a key date in the illustrious history of Langley Castle in Northumberland. It was when guests returned to the hotel following the final Covid lockdown. This stunning building, dating back to the 14th century, came back to life
Like everyone in the hospitality industry, it was a troubling time for General Manager, Margaret Livingstone-Evans. She needn’t have worried.
“Since reopening we’ve been very close to 100 per cent capacity,” says Margaret. “We were concerned that we may struggle without foreign tourists being allowed into the country, but we’ve been overwhelmed with visitors from all over the UK. We are now starting to see visitors from abroad arriving at the hotel. Overall we’re busier than we have been at any time in the last ten years…and we are almost fully booked all the way through until Christmas. It’s wonderful.”
We shouldn’t be surprised. If you flick onto review websites to check out Langley Castle, the headline words are…fabulous, stunning, wonderful, unique, ten out of ten.
There’s something magical about Langley Castle Hotel near Hexham. Situated five minutes off the A69 and an easy 25 minute drive from Newcastle, it’s perfectly situated for exploring the magnificent scenery of Northumberland.
And there’s always something going on.
“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 a day out exploring the region, we can provide picnics and hot drink flasks. We’ll help with transportation if required. To be honest, whatever the guest fancies doing, we’ll sort it.”
Local experts offer guided tours and bring to life the rich history of Northumberland. You’ll be fascinated by some of the things and places you’ll discover. Various events take place at the castle itself. Fancy abseiling down the castle walls? Children are also catered for by being given the chance to study the history of Langley Castle in a humorous, vibrant and edgy way. Langley Castle call it Hairy History’ and you can download it at langleycastle.co.uk/en/history-for-kids. Much of it links to topics covered by the Key Stage history syllabus.
When it comes to weddings, can you think of a more dreamy place for a fairy tale day? A new woodland wedding area within the castle grounds lit with festoon lighting is proving very popular and, here’s something different, Langley Castle Hotel can help create a real life Romeo and Juliet story by helping couples to elope and get married. A wedding for just two people. How romantic.
Fancy some fine dining? Langley Castle Hotel has an award winning restaurant which uses as much local produce as the chef can find. Langley Castle has fought a lot of battles over the years, but Margaret and her team have come through this latest encounter with flying colours.
Langley Castle Hotel is open for business…good luck trying to get a room for the night though