Bolton Castle is a massive fortress with walls 9 feet thick which has been dominating Wensleydale since 1379. Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned here during 1568 and 1569 and the Royalists were besieged here during the Civil War. Yet it remains one of the country’s best preserved castles, in a beautiful setting in the Yorkshire Dales. Make a day of it! Visit the castle in the morning, lunch in our tearoom or picnic in the grounds and explore Wensleydale along one of our mapped walks.