C = Castles

Until my trip to Scotland, England and Wales in 2006 with my sister, I had only seen pictures of castles. The first castle ruin we visited in Scotland was Dumbarton that dated back to 450 A.D. We then took a ferry to the Isle of Butte and saw the ruins of the Rothesay Castle built about 1098. The following day we went to the huge Edinburgh Castle.




After Scotland we went to England. The first castle we visited was the stunning medieval Alnwick castle (the film location for the Harry Potter movies).



One of the most memorable nights during our trip was spent staying overnight at the castle in Durham.



The following day we went to the 14th century Raby Medieval Castle, and the ruins of the Bernard Castle. Another beautiful castle we visited was in Nottingham. We then went to see the Keniworth castle ruins in Warkwickshire.




My favorite castle was the one in Warwick founded in 1068. That day besides touring the castle, we experienced many things. We saw the world’s largest siege machine – Trebuchet. We went on a ghost tour, watched knights on horses, and a jousting match with knights and squires. We also attended the King Maker’s feast in the evening.



The next castle we saw was in Wales. The first one was the Chepstow castle ruins, and then we went to the Cardiff Castle.




Back in England we went to the Farleigh-Hungerford Castle ruins, and then we went to the Winchester Castle built in 1067. This castle holds the famous King Arthur’s Round Table. In the same village was the Wolvesey Castle ruin.



You probably think all we did was visit castle, but I actually have more pictures of churches and cathedrals. We also visited areas where our ancestors were from. It was a wonderful three weeks of exploring.