The Castles, Part 1 - For My Friends

I'm back and over the next days I will present the usual photo overviews. The weather wasn't bad; in fact, the rain stopped during my way up to Scarborough Castle (my first place to visit) and never came back while I was traveling around. Must have been scared of me, lol. Several days were even warm and sunny, though Orkney was a bit on the grey and windy side.

Without further ado, here are a few castles I visited with special interest of some readers in mind:

For Anerje: Scarborough Castle

Scarborough Castle; the keep seen from the outer gate
No wonder the Earl of Pembroke tried to coax Piers Gaveston into surrendering; laying siege to that place would not have been fun. And with the wind like the day I visited it would have been nasty and cold, too. You owe me a cookie or two for braving that wind. *grin*

The curtain wall on the town side
Look at those walls and the steep slope in front of them. I know what I talk about; I walked the blooming path all the way to the top. And there I had thought only German castles sat on hilltops and cliffs. ;-)

Scarborough Castle seen from the northern beach
I took this one a few days later on a sunny evening when the sea fog was just coming in with the tide. The atmosphere became a bit mysterious, but I didn't see a headless Piers. Or one with a head.

For Kasia: Alnwick Castle

Alnwick Castle, the inner bailey seen from the outer one
Alnwick (pronounced something like 'Annick') Castle is still the residence of the Dukes of Northumberland and thus some features have been altered over time. But the overall layout of the bailey is still the original one.

The Barbican
The barbican is one of the old buildings that was around already at the time of William the Lion (albeit the figures were added by one of the duchesses later). Maybe he even entered the castle through this gate. No plaque or anything though, the focus lies more on the later Medieaval history of the castle and the Victorian state rooms.

The inner bailey from the inside (the Norman entrance is to the right)
Alnwick Castle is also a place where you can meet Mrs. McGonagall on occasion, and a bunch of wannabe wizards on broomsticks. Some scenes of the Harry Potter movies have been filmed there and there are Potter-y events for kids.

For Kathryn: Dunstanburgh Castle

Dunstanburgh Castle in the evening sun
I was lucky to find a castle I didn't have on my list but which fit into my schedule quite well and which turned out to be connected to Thomas of Lancaster and fell into King Edward's hands after Lancaster's execution. So you'll get your castle as well. *grin*

Closeup of the keep
Lancaster built that one after his relationship with Edward II detoriated. It sits in sight of Bamburgh Castle (at least on a clear day) and there was an element of 'neiner, neiner' to the place which the duke actually never lived in. He was caught before he could flee to Dunstanburgh.

View from the keep towards Constable's Tower (in the middle) and Egyncleugh Tower (close to the sea)
It's a lovely ruin I had a lot of fun exploring. Even though I got a sunburn on my nose for a change.

More castles are below. Some abbeys as well and a bunch of Pictish and Neolithic sites will follow tomorrow. I've been a busy little photographer. :-)