The Aussies were spooked there - but Mike Laycock just enjoys a night of pure luxury at Lumley Castle in County Durham.

THE owners of Lumley Castle call it no ordinary hotel. I'd call that an understatement. It's a quite extraordinary hotel - quite unlike any I've ever stayed at before, although I have wandered round a few stately homes and castles rather like it on a Sunday afternoon.

Standing in attractive parklands overlooking the River Wear, just outside Chester Le Street in County Durham, it's a romantic, medieval world of tapestries and four-poster beds, four-feet walls and hidden rooms.

The castle was built more than 600 years ago by Sir Ralph Lumley. He didn't have much time to enjoy it, as he was executed in 1400 for joining a conspiracy to overthrow Henry IV. It was turned into a luxury hotel in the 1970s, becoming part of the No Ordinary Hotels group, and it has since played host to numerous notable guests, most recently the Australian cricket team during last summer's Ashes series.

On that occasion, the Aussies were reported not only to be running scared of England, but also to have been spooked by the ghost of Lily Lumley, the 14th century lady of the manor. She was reputed to have been thrown down a well in the castle grounds by two priests after she refused to enter the Catholic Church.

One player, all-rounder Shane Watson, is alleged to have been so terrified by the ghost that he slept on Brett Lee's floor. Scare dinkum!

I didn't catch a sight of Lily when I stayed for a night with my wife. It was just luxury all the way.

We walked through a courtyard to reception, where a member of staff dressed in period costume led us through a corridor lined with busts of great Greek and Roman writers and philosophers, up wide staircases and past numerous nooks and crannies to a corner tower of the castle and our bedroom - sorry "bedchamber."

The room, one of 59 individual chambers, was breathtaking. Sumptuous drapes, thick curtains, antique furnishings and at the centre of it all, a huge four poster - the first I've slept in. Up some steps in one corner of the room was a large corner bath. Windows looked out over woodland and parkland. We opened what appeared to be a wardrobe door only to discover it was actually the door into the toilet and washroom. There was a TV, but discreetly hidden away inside an antique furnishing. It was a romantic refuge from the stress and hurly-burly of the outside world. As I soaked in the bath, I reflected that I could get used to this sort of life.

Then it was time to wind our way through the castle to dinner. We promptly got hopelessly lost in the endless corridors and rooms before eventually making it to the elegant Black Knight restaurant.

Here a musician played classical guitar as we were shown to our candlelit table to choose from the classical menu, with our meal accompanied by champagne.

The food was delicious, the atmosphere intimate, the service attentive.

The following day, after a full English breakfast, we lingered until the last minute, and had a wander around the grounds before regretfully departing for reality. However, our weekend break was not over, for there was still time for a visit to the beautiful city of Durham, less than ten miles away down the A1.

This small and compact city of winding streets, many pedestrianised, is dominated by an ancient cathedral and castle. The castle, occupied by Durham University, is open to visitors on weekend afternoons. The magnificent Norman Cathedral, founded in 1093 and open to visitors most days, is said to be one of the great architectural experiences of Europe. The city centre is built inside a loop in the river Wear, and we enjoyed a pleasant riverside walk before returning back down the A1 to York, refreshed by a far from ordinary weekend break.