The starting point

The starting point

Monday 8 July 2024

29/6/24 Bodiam Castle

 

     Awake not feeling too great , time to get out & about , it beats sitting around in a hotel room all day . Off to Bodiam Castle . There's plenty of different roads we can take to get there , so we picked a longer route and Lyn had a drive . The roads were as expected narrow , and like all roads over here - well used . I like how they just cut a road through a cutting and nature takes over , this section was very dark .



    After making it through the laneways and villages on the way , we found the turnoff to the castle . National Trust have control over it , so more entry charges - definitely a good hint we didn't take advantage of was joining the National Trust before we came over - it would have save us quite a bit of money in parking and entry fees . The carparks were full and we had to go up to the overflows overflow parking and pay for that before the 500m walk back to the entry to get access into the castle , another 5-600m walk away . Views of the castle didn't disappoint , sitting in the middle of a dam - either that , or the designers of the moat were drunk 😂. There were 2 entrances to the castle - on the left hand side was a smaller access , and the main access was on the far side of the photo . There are hundreds , if not thousands of Carp swimming around the castle , some are supposedly over 50 years old .


     The castle walls have all the usual slots for archers & crossbows to defend from , there are also some areas above where there are open grates the they poured oil or other liquid from , before setting it alight - gruesome stories !
    At the main entrance there are 3 crests as well as another above with a unicorn pictured ???


    The old gates are still in place and were made of timber with steel reinforcing .


     Spiral staircases lead to the top of the corner towers , and have been fashioned out of sandstone , with a skinny bit of pipe for a handrail - you're either going up or down , there's no room for passing !
     

     Views from the 1st tower showed us the interior area's of the castle . Many of the walls have long since fallen down . The walls over to the left are where the lord and lady resided - there were 3 floors of living space , with many toilet cubicles in the walls - 28 spread through the castle . There were many more fireplaces as well .


    You can only access 2 towers - the one over the entrance is a breeding ground for bats , so is closed . The next photo is of the well at the base of another tower . You can see fireplaces some windows , and the toilets .


    Feeling a bit better , after getting some fresh air .


    One of the defending slots .


Adjacent to the castle is a kiosk of course , with deck chairs to sit and relax , this plant was also in flower .

   We decided to take the short cut back to the car , climbing over a locked gate and down another road , we saved about 600m of walking , before we headed for home . Here's a map link :- https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=19PLKN-ShpNp4_Fd9luE73eMlMiSpcA0&usp=sharing

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