Easter Excursion Day 1 - Castles, Moors, and Walls

On what may be our last multi-day excursion before our return to Canada at the end of July, we sampled three more medieval castles, many miles of stone walls–most of which were rather too close to the side of the road for comfort–and some breath-taking views. Our destination on Monday was an AirBnB in Walton (“Wall Town”) in Cumbria, but instead of heading straight north on the M1 as Google directed, we took a few roads less-traveled by.

Our first diversion was an early lunch break at Pontefract Castle, the site of Richard the II’s death in 1400, under suspicious circumstances, and one of three castles on S’s bucket list. 

According to our road atlas, the castle is not far from the highway, but it was more difficult to locate than I anticipated. Locating parking was more difficult still. Entrance is free, which is good, because there was not much left after Oliver Cromwell finally crushed the Royalist forces who had withstood a four-month siege in the winter of 1648-49.

Cromwell's troops also ruined the nearby All Saints church:

The 19th-century restoration--creating a church within a church--is striking:

Since it was more-or-less along our route, we decided to make another stop at Middleham Castle, the long-time residence of Richard Neville, the king-making Earl of Warwick, and one of the favourite haunts of “King in the Car Park” Richard III (1452-1485).

From Middleham we opted for one of Google’s lesser alternatives that would, I thought, shorten our trip by seven miles and let us see more of the Yorkshire Dales to boot. So instead of returning to the main highway, we set out northwest into the national park. I neglected to consult our road atlas, which labeled the route across Redmire Moor from Leyburn to Reeth a DANGER AREA. Now, however, we know what a moor looks like; we can also confirm that moors are indeed prone to  impenetrable fog.*

From Reeth we abandoned Google for what our atlas indicated was a more established road through the villages of Healaugh, Feetham, Low Row, Gunnerside, Satron, Muker and Thwaite, among others. The one-way lane bordered on each side by stone walls was certainly scenic.

Unfortunately, since we were anxious to get to our destination before nightfall we didn’t stop to take pictures, but pictures wouldn’t do justice to the experience.

*Full disclosure:  The "Danger Area" sign is to let passersby know they are driving through a military shooting range not to warn them about unsafe roads or treacherous fog. Does that make you feel better?

Norfolk Rhapsody

On our bucket list was a trip to the coast. We settled on Old Hunstanton Beach in Norfolk (click here for a map):

  The main draw (for me) was the red cliffs:

Next stop, Castle Rising, once owned by Isabella, "The She-wolf of France," and her grandson Edward, "The Black Prince":

 

In 1544, King Henry the VIII either gave or sold the castle to Thomas Howard, and it has remained in the Howard family ever since--which makes me wonder: Did my ancestors live here?

(My great-great-great-grandfather, Barnabas Howard, was born in Pennsylvania in 1791. I have not yet been able to trace a connection back to Thomas Howard or to his niece, Catherine, Henry's ill-fated 5th wife.)

Of the three Norman castles we have visited in England, Castle Rising was by far the most fun, partly because it doesn't take itself too seriously:

It also has particularly well-preserved earthworks or "baileys":

Norwich, England's "Second City"

We took an hour-and-a-half train ride to Norwich a couple weekends ago. The city is apparently "the most complete medieval city in the UK," with "more medieval churches than anywhere in Europe." Until the industrial revolution, it was the second largest city in England.

Our first stop was the Julian church, which gave its name to an anonymous 14th-century medieval woman who wrote "the first theological book in the English language known to have been written by a woman":

I was told that we could visit Julian of Norwich's cell, but since the church was almost totally destroyed during World War II, what exists now is a reconstruction--more of a shrine than a reproduction, I'm guessing.

However influential she was during her lifetime, neither Julian nor her book appear to have been particularly well-known after her death around 1416. Although The Revelations of Divine Love was first printed in 1670, it did not become popular until the 20th century. (Source: Wikipedia, of course.)

Thanks to a tour by a knowledgeable guide, we found the Keep--basically all that remains of what was once a massive castle begun by William the Conquerer--more interesting than the tower of London. For most of its history, the castle was used as a prison. I'm not usually good with numbers, but for some reason the guide's comment that 52,000 people died in the castle stuck in my head.


In addition to the Keep, Norwich castle is now home to an impressive art museum, and a stunning collection of stuffed animals from around the world and "nearly every species of bird found in Britain." (We were afraid our burgeoning environmentalist might have a break-down in the museum, but she made it through.) Also in the museum is a display about the remarkable lepidopterist, Margaret Fountaine, whose Wikipedia entry you can read for yourself.

In the art museum, I especially liked Tobias Verhaecht's massive Tower of Babel, although I prefer the version by Peter Bruegel, to which Verhaecht is obviously indebted. Also striking was Emily Stannard's "Still Life - Dead ducks and a hare with a basket and a sprig of holly."

If you want to know, the spire on the Norwich cathedral is the second tallest of any church cathedral in England:

The cloisters were nice too:

There's nothing like walking through a Norman cathedral to the sound of organ music and choral evensong:

S's verdict: "That was so totally worth it!"

Next up, a trip to Edinburgh.