UK’s coolest castle stays where you can play out I’m A Celeb fantasies

I’M A Celebrity returns to our TV screens tonight with a fresh bunch of stars ready to face some gruesome bushtucker trials.

For the second year running, the Aussie jungle has been swapped for the rustic Gwrych Castle on the North Wales coast.

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But you don’t need to be a VIP to live like Richard Madeley, Arlene Phillips and their fellow contestants.

Sophie Swiettochowski picks out the coolest UK castle stays where you can play out your I’m A Celeb fantasies – just without the creepy crawlies.

Undercroft, Snape Castle, Devon

FORGET rice and beans – you’ll be dining on confit duck leg and local sausages at the gastropub just a five minute walk from this rural retreat.

Guests get a wing of the castle all to themselves where they have access to a cosy living room complete with a wood-burning stove, two comfy bedrooms and a kitchen.

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Inside, expect bare brick walls, thick rugs and varnished wooden doors, while outside the walled garden is a great spot for a stroll, with colourful flower beds and stone statues dotted about.

The Undercroft at Snape Castle sleeps four and costs from £959 per week.

See sykescottages.co.uk.

Castle Balbegno, Scotland

YOU will feel like a proper celeb when you escape to this luxury home in the Scottish countryside.

Great for large groups, the castle sleeps 14 in six unique bedrooms where traditional paintings hang from dark walls and leather-bound books decorate the shelves.

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There’s a wood-fired hot tub outside and a 15th-century dungeon which has been converted into a bar with a pool table.

The standout feature, though, is the separate dining room which feels wholly authentic with a tall and ornate vaulted ceiling, huge varnished table and rows of stag’s heads protruding from the stone walls.

Seven nights’ self-catering costs from £2,035 in total.

See cottages.com.

Haldon Belvedere, Devon

THERE are no terrifying critters crawling the corridors of this pristine one-bedroom castle in Devon.

Standing 244 metres above sea level and close to Dartmoor National Park, the grade II listed building once hosted King George III – and now it is open to the public who can rent the top floor.

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Inside, a well-equipped kitchen is tucked away in one of the four turrets, while the open-plan bedroom and lounge sits at the centre with huge Gothic windows overlooking five acres of secluded woodland.

There’s plenty to do nearby with the beach just a 20- minute drive away and some of Devon’s most-scenic cycle routes right on your doorstep.

Haldon Belvedere sleeps two and costs from £525 per week.

Book at oneoffplaces.co.uk.

Lumley Castle, Co Durham

THIS medieval castle perched on a hill at the edge of Durham dates back to the 1300s and is steeped in history.

Wide stone steps lead to a grand entrance. Inside, the building has retained many classic features including the stylish library which now functions as a bar to the dark dungeons.

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Bring your dog and book a Castle room or fork out for the King James Suite which has a four-poster bed lined with heavy drapes and throne-like armchairs facing an ornamental fireplace.

Room-only doubles cost from £107 per night.

See lumleycastle.com.

Amberley Castle, West Sussex

A LONG driveway leads to a portcullis at the entrance of this chic castle hotel.

Splurge on a characterful Junior Deluxe room in the Tower House Mews – you’ll have to climb winding stone stairs and venture through an original archway to reach your cool bathroom, stocked with L’Occitane toiletries.

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The main building is exactly what you’d expect from a castle fortress, decorated with suits of armour, grand chandeliers and heavy curtains.

Dinner here is equally elegant with a simple menu that has earned the restaurant three AA rosettes.

Double rooms at Amberley Castle start from £195 per night, including breakfast.

See amberleycastle.co.uk.

Castell Deudraeth, Wales

Book a stay at the 4H Castell Deudraeth and you’ll be just over an hour’s drive from the celebs themselves. You won’t be slumming it like they are though.

The interior of this gothic castle has been completely renovated and now boasts 11 modern rooms and suites with gas fires to keep you cosy.

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While the hours away with a Welsh whisky at the Lounge which, unlike the bedrooms, has kept many original features including a carved stone fireplace, slate floors and dark oak-panelled walls.

One night’s room-only at Castell Deudraeth costs from £129.

See portmeirion.wales.