We were walking towards the entrance archway when a male in dark uniform said "You can't come in. Entrance is only by guided tours, and the next is not for 25 minutes." - Not very friendly, and the couple behind us said what a rude man, and like us, they decided not to wait for the guided tour - I suspect in fear of a Guide with a similar nature.
So the Castle lost at least 4 visitors that Thursday afternoon

It was very good with ok service and the hotel rooms were cold and there was a big wooden foundation sticking up from the ground across the room and up into the roof it was funny but some people may not like it so just a warning
The food was absolutely amazing I don’t know if it was because it was a wedding but it was still amazing food
That was a short review of Durham castle

The setting is lovely and reviews warned us of the 100 steps to our room but no where mentioned the clock which chimes loudly every -5 minutes, resulting in so little sleep that we left after only one night of a two night booking. The room was nicely decorated but the lumpy bed reminded us that it is student accommodation. The breakfast had plenty of choice and the setting was impressive.It was a little disappointing to discover that the Keep ( where the bedrooms are) is a Victorian addition and not part of an ancient castle! It is certainly romantic looking but the lack of sleep was just too much.