The UK is absolutely full of castles, with plenty across Yorkshire itself, but there's one in Leeds which you may not have visited yet.
Harewood Castle is part of the famous Harewood Estate, which includes Harewood House, but it's hidden away inside a forest and can be a little awkward to get to. Grade I listed by Historic England, the building dates back to the mid 14th century and historical record shows William de Aldeburgh was granted license to crenellate in 1366.
According to Historic England, the castle once sheltered Edward Balliol, a claimant and English-backed puppet King of Scotland during the Scottish War of Independence, after he was exiled to England. They also said: "There has been little structural alteration to the castle since it was built and in spite of its ruined condition it is probably the best example in Yorkshire of a C14 fortified tower-houses".
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It is the oldest building in Harewood and is known to have been abandoned by 1656, the castle still stands in its ruined state today after undergoing some repairs in the mid-2000s. The building is actually older than Harewood house itself by around 400 years..
The castle can be found just off of the A61 through Harewood, although it is obscured by trees. In fact, getting a good look at the castle can be a little tricky. There is no charge to visit, but you will need to head into the woods to get to the site.
As for the paths themselves, they can be fairly steep so it is best to travel to the castle when it is dry and when there is high visibility. After finding somewhere in Harewood to park, you can walk up the A61 to a street called Bondgate.
Once you've turned on to the street, you can walk straight ahead until you see signs for a public footpath. This heads through some foliage and directly into a foot tunnel.
If you keep walking eventually you will come upon the historic building in the woods. Although you cannot go inside the castle, there's plenty to see from the outside, such as the historic turret.
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