MUNCASTER
CASTLE & COACHMAN'S QUARTERS
Hotel, Hauntings and Hoot Owls
Haunted
castles lie all about the isles of England, but there are few that
you can stay in the haunted
rooms.
On the remote western portion
of the Cumbria Lake District, on the seaward slope of some of Britain’s
highest hills near the coastal town of Ravenglass on the Irish Sea,
you’ll find Muncaster Castle. Getting to this curious English Castle
necessitates a journey on narrow roads through very beautiful
country, but a journey most rewarding
for the adventurous soul
exploring the lakes and northwest coast. Situated
in a dale of rolling hills on extensive grounds of flowered gardens of
colorful
rhododenrons, azaleas and acres of spring Bluebells, Muncaster Castle
has been inhabited by the Pennington Family for nearly 800 years. It
has also been inhabited by a few ghosts for nearly that long as Muncaster
is reputed to be one of the most haunted buildings in the United Kingdom.
Ghost hunters of all stripe make regular trips with electro testing gadgets
and cameras.
Muncaster
Castle offers a “Ghost Sit” for groups of up to
6 for one night to weekend stays in the “Tapestry Room” where
the most regular spirit occurrences seem to take place. The visit includes
a telling of the legends of Muncaster, tour of the gounds and then an
all night vigil in the upper floor bedroom called the tapestry room,
with an Elizabethan era fireplace, Flemish tapestries and Georgian furniture.
A full English breakfast is included and visitors are asked to jot down
their experiences in a journal. No ghosts are guaranteed, but a dark
creeky castle at night is spooky enough. However, you needn’t stay
in a haunted room to enjoy accommodation at Muncaster in case ghosts
aren’t your favorite sleeping companion.
The Coachman’s Quarters offers 10 rooms of Bed & Breakfast accommodation in the converted carriage house on the grounds. The room sizes and styles vary a bit, but a common kitchen, lounge and family room, and laundry are available. Step outside for a tour of the castle gardens and breakfast served in the former stables with the horse stalls quaintly serving as breakfast nooks. The lodgings are family run and you do need a car here as it gets pretty darn quiet after dark, except for the ghosts.
A
stay in the otherwise quiet and private Coachman’s Quarters
accommodation may result with the morning wake not of the forlorn howl
of an anguished ghost, but the gentle hoot of a Great Horned Owl. Muncaster
is home to the World Owl Trust, a wildlife preservation
center located on the castle grounds dedicated to preservation and
breeding of
owls. The unique Laybourn Aviary houses all the native species of British
owls and several others from around the world. Activities for families
and bird lovers include a Owl Tours, a Herron Happy Hour and a chance
to roll up the sleeves and be a “Keeper of the Day”.
Muncaster
Castle is popular for weddings in one of the most magnificent views
of the West Cumbrian
countryside
and makes for a nice romantic weekend getaway. In the spring and summer
months Muncaster puts on a number of events, many themed on Muncaster
Castle’s most famous
resident the actual “Tom Fool” Thomas Skelton from whom came
the phrase “Tom
Foolery”. Yes, he was a real clown from the middle ages and Muncaster
is the only inhabited castle to still appoint a Jester on April Fool’s
Day, when a visitor to can have a chance to “Pelt a Pennington”,
one of the family members placed in the stocks, with a water balloon.
The property has lots of childrens and family activities, including the
Meadow Vole Mole Maze (more an indoor fun house) and Muncaster Interactive.
From October to March through the dark night of winter, Halloween to
the spring,
the
living
inhabitants
put
on a haunting
light,
sound
and
special effects show called Darkest Muncaster from dusk
to 9pm. And if staying on the grounds there’s nothing like a good
spooky scare to make that hop under the covers so appealing.
The Ghost Sit is £405 to £470 per group stay. The Coachman’s Quarters rooms are much more bargain priced for the non-ghost hunting traveler at around £60-70. Muncaster is about an hour and a half drive from Lancaster in the south or Carlisle in the north. The central Lake District of Windermere Lake and Beatrix Potter (see Touring Beatrix Potter Lakes Country) familiarity are about an hour away (on those narrow roads). Nearby Ravenglass is the rail stop to visit Muncaster on the Cumbria Coast Line and also terminus of the Ravenglass Erksdale Railway which carries visitors on a narrow gauge steam railway journey into the remote green nature of the West Cumbrian hills and the foot of England’s highest mountain. The proprietors of Muncaster also operate a newly restored former coaching inn turned into a luxury lodging with a fine dining restaurant in Ravenglass (see The Pennington Hotel). © Bargain Travel Europe
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See Also:
Another Haunted Castle
Hotel
LUMLEY
CASTLE in Durham County
FAMOUS
MOVIE CAR MUSEUM KESWICK
BLENHEIM
PALACE
WINDSOR
CASTLE
