Bolton Castle

Friend Helen collected me this morning and we once more drove north through Upper Wharfedale, over the hill in to Bishopdale and arrived in Aysgarth where we had cuppas and shared cake before setting off on our walk, which was a circuit taking in Bolton Castle.

We took the Aysgarth Falls walk first and visited each of the Falls in turn.  The last time Tony and I were here it was just after the filming of Robin Prince of Thieves and the Café was covered in pictures of the filming and Kevin Costner.  The Falls were the location for Robin's meeting and fight with Little John and involved a great deal of falling in water.

From the Falls we struck out through the woodland and across the valley fields, taking in large views of Wensleydale, Penhill across the way and Bolton Castle ahead of us.  When Tony was teaching at W Middle School, he and fellow Humanities teacher Dave would take students for a couple of days' stay in the Castle, dressed in period costume and roasting their dinner, making candles, guarding the castle etc.  One year Dave took his horse and led the children out to defend the Castle with their pikes.  Little did they know that he had arranged for the Sealed Knot, dressed as Parliamentarians, to lay siege to the Castle.  You can imagine the delight of the children (and castle visitors too!)

These days the Castle, far from being an empty partial ruin, is a going concern with shop and restaurant and bar.  Its main claim to fame is that Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned here for a year in 1568 by Elizabeth 1.  The end came for the Castle during the Civil War when John Scrope the owner held it for the Parliamentarian cause.  It was besieged for a whole year by the Royalists till Scrope was forced to surrender.  Thankfully, the Castle was not entirely destroyed and there are still many features to be enjoyed.

Helen and I sat in the sunshine, enjoying the extensive views and having our lunch, then we set out again across the fields to Carperby where we paused awhile for alcoholic refreshment at the Wheatsheaf Inn before returning to Aysgarth for an ice cream and a wander around the National Park Centre and the Yore Craft Studio.  A grand day out in good company.

Better on black.