Guest Information

Welcome to Augill

It was the chance to breathe new life into a sadly neglected castle that brought us to Cumbria in 1997.  We originally anticipated opening a few rooms to help pay the bills and allow us to live here and indulge our passion for the building.  The business took off in a way we never anticipated and Augill today is a much bigger project than we could have imagined.  Nevertheless, we continue to work hard to retain its unique family atmosphere. 

Augill Castle may be unlike anywhere you have ever stayed before. Why? It is, as one guest wrote, perfectly imperfect. The castle has been our family home and we continue to seek to recreate a true country house experience.

Augill is quite simply a place to relax, reflect and kick off your shoes without causing a scandal.  We believe big beds, billowing pillows, bath sheets, good showers, fresh ground coffee and homemade biscuits are more important to you than direct dial telephones, trouser presses and modem ports (although, thankfully the castle is almost fully wi-fi’d!).

“I feel like we’ve been in a perfect little bubble for the last two days. All the brilliant little touches aside, it’s like there is a spell over the castle, the atmosphere is wonderful and I don’t know how you do that … it’s magic!” – Easter guests, April 2017

The place is far from perfect and that’s what makes it all so interesting. 148 windows and an acre of roof take some upkeep. But some of our renovation decisions have led to us retaining original features rather than replacing them with new because we want the history of the building to sing – even if it is slightly off-key sometimes.

We are aiming for genuine hospitality made of genuine interactions. We hope you will enjoy what makes us different, revel in the connections you will make while you are here, create long lasting memories and feel you belong here.

We may do things differently from the norm and Augill is a very personal creation, but hope that you will succumb to the magic, as we have, and enjoy the experience!

Wendy, Simon, Oliver & Emily Bennett & the Augill team

Emergency Information

The castle is protected by a comprehensive fire detection & alarm system.  Evacuation instructions can be found on a separate sheet by your bedroom door.

If you need a DOCTOR urgently, please call Kirkby Stephen medical centre on 01768 371369 stating clearly that you are a guest at Augill Castle.  The surgery operates an out of hours service from this number.  An alternative out of hours service can be obtained from 0300 247247.

The nearest 24 hour ACCIDENT & EMERGENCY departments are at Carlisle, Lancaster or Darlington hospitals (all about 1 hour drive).  Penrith hospital operates a minor injuries clinic during office hours Monday to Friday only.

A DENTIST, Kirkby Stephen Dental Practice, can be contacted on 01768 371250.

An OPTICIAN, Mike Addison, can be contacted on 01768 353199.

If you need to contact us, one of our team is available 24 hours a day but as the castle rambles and the grounds run to several acres, we may not be instantly accessible.  Please try at the Kitchen first.  Alternatively, during the day (9 am to 11 pm) call our main number 01768 341937. 

For any issues during the night (between 11 pm and 9 am) please call the number on the slate by the kitchen door.

If you fall ill during your stay with Covid-19 symptoms, you must remain in your room, and contact us by telephone on 017683 41937 so that we can put you in touch with the relevant authorities to arrange a test if you are unable to return home immediately.

We must remind you that we are unable to take responsibility for your valuables and advise you to keep your bedroom door locked when you are not there.

Covid-19 Guest Charter

Our charter has been informed by a survey of our database which provided a robust set of data enabling us to anticipate guest expectations as well as in response to the government guideline on re-opening hotels safely published on 24 June 2020. Please read so you can make an informed choice about coming to stay.

Our measures are divided into what will happen before you arrive, what you will see while you are here and what we are doing behind the scenes to ensure the highest standards of hygiene and to provide a safe working environment for our team and a safe and comfortable experience for you and your fellow guests.

Everything will evolve with the continuously changing situation but we promise to clearly communicate what we are doing and how it will affect your stay.

As a guest before you arrive you will see:

• • Clear pre-arrival communication with details of all the measures we have put in place. Our measures are detailed in full on our website and in guest rooms

  • You will be asked to confirm that you and anyone in your household is Covid-19 symptom free before you arrive. If you have symptoms you will be asked to cancel your visit without penalty in order to safeguard our team and other guests

  • On busy arrival days the front door remains locked, as it has always been, so that we can control the flow of guests arriving and you may be asked to arrive within a specific time window – of course we won’t hold you to it and you won’t be sent to detention if you are late!

  • Check-in will be paperless and contactless

When you arrive:

• • There are hand sanitisers at the main entrance, the entry point of every public room, on the stair landing

  • We have developed a one-way system throughout our public rooms and a floor plan is available to help you follow this. It isn’t mandatory but will help you maintain social distancing in line with current government guidelines

  • You will be invited to take a tour of the castle accompanied by a member of our front of house team. this will help you understand how you can move around the building safely and where to find our team members should you need them

  • We will not routinely offer to help with carrying luggage to your room to avoid unnecessary contact with your possessions. however, we recognise that heavy suitcases and stairs can be a troublesome combination so if you do require assistance we will take the necessary precautions

While you are here:

• Your bedroom will have been thoroughly cleaned prior to your arrival in accordance with our enhanced cleaning regime and you will be offered the option of not having it serviced during your stay so that you are the only person/people in your room for the duration of your stay. Clearly if there is a pressing maintenance or hygiene issue we are on hand to assist. We will provide you with single-use toiletries and individually packaged tea & coffee supplies and ask you to put any wet towels outside your bedroom door to be replaced

• If you do wish your room to be serviced, housekeeping will be doing this between 11am and 2pm and we request that you vacate your room during this time

• We have made more use of our fifteen acres of grounds for outside eating and drinking including enhanced lighting, more tables and chairs and the installation of dining gazebos. We are also developing an outdoor bar and barbecue in our kitchen garden. Unfortunately we aren’t able to control the weather but…

• We are taking full advantage of the enormous space we have inside the castle to increase the space between tables in the restaurant, spread tables over multiple rooms and offer pre-booked staggered meal times when necessary. With a maximum resident capacity of just 34 we are confident there is plenty of room for everyone to be able to enjoy the castle comfortably and safely and comply with current government social distancing guidelines

• We are offering our usual menus and are trying out the feasibility of a simple lounge/room service menu to give you added flexible dining options.

• We offer pre-bookable picnic lunches to make exploring away from the castle easier without the stress of finding and queuing for lunch

• We ask that you tell us of any dietary requirements you may have on booking

• At busy times you will be asked to pre-book a time for breakfast or a simpler offering may be available to be delivered to your room

• We no longer offer a self-service breakfast buffet

• There is no longer an honesty bar (we had already planned to phase this out) and all drinks are served from our newly renovated bar

• Residents are requested to use the toilet facilities in their bedroom to allow public toilet facilities to be solely for the use of non-residents

• Check-out had already become paperless and contactless payments are strongly encouraged

• If you or any one you are with develops Covid-19 symptoms during your stay you will be asked to quarantine yourself in your room until you are able to leave to go home. If you are unable to leave we will advise you of how to obtain a test and put you in touch with local health services

What will be going on behind the scenes:

We already maintain the highest standards of hygiene but we have adapted our operating procedures to comply with current government guidelines. These include…

• • Updates to all risk assessments to take account of Covid-19

  • Team training on how to limit disease transmission at work and at home

  • Enhanced cleaning regimes in the kitchen, bedrooms, public rooms and spaces

  • Regular physical cleaning and contactless UV disinfection of frequently touched hard surfaces

  • Increased use of steam cleaning for soft furnishings in public rooms and bedrooms

  • Social distancing in the kitchen and team working in line with current government guidelines and housekeepers working in set teams of two

  • New team common areas to enable better social distancing with staggered break and mealtimes

  • Team members are asked to self-certify that they are symptom-free each day before leaving home. They are given the facility to record their temperature on arrival at work using a contactless thermometer

  • Appropriate personal protective equipment is available for all team members

We feel these are sensible common-sense precautionary measures that enhance everyone’s safety and wellbeing whilst not compromising on the unique experience that is a stay at Augill Castle. Remember – we won’t be fully booked to start with and even if we are, we accommodate a maximum of 34 guests at any time so social distancing should be easy and with everyone’s cooperation should become second-nature.

Our food service

Our evening dining is inspired by Justin Woods@Augill Castle who aims to bring you the best of what Cumbria and our surrounding counties offer. 

Justin started his career at the two Michelin starred L’Ortolan in Berkshire where he cut his teeth under chef John Burton-Race.  He then spent thirteen years at The Lanesborough at Hyde Park Corner and rose to executive sous chef. He makes Augill his new culinary home after 16 years as Executive Chef at Kendal’s Castle Green Hotel.

He says our food will be as Cumbrian sourced as possible. 

“Let’s look at more local farmers and producers and really see what amazing things we can find in the Eden Valley and surrounding area.”

The best quality food, cooked well but simply in the friendliest atmosphere. It’s what we’ve always striven to do at Augill, only better. 

Dinner is available Tuesday to Saturday evening from 6 pm to 8.30 pm.

On Sundays & Mondays, we offer our casual menu together with our thin & crispy pizzas with lovely salad.

Details of daily restaurant menus are displayed in the hall and will be given to you in the Dining Room.  We ask that you book your table as soon as possible to avoid disappointment, as we are open to a limited number of non residents each day too. 

We ask that you go straight to your table at your requested time, where you will be served pre-dinner drinks.

Please inform us of any allergy or dietary considerations.

We also provide simple children’s dishes for little guests, or they can have a smaller portion of the main menu or casual menu.

Casual Menu

We can deliver to your room, a spot in one of our lounges, the conservatory  or the garden every day between 6 pm & 9 pm

Orders must be placed on arrival or by midday on subsequent days of your stay

• The Augill Burger – £15 6oz traditional burger, ciabatta bun, tomato relish, gherkin, salad & chips
• The Veggie Hot Dog – £13 Veggie sausage, hot dog bun, loaded with onion marmalade & cheese, salad, & chips
• Cod Goujon Ciabatta – £15 Cod goujons, ciabatta bun, tartare sauce, lemon, salad & chips

Sunday & Monday evenings

Between 6 pm and 8.30 pm you can choose from the casual menu or have pizza and salad – £12

Orders must be placed on arrival or by midday on subsequent days of your stay

• Ortolana : Mixed vegetables & Mozarella
• Pollo : Chicken with sweet Peppadew peppers & Mozarella
• Margherita : Oregano & Mozarella
• Prosciutto : Ham & Mozarella
• Funghi: Sliced mushrooms & Mozarella

Picnic lunch

Order by 6 pm the previous day for collection after breakfast – £12

Freshly made sandwich on white or whole meal bread :

• Ham, Cumberland mustard, lettuce
• Locally smoked salmon, cucumber, lettuce
• Free range egg mayonnaise, cucumber, lettuce
• Grated mature cheddar, onion chutney, lettuce

Fresh fruit, Salted Kettle Crisps, Chocolate brownie, Still water

The Essentials

So you can relax totally, here is some basic information you may find useful during your stay.

As we have no telephones in the bedrooms, if you need to contact us, please start at the kitchen – the heart of the castle.

• Breakfast kicks off in the Dining Room at around 8.30am and finishes around 10 am. If you need it outside of these times, please just ask the day before.  You will be asked on arrival to book a time to have breakfast or let us know if you want a continental breakfast delivered to your room.

• We do a full traditional afternoon tea – sweet or savoury – every day with delicate sandwiches, mini pastries and home made scones.  This must be booked by 10 am that day and can be taken between 2pm and 5pm in the sitting room, hall, drawing room, library, conservatory or garden.

• You will find The Great British Bar in the conservatory which is stocked with independently made British drinks. The bar is no longer an honesty bar and opens daily at 4pm. If you’d like a drink before then please ask at the kitchen or reception. 

• You will find a hospitality tray in your room and supplies will be replenished daily.

• As a big house, we aim to keep you warm without contributing to excess global warming and the central heating is normally on a timer (actual times depend on the season & the weather).  Please do let us know if you are cold, as we may not be (having acclimatised to the Cumbrian weather) – it’s a simple flick of a switch.

• In Appleby, Langdale & Pendragon there are open fires and you will find a wrapped heat log in the hearth.  Light both ends and it will burn safely for 2-3 hours.  Additional heat logs can be purchased for £7.50.   Please do not burn anything other than these heat logs on these fires – it is a fire hazard and not covered by our insurance.

• You will find a hairdryer in the top drawer or on the side of your dressing table, chest of drawers or desk.

• Hypo–allergenic pillows & duvets, should you prefer these to the feather bedding provided.

• Bath robes are available on request.

• There is an iron and an ironing board in every room.

• If there is a power cut, you will find a wind-up lantern in your room.

• There is no telephone in your room but we can give you access to a house telephone in the castle and there is a good signal for most of the mobile networks.

• We are fully wi-fi’d free of charge and you should connect automatically when registered.  You can opt to pay for a Premium service if you need more bandwidth.   We have wifi throughout the castle, but sometimes the broadband reaching this rural location is slow – we cannot control this.

• There is a boot room at the bottom of the main stairs where you can store wellies, muddy boots and damp coats. There are spare wellies there too.

• We have a tennis court.  We can provide tennis balls & racquets in return for a small deposit, refundable on return.

• When you are ready to leave we accept Mastercard, Visa, Delta, Switch & American Express as payment. 

• Please check out of your bedroom by 11am to give us time to prepare for our next guests, but you are welcome to stay in the castle and grounds – we understand it may be hard to leave!

• We can arrange for gift vouchers in any monetary denomination, for experiences or for whole stays, should you want to share the magic of Augill with friends & relatives.

Please keep your key with you for the duration of your stay

For the security & peace of mind of all our guests, the front door locks behind you

and we may not be within earshot of the doorbell

Please remember to leave your key when you go home

Eating out

No-one delivers food to Augill, but you can collect a take-away and we can provide napkins, crockery & cutlery from the kitchen.

Pizza Roma, Appleby (01768 353880) : open Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday 5-11pm, Friday & Saturday 5pm to midnight.  Closed Tuesday & Thursday.  Take-away only.

The Mango Tree (Indian), Kirkby Stephen (01768 374960) : open daily from 5-11pm.  Restaurant & take-away.

Century (Chinese), Kirkby Stephen (01768 372828) : open 5-11pm Monday to Sunday. Closed Tuesday.  Restaurant & take-away.

Please be aware that most pubs and restaurants locally open around 6pm and take their last orders for food by 9 pm, often earlier in the winter months.  Things may change during our return to normal from the Covid-19 lockdown, so please telephone in advance.

Taxis are scarce and can’t be guaranteed. They MUST be booked and you should arrange your return trip when you are dropped off.   Try 01768 372557 or 01768 371682.

The Bay Horse, Winton (01768 371451 : open daily 12-2pm and 6-9pm.  A good atmospheric English pub.

Swanson House, Brough (01768 341221) : Friday, Saturday & Sunday evenings only.  Advanced booking is essential.  Local postmistress turned little bistro owner offering a lovely locally sourced menu.  Simple, tasty and friendly.

The Inn at Brough, Brough (01768 341252) : open for bar food Monday and Tuesday 6-8.30pm, Wednesday – Sunday 6-9pm for dinner served in the bar or in the restaurant, Saturday and Sunday 12-2.30pm for lunch. An easy walk from Augill.

Brough Castle, Church Brough (01768 341219) : open daily 10am-4pm for coffee & homemade ice cream made with milk from their own cows.  At the foot of the castle ruins, this is a great spot to sit & reflect.

The Nateby Inn, Nateby, Kirkby Stephen (017683 71588) ; open daily 5.30pm–8.30pm and for Sunday lunch. Traditional, honest pub food in friendly surroundings.

The Black Swan, Ravenstonedale (01539 623204) : open daily 12-2 pm and 6-9 pm.  A family run hotel & restaurant serving a modern British bar menu or more formal restaurant dining. Excellent quality, great staff.

The Masons Arms, Long Marton (01768 361395 : open Wednesday to Sunday 12-2pm & 6-9pm.  A great traditional pub with good food & fabulous ales.

The Mill Yard Cafe, Morland, Penrith (01931 714155) : open daily 9am-5pm. A delightful cafe overlooking Morland Beck waterfall.  Evening meals are also served on Fridays & Saturdays when booking is essential.

The George & Dragon, Clifton, Penrith (01768 865381) : open daily 12-2.30pm & 6-9.30pm.  A gastro pub using produce from the Lowther Castle estate.

Larch Cottage Nurseries & La Casa Verde, Melkinthorpe, Penrith (01931 712404) : open daily for lunches 12-2pm and teas 2-5pm.  Evening meals are served on some weekends when booking is essential. Great Italian inspired food set in a beautiful nursery which specialises in rare & unusual perennials.

Tan Hill Inn, Long Causeway, Richmond DL11 6ED (01833 628246) : open daily for a great pint : Britain’s highest public house at 1,732 feet (528m) above sea level.  Great views, open fire.  Recently under new ownership and things look set to be great again after a long period of doldrums!

There are innumerable places in the Yorkshire Dales, towards Barnard Castle & over in the Lake District and we have details of many. We are always happy to advise so do ask.  We may not always have the answer but can guide you towards a very happy meal!

Environment

In our attempt to be sustainable, we have embarked on various projects over the years including the introduction of our free range chickens for eggs; rare breed pigs (long departed and they were delicious!), and mulching, chipping & composting. Our latest project is the rearing of our one Aberdeen Angus calves.

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Our desire to minimise the use of plastic packaging and single-use containers has been curtailed by the pandemic and you will see more individually packaged portions than we would like such as butter, jams, milk sachets and toiletries. We have introduced these to give you comfort that what you use has not been handled unnecessarily by anybody else while we all try to minimise the spread of coronavirus.

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We have moved from using fossil fuels in the log burners to recycled sawdust logs alongside the wood which is felled from the grounds and from locally managed forests.  And we use the candle stubs as firelighters.

We aim to cook using seasonal and local ingredients, with a mind to food miles and we are part of the slow food movement.  Our bar celebrates British artisan producers.

We recycle, reuse and redistribute as much as possible – paper & card, glass, cans, plastics, ink cartridges.  Our old clothing and unclaimed lost property is sent to a BagstoSchool project supporting entrepreneurism in Africa.

Our heating system is zoned so that we can turn bits off and on separately and every radiator has a thermostatic valve and our ambient temperature hovers at around 19 degrees C.

We use a laundry service with a grey water plant and don’t change your towels unless you ask or after three days. 

We are on a continuous programme to upgrade our lighting to LED wherever possible.

And we encourage you to do your bit by turning radiators down or off before opening windows; using the plug in your basin; sharing baths; switching your lights off when you aren’t in your room; not overfilling the kettle.  We don’t intend to lecture, more hope you feel as protective about our stunning and varied landscape as we do.

Augill History

Augill Castle was reputedly built, between 1837 and 1841, by the older of two brothers who fell out with his sibling and resolved to build something big on high ground overlooking his family home.  His legacy was a castle built and decorated in a neo-gothic style thought to have been modelled on nearby, much larger, Lowther Castle near Penrith.

Much of the stone used was reclaimed from derelict buildings, barns and stone walls locally.  The original part of the castle, bounded by four corner turrets, is random rubble construction, some believed to have come from Brough Castle.

He must have enjoyed his new home and is known to have sat in state on a dias in the main hall receiving his guests who would join him for banquets in the dining hall.

Such a flamboyant house has had its share of colourful incumbents, not least Doctor Abercrombie, surgeon to Queen Victoria, and allegedly something to do with the Jack the Ripper murder investigation, who lived here in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

Indeed, there are reports that Queen Victoria once stayed at Augill on her way to Balmoral during this time with a companion.  Little more is known but much may be surmised.  If true, she most likely slept in the master bedroom, now known as Pendragon.

Until 1927, a single storey library wing stood on the site of the present Music Room.  The library was lit by gas which one evening blew up with such force that a brass bell was flung three fields to the East.  The mantlepiece in the Dining Room still bears the crack caused by the explosion.  The present two storey East Wing, with Appleby & Middlesmoor bedrooms was built in its place.

Between the wars older locals remember the house in its former heyday in the hands of Major Ingham and his family, with a full complement of servants & gardeners.

During the second world war the house was occupied briefly by French Canadian airmen as a planning centre for the D-Day landings.   After this the estate fell into disrepair for most of the 1940’s and 50’s.  One of our neighbours remembers exploring the empty castle as a child when the dining room was being used as a chicken house.

During the 1960’s the house once again came to life and is widely remembered for the lively parties hosted here on Saturday nights – early raves perhaps! 

In the 1970’s Augill was owned by an antiques dealer who, although he had a reputation as something of a rogue, is thought to have been responsible for installing the Tudor panelling in the Hall.

It was in the late 1980’s that the castle suffered most at the hands of unsympathetic developers who attempted to divide the castle into flats but later abandoned it and left it empty for the several years before we found it.  Their two lasting legacies were the roof and the central heating.Eating out Locally