The Crossbasket Castle hotel review: a regal stay with a twist
This article contains affiliate links that will earn us revenue
Score 8/10The 40 new rooms, a short stroll from the castle, run from compact doubles to spacious suites with balconies looking out on the greenery of the 14-acre riverside estate. The style is art deco but subtle: furniture with brushed gold edges, plush scalloped headboards in shades of oyster, clam shell-shaped chairs and ottomans in light sage. Traditionalists might prefer one of the nine castle bedrooms, where rolltop baths, fireplaces and canopied beds provide a sense of place.
• More great Scottish hotels
Score 9/10Dinner in Trocadero's is a big draw. It's less about the food and more about the party atmosphere, which on weekends includes live jazz, dancers and cocktails. Week nights might be quieter, but there's still steak carved tableside, Josper-grilled lobster and a dessert trolley tottering with petits gâteaux. Next door is Foveran's, a light and airy restaurant, where breakfast is the full works — eggs benedict, omelettes and full fry-ups — and there's even a bloody mary station (as well as restorative fresh juices). Come here for afternoon tea (£39pp), which is also served in the castle's antique-filled Stewart Room.
• The most beautiful places in Scotland
Aside from exploring the great outdoors, that's your lot… for now. The new riverside spa with outdoor hydrotherapy pools and treatments focussed on artisanal Scottish products will open later in 2025.
• Glasgow's top hotels
Score 7/10In Scotland's Central Belt, Crossbasket Castle is easy to access from Glasgow and Edinburgh, the former just 20 minutes or so by car. It's a five-minute drive to Blantyre for the birthplace of the explorer David Livingstone, and two minutes from the East Kilbride Expressway, which puts Loch Lomond, the Falkirk Wheel or Stirling Castle within striking distance.
Price B&B doubles from £195Restaurant mains from £18Family-friendly YAccessible YDog-friendly Y
Helen Ochyra was a guest of Crossbasket Castle (crossbasketcastle.com)
• Discover our full guide to Scotland
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
38 minutes ago
- The Sun
UK glamping hotspot where you can enjoy breathtaking views from a vintage cheese vat turned hot tub
SOAK up valley views from a vintage cheese vat turned hot tub, says Deputy Editor Ellie O'Mahoney. The Pad Tucked away in a secluded five-acre field just six minutes' drive from the pretty market town of Castle Cary, you'll find Hadspen Glamping and three off-grid safari lodges. 7 7 Each comes with a wood-fired stove, well-equipped kitchen and Faith In Nature toiletries in the rain shower. Even better, on the decking of Horscombe Lodge, there's a copper wood-fired hot tub – repurposed from an antique cheese vat – to lie back and watch the cows and sheep grazing across the peaceful valley from. The beds are super-comfortable and there's a cupboard packed with games. Order a Full English Breakfast Hamper, £30, stuffed with local goodies, including eggs, sausages, bacon, black pudding, mushrooms, beans and tomatoes, for the best wake-up treat. Explore Pop into Castle Cary to see historic buildings, including an 18th-century 'Roundhouse' and the thatched George Hotel. Time your visit for a Tuesday to catch the weekly food market on the cobbles in front of the 19th-century Market House. 7 Meanwhile, Bath 's famous Roman Baths are 50 minutes away by car – marvel at the ruins and get spellbound by the ancient curses written by wronged locals to the spa's Roman goddess. Adult entry costs from £28, kids over six, from £21 ( Afterwards, head round the corner to Sally Lunn 's Historic Eating House & Museum to sample the eponymous bun, £4.20 – named after the baker who lived in the city 350 years ago. Don't forget to pop downstairs to see the perfectly preserved 15th-century kitchen cellar, too ( Longleat Safari Park is fun for the whole family and about half an hour away – brave the monkeys leaping on to your car and let the koalas steal your heart. Inside luxury dog-friendly glamping pod with wild Scottish spa and its own fairy pools 7 Kids will also shriek with delight at the brilliant adventure playground. Adult entry costs from £44.95, kids over three from £33.70 ( If it's on your way home, be sure to swing by Stonehenge to learn what life would have been like in Neolithic times. Adult entry costs from £30.90, kids over five from £20 ( Refuel In Bath, head to The Bird for incredible views across Bath Abbey – the roast rump of Somerset beef, £22, is an absolute treat, while the Cointreau and orange tiramisu, £16 to share, is utterly moreish ( At the 600-year-old Swan Hotel in Wells, expect the most tender sirloin steak, £30, and an affogato that's a work of art, £10 ( Closer to your pitch, call into The Creamery, a cafe and working creamery at Castle Cary station. Its Estate Buffalo Smash Burger with house slaw, £15, is delicious, as is the honey and milk gelato, £6 ( Book It Stays for four at Hadspen Glamping cost from £200 per night ( Pack It 7
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
5 of the best UK waterfront spots to visit this summer
Summer evenings by the canal underpass anyone? Yes, from Leeds to Leith the country's towpaths, wharfs and riversides have become a breeding ground for cult cafés and buzzy bars. Read on for our five top waterfront spots. On Edinburgh's northern edge sits the historic port of Leith, a once industrial heartland turned culinary mecca, with the highest concentration of Michelin stars in Scotland. The jewel in this gastronomic crown is Heron, with its smart dining room and farm-to-table philosophy (think hand-dived Orkney scallops and Speyside lamb). It even made history back in 2023, when its chef patron, Sam Yorke, then 25, became the youngest chef in Scotland to earn a Michelin star. The Kitchin is another standout (also starred) with its surprise tasting menus — an upscale take on lucky-dip dining. The grandaddy of them all is Martin Wishart — which opened in 1999, winning its own Michelin star two years later — recognised for putting Leith on the foodie map. Newest to the scene is Barry Fish with a menu of just six main courses. Still scratching your head? The lemon sole with sauce vermouth comes highly recommended. If there's one place where you're guaranteed to find the off-duty fashion pack on a sunny Sunday, it's the Towpath. This seemingly unassuming café has a crowd of feverish devotees (famous fans include Keira Knightley and Alexa Chung), all flocking to nibble away on its small plates, served up on mismatched crockery. Towpath sits beside the Regent's Canal in east London, and is joined by a host of other stylish outposts, such as Route Haggerston, a café popular with freelance graphic designers, and Arepa & Co, which serves up Venezuelan brunch plates including toston avo (avocado mash on a plantain crostini). Take a left and you're at Kingsland Basin, home to the Hackney mums' favourite Toconoco, a Japanese café with a kids-first MO, including a designated play space. But if people watching is your top priority, grab an oat flat white to go from the local bottle shop and vegan café Helma, and park up on a bench. Set among the railway arches leading into Leeds station, Granary Wharf offers buzzy late-licence pubs, bars and restaurants that will take you from an afternoon tipple to dancing into the wee hours, plus panoramic views of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Locals kick things off with a bite at Livin'Italy, where Nonna's meatballs and fresh crab meat pici are popular. If the sun's out, Water Lane Boathouse is the place to be. Just move quickly — it may be one of the city's largest beer gardens but canal-view benches are a hot commodity. NoNo Wine Bar is a new addition to the fold, with more than 50 wines sold by the glass. Ale more your speed? Then try Salt, where the locally brewed stuff is on tap until 1am. Afterwards, head to the Canal Club for a boogie. And if you wake up with a sore head, the best morning-after destination is the cult café Bake, which has divine laminated pastries. Built in the 1810s on the Sheffield Canal, these former coal yards are now attracting the city's young arty crowd. Yorkshire Artspace is housed in the brutalist Persistence Works and art deco Exchange Place (top), providing studio spaces for more than 160 local artists including ceramicists, sculptors and jewellers — much of their work is on display at the city's Millennium Gallery. Residents to note include the leather worker Jonathan Hyde of Hyde Wares and the artist Ashley Holmes, who last year was a recipient of a Serpentine fellowship. During the day find these new-gen makers at the canal-front bar and pizzeria True Loves; then in the evenings at Plot 22, a nearby music venue and studio space hosting underground gigs. Once a month the entire waterfront is transformed into a bustling street food market and makers fair where you can, ahem, eat your art out. If it's views you're after, nowhere does it like Llangollen, a picture-postcard-perfect outpost tucked away in Denbighshire, Wales. On the banks of the River Dee, this small town is perfect for outdoor types who fancy a spot of walking, cycling, rafting or canoeing the Pontcysyllte aqueduct, a Unesco world heritage site. Chill out afterwards in the pretty Corn Mill with glorious views over the Dee's white waters, or head to the sun-drenched RiverBanc café, which has a brunch menu of dreams, including a slow-cooked beef brisket wrap. Fancy staying the night? Stick with the great outdoors and book Hydra ( an Instagram-worthy off-grid two-person hut five minutes' drive out of town with nothing but the Welsh hills and a couple of board games for company.
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
40 passengers evacuated from train after carriages ‘filled with smoke & strange smell' as travellers urged not to panic
FORTY passengers have been evacuated from a train after carriages started filling with smoke. Fire crews descended on the ScotRail train - which left Inverness at 5.36am today - after smoke was detected on board. 1 The service was halted between Gleneagles and Dunblane as emergency services were scrambled to the scene. Passengers were swiftly removed and transferred to another Perth-bound train. is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
