12 castles in the UK for a Traitors-style getaway

Cloaks at the ready, The Traitors’ second celebrity series is here – and the lavish setting is as key to the show as its round table duels.

As a nation firmly faithful to a staycation, many of us may be feeling the desire to lord over a UK castle like Claudia this autumn.

Unfortunately, rooms at Ardross Castle, the 19th-century house and estate where the BBC reality show is filmed, are not available to let individually.

However, similar haunts to this Gothic Scottish Highlands castle welcome fans from Fife to Bristol and it’s possible to hire whole castles, tuck in to turret rooms and slumber in affordable four-poster beds.

These paranoia-free pads host nooks built for gossip, acres of grounds for games, and breakfast spreads that your whole party can enjoy.

We've uncloaked the best stronghold stays from Scotland to Cumbria – where shields are decor, not lifelines – to make your booking mission easier.

Read more: Why Yorkshire’s ‘worst city’ is one of the best Northern getaways

UK castle stays

1. The Knoll Tower, Shropshire, England

In the heart of Weston Park with views of the Welsh borders and Shropshire countryside, the Knoll Tower sleeps two in its 18th-century turret. The tower is a shielded retreat from more sinister castle stays, with a roof terrace, spiral staircase and grand draped headboard.

Price from £844 a week

2. Knock Old Castle, Largs, Scotland

Knock Old Castle, a restored 14th-century tower house, features hand-painted ceilings and a seaview hot tub on the Ayrshire coast. Primed for plotting, the retreat sleeps eight, with two lounges for whispers and a “no-straight-lines” interior that’s bound to confuse the faithful.

Stays from £3,134 for seven nights

3. Courtyard Cottage – Drum Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

To spy on all the action at Drum Castle from the comfort of a National Trust for Scotland cottage, Courtyard Cottage sleeps two in a cosy apartment with 700 years of history. Guests can explore the castle hallways, nose around in a library of over 4,000 books or roam the grounds for a chance to see roe deer, red kites and red squirrels.

Seven nights from £581

4. Lumley Castle, Durham, England

Chester-le-Street’s Lumley Castle looms over the River Wear, and its opulent four-star suites echo a bygone era. Baroque four-poster queens clash with the wallpaper in the Bishop’s Suite, and bed chambers in the castle’s former chapel are fit for a faithful to live out a fairytale. Look out for murder mystery dinner dates to sleuth the stronghold in your very own whodunnit tied into a decadent three-course meal in the Knight’s Restaurant and a royal night’s sleep.

Rooms from £108 per night

5. Scone Palace, Perthshire, Scotland

In the heart of Perthshire, Scotland, the traditional Balvaird Wing at Scone Palace greets six guests to sleep and eat in the home of the Earls of Mansfield. Teeming with a heritage dating back fifteen hundred years to the Pictish kingdom, this is the place to don your satin cloak and dive into the great secrets of the missing Stone of Scone before tucking into a culinary feast in a grand state dining room that rivals the round table.

Two nights for six people in the Balvaird Wing Apartment from £1,300

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6. Glenapp Castle, Ayrshire, Scotland

Hidden in acres of Ayrshire woodland, Glenapp Castle’s 17 period suites promise a cosy castle stay punctuated with crystal chandeliers, bold four-poster beds in rich reds, and sprawling sea views. Start the day dining on full Scottish breakfasts and make it your mission to depart the oak-panelled halls for a Hebridean Sea Safari, hopping the headlands to bring the Traitors flair to your grand Glenapp weekend.

Rooms from £353 per night

Read more: A bottle of whisky made me a Scottish landowner – here’s how to do it

7. Birkhill Castle, Fife, Scotland

This ancestral Scottish castle on the bank of the Tay Estuary is studded with oil paintings, grand pianos and baronial bedrooms – and you can hire the whole thing for a Traitors-style retreat with up to 30 of your closest faithful. At Birkhill Castle, there’s an elegant drawing room and library with quiet corners for tittle-tattle, 1,500 acres of private estate to roam and crackling fireplaces that backdrop evening cocktails sipped from a chalice.

Stays in 2027 Birkhill Castle start from £9,000 per night

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8. Thornbury Castle, Bristol, England

If it’s Tudor opulence within the stone walls of an English castle that you seek, banish yourself to Bristol for bed chambers in Thornbury Castle. The 1520s hotel offers suites that are nothing short of stately, with period detailing winding all the way up the 77 spiral steps to the magnificent Catherine of Aragon tower suite and an unrivalled grandeur that spills into the 3AA rosette dining room.

Notable guests include royalty – namely Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn – so we’re sure the stronghold lodgings will live up to Claudia Winkleman’s standards.

Rooms from £289 per night

Read more: The Cotswolds getaway where you can play your own game of the Traitors

9. Dunskey Estate, Stranraer, Scotland

Shrouded in the shrubbery of the Dunskey Estate on Scotland’s west coast, this Edwardian castle invites guests to stay within its magic. Spacious canopy beds exude luxury, claw-footed tubs offer muscle-melting baths, and the 25 rooms, complete with original features and sea views, are naturally fit for a queen. There’s even archery, axe throwing and wild swimming on site for traitors-in-training to fine-tune their most treacherous skills.

Three nights for four people in Fawn’s Velvet Lodge from £558 plus fees

10. Augill Castle, Kirkby Stephen, England

A night’s sleep in Augill Castle in Cumbria blends antique with contemporary as stained glass windows and mahogany wardrobes meet smart bathrooms and the inventive flavours of The Music Room restaurant. Forget formal stately home etiquette; this is a castle that champions authenticity, hospitality and lively conversations around the table when it’s time to banish the kids back to their four-poster beds.

Doubles for two people from £190 per night including breakfast

11. The Broch, Isle of Harris, Scotland

For a stone tower stay safe in isolation on the Outer Hebrides, The Broch on the Isle of Harris offers stunning sea views in the Borve Lodge Estate. During a stay in the three-storey modernised ancient ruin – entered across a slate drawbridge – make it your mission to take a tour around the Isle of Harris Gin distillery without worries that your chalice will be poisoned.

Price from £260 a night

12. Mar Hall, Bishopton, Scotland

Although Mar Hall, on the southern banks of the River Clyde, isn’t a castle (it’s actually a former stately home), it wouldn’t look out of place on the BBC show. “Wandering through the corridors and grounds, you half expect to see a couple of could-be Traitors huddled together on the plush sofas, or likely Faithfuls casting anxious glances around the drawing room,” said global travel editor Annabel Grossman. With 74 rooms, luxury self-catering lodges and Scottish activities that fully embrace the outdoors, from off-roading trips with 4x4 Scottish Adventures to clay pigeon shooting, this is where to go for your own taste of The Traitors.

Rooms from £315 per night

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