Castle · near Windermere · Cumbria

Wray Castle

Wray Castle is a neogothic mansion. The site is 1.8 km northwest of Windermere. It counts as a Grade II* listed building.

Photo: Wray Castle, CellsDeDells (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Where

1.8 km

northwest of Windermere

Run by

National Trust

a national heritage body

How well known

Top 13%

#1,081 of 8,556 places we list

Warmest months

Jun–Aug

highs of 18–19°C

In brief

Castle near Windermere

Just outside Windermere

Wray Castle is 1.8 km northwest of Windermere. Towns near it ↓

Cared for by the National Trust

One of the places the National Trust looks after; members usually get in free. About ↓

Grade II* listed building

On the official list of protected heritage; Windermere has 24 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

Month by month in Windermere

June to August are the warmest in Windermere, with afternoon highs of 18–19°C.

Jan7° / 1°204 mm

Feb7° / 1°169 mm

Mar9° / 2°143 mm

Apr12° / 4°96 mm

May15° / 7°96 mm

Jun18° / 9°100 mm

Jul19° / 11°118 mm

Aug19° / 11°150 mm

Sep16° / 9°142 mm

Oct13° / 6°195 mm

Nov9° / 3°203 mm

Dec7° / 1°233 mm

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

About

Wray Castle

Its care is managed by the National Trust. There are Wikipedia articles on it in 5 languages. Top of the 34 other places within 15 km is Hill Top, 5.5 km off.

Windermere’s listed buildings and monuments →

Type: Castle
Run by: National Trust
Listed: Grade II* listed building
Wikipedias: Covered in 5 languages
Town: 1.8 km northwest of Windermere
Official site: nationaltrust.org.uk/wray-castle

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

The map

The way to Wray Castle

Spot Wray Castle in orange, then follow the numbers to the places below.

Towns near it

Bases for a visit

Of the 8, Windermere is the largest, at 4,819 people. The towns are in order of distance, its own town first.

1 · 1.8 km southeast of it

Windermere

4,819 people · 17 places to visit

2 · 1.9 km north of it

Ambleside

2,624 people · 15 places to visit

3 · 3.4 km southwest of it

Hawkshead

261 people · 14 places to visit

4 · 4.2 km southeast of it

Bowness-on-Windermere

2,290 people · 13 places to visit

Compare the 8 towns

Town	Where Wray Castle is	People	Places to visit
Windermere	1.8 km southeast of it	4,819	17
Ambleside	1.9 km north of it	2,624	15
Hawkshead	3.4 km southwest of it	261	14
Bowness-on-Windermere	4.2 km southeast of it	2,290	13
Coniston	7.8 km southwest of it	595	8
Grasmere	8.1 km northwest of it	519	9
Staveley	9.9 km east of it	1,466	2
Burneside	14 km east of it	998	6

Make a day of it

After Wray Castle

Our list has 34 more within 15 km, among them 4 historic houses, 2 gardens and 2 museums.

Historic house · National TrustHill Top5.5 km away 2

Garden · National TrustStag Shaw Gardens2 km away 3

Historic houseRydal Mount5.5 km away 4

Historic house · National TrustTownend3.4 km away 5MuseumMuseumThe Armitt Museum & Library3.7 km away 6

GardenHolehird Gardens3.5 km away 7

MuseumWindermere Jetty4.3 km away 8

Historic houseRydal Hall5.4 km away

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

Wray Castle: common questions

Where is Wray Castle?

Wray Castle is 1.8 km northwest of Windermere, Cumbria.

What is Wray Castle?

Neogothic mansion.

Who runs Wray Castle?

National Trust, so members usually get in free; check opening times before you go.

When is the best time to visit Wray Castle?

June to August are the warmest months in Windermere, with afternoon highs of 18–19°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

Is Wray Castle a listed building?

Yes: Grade II* listed building.

What else is there to see near Wray Castle?

Within 15 km: Hill Top (5.5 km), Stag Shaw Gardens (2 km), Rydal Mount (5.5 km) and Townend (3.4 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 (8)

Wray Castle: CellsDeDells, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Hill Top: Chris Brown, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Stag Shaw Gardens: Ben Gamble, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Rydal Mount: P.K.Niyogi, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Townend: Humphrey Bolton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Holehird Gardens: Carl Bendelow, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Windermere Jetty: Chris Allen, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Rydal Hall: Jpbowen at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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.