Stirling Castle is built high on a basalt outcrop above what was in medieval times the main crossing point across the Forth and the surrounding marshes, a strategic position which made the castle one of the most important fortresses in Scotland.

The rock had probably been used defensively since the Iron Age, but the first record of a castle comes from the early 12th century when Alexander I had a castle chapel dedicated and endowed. The castle's most famous period in history was during the late 13th and early 14th century when it played a prominent part in the conflict between England and Scotland. The castle fell into the hands of the English on several occasions and the famous Scottish victories at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297 and the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 were made to regain control of Stirling Castle. It is not possible to see what this earlier castle would have looked like because all traces have been lost under later building work. Most of what can now be seen at the castle dates from the early 16th century onwards. More.

Distance to castle: 14.1 miles

Notes: Very well laid out and maintained. This is a quiet site with a super toilet block and a good children's play area. It is beautifully situated beside the river, with free fishing, and within minutes (in the car) of Callander, a bustling town with tourist shops.

Harlech Castle is one of the great castles Edward I built to enforce his rule over the Welsh. Situated high upon a rocky outcrop, its seaward side was defended by sheer cliffs, while a deep moat protected the other sides. It was designed by Master James of St George, who personally supervised its construction, ensuring that the vast fortress was completed in just seven years (1283-1290). The castle is built to a concentric design with an impressive inner curtain wall with huge round towers on the corners, surrounded by an outer perimeter of much lower walls. The inner walls contained domestic buildings, including a great hall, and the more vulnerable east side of the castle was strengthened by a massive gatehouse that contained comfortable residential quarters.

Harlech Castle played a key role in the last great Welsh uprising, led by Owain Glyn Dwr. In 1404, after a long siege, the castle fell to Glyn Dwr, and became his home and headquarters for the next four years. Harlech was finally retaken by the English in 1409, under the command of Harry of Monmouth, prince of Wales - the future King Henry V. Although Glyn Dwr escaped, his family were captured, and the fall of Harlech marked the beginning of the end of the great uprising. More.

Distance to castle: 4 miles

Notes: Lovely setting, large site. Not the closest, but the nicest

Conwy castle, with its eight towers, is one of the most impressive castles in Wales. It overlooks the Conwy estuary and one of the finest examples of a medieval walled town in Europe. The castle, and the adjacent town walls, was built for Edward I between 1283 and 1287. It was the most expensive of a chain of castles that Edward built to subjugate the Welsh.

The layout of the castle was dictated by the shape of the rock on which it was built. The interior was divided into two separate wards, the outer ward containing buildings such as the Great Hall and the inner ward housing the Royal apartments.

The castle had started to fall into disrepair within a generation of its completion. Repairs and modifications were made by Edward, the Black Prince, in 1346, but this was the last major work carried out at the castle. The castle saw some activity during the Civil War (1642-51), but when it was slighted at the end of the war the castle was stripped of saleable materials leaving an empty shell. More.

Distance to castle: <1.5 miles

Notes: Lovely setting, large site, good facilities

Caernarfon Castle, overlooking the River Seiont and Menai Strait, looks today, much as it would have done when building was finished in 1330. With its massive curtain wall with different coloured bands, and its hexagonal towers, the design is reminiscent of the great Roman city of Constantinople.

Birthplace to the first English Prince of Wales, the tradition continues to this day, with the castle acting as the setting to the Investiture of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales in 1969.

The castle is also home to the Regimental Museum of the Royal Welch Fusiliers. More.

Distance to castle: <1 miles

Notes: A slightly sloping open site ten minutes walk from the historic town of Caernarfon, with views of the famous castle as you approach. There's plenty to do here.

Situated in the heart of London next to the River Thames, the Tower of London is one of the greatest medieval castles in England.

Famous for its Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters), ravens, the Crown Jewels and its long and bloody history of imprisonment and executions. The castle has also been used as a royal residence, the Mint, the Royal Zoo, a public records office and the Royal Observatory as well as containing barracks for its own garrison and storage for munitions.

The castle also contains the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers' Museum, for which there is an additional small charge. More.

Distance to castle: 35 mins by train

Notes: It feels positively rural when you reach this verdant, gently sloping site with its mature tree screening and spacious grounds.

Good railway connections (35 mins) into Central London's attractions are within walking distance of the site.

The appearance of Bodiam Castle is exactly how most people imagine a medieval castle should look like, with its square of walls, a round tower at each corner, and a square tower midway along each wall, entirely surrounded by a moat. That it looks so perfect and picturesque may not be by accident for many people have debated whether the castle was really built as a defensive fortress or as an elaborate stately home.

A royal licence to crenellate his manor house, in order to protect the local area from a possible French invasion, was given to Edward Dallyngrigge in 1385. This wealthy veteran of the Hundred Years War used the licence as an excuse to build an entirely new castle nearby. Little is known about the castle during the middle ages, but it doesn't appear to have been inhabited after the 15th century. Later owners of the castle took measures to preserve the building, most notably Lord Curzon who acquired the castle in 1917 and undertook a restoration of Bodiam. Thanks to the work he carried out it is now possible to climb most of the towers and walk on top of some of the walls. More.

Distance to castle: 15 mins walk

Notes: Surrounded by our own farmland and adjacent to the River Rother, the site is rural yet close to local amenities in both Rye and Hastings. Bodiam Castle is a 15 minute walk along the river bank and is noted for being 'fairytale-like.' There is also a pub by the castle which serves good food.

Leeds Castle, set in 500 acres of parkland in the midst of the Kent countryside, takes it name not from the city of Leeds but from its first owner, a man named Leed, or Ledian, who built himself a wooden castle in 857. The first stone castle was built in 1119 on an island in the lake, and was later rebuilt and extended by Edward I, who added a set of outer walls, a barbican and the 'gloriette', a D shaped tower built on the smallest of the two islands in the lake.

The castle was a royal residence for six of England's medieval queens and a palace of Henry VIII. Much of the castle was restored and rebuilt in the 19th century, and many of the lavishly decorated rooms are open to the public.

The castle grounds contain several gardens, a duckery, a maze, an aviary and a unique museum dedicated to the collection of antique dog collars. More.

Distance to castle: 2-3 miles

Notes: This holiday park, for permanent holiday homes as well as tourers, is set in some twenty acres of stunning woodland which gently slopes to open areas.

The palatial castle at Arundel has grown from its modest origins as a motte and bailey castle built by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel, around 1068. A shell keep was added to the top of the motte in about 1140, and curtain walls, a chapel and a garden, possibly the first Royal garden in England, were added by King Henry II.

Arundel Castle has belonged to the Earl's of Arundel and the Dukes of Norfolk for many centuries. Passing from the d'Albinis to the Fitzalans in the 13th century and to the Howards in the 16th century, it has been home to many prominent figures in English History.

The castle is still home to the Earl of Arundel, and visitors can tour the main castle building and view the rich interiors of a stately home, as well as explore the earlier medieval parts of the castle, the keep and barbican gate. More.

Distance to castle: 3.8 miles

Notes: Excellent small site with top quality facilities, set within its own 12 acres of natural woodland.

One of the largest castles in the country, strategically located at the shortest crossing point to continental Europe, Dover Castle has played a prominent part in national history. Its origins lie in the Iron Age, and a Roman Lighthouse and Anglo-Saxon church can still be seen within the grounds.

William of Normandy strengthened existing Anglo-Saxon fortifications here in 1066, but it was Henry II who set the blueprint for today's castle when he had the fortifications rebuilt in the 1180's, adding the massive keep and a series of concentric defences. Over the centuries, the defences were continually enlarged and improved, with the castle retaining a military role into the mid twentieth century. An underground hospital and the command centre used for the Dunkirk evacuation are a legacy from the Second World War. More.

Distance to castle: 4 miles

Notes: "Situated within 28 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, containing some 5,000 established ornamental fruit and woodland trees providing an air of tranquility within some of the loveliest countryside in Kent.

Award winning shower and laundry facilities together with a well stocked shop and small café will enhance your visit."

Nuff said! Excellent reviews too!

Edinburgh Castle is built high upon the basalt remains of a long extinct volcano, providing visitors with impressive views of the city and landscape beyond. The oldest part of the castle dates back to the Normans, and there are buildings and fortifications covering every period since.

The castle is home to the Scottish Crown Jewels (Honours), the Stone of Destiny, the giant 15th century siege gun, Mons Meg, the Scottish National War Memorial and the famous One O'Clock Gun, which is fired daily at 1.00pm. The castle also contains several military and regimental museums. More.

Distance to castle: 4.1 miles

Notes: On the South side of Edinburgh, within the city boundary, within a private country estate of 200 acres.

William the Conqueror built the first castle at Warwick, in 1068. Over the years the castle was gradually rebuilt in stone, and by the late 14th century Thomas de Beauchamp had finished an extensive building programme that transformed the defences of the castle, adding the huge gatehouse and barbican and two massive towers that still dominate the castle today. Later as the military importance of the castle declined, the main living quarters were converted into a palatial residence.

The castle was home to the Earls of Warwick until 1978 when it was bought by the Tussaud's Group. The castle has since been extensively restored, and the expertise of the Tussaud's Studios has been used to create wax figures that help portray life in the castle during different periods of its history. More.

Distance to castle: 0.6 miles

Notes: The site is set on grass and tarmac in the racecourse enclosure, and only six minutes walk from the centre of Warwick.

If Lincoln were merely an empty shell, it would still deserve a visit for the extraordinary exterior. Here is art in stone. The west front, in particular, is magnificent in its use of sculptural detail and the richness of its design. Lincoln was largely rebuilt beginning in 1186 after a fire destroyed the earlier Norman church. Under the direction of Hugh of Avalon (Great Saint Hugh), the choir and eastern transepts were built, followed (1215-55) by the nave and chapter house. The angel choir is a masterpiece of the Decorated style. Look up at the central tower. It rises to 271 feet. Now imagine a spire extending another 284 feet up! That tower fell down in 1548. In the south east porch is the "Judgement Portal", with its marvellous relief carvings of Christ presiding over the Last Day, and in the choir is the "crazy vault" of intertwining ribs crisscrossing the bay. Everywhere you look are incredible carvings in wood and stone. Plan on spending a long time at Lincoln. More.

John Ruskin (1819 - 1900) wrote "I have always held and am prepared against all evidence to maintain that the Cathedral of Lincoln is out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles and roughly speaking worth any two other cathedrals we have." More.

Distance to cathedral: 3 miles

Notes: English Tourism Council 3 star rated Touring Park situated in Hartsholme Country Park, 3 miles from Lincoln city centre.

In 673 Etheldreda, Queen of Northumbria, founded a monastery on the Fenland Isle of Ely and was Abbess there until her death in 679.

Work began on the present building in 1081, under the guidance of Abbot Simeon, and was completed by 1189. The Cathedral is a fine example of Romanesque architecture and is set within the walls of the Benedictine Monastery. A walk around the Cathedral precincts reveals that Ely has the largest collection of medieval domestic buildings still in use in England. In addition to a look around the Cathedral (during which time you may like to join a guided tour, or simply to explore the building in your own time) there is the opportunity to visit the Shop, Refectory and Almonry Restaurant, do a brass rubbing, take a tour of the Octagon Tower* or ascent the West Tower* or tour the College buildings and Prior Crauden's Chapel which remains a symbol of the Cathedral's monastic past. (* Separate charge)

Today, worship and music still play a central role in Cathedral life and visitors continue to come from all parts of the world, just as they have done for centuries. Car parking is available, free of charge, close by the Cathedral. Other attractions in Ely include Oliver Cromwell's House (also home of the Ely Tourist Information Centre), the Ely Museum and the waterside area, including an extensive antiques market. More.

Distance to cathedral: 7.6 miles

Notes: Sheltered, quiet and mainly level site set in 5 acres of well kept grounds adjacent to the river Great Ouse. Adults only site

The Cathedral, with St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church, form part of the UNESCO world heritage site. The Cathedral Church was founded in 597 AD by St Augustine whose original cathedral lies beneath the floor of the nave. The original Saxon church was destroyed by fire in 1067 and rebuilt again by the Normans in 1070. Although, sucessive generations have made additions to the fabric of the building parts of the quire and some of the ancient stained glass windows date from the 12th century.

The cathedral became a place of pilgrimage in the middle ages and Geoffrey Chaucer set his famous Canterbury Tales about pilgrims on their way to the shrine of the murdered Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. The north-west transept is the site of the martydom and here, in 1982, Pope John Paul II and the Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie prayed together. A plaque commemorates this historic occasion.

Originally the tomb of King Henry IV and his wife Joan of Navarre flanked one side of the shrine of the murdered archbishop; whilst the tomb of Edward, the Black Prince flanked the other. Both of these tombs may still be seen today although the shrine of St Thomas was dismantled in King Henry VIII's reign. Behind this is the corona chapel which is dedicated to modern martyrs. More.

Distance to cathedral: 1 mile

Notes: Well equipped and well situated. Popular with reviewers.

York Minster is the largest medieval cathedral in England and the seat of the Archbishop of York.

The first church on the site was a wooden structure built in a hurry in 627 to provide a place to baptise Edwin, King of Northumbria. It wasn’t until 1220 that the construction of the Minster that we know today began.

York Minster is particularly of interest to art-lovers, especially those of stained glass, the Great East Window being the biggest medieval example of its kind in the world (the size of a tennis court). The cathedral also boasts the widest nave in England, a 10.8-tonne bell called Great Peter, several regimental chapels and the incomparable Chapter House. More.

Distance to minster: 5.5 miles

Notes: Family owned and run site, opened in 2003. Good facilities. Good reviews.

A Cathedral dedicated to St Paul has overlooked the City of London since 604AD, a constant reminder to this great commercial centre of the importance of the spiritual side of life.

The current Cathedral - the fourth to occupy this site - was designed by the court architect Sir Christopher Wren and built between 1675 and 1710 after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. Its architectural and artistic importance reflect the determination of the five monarchs who oversaw its building that London’s leading church should be as beautiful and imposing as their private palaces.

As the Cathedral of the capital city, St Paul's is the spiritual focus for the Nation. This is where people and events of overwhelming importance to the country have been celebrated, mourned and commemorated since the first Service took place in 1697. More.

Distance to cathedral: 35 mins by train

Notes: It feels positively rural when you reach this verdant, gently sloping site with its mature tree screening and spacious grounds.

Good railway connections (35 mins) into Central London's attractions are within walking distance of the site.

Salisbury is unique amongst medieval English cathedrals, in that it was built within one century and has no substantial later additions.

• The Cathedral was built in just 38 years (AD1220-1258)
• 60,000 tons of Chilmark Stone and 10,000 tons of Purbeck Stone were used to build the Cathedral
• 28,000 tons of oak were used to construct the roof
• 420 tons of lead covering 4 acres were used on the roof
• Britain's tallest spire (123m/404ft) was built between AD1310-1333 adding another 6,500 tons
• The spire now leans 69.85cm (27.5ins) to the south and 44.44cm (17.5ins) to the west
• The best preserved of only four surviving original Magna Carta (AD1215) is on display in the Chapter House
• Europe's oldest working clock (AD1386), now situated in the north nave aisle, used to be located in the Bell Tower (demolished in 1789). It has "ticked" more than 5 million times since it was first built
• Salisbury has the largest Cathedral Close in Britain (80 acres)
• It has Britain's largest Cathedral Cloisters
• The Quire stalls are the largest and earliest complete set in Britain
• It is reputed that there are 365 (the number of days in a year) windows and 8760 (the number of hours in a year) marble pillars
• The Close gates are locked from 11.30pm every night through until 7am next morning
• The first Cathedral School was founded by Bishop Osmund in 1091 at Old Sarum - the original settlement site for Salisbury
• Salisbury was the first Cathedral to have a girls' choir - founded in 1991
• There are 67 statues on the West Front
• A dead rat which carried traces of arsenic was found inside the skull of William Longespée when his tomb was opened centuries later

Distance to cathedral: 20 mins walk

Notes: Friendly staff. Open plan, gently sloping site within view of the city and cathedral

This Cathedral Church, so named because it houses the throne (or 'cathedra') of the Bishop of Winchester, has its origins in the seventh century, when a Christian Church was first built on the site. Since then it has played a fundamental part in the life of this ancient city, and a role in our nations history.

Begun in 1079 in the Romanesque style, this Cathedral is at the heart of Alfred's Wessex and a diocese which once stretched from London's Thames to the Channel Islands. Its bishops were men of enormous wealth and power, none more so than William of Wykeham, twice Chancellor of England, Founder of Winchester College and New College Oxford. The chantry chapels and memorials of these great prelates are a feature of the Cathedral. These influential bishops also developed, re-fashioned and adorned this great Cathedral. There pilgrims sought the shrine of local saints, notably a former bishop, Saint Swithun, whose festival (15 July) was said to set the pattern for the weather for the next forty days. More.

Distance to cathedral: 5.4 miles

Notes: Large site, divided into two areas, with friendly and helpful wardens.

For 1300 years the Cathedral at Lichfield has been a major centre for prayer and for the worship of God. The first cathedral, built in 700AD to house the shrine of St Chad, was replaced by the Norman Cathedral begun in 1085 to continue worship and serve the growing number of pilgrims. The present Gothic building was built between 1195 and 1330.

The shrine of St Chad was destroyed at the Reformation and, during the sieges of the Civil War, the fabric of the Cathedral was badly damaged. Restoration, begun in 1660, has continued ever since, notably under Gilbert Scott in the nineteenth century. The "Ladies of the Vale", the three spires of Lichfield Cathedral, which can be seen for many miles around, have been a banner to pilgrims through the centuries. The modern visitor is also drawn by them to learn more about this ancient and beautiful building. Lichfield Cathedral houses a number of treasures which include; the Lichfield Gospels, an eighth century illuminated manuscript; the mediaeval tiled floor of the Library; the 16th century Herkenrode windows of the Lady Chapel; sculptures by Sir Francis Chantry and Sir Jacob Epstein; and the Lang Lichfield Collection of modern silver. More.

Distance to cathedral: 7.4 miles

Notes: Clean, well kept site, with friendly and helpful wardens. "Beautiful site...hidden in a forest glade", according to one reviewer.

The majority of the great ruined churches and cathedrals of England are the outcome of the violence of the dissolution in 1539. The ruins of St Michael's are the consequence of violence in our own century.

On the night of 14 November 1940, the city of Coventry was devastated by bombs dropped by the Luftwaffe. The Cathedral burned with the city, having been hit by several incendiary devices. The decision to rebuild the Cathedral was taken the morning after its destruction. Rebuilding would not be an act of defiance, but rather a sign of faith, trust and hope for the future of the world. It was the vision of the Provost at the time, Dick Howard, which led the people of Coventry away from feelings of bitterness and hatred. This has led to the Cathedral's Ministry of Peace and Reconciliation. Shortly after the destruction, the Cathedral stonemason, Jock Forbes, noticed that two of the charred medieval roof timbers had fallen in the shape of a cross. He set them up in the ruins where they were later placed on an altar of rubble with the moving words 'Father Forgive' inscribed on the Sanctuary wall. Another cross was fashioned from three medieval nails by a local priest, Revd Arthur Wales. The Cross of Nails has become the symbol of Coventry's international ministry of reconciliation. The competition to design the new Cathedral was won by Basil Spence, and HM The Queen laid the foundation stone on 23 March 1956. Gifts and donations flooded into Coventry, to commission works of art and to sustain future ministry. The new Cathedral was consecrated on 25 May 1962, in the presence of HM The Queen. The ruins remain hallowed ground and together the two create one living Cathedral. More.

Distance to cathedral: 6 miles

Notes: 1/2 mile from village of Meriden and adjacent to Stonebridge Golf Course. Adults only.

The Cathedral site was originally known as Bulinga Fen and formed part of the marsh around Westminster. It was reclaimed by the Benedictine monks who were the builders and owners of Westminster Abbey, and subsequently used as a market and fairground. After the reformation the land was used in turn as a maze, a pleasure garden and as a ring for bull-baiting but it remained largely waste ground.

In the 17th century a part of the land was sold by the Abbey for the construction of a prison which was demolished and replaced by an enlarged prison complex in 1834. The site was acquired by the Catholic Church in 1884.

The Cathedral Church of Westminster was designed in the Early Christian Byzantine style by the Victorian architect John Francis Bentley. The foundation stone was laid in 1895 and the fabric of the building was completed eight years later.

The awesome interior of the Cathedral, although incomplete, contains fine marble-work and mosaics. The fourteen Stations of the Cross, by the sculptor Eric Gill, are world renowned. More.

Distance to cathedral: 35 mins by train

Notes: It feels positively rural when you reach this verdant, gently sloping site with its mature tree screening and spacious grounds.

Good railway connections (35 mins) into Central London's attractions are within walking distance of the site.

An architectural masterpiece of the 13th to 16th centuries, Westminster Abbey also presents a unique pageant of British history - the shrine of St Edward the Confessor, the tombs of kings and queens, and countless memorials to the famous and the great. It has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066 and for numerous other royal occasions. Today it is still a church dedicated to regular worship and to the celebration of great events in the life of the nation. Neither a cathedral nor a parish church, Westminster Abbey is a 'Royal Peculiar' under the jurisdiction of a Dean and Chapter, subject only to the Sovereign.

In 1965-66 the Abbey celebrated its 900th anniversary, taking as its theme 'One People'. Such a theme seemed to be fitting for a church which, through a long history of involvement with the developing life of the British people, has become known throughout the world. More.

Distance to cathedral: 35 mins by train

Notes: It feels positively rural when you reach this verdant, gently sloping site with its mature tree screening and spacious grounds.

Good railway connections (35 mins) into Central London's attractions are within walking distance of the site.