Castles, pt 1

London is my favorite international city. I love to stand in its midst and breathe it in.

So the itinerary for my recent visit to the UK was, I admit, odd. I bought a Britrail London Plus pass and took day trips OUT of the city for half of my time in England.

Why?

Castles.

#1 Tower of London
(okay, technically in London)

#2 Windsor Castle

#3 Hampton Court

#4 Dover Castle

#5 Leeds Castle

#6 Arundel Castle

As these pictures attest, my first interest was in the exterior structure and architecture of the buildings: the gate houses and barbican towers, crenelations on the battlements, foundations, moating, windows, and stone work.

Confession: The long distance photo of Leeds Castle was taken when, upon leaving, I accidentally followed some locals down a path which was not on our map. They had snuck in for the day and were walking back to town the long way round. It was an adventure finding my way back to the castle grounds -- in time to catch my 4:45 shuttle to the train station.