Clare

Another cool, grey day - but the lower temperature helped during the urban orienteering event this morning. The course started from the Clare Castle Country Park & took us around the grounds of the Priory, various parts of the town with some fascinating old buildings, plus the common with ancient earthworks.

All photos were taken after the event - the main one is from the top of the castle mound, which our planner wasn't allowed to include in the actual course! The castle was a Norman motte & bailey one - the remains of the keep is on the mound, while a railway was built along the bailey. The railway itself was a victim of the Beeching cuts - the station buildings now house a cafe for visitors to the Country Park (see extras).

Clare is on the River Stour & was a wealthy cloth town. There are a number of listed buildings, including the 14th century "Ancient House" (also included as an extra). The house lies alongside the church - there's a narrow path between the two which I ran down during the event - the only way to get a decent view of the house was from the churchyard, hence the gravestones in the foreground. The house is now part museum, part holiday let.