We were determined to stay in a castle on our trip and after a bit of research found Ruthin Castle in northern Wales, which turned out to be ideal. The castle sits high upon a hill looking over the historic village of Ruthin. Note photos above and below.

The current day castle was built in 1826 from a striking deep red, ochre coloured brick. It replaced the original castle built in 1277 by Edward I, which was destroyed in battle in 1400. The castle has an interesting history including battles, sieges and falling into ruin, with various rebuilds and restorations over the years. In the 1920s it became a hospital, then was converted into a hotel in the 1960s. Today it is a popular luxury resort, complete with day spa.

The inside of the castle was massive and looked just as we imagined a castle to be, with long ornate hallways, grand staircases, charming antiques and paintings, and of course, lots of stunning views. Our room was huge and looked out over to another wing of the castle and into the gardens - see photos 1-4 above.

We enjoyed exploring the castle grounds and beautiful gardens, which included many ruins from the original castle, a dry moat (photos 1-3 below) and an Italian garden which was established in the 1850s. Oh, and we spotted a few squirrels and peacocks too!

Many dignitaries have visited the castle over the years, including King Charles III who stayed here the night before his investiture as the Prince of Wales in 1969. Outside our room was the portrait and plaque in the first photo above of Mary Cornwallis-West, who was born here in 1873. She married a German prince in a fairytale wedding, becoming Daisy Princess of Pless. The plaque inscription is below. Although it doesn't specify her connection to the room, I imagine she spent time here growing up or perhaps it is where she was born. It would be interesting to read her diaries mentioned below.  

Daisy, Princess of Pless (born Mary Theresa Olivia Cornwallis-West), was a famous Edwardian beauty born at Ruthin Castle, Denbighshire, Wales in 1873, daughter of the castle's owner, Colonel William Cornwallis-West. A noted socialite, she married Hans Heinrich XV, Prince of Pless, a wealthy German aristocrat, and became known as a glamorous figure across Europe, living in Silesian castles, but also worked as a nurse and social reformer, trying to prevent World War I before divorcing and publishing her popular diaries, cementing her legacy as a captivating figure connected to Ruthin Castle.

We were treated to a full Welsh breakfast served in the historic dining room which had many interesting old relics on display. 

Overall we really enjoyed our castle experience and would definitely come back. In particular, the castle holds medieval banqueting and entertainment which would be great to try.

PS. After our stay we learned that the castle is believed to be haunted. Visitors have reported sightings of Lady Jane Grey, who lived here in the 1500s, a soldier, a little girl and lots of orbs. We didn’t experience any of these though I was not surprised that the castle is haunted given the its age and history.