Walking in the dog park and a visit to Mountfitchet Castle
It's Saturday 9th April and a beautiful crisp day.
We decided to take Bella for a walk at Gog Magog Hill. (Barb will insist on calling it Dog Magog!) This is an off-leash dog park which looks out over the downs towards Cambridge and it's a great place to exercise and socialise the dogs. Not that Bella is up for much exercising these days....but once she saw the other dogs galloping about she tried to join in the fun, and went from dog-owner to dogowner seeking pats and came back to us for treats.
 |
| Bella laps up attention from strangers |
 |
| Susan and Barb at the dog park |
 |
| John playing with Bella |
After playing in the park we head down the hill to Gog Farm to have a drink and some lunch. The farm sells various produce and meat as well as pre-made meals which can be frozen for ready use.
 |
| loose eggs look a bit precarious |
 |
| Farm buildings where the produce is sold |
 |
| There's a pleasant outdoor seating area, but a bit chilly for us |
 |
| John pronounced their coffees and sausage rolls to be most acceptable |
We came back to Susan's and dropped her and Bella off for a well-earned rest, then John and I drove the hire car down to Mountfitchet Castle. Barb was ecstatic to be visiting her first castle of the trip.
This castle is a replica of a Norman Castle and village which was built on this site, but the original did not survive, being made from wood and not stone. It's still a fantastic place to visit especially with all the interactive displays.
 |
| Our trusty orange hire car |
 |
| Barb at the entrance to the castle |
 |
| The battlements |
 |
| John at the main dwelling |
 |
Castle views
|
 |
| The gibbet...many displays of how to kill or torture people |
 |
| The ducking stool...are you a witch or not? |
 |
| The hell hole....where prisoners were left to die |
 |
| Barb enjoyed seeing and petting the deer but was alarmed by the geese which hissed and tried to bite if you had no food to feed it. |
 |
| John found a friendly knight |
 |
| Lots of displays showing how people lived in Norman times |
 |
| A Norman dwelling |
 |
| The Norman village inside the castle walls |
 |
| A selection of axes for chopping off heads |
 |
| Waterwheel |
 |
| Not much armour, but the helmet will do |
After spending a couple of happy hours looking through all the exhibits, we still had some time left on
our parking ticket to have a quick peek at Mountfitchet town. It has some very pretty buildings. Some Tudor style buildings and a lovely pub.
 |
| Mountfitchet street scene |
 |
| John and I lunched at the Kings Arms on a previous visit to UK |
Love this castle... so different to the others you have been too.... now why aren't we with you guys.... we should have come over a couple of weeks earlier and explored with you both. Looking forward to our adventures in Denmark. Getting super excited now...
ReplyDelete