Castle · near Startforth · County Durham

Bowes Castle

Bowes Castle is a castle in County Durham. It is 5.8 km southwest of Startforth. On the official register, it is a Grade I listed building.

Where

5.8 km

southwest of Startforth

Run by

English Heritage

a national heritage body

How well known

Top 8%

#682 of 8,556 places we list

Warmest months

Jun–Aug

highs of 17–19°C

In brief

Castle near Startforth

One of the best-known places to visit in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

#682 of the 8,556 museums, castles, gardens and other attractions we list, by how widely it is covered (8 Wikipedias). About ↓

Near Startforth

Bowes Castle is 5.8 km southwest of Startforth. Towns near it ↓

Cared for by English Heritage

One of the places English Heritage looks after; members usually get in free. About ↓

Grade I listed building

On the official list of protected heritage; Startforth has 22 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓

Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, the ONS built-up areas and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.

When to go

Weather by the month

If warmth matters, go June to August: Startforth reaches 17–19°C.

Jan6° / 1°79 mm

Feb6° / 0°73 mm

Mar8° / 2°62 mm

Apr11° / 3°54 mm

May14° / 5°50 mm

Jun17° / 8°64 mm

Jul19° / 10°62 mm

Aug19° / 10°71 mm

Sep16° / 8°64 mm

Oct12° / 6°79 mm

Nov9° / 3°84 mm

Dec6° / 1°93 mm

Green months are the warmest. Typical afternoon highs and night lows in Startforth, and rain in a month. Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for Startforth. Opening times change through the year: check before you go. Startforth’s full climate →

About

Bowes Castle

The site is kept up by English Heritage. Its Wikipedia coverage spans 8 languages. Around it, within 15 km, lie 5 more places, Barnard Castle Grounds (6.4 km) first on our list.

Startforth’s listed buildings and monuments →

Type: Castle
Run by: English Heritage
Listed: Grade I listed building
Wikipedias: Covered in 8 languages
Town: 5.8 km southwest of Startforth
Official site: english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/bowes-castle

Facts: Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

The map

Finding Bowes Castle

Orange: Bowes Castle.

Towns near it

Towns that list Bowes Castle

The 8 towns are led in size by Barnard Castle, with 5,783 people. The town it is in comes first, then the others whose pages list it, nearest first.

1 · 5.8 km northeast of it

Startforth

1,391 people · 5 places to visit

2 · 6.4 km north of it

Cotherstone

554 people · 3 places to visit

3 · 6.9 km northeast of it

Barnard Castle

5,783 people · 5 places to visit

4 · 10 km north of it

Mickleton

388 people

Compare the 8 towns

Town	Where Bowes Castle is	People	Places to visit
Startforth	5.8 km northeast of it	1,391	5
Cotherstone	6.4 km north of it	554	3
Barnard Castle	6.9 km northeast of it	5,783	5
Mickleton	10 km north of it	388	0
Middleton-in-Teesdale	13 km north of it	879	1
Staindrop	15 km northeast of it	1,339	2
Cockfield	17 km northeast of it	1,351	1
Brough	20 km west of it	820	2

Make a day of it

More to see nearby

Among the 5 within 15 km are 2 historic houses, a castle and a museum.

Castle · English HeritageBarnard Castle Grounds6.4 km away 2

Museum · English HeritageThe Bowes Museum6.9 km away 3

Abbey or priory · English HeritageEgglestone Abbey7.2 km away 4

Historic houseLartington Hall5.1 km away 5

Historic houseRokeby Park9 km away

Within 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.

Bowes Castle in questions

Where is Bowes Castle?

Bowes Castle is 5.8 km southwest of Startforth, County Durham.

What is Bowes Castle?

Castle in County Durham, England, UK.

Who runs Bowes Castle?

English Heritage, so members usually get in free; check opening times before you go.

When is the best time to visit Bowes Castle?

June to August are the warmest months in Startforth, with afternoon highs of 17–19°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

Is Bowes Castle a listed building?

Yes: Grade I listed building.

What else is there to see near Bowes Castle?

Within 15 km: Barnard Castle Grounds (6.4 km), The Bowes Museum (6.9 km), Egglestone Abbey (7.2 km) and Lartington Hall (5.1 km).

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (5)

Barnard Castle Grounds: Robert Scarth from London, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Bowes Museum: Alden Chadwick, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Egglestone Abbey: Jonathan Oldenbuck, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Lartington Hall: TSP, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Rokeby Park: Oliver Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.