Visiting modern Castle Drogo in Devon
On a holiday in North Devon, we decided to visit the National Trust’s Castle Drogo. This is a more modern castle than most people expect from such buildings.
When we go on holiday I like to go on days out so we can see some of the sights near where we are staying. Sometimes it doesn’t work out. Staying in Devon multiple times meant we had visited most places nearby. Plus visiting anywhere in Devon means a long drive due to the roads and traffic. With tourist attractions usually opening at 10am, it means half the day is gone before you even get there. It’s a shame because we’re always up and ready to leave by about 8:30. It would be nice for more places to open earlier.
It was unfortunate when we visited that construction work to make the castle watertight was ongoing, which meant photography was limited to the grounds and inside. But visiting now should mean that’s well in the past. For us it meant that if you’re over 1.5 m tall you can go up to the tower to see the work being done.
Castle Drogo is an interesting place. It’s a modern castle built between 1910 and 1930 which N couldn’t get his head round at all. To him a castle means blood and gore, and much longer ago in history.
It’s a short walk down to the castle from the car park. Once you arrive you’ll immediately see the sculptures by Peter Randall-Page, made from Kilkenny stone and weighing 13 tonnes each.
You can also read about the history and timeline of the castle against historical events around the UK and world. We, of course, whizzed by this because N wasn’t interested.
There is a children’s trail for Castle Drogo providing them a list of things to watch out for as they walk around the building. After deliberation N decided he would give up halfway round, so he wouldn’t do the trail. There were still plenty of things in different rooms to keep him entertained, including thinking about some of the people who lived in the castle back when it was built.
The National Trust guides were as welcoming as always and tell you about the rooms. But more often than not were speaking to N and suggesting things he could look out for.
There were also children’s detective boxes in various rooms and corridors providing an activity and making children think about the people who lived in the castle previously. These are a great idea and more often themed, having something to dress up in or a book to write in when answering the questions. N loved looking out for these and was determined to get everything right.
The castle didn’t take long to look around as only the downstairs was set up as it would have been. Three of the upstairs bedrooms have been turned into rooms about the building work so you could find out more about it.
Castle Drogo Gardens and walk
There’s also a chapel at Castle Drogo just behind the castle. Unfortunately we couldn’t work out how to get round to it with the building work seeming to block it off. This wasn’t too much of a worry as there are nice gardens to walk in and a croquet lawn with lots of mini garden games set up to play. We didn’t play because it was a little warm when we were there and N was on a mission to get to the beach. We did manage a walk through the woods and gardens to capture some of the pretty flowers.
If you walk through the gardens you’ll also see a small playhouse that the children of the house used to play in. There’s also a little hut which shows the story of tea at Castle Drogo.
We had time for a quick lunch in the tea room before we left, which was surprisingly empty despite the numbers in the car park. We also spotted a small playground with a couple of pieces of equipment for younger children next to the cafe.
Compared to some National Trust places, Castle Drogo is fairly small without the extensive grounds that many have. It’s still good for a couple of hours stop off on the way to somewhere else. And it’s another National Trust location ticked off our list.
Drogo Castle opening times are daily 10am for the grounds, 10.30am for the castle itself, and closing at 4.30pm. Just check for outside of peak April to September times before visiting, as days may change.
Have you ever visited Castle Drogo or other similar modern castles? Where else would you recommend to visit in Devon?
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