Limited Grounds Re-Opening
28 May 2020
We are delighted to announce that following an update to Government guidance, we are now able to reopen parts of Eastnor Castle grounds to visitors on selected days throughout May, June & July.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our visitors for their patience and support during the last few months and we look forward to welcoming you back again.
We take the safety of our visitors very seriously so changes have been put in place in order for us to reopen our gates; this means a visit to Eastnor Castle will be a little different for now.
Please find below a summary of the information which we hope will help you decide if you’d like to visit.
Covid-19 Safe Space
We have been working extensively with an external Health & Safety Consultant to ensure we have Covid-19 controls in place. A full risk assessment has been carried out and recommendations implemented as necessary.
We respectfully request that all of our visitors adhere to social distance rules whilst they are here (signage is in place to support this) and wash/sanitise their hands regularly. Please stay away if you or any of your household are showing symptoms of Coronavirus.
Dates and Times:
We will be open on the following days:
Saturday 30th May until Sunday 7th June: SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS
Saturday 13th June until Monday 20th July: SATURDAYS, SUNDAYS & MONDAYS
10.30am until 5.30pm. Last admission will be at 3.00pm.
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR SUMMER HOLIDAY OPENING FROM WEDNESDAY 22ND JULY
Facilities and Attractions:
The following facilities and attractions will be OPEN:
- The Grounds (including the arboretum, valley lawn and lakeside walks)
- The Portcullis Toilets
- The Ice Cream Parlour (card payments only)
- The Woodland Play Area
- Junior Obstacle Course (open from Saturday 4th July)
- Adventure Playground (open from Saturday 4th July)
- Rope Swings (open from Saturday 4th July)
- Tuck Shop selling hot & cold drinks and snacks (Saturdays & Sundays only)
- Tea Room (open from Saturday 11th July)
The following facilities and attractions will be CLOSED:
- Castle
- Castle Maze
- Little Land Rovers
Tickets:
Tickets are LIMITED and are ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE. No entry will be given to anyone without a pre-purchased ticket. Tickets are £5.00 for adults (aged 16 or over) and £2.50 for children (aged 3-15 years). Children aged 2 and under are free of charge and do not require a ticket. Tickets will be checked on arrival so please have them printed out if possible ready to show. Buy your tickets here.
Car Parking:
We are limiting the number of visitors, therefore, there is lots of room in our car parks. Please don’t park too close to others. Car parking is free of charge.
Hand Sanitisers:
We have provided hand sanitiser stations as you enter the grounds and also near the Ice Cream Parlour. Please also bring your own sanitiser if you wish.
Toilets:
The Portcullis toilets will be open during your visit and cleaned throughout the day. We will be limiting the number of people allowed in at any one time and operating a ‘one in, one out’ policy.
Face Coverings:
Members of staff may be wearing face coverings in certain areas. They will still be giving a welcome smile, but you just won’t be able to see it!
Picnic Benches:
The picnic benches around the grounds are all 2 metres apart.
Bins:
All our bins will have their lids removed.
Playgrounds:
Playgrounds will be closed in line with Government guidance.
Ice-Cream Parlour:
Payment will be by card only; WE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING ANY CASH PAYMENTS. There will be a queuing system in place, please keep 2 metres apart.
Tea Room:
The Castle Tea Room will not be open so visitors are encouraged to bring their own picnics. On Saturdays and Sundays there will be a Tuck Shop operating from the Courtyard selling hot & cold drinks and snacks.
Drinking-Water:
Bottled water will be available to buy in the ice cream parlour and tuck shop. Alternatively, there is a drinking water tap on the Valley Lawn for visitors to refill their own containers.
Eastnor Castle Privilege Cards:
Eastnor Castle Privilege Cards are valid for this period. Please ensure you have your card ready to show to the Admission staff on arrival. Please kindly note that all Privilege Cardholders will be contacted in due course to arrange an expiry date extension once our Visitor Opening is back to normal.
Discounted Tickets / Promotions:
Discounted/complimentary tickets or affiliation cards and memberships such as English Heritage, Gardeners World etc. are not valid during this period.
Historic House members are welcome but must pre-book tickets by selecting 'Historic Houses Member' ticket(s). Membership numbers must be inputted at checkout.
Handouts:
We will not be giving out any Children’s Fun Booklets or selling Guide Books. A simple Grounds Map will be available to pick up from the admission area. If you would like to print this out at home and bring it with you, you can download it here. We have also provided links to some external resources for an Outdoor Learning Day at Eastnor Castle, based on the home-schooling topic of castles.
Dog Friendly:
Dogs are welcome at Eastnor but must be kept on a lead at all times, other than in the ‘Dogs Off Leads’ area.
Finally...
A short note to say this has been a particularly challenging period for a lot of people. We are a small family business and have had to close our doors throughout a period which would normally be our busiest time. We are reopening cautiously and doing so in circumstances which are completely new to us. During your visit, should you notice anything we could be doing better, please let us know in person so that we can take measures to fix it.
If you choose to visit then thank you for your support. We have reduced our ticket prices to reflect our scaled-down attractions but any tickets sold now will help us to recover as a business and open again in full as soon as we’re able to.