"We were booked in for one night and had upgraded to the ‘Hothfield Room’ for an additional charge of £85. At lunchtime on the day we were due to check in, we were close by at Kirkby Stephen. I received a telephone call from the manager saying that evening dinner was cancelled at the Castle as the Chef had a medical emergency. I specifically asked if dinner was cancelled because we were the only reservation for dinner and he denied it. I then asked him if we were the only guests staying at the Castle and he denied that, saying there were other guests staying. Funny thing is… we never saw another guest at the Castle once the manager had booked us in and disappeared. We saw no-one at breakfast or any evidence that other guest(s) had been in the castle. There were no other cars parked at the castle entrance other than mine and the manager’s car. On arrival we were upgraded further to a fabulous four poster bed in a room called ‘Evidence’. The room and bathroom were clean, and furnishings are everything you would expect in a castle that is 900 years old. The room was quite cold mostly due to the weather outside and the fact that you cannot fit double glazed windows to a listed castle. I was told the bar would be open, but when I found it later, there was no-one there and no-one about. Martha went looking for a couple of extra blankets but simply could not find anyone…. In-spite of wandering around, going down to reception and calling out in a much pleasanter voice than I would have. At this point it did feel spooky…. We went down to breakfast at 08.30 hrs and again had to look for someone… tables were part made up but we had to ask for spoons, sugar and glasses for orange juice. It was clear that no-one had been down for breakfast because there were no other guests there. I did not bother with breakfast because it just seemed to much of a fuss. Martha had porridge and poached eggs and said it was fine. We did not see the manager or anyone else when we left, the place was deserted. We had to ask the chef/cook to open the large gates so we could leave. Here are the pros and cons of our experience: Pros (1) Definitely an experience… staying in a 900-year-old castle. (2) Probably the best night sleep I have ever had…. The four-poster bed had a huge deep mattress. Cons (1) They Wanted £10 each for entering the keep and walking up to the top which was the same price as to a casual visitor. Should have been free to a guest. (2) Rooms are overpriced at £85 for the initial upgrade which was by no means the most expensive on the list…. The lack of communication and service spoiled the experience. We had a mobile phone number to ring if we needed help but fully expected to see someone else during our stay. (3) Only one obvious power socket in room, but managed to find a hidden, second one by climbing under the four-poster bed. If you have a CPAP machine for health purposes, it’s a bind. (4) It is obvious that the costs of maintaining Appleby Castle"

"We stayed at Bongate house whilst walking the Lady Anne's Way; we had a lovely big room with a balcony and large bathroom. Anne is the perfect host, warm and friendly and goes above and beyond to help in any way she can - we were able to leave our car with her whilst walking and when i arrived having lacerated my finger on some barbed wire Anne very kindly provided me with medical supplies to patch it up. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this lovely B&B"

"Lovely warm welcome, loved traditional feel to hotel. Bedroom comfortable, every thing you would need. Good early breakfast, perfectly timed to catch the train. Well worth the price for my one night stay, and what a charming village Appleby is."

"Enjoyed our stay, nice room and good evening meal and breakfast. Only downside only 3 car parking spaces, had to park on road opposite."

"9 of us went for a meal to celebrate birthdays and it was fantastic. Food and service excellent. Would highly recommend visiting Appleby Manor Thank you to the kind and courteous staff"