Leeds Castle Avis 

I last went to Leeds Castle about 15 years ago, but I think it has deteriorated. No peacocks - I think there were peahens. Crumpled, not-ironed, damask linen table cloths in a 1920s 'dinner setting' (just sloppy - and insulting to us, the visitors), I had to ask for my (mediocre) roast lunch to be put in the microwave as it was only luke warm (waiting staff were excellent), door hooks in the ladies toilets were missing or broken and the soap dispenser broke on use, hot drinks were over-priced (for their quality) from a machine. Some of the rooms are lovely, the integration of dates/facts into cushions works well and the audio was good, but I thought £35 for a day ticket was expensive. My 3.5 hours cost me about £58. If a family lives locally and plans on going to the marvellous children's play ground regularly throughout the year, the cost might be worth it. To me, it is odd to charge the same for a 'one year pass' as they do for a single day ticket.

I visited with my husband, elderly mum, husband and autistic son. The grounds were stunning and the castle very interesting . . My only bug was that we paid a lot of money, and only saw half the castle, it was so very crowded. . We shared our experience with three coach loads of students plus lots of half term visitors. We ended up not being able to move in the middle of the castle. There were far too many people in the castle, it was a health and safety issue. Maybe timed slots could be booked like some of the national trust properties I’ve been to. We will come back, I hope the castle staff won’t admit sooo many people on the day we visit.

I hate coming on here to complain in hopes that I’m finally able to reach customer service but after multiple attempts leaving voice messages I’m not really left with any other option.

We were booked to see the castle and light trail on 7 December but it was cancelled due to bad weather. I was swiftly refunded for the lights but I’m unable to get a refund for the castle tickets. We do not live near enough and will not make the trip there again so won’t be able to go within the year (as we know we can reuse the tix for the year). We would simply like a refund for the entry tickets (over £100) but it’s impossible to even get a response on this issue at all. It’s been a real disappointment all around.

We went on the Checky blinders evening in the castle,
the venue was stunning the organisation was vague and the food did not come up to expectation unfortunately,
The acts on the who done it were lot of effort for little reward. never the less we had a good evening, and the venue was perfect

Every time we visit we have a lovely time. Staff have always been polite and helpful. The grounds are kept immaculate. So much to entertain children 15 and under. Recently visited their Christmas Light show, and it was brilliant, will definitely go again. Staff should be praised for the welcome they give.

The Christmas lights and trial were wonderfull. However the booking site is absolutely useless. They constantly refuse your password with no explanation. Many friends tried and gave up and went elsewhere. They don’answer the phone, and only use internet. I finally got tickets as I tried to complain and discovered that the password must be at least 12 figures, mine was 11, but this is not indicated anywhere.

I loved leeds castle it was beautiful I saw Henry’s ghost and Bloody Mary was in the mirror she tried to kill me but that’s not the castles fault and the best part they have ducks love it

very pricey castle underwhelming on the inside nice grounds outside food cheap ingredients

The classic car show was disapointing. The car owners are charged £20 to show their vehicle which is why the turnout was poor. In the past it has been packed with cars so to the organisers bear in mind without the cars there is no show. The maximum l have paid to show a car is £10 & l only pay that much if the show has a good reputation. The other complaint is there were very few actual classic cars.
It needs better organising & lower cost to the show car owners

Went to Leeds Castle for the classic car show, which was very interesting with lots of entertainment but we had to park in the overflow car park which was a long walk to the event and difficult if you had children in a pushchair or buggy because it was over a very uneven grass area.
I want to thank Nicki, a steward near the restaurant area who kindly arranged for a car to drive us back to the car park as we would have found it difficult to walk all that way in the heat. Thank you also to Mathew who drove the vehicle and dropped us off, right by our car.
It was a lovely day out made all the better because of the lovely friendly staff.

Booked tickets online but somewhat was confusing as you either have to be a single parent with 3 kids or be 2 adults and 3 kids. No options for 2 adults and 2 kids so I booked a 1 adult and 3 kids ticket thinking the staff would be helpful on arrival & would either accept my booking or at least give me the option to pay the difference for an adult ticket. However, the staff member was unwilling to accept the ticket wording on the website & requested I paid for another adult ticket of £31.50. I had already paid £74 for a family ticket! At check in, I kept being told that it’s (Up To 3 kids) or (up to 2 kids) what absolute rubbish and doesn’t make any logical sense. Very abrupt and rude staff and kept referring to it says it online. NO IT DOES NOT. Even after showing the staff members their own website & their ticket options, they still didn’t acknowledge the wording. In total I paid £105.50 for 2 adults & 2 kids. That’s 1 heck of an expensive day out without having to pay extra for the train, golf & boat. Although, the ticket allows you entry for 12 months, after today’s experience we really won’t be visiting again and i genuinely think it’s not worth the money at all! We have visited many castles and this one is no where as near as appealing or interesting. The important thing is my children had a nice time but as a parent I’ve been to many better castles/attractions for better value for money. The bird show was not impressive at all and the children got bored of the gentleman just talking and talking like a meet and greet experience rather than “spectacular show“. Toilets in filthy condition and should be checked more regularly. The beautiful landscaping and water features along with the beautiful ducks were the highlight. Had high expectations of visiting but such a negative experience along with such extortionate prices

Been to Leeds Castle a few times over the years but it’s safe to say don’t think I’ll be going back. The actual inside of the castle has been ruined. Everything seems to have gone everything is changed. They’ve covered up the original floor taken down photos it’s not original at all anymore. The grounds are beautiful, but the Castle totally been ruined. If you’ve been before you’ll see the huge difference and see how disappointing it is but you’ve never been your never experience how beautiful it used to be. There is many of us that all said the same thing lots of people coming out saying how disappointing it was even heard people telling the staff it’s been ruined.

A walk in the gardens, a bite to eat, all very pleasant. Wheelchair friendly although not flat if you are pushing.

I stayed at this accommodation recently and unfortunately, it fell far short of expectations. Despite the high cost, parking was inconveniently distant, and after 3.30pm, there was no reception service available. The rooms were notably smaller than advertised, lacking the promised amenities. The staff were unhelpful, and the restaurant was a disappointment, with limited drink options and exorbitant corkage fees for bringing our own. There is no service nor any sort of service expectation, even basic stuff. Additionally, the cleanliness of the bathroom left much to be desired, and the room layout was impractical. Overall, this place was a disappointment and not worth the expense. There is no way i would recommend this place to anyone.

Sunday 7th January approx 2-3pm

I visited Leeds Castle via the public footpath that goes through the centre of the park right next to the Castle. I was initially interrupted by a female member of staff as i stood next to the barrier next to the ticket office (Segway entrance). She said if she could help me - so i explained i was exploring and wanted to follow the public path. She was unsure and asked another member of staff to help - another member of staff pointed me to the public path - wasn't all that obvious to be honest. Then he stated i couldn't ride my bike on the public path. So i followed his instruction and walked and followed one of the paths across a bridge onto a hill. It was very picturesque .

So i then followed the public footpath around South West and then followed south and could see the castle in the distance. I eventually arrived where the tour train bus drops off people.

I stopped a moment to clarify i was still on the public footpath (not very well signed). Checked my apps all was hunky dory. I thought a vehicle (tour bus)was coming my way so i momentarily stepped on the grass to keep clear (I was literally on the grass by 30 cm!) and this obnoxious pompous, arrogant security staff with delusions of grandeur started telling me i wasn't allowed to ride on my bike (which i hadn't) and then telling me i was standing on private property! I told him why i was on the grass to allow space for the vehicle. I was in disbelief but also very angry as to how rude this idiot was. Is this how you train your security staff to be rude to the public? Did he not think maybe im a paying customer revisiting? Either way you don't talk to people like that. I then ignored him and continued my journey.

I passed the castle and stopped briefly again to check my map. I finally found a stone "Public footpath" not obvious as there was a big sign above it. I was very close to the refreshments area. Another security staff member approached me again telling me i couldn't ride my bike (which i wasn't) and before he continued i stated I was very annoyed that security staff keep harassing me on the public footpath when i hadn't done anything wrong and i was minding my own business. I didn't want to converse with anyone and I had enough of Leeds Castle security bothering me and told them to leave me alone as i had enough - the guy backed off. Oddly enough i still had my helmet camera activated and recorded the interaction. Is it policy for Leeds castle security to harass the public using the public footpath leading through the grounds to make them as uncomfortable as possible? Is it policy for staff to act unprofessional/rude manner?

Although the grounds are beautiful, Im not impressed with the security staff. Other people would could have reacted differently than me as the behaviour was antagonistic. This has put me off bringing my family to visit as i was thinking of visiting soon.

One lost customer - and friends

We paid 106 pounds for the Narnia Christmas event on Sunday. Absolute waste of money. Two people in fancy dress and some twigs painted white. Please don't waste your money on this terrible money grabbing experience. They should be ashamed of themselves

I definitely wouldn't return the leeds christmas lights, we went to a different trail last year and it was so much better with less people trying to get onto the trail. The trail was so packed that I struggled to take pictures, it was so crowded that I feel like you need to look at your limits for how many people that can go on it at a given time because this was ridiculous and also the trail only took us 25minutes and didnt feel overly exciting, some bits were good but it literally didnt take us that long. I was surprised that we have to pay for the marshmallows considering how much that we'd already spent on the tickets and car parking! I wouldn't come here for this again! Others may have different experiences but mine wasn't fantastic at all, I feel gutted. On a lighter note that the staff were lovely but that's all there is to this! Everything was overpriced like drinks and food considering that we'd already spent on not cheap tickets and car parking.

First time visit. Ordered an omelette at the restaurant as a light lunch. And unfortunately, although the omelette was exceptionally good, the wait was 40 mins
Could do much better with service.
Perhaps remove omelette from the menu if it’s too difficult to make.

Possibly the wettest period of the year when nearly every other display was cancelled for health and safety reasons yet Leeds Castle’s display went ahead, I did not attend as I didn’t want to wreck my car parking in a muddy grass area or get pneumonia, £80 down the drain and no refund. I will not be spending any more money with this greedy organisation.