Travel Ideas -Visiting Castles of England
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If you are now in the stages planning your retirement one of the things that you have on your to do list straight after retirement is probably to book a nice retirement vacation to get certain things of your mind and begin life as a member of the retired community.
There many places you probably already have in mind but as one of your travel ideas have you ever considered having a relaxing retirement vacation to England which just happens to be one of the best places to visit especially in the spring and summer. The question on your mind would perhaps be what you would want to do in merry old England, well for one the country is full of medieval castles and visit to some of them would be a great start to your retirement vacation.
Now there are a great many castles in England and going to all of them would take you quite a while and would probably cost you your retirement funds, so choosing which castles to visit can be a handful. Not all castles are alike so choosing the best one where you get the best experience is going to be difficult and so here are some of the most scenic and historic castles which you could probably fit into your vacation agenda since getting to them is quite easy as they are on the tourist guides and are quite popular.
Tower of London
An obvious choice as one of your travel ideas while vacationing in England,
being located in the city of London it is within minutes from practically any
hotel you stay in the greater London area and very easily accessible either
on foot, bus or using the Tube (London's version of the Underground rail system).
The Tower of London in addition to Dover Castle were the strongest of medieval
England's castles making very good historical sites to visit although there
those that would likely put Dover castle ahead of the Tower of London in importance.
Strategically located on the north bank of the river Thames, and now clearly overshadowed by the modern glass skyscrapers of the City the grandeur of the castle would not be immediately apparent to the tourist. Nonetheless, the castle's eighteen acre complex of towers, majestic keep, concentric curtain walls and other fortified structures are certainly impressive from any angle you look at. In its time, the prime role of the main Tower was to overawe the citizens of the city and to command respect and fear.
While this may seem to be less of a strategic castle than that of of Dover castle's coastal defense, in medieval times England's kings were primarily more concerned about its own subjects than of external attacks and hence they put more importance to the Tower of London and in historical terms the intensity of its importance is second to none in English history.
This makes the Tower of London a must to visit above all others simply because of its significance and the grandeur that surrounds its very existence. The Tower also houses a great number of armory and historical items that is on display today which gives tourists a great view into the past including evidence of it's use as a prison and execution arena at Tower Hill with a huge list of victims that includes tragic heroes and villains.
Leeds Castle
Another of the great travel ideas for visiting castles in England
is a tour of Leeds Castle. In the center of Kent stands a castle which has stood
for over 900 years and a very rich history behind it. The Leeds Castle rises
from the waters of an artificial lake surrounding it, created by damming og
the nearby River Len. Existing since 1139 of motte and bailey origin the castle
is essentially the work of King Edward I, with over 900 years of alterations
and modifications all the way up to the 19th century.
Being established on a lake makes it a unique castle to visit, now with a stone bridge to cross over to the castle where a wooden drawbridge would have originally been to contain itself from invasion. While a lot of the refurbishment has been done in the 19th and 20th centuries, the beauty of the castle standing over a lake in the middle of the England makes for a relaxing stroll through the English countryside, even if the castle is a combination of a number different architectures.
Now it stands as a museum, filled with many antiques and art collected by previous owners, and with recent 20th century refurbishments the castle grounds now include parks and gardens, an aviary, falconry displays, a vineyard and mazes among other attractions.
A train ride away from London, it is ideal for older generation to visit as walking around the great English countryside in itself makes retirement feel a lot more comfortable and not to mention you can also play a round of golf in the nearby Golf course, a unique experience the avid golfer.
Rochester Castle
Strategically located astride London road, the castle and cathedral of Rochester
stand close together on the banks of the River Medway, and unlike a lot of other
English castles, it is the castle
itself that dominates the scene and the conservative little cathedral pales
in comparison to the magnificent keep next to it.
This is considered to be the tallest of all the Norman made keeps, rising a majestic 115 feet all the way to the top of its corner turrets. Rochester is one of those castles that has very ambitious keeps that contains a mural gallery on its upper level around the solar and hall. Not as large as most other English castles but the history that surrounds the castle of Rochester makes its significance just as important as a good reason to explore.
The castle a history of destruction re-building brought about by numerous sieges including an epic siege by King John against rebel Barons in 1215. The castle re-built many times under different kings now stands repaired, a reminder of the proud history of Rochester, its cathedral and cobbled stones nearby. For the vacationing tourist it exemplifies the bloody battles typical of medieval English history and taking the short trip to Rochester is worth the effort.
Located in the southeast of Kent, it is accessible by either road or rail and is just half a mile from the city of Rochester. If you're thinking of having a tour of the English countryside then a stop by the Rochester castle is a must.
These are but a few of the best travel ideas when visiting prominent castles that you can visit on your vacation to England, and there are a whole lot more which have a great deal of history but if your time is short and do not want to use up all your efforts just visiting castles then these are the one's to visit as they are cornerstones of England's part of castle building history and the history of the region in general. So don't forget to leave a day or two of your vacation to visit the great castles of England and experience the life of a great era in history.
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