The castle is fairly remote, even though it's only a mile or so outside the village. We got there, and the gate was closed!
The route in is really narrow, and with the gate shut there wasn't much in the way of parking. But, it was still early and there wasn't any traffic to speak of so I just found a spot where there was enough room for a vehicle to get by if one came along.
Devon and Cornwall are difficult for a motorhome. I'm a fairly confident driver, but the narrow roads and the fast drivers are hard on the nerves. Ireland was easier in our opinion, mostly because there was far less traffic. People say that Eastern Europe and the Balkans are bad for driving, but I would rather drive there than in this part of England. Not only that, but it's been a challenge trying to find decent free day parking let alone somewhere to spend the night. Yes, we could be staying at campgrounds, and that's obviously our choice not to. But it may come to that!
We think that his part of England is best explored using house sitting. You could easily take the train or bus to various locations and maybe spend a week at each location without having to worry about driving. Of course in a small car, it would be much easier.
At 10:00am, the gate was opened and we drove up the very narrow single track lane that led to the castle parking lot. With Max's mirrors brushing against the growth on both sides! The parking lot itself was fine, with room for about 20 vehicles, but very sloped.
Once again, our English Heritage cards provided free entry.
Restormel Castle is different because it is circular.
Built around the year 1249.
A depiction of what it looked like in the 1500's.
All that remains today is the circular part.
What's a castle without a moat?
Ruth at the entrance.
The kitchen, and what remains of the big fireplace.
There was a heavy wet mist in the air during our visit.
The hall.
What it would have looked like at the time.
The wooden floor of course is long gone, so we were walking on the level where they show the barrels.
They let you walk around the top of the castle wall.
Views of Devon Countryside.
Looking towards the village of Lostwithiel.
We enjoyed being able to see this different castle, but again, it would have been a very expensive half hour visit without the card.
No worthwhile overnight parking nearby, so we continued on the the town of Liskeard. Just outside the town was a pull off just away from the main highway, and we only stopped in there for lunch, but decided it was good enough to spend the night despite the nearby road noise.
After dinner, we walked the 5 miles (8 kms) or so into and around Liskeard and back.
Liskeard is nice enough to wander around, but there are a lot of empty shops.
Ruth with a nice mosaic.
Interesting old building. If you zoom in, you can see three faces at the top.
We actually slept alright even though we were fairly close to the main highway.
Today, we are off to the coastal town of Dartmouth to see another castle!
Yesterday's drive, 37 miles (60 kms).
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Record low deal on this Electric Kettle.
And in Canada...
I like the possible before, it give you a good idea of what life was like then. We'll be attacking our first castle soon!
ReplyDeleteWe like seeing pictures of what they thought it looked like as well along with pictures of how life might have been for the people living in those days. It really is hard to image what it was like otherwise.
DeleteLooking forward to your visit to Spain! Definitely lots of old castles there. :-)