
Oh, England your castles are fabulous living museums, each unique and wonderful, let me count the ways of them… Wait — never mind — according to this list, there are over 2,500 of them if one counts ‘fortified manor houses,’ a.k.a. castles too! Our vacation included London, the British Museum Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3, Bubbly Fun at Bath, Avebury Henge, and the Kelpies of Scotland.

Stokesay Castle of Shropshire, England, is a manor (an important house owned by important people) with enough fortification to deem it a castle even though it was more of a house than a… Well, dear reader, hopefully by now you get the idea…

Built mostly in the 13th century by leading wool merchant Laurence de Ludlow over another castle that continues to partially survive, it’s regarded as the finest survivor of its type. It’s so impressive that there’s a sort of replica of it in Reading, Pennsylvania.

There’s the gatehouse with fabulous carvings featured on Wikipedia, the courtyard with a well, and the main part that includes a couple of towers, and a hall.

The views are marvelous from any angle. I love promoting fellow WordPress bloggers — there are more photos of Stokesay Castle at this blog and at this one.

There’s a charming graveyard at a church alongside the manor.

“Flamenco & the Sitting Cat” and “Tango & the Sitting Cat,” my upcoming novels, feature romance between an older woman and a younger man, so this gravestone especially intrigued me. Violet Enid Grace Dawson nee Richard, (18th April 1899 – 14th September 1991) was 18 1/2 years older than George Frederick Dawson (25th September 1917 – 27th October 2010)! So sweetly were they buried together that surely they were happy together…

On our way to the rest of our U.K. adventure, we spent a night in Wales. Who knew that in the market town of Dolgellau we’d eat delicious Indian food and homemade bread at a pub near the 200-plus-year-old bed and breakfast where we slept. Ty Seren is Welsh for Star House. Our following morning began among hikers and cyclists, all of us chatting over our mouth-watering hot Welsh breakfasts thanks to our charming hostess/cook, Sharon Watkins…

What’s the oldest place you’ve ever slept in?…
Love these photos! I am part Welsh and have not visited Wales yet, and I must! I need to figure out the oldest place I’ve slept. I was married in the oldest Anglican Church in the US, close to 500 years old.
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500 is impressive! I can only imagine that it was a gorgeous wedding to be remembered by all who was fortunate enough to attend 🙂
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what a beautiful trip in beautiful UK and you had great weather !! … I never slept in a very old place yet
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Glad you liked the post 🙂
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What a wonderful post – I love traveling with you, Daal. We’re trying to update our HVAC system – I can’t even imagine the cost of update that beautiful castle. But it sure is fun to imagine waking to those views, walking those grounds.
I got to stay in Bangor, Wales, a trip after graduating high school. It was beautiful but I wish I’d applied myself to enjoying the area and residents more and less to being a silly American teenager.
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We all were silly teenagers lol good luck with your HVAC 🙂
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Thank you for sharing a part of your life and the beautiful pictures!!.. 🙂
Until we meet again..
May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life’s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!
May the dreams you hold dearest
Be those which come true
May the kindness you spread
Keep returning to you!
(Irish Saying)
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🙂
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If those walls could talk!
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Yes! We’d have to cover our ears lol
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Fascinating tour and history lesson, da-Al. Your upcoming novels sound intriguing!
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🙂
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I travelled around Wales once with a friend, that was nice … nostalgia … 😉 I will make a note of that B&B, one never knows … 😉
The oldest building I slept in was Hotel Dagmar in Ribe (Denmark’s oldest city), built in 1581, but it has not been a hotel from the beginning. The rooms are furnished with old antique furniture, every room differently, it is quite an experience. The restaurant of the hotel is fine as well, and at about 9 p.m. the city guardian comes with staff and lantern into the restaurant and sings his song. (Trying to lure you to Denmark … 😀 )
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What a lovely story! & did it lure you to Denmark?
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No, the luring was entirely done by my now husband … 😉 … I would have preferred a warmer climate.
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Everywhere has good & bad…
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I’ve never heard a graveyard described as “charming” before, but you’re right.
I hope the Dawsons were happy 🙂
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me too – I always say ‘quality, not quantity’
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Great photos and post. I have slept in a sixteenth century tower in Scotland. Glad you like all the history in the UK!
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Wow – you slept in! Ghosts?
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No ghosts! But very inspiring. I wrote a couple of poems I was very happy with.
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Great. It was somewhere in Scotland but I don’t remember where )))
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They’re all beautiful, full of dreams…
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Yes, thank you for sharing your dreams 🙂
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