We had been meaning to visit the castle for some time, but we finally made the effort as we had a BOGOF entry voucher which was about to expire! You can read about the castle here, here and here. There is so much to see, it is somewhat overwhelming, and at times I simply forgot to take photos, as I looked round in awe!
the imposing entrance
a tribute to Lord Armstrong
looking up at the Keep
old defences
the State Apartments
I liked this sign!
just one of the many exquisite treasures
the magnificent teak ceiling in the Great Hall
a detail of the ceiling
grand living
delicate furniture
not so delicate armour
an amazing wooden model
made on the other side of the country
this is a very special curtain ....
...... from many, many years ago
a detail of the curtain
so what is this contraption?
I think it would make the job harder, not easier!
we escaped before the portcullis came down!
as we went round the castle, we kept getting glimpses of the beach below
so of course we went for a long walk (along with lots and lots of other people, as it was the Bank Holiday weekend). There are excellent views of the castle from the beach
we could also see the Farne Islands
and Holy Island
I was about to take an arty photo of this seaweed when a wave came much further up the beach than the proceeding ones - I got wet feet and my shot was spoiled!
I had better luck with the next one
just a few of the many people on the beach
I liked this row of old fence posts we passed, as we walked back up from the beach
to finish, another shot that went wrong - just as I took a photo of a surfer, he fell off and a little girl ran into the photo!