On the WARwick Path

Warwick Castle
We left Rosemary and Eric’s around 10:30 this morning and started our journey south back to Granny’s. We were undecided about what site to visit on our way back. We drove for about an hour before deciding to stop and visit Kenilworth Castle. As we left the motorway, we missed our turn and Luis made the decision to go to the historic town of Coventry instead. As we neared Coventry, we missed that turn as well. Oops! The next thing we knew we were entering the town of Warwick. This town also has an historic castle, so it seemed like a good point to stop. 
The 2nd Earl of Warwicks
tomb

We parked and walked up the path towards the castle. The 5 pound parking should have been an indication of how expensive this tourist trap would be. We reached the castle entrance and realized that the entry alone would be 25 quid per person. Way too much for our budget. Just to walk through the gates? Thanks, but no thanks! Looking at the signs for the torture chamber and costumed knights, we quickly realized that Warwick castle was more of a kid’s park than a tour through a historic monument.
The Tudor buildings
  
Nixing that idea we decided to buy coffee instead. After fueling ourselves with caffeine, we walked back down the path and turned at a gate leading into the town. Along the way we had an impressive view of Warwick Castle. The castle is a medieval fortress constructed by Conqueror in 1068 on the site of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle.

The crypt

As the castle was important to the defense of the midlands there are many great stories attached to it. After William the Conqueror, the castle was traditionally held by the Earl of Warwick. In 1153, the wife of 2nd Earl of Warwick, was tricked into believing that her husband was dead, and surrendered the castle to the invading forces of the future King Henry. Legend has it that the Earl died on hearing the news that his wife had handed over the castle. Beneath the stone towers there is a dungeon, used to torture and hold prisoners throughout the centuries. The castle is also believed to be haunted by at least three separate ghosts.
   
St Mary's

Walking onward through the town we passed by some of the surviving Tudor timber and mud homes until we found ourselves in front of another beautiful old church. The sign indicated that the entry was free. We looked at each other, laughed, and walked through the doors.
   
Interior of St Mary's

As soon as we entered, a kind elderly woman walked up to us and handed us a laminated fact sheet that described the history of the Church of St Mary. This turned out to be a pleasant treat. The building was more along the lines of what we were hoping to see at the castle, so everything worked out for the best.
Portions of the original church built by the 2nd Earl or Warwick are more than 900 years old. However, much of the town of Warwick, including this church was burned during the great Warwick fire of 1694. Inside we visited the crypt and waked around the altar and side chapels. Within the most ornate, lies a life size copper effigy of the Earl atop his tomb. J.R.R Tolkien was married in this church and it is said that the town of Warwick greatly influenced his writing. 
After the church we stopped for our daily dose of sandwiches before starting the remaining portion of our drive. Arriving just before dark, we pulled into Granny’s driveway. After our few days away we felt as if we had come home.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lickety Split

Image
The hotel beach  Erika and Tom  We woke up ready to hit the beach only to find that it was pouring rain.  With our plans derailed for the day, we decided to take it easy and lounge around until the rain cleared. This turned out to be a good part of the day.  In the late afternoon, we headed down to the hotel restaurant for a drink.   We found the same waiter from the previous night and ordered a couple of glasses of wine.  No problem. When Luis’s arrived it had some cork or other strange floaty bits.  Noticing this, the waiter became concerned.  He leaned in close to Luis and examined the glass, practically sticking his nose into it. “No Problem” he said grabbing the glass and returning with a new one.  This guy was really funny without intending to be.   One of the palace entrances Statue of Gregory of Nin Around 4:00 pm, the rain finally stopped and we all decided to drive into Split and do a little sightseeing.   Split is t...
Read more

Great Scott this is beautiful

Image
The Artic Penguin Last night at the Stagecoach Inn at Cairndow we heard voices. The first was a woman laughing in the middle of the night; the other was unidentifiable, perhaps a man whispering. The walls of the hotel were really thick and we couldn ’t hear any other guests, even if they were right outside our door. Perhaps these were ghosts of travelers past. The building was once an old coaching inn and would have been a waypoint for the carriages as they traversed the highlands. Stepping out of the cold, damp air into the hotel feels as if you are transported back in time. Describing the inn as old and quirky is an understatement. The rooms are an explosion of mismatched prints and the floors slope to such a degree one could almost ski from the bathtub to the sink. However, the atmosphere was perfect. It was warm, cozy and we had one of the best night’s sleep of our trip. From our room we could lookout at the misty grey Loch Fynne . As this tiny “town” along the edge of t...
Read more

Road Trip to Croatia: No Problem

Image
 Lake Balaton  10 am: we grabbed our bags and ran down the stairs to the street.  Within a few minutes Tom and Erika came cruising around the corner.  We jumped in and began to drive out of Budapest. Suddenly Tom’s cell rang.  On the phone was Bill, the owner of the land rover we were driving.  As a post wedding gift to Tom and Erika, he had loaned them his car for the trip back to London.  “Um, I just realized that I’m not quite sure that the auto insurance will cover Croatia", he said.  "I think it is best that you come to where I am so we can sort this out”.  Oooops!  This could be a major glitch which none of us had thought of.  Tom reset his satnav and we headed over to the Train Museum where Bill was waiting.  Once there, the issue was quickly resolved with a phone call to the insurance agent and a faxed copy of the paperwork.  No problem!   Within a short time we were back on the road.  We drove for about ...
Read more