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  1. #1
    Isle of discombobulation Joe 90's Avatar
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    Great British Castles trip in pictures

    First family holiday in two years due to the ongoing pandemic. Staycation is all the rage now and prices are going through the stratosphere as going abroad to warmer climes like Thailand is unrealistic.

    Release date is due...

    Great British Castles trip in pictures-screenshot_20210809-213436_photos-jpg


    Time to get out of jail and go explore the Great Castles of Britain..
    Great British Castles trip in pictures-20210809_212542-jpg


    Shalom

  2. #2
    Isle of discombobulation Joe 90's Avatar
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    First stop on our tour was..

    Great British Castles trip in pictures-20210809_205311-jpg


    King Edward I liked his castles to be on the coast. It was safer that way. If his ruthless campaign to subdue the Welsh ran into trouble, supplies could still get through by sea.

    At Rhuddlan, several miles inland, the plan was to use a river instead. Just one problem – the meandering Clwyd wasn’t quite in the right place. So Edward conscripted hundreds of ditch-diggers to deepen and divert its course.

    More than seven centuries later Rhuddlan still looks like a castle that was worth moving a river for. Begun in 1277 it was the first of the revolutionary concentric, or ‘walls within walls’, castles designed by master architect James of St George.

    Most impressive was the inner diamond-shaped stronghold with its twin-towered gatehouses. This sat inside a ring of lower turreted walls. Further beyond was a deep dry moat linked to the River Clwyd.

    This bristling statement of Edwardian intent guarded a new town surrounded by ditched defences. You can still clearly make out the medieval grid layout of the streets in modern-day Rhuddlan.

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    Also came across a very picturesque waterfall on the way with a very reasonable admission charge..
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    Time for a some liquid refreshments...

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    And some supply shopping with my best friends..
    Great British Castles trip in pictures-20210809_190244-jpg

  3. #3
    Isle of discombobulation Joe 90's Avatar
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    Next on the list was a whirlwind visit to Conway Castle, would have stayed longer if it wasn't for the torrential rain.

    Great British Castles trip in pictures-20210807_181049-jpg


    Thanks to restored spiral staircases in its great towers you can walk a complete circuit around the battlements of Conwy Castle. We highly recommend it. This is one of the most magnificent medieval fortresses in Europe.

    In the distance rise the craggy mountains of Snowdonia and spread out below you are the harbour and narrow streets of Conwy – still protected by an unbroken 1,400-yard (1.3km) ring of town walls.

    It’s enough to take the breath away. Especially when you consider that King Edward I and his architect Master James of St George built both castle and walls in a barely believable four years between 1283 and 1287.

    Conwy takes its place alongside Edward’s other great castles at Beaumaris, Harlech and Caernarfon as a World Heritage Site.

    This famous fortress is exceptionally well preserved. It contains the most intact set of medieval royal apartments in Wales. The high curtain wall and eight lofty towers rise almost as impressively as when they were built more than 700 years ago.

    So don’t be afraid to climb those staircases, if you can, for the full Conwy experience. There isn’t a better place in Britain to stand on the battlements and dream.
    A solitary seagull making its mark..
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    Anyone recognise the name of the antique shop?
    Great British Castles trip in pictures-20210807_180813-jpg


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    Time for a spot of local cuisine..
    Great British Castles trip in pictures-20210807_180730-jpg


    Very nice..
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    Then a trip to the Guiness book of records smallest house..
    Great British Castles trip in pictures-20210807_180749-jpg


    To be continued..

  4. #4
    Isle of discombobulation Joe 90's Avatar
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    The weather changed to sweltering temperatures when we crossed the border back in to England

    Stopped off at the historic City of Chester for some lunch and a wander around the city.

    Some stunning pics from a City that has stood the test of time.

    Lunch by the River Dee..
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    Great British Castles trip in pictures-20210808_180445-jpg


    Some fantastic Tudor architecture..
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    The second most photographed clock in the world, anyone know the most photographed clock in the world?

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    The Peaky Blinders set were filming here recently..
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    My picture postcard pic...
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    Locals were vertically challenged..
    Great British Castles trip in pictures-20210808_182703-jpg

    Sweet tooth anyone?
    Great British Castles trip in pictures-20210808_225715-jpg


    These electric scooters were everywhere and fun for 20 minutes and £2. Wouldnt work 30 miles down the M56. They'd been launched into the canals or weighed in for scrap.
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    Stunning city if history is your thing, onwards to the next castle...

  5. #5
    Making people dance. :-)
    Edmond's Avatar
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    Lovely trip.

    Quote Originally Posted by Joe 90 View Post
    anyone know the most photographed clock in the world?
    Big Ben or that one in Prague?

  6. #6
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    ^Did you mean this one?
    Great British Castles trip in pictures-03082805-jpg

  7. #7
    Making people dance. :-)
    Edmond's Avatar
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    ^ Yes. Celebrated the New Year 2000/2001 in the plaza on the right of that photo. Fuck that was a good night.

  8. #8
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    ^Perhaps that was the same bar where I celebrated my friend's wedding some more than 50 years ago.
    BTW, walking around almost every day when still not so many people gathered there every hour.

    And married there for my first time, coming out from the portal:
    Great British Castles trip in pictures-115a-jpg


    And next time it was not really after the wedding ceremony:
    Great British Castles trip in pictures-044a-jpg


    And again (and counting....)
    Great British Castles trip in pictures-03082807a-jpg

  9. #9
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    I love a trip to North Wales. Conway is great and a better town, but prefer Caernarfon for teh castle
    will be top of the list if i ever get back and Wales hasnt seceeded to the EU.
    will need a man with van to smuggle me into Mold

  10. #10
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    I dragged my wife around the castles of North Wales. At Conway we did the city wall walk down to the harbour and I blew a quid sticking my head in the smallest house. From there we did Beaumaris and on to Caernarfon. Finally at Harlech she had had enough history so we just took a few pics from outside. She prefers wild hiking. Preferably around beautiful countryside but womens clothing shops made a nice substitute when it was raining.

    Great British Castles trip in pictures-castle-jpg

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joe 90 View Post

    Anyone recognise the name of the antique shop?
    Great British Castles trip in pictures-20210807_180813-jpg
    It's that ginger guy off the telly!

  12. #12
    Making people dance. :-)
    Edmond's Avatar
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    I was thinking one of those Welsh Jackass rip-off lads. Pretty sure one of those was called Pritchard.


    Though also pretty sure he hasn't moved into the antique retail industry.

  13. #13
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Is it the lights that are the antiques?

  14. #14
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    pritchard is an antique dealer and restorer who has a popular tv show called "salvage hunters"

    he travels the country with a gormless sidekick going round stately homes and old factories rescuing battered old relics, restoring them and flogging them for fortunes to on trend restaurants, shops and media knobs.

    New Stock – Drew Pritchard Ltd

  15. #15
    Thailand Expat armstrong's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edmond View Post
    I was thinking one of those Welsh Jackass rip-off lads. Pretty sure one of those was called Pritchard.


    Though also pretty sure he hasn't moved into the antique retail industry.
    Nearly. He's a fucking vegan chef now!

    (Dirty Sanchez)

  16. #16
    Making people dance. :-)
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    Quote Originally Posted by armstrong View Post
    (Dirty Sanchez)
    That's the one.

    Let's not give Chitty any ideas for his next set of photos mind.

  17. #17
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    Congrats on being released from jail!

    Awesome pics, brings back some memories of my time in Scotland and England. Never been to Wales though.
    I'd like to go back to Scotland to see some castles, didn't really see many in the short time I was there.
    The Royal Mile was interesting though as was the Edinburgh Castle.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by MarilynMonroe View Post
    I'd like to go back to Scotland to see some castles,
    Get there before independence, the hag from the north plans to demolish them as they are symbols of English repression.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    Get there before independence, the hag from the north plans to demolish them as they are symbols of English repression.
    That's dreadful, I hadn't heard of this - do you have a link? Preposterous.




    Quote Originally Posted by Joe 90 View Post
    Conwy Castle.
    That's one of the many things I miss about Europe - whether it's France, Germany, Austria, the UK . . . just the magnificent and beautiful architecture of castes and towns.

  20. #20
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    Nice trip report Chitty. �� Could take quite a while to do them all. Love Chester but only ever driven through it. Always on the clock for work, no time to dally.

    I hope you can carry on and do some more. Great subject to choose. Could keep you busy for ages. ��

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    castes and towns.
    While picturesque many of the Northern hilltribes are "untouchables" esp those sporting redshirts with logos, just like here.Fine job there chitty many happy memoroes roaming around the Welsh borders where almost Irish levels of rain always provode an excuse to adjourn to a pub.P.S how do they deter the scousers from nicking the scooters do you leave a child as a deposit?
    Quote Originally Posted by Latindancer View Post
    I just want the chance to use a bigger porridge bowl.

  22. #22
    Isle of discombobulation Joe 90's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Switch View Post
    hope you can carry on and do some more
    Cheers, Beeston castle is next on the list.


    Quote Originally Posted by david44 View Post
    how do they deter the scousers from nicking the scooters do you leave a child as a deposit
    They have weird motion sensor alarms on them which really aren't a deterrent for the most determined drunk throwing them in the canal.
    Maybe the owners are hoping Chester has a better calibre of user than its neighbouring Manchester and Liverpool.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joe 90 View Post
    Beeston castle
    A gem some nice walsk south of there
    If you fancy a great Sunday lunch, terrace and real ales just 2 miles south down the Sandstone trail THE PHEASANT

    Sadly they don't pay me to flag them , they dont need to , the quality speaks for itself , not cheap but superb value in perhaps the nicest corner of England.You can proabbly just get a pie and pint for a tenner double for a roast and ala carte with bottle of plonk for 2 thick end of 70ish, but money well spent you won't regret it

    The Pheasant Inn | Hotel, Restaurant and Pub in Tattenhall, Cheshire

    Google Maps

    The Pheasant is pleasant

    Cheshire walk - Beeston and Peckforton | Great British Life


    If you prefer peasant Stoke of course, Titanic Brewery, Wivnall scratching half of mile 2..5

  24. #24
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    @Joe - cheers, I've just seen this thread. Hope you get to visit more castles soon.

    I sometimes follow the adventures of the husky "Sherpa" on YT - he & his human go on interesting trips, some of them to castles. He's quite a celebrity too - often gets recognized. He has 400k+ subs on YT, I think!

    Safe travels to you & your fam.

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