Sunday 23rd March: Kenilworth Castle and Ramble

Margaret provided us with cereal, toast with peanut butter and a glass of milk for breakfast and I felt quite at home.  Then we were off to visit another castle, this one right in the same town of Kenilworth, less than 2 miles from Warwick castle.

The Kinilworth Abbey

Pond with swans

We walked through town passing the local Abbey and a picturesque lake with swans and at last arrived at the castle.

Margaret and Evelyn march ahead to the castle

This was started as a small fort shortly after the Normal conquest of 1066 expanded multiple times and turned into quite a spectacle at one time.  They even made a dam on the river that flows by it and flooded a huge area, leaving only a small causeway to enter.  It was besieged during one of the civil wars, and it took six months to starve them out, and eventually it was abandoned and wound up a ruin.

View from entry.

They have restored two later additions; one of them serves as a restaurant and gift shop, where we had a lovely little meal.








We explored the ruins for awhile amidst a cold wind and drizzle.  The Garden was being restored so was covered in scaffolding. Since it wasn't quite Spring yet around these parts, not much was flowering, but this downloaded picture gives you an idea of what it is supposed to look like on a decent day!

The Elizabethan Gardens on a better day

A model of the castle at full build-out, with moat. The bottom right area is now the parking lot.

Evelyn peaking out from small opening

Suddenly it started really raining which drove us inside the restored stables for lunch.  We had a delicious steaming hot butternut squash soup with a tasty baguette, along with the mandatory tea which really hit the spot.

The reconstructed stables with the great hall

The great dining hall in the stables.

 
After an hour or so of indoor warmth and food, the weather cleared up to just cold and windy.  I had asked to go on a "ramble" (Britspeak for a hike or walk) and Margaret was happy to oblige since she leads the Kenilworth Rambling Club. Evelyn wanted to explore the town instead so we parted our ways and Margaret and I set off into the countryside.

View of castle walking away on our "ramble"

 We walked through pasture lands, past stands of trees, through some serious mud, and at each pasture there was an ingenious little hinged gate--perfect for allowing a single person at a time to go through, but to keep the mostly sheep grazing in the fields from getting out. All the fields were private property but some custom or law in England allows access to "ramblers".  Several that we came upon had their dogs with them.

Gates at entrance to each field

  We saw only sheep on our walk but some areas feature more cattle and sometimes bulls.  One newspaper article I saw mentioned someone who had been attacked by a farmer's bull while on a ramble and seriously injured.



We walked for a little over two hours; at times it was quite windy and at other times it died down and got almost warm before suddenly rounding a stand of trees and getting another blast of cold air. Margaret had provided me with a pair of ear muff which I haven't worn since being a kid; these made it fairly comfortable.  I had brought a pair of hiking shoes especially for this walk; believe me it was a substantial sacrifice of space in my suitcase but definitely worth it for this ramble.

View of castle on from across what would have been a flooded field.

By the time we got back to the castle, we had some nice views over the fields as we approached it. The clouds parted just briefly to allow me to get the sunlit shot above. I was ready for a rest but we still had to walk all the way through town again to get home first!

When at long last we arrived, I was glad to get my coat, hat and shoes off and have a nice little lie down.

Evelyn mentioned that after we left, she had toured the restored Gatehouse, which I had barely noticed. This addition was built in the 1570's to attract Queen Elizabeth I to visit and was an attempt by the Earl at the time to entice her into marrying him.  Although she did indeed visit several times, the ploy didn't work, but the four story building has period furnishings in it and the original bed that the Queen had slept in; Evelyn said it was all quite impressive.

The restored "Gatehouse", converting the castle
into a "Renaissance Palace" fit for a Queen.

After my little nap, I got up in time for dinner, a delicious dinner which Margaret cooked for us again. This time roasted chicken with potatoes and veggies with roasted parsnips which were tasty. We watched some tele' again before retiring after another full day.