Castles!- Large Photos

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

We stayed in Stirling on our trip to Scotland 11 years ago.  We took day trips to the Highlands and saw many, many castles.  From intact castles with incredible armories to magical ruins where one could only imagine what was.  But the consensus of our two boys, Steve, and me,  was that Stirling was the most fun and the one we liked the best.  Thanks for the memories!

[DonaCatalina]

Château de Montségur is often named as a candidate for the Holy Grail castle — and indeed there are linguistic similarities in the Grail romance Parzival (circa 1200–1210) written by Wolfram von Eschenbach. In Parzival, the grail castle is called Monsalvat, similar to Montségur and with the same meaning: "safe mountain, secure mountain." The name of Raymond de Péreille, the actual historic seigneur of Montségur, has a slight similarity to the protagonist of Eschenbach's epic, the knight Parzival. The ruins of Montségur are perched at a precarious 3000-foot (1207 m) altitude in the south of France near the Pyrenees Mountains. The earliest signs of human settlement in the area date back to the stone age, around 80,000 years ago. Evidence of Roman occupation such as Roman currency and tools have also been found in and around the site.

For  a ruin, the castle is in fairly good condition.

[DonaCatalina]

Peckforton Castle is a country house built in the style of a medieval castle. It stands in woodland at the north end of Peckforton Hills 1 mile (2 km) northwest of the village of Peckforton, Cheshire, England. It has since been converted into a hotel and a venue for weddings and functions.

[DonaCatalina]

Bronllys Castle in Wales is where we're heading today.
Bronllys castle is a motte and bailey fortress standing just outside of Talgarth. The castle was founded in or soon after 1144 when the district was granted to Walter de Clifford by Roger Fitzmiles, 2nd Earl of Hereford. Walter seems to have been responsible for building the round tower on the motte for in 1165 it caught fire and a stone tumbling from the battlements killed Earl Roger's last surviving brother Mahel de Hereford.








View of the Castle fron Hay Head

[DonaCatalina]

If you like formal Gardens, you will love this one. Kasteel Alden Biesen is 16th century castle in Belgium, located in the small village of Rijkhoven in the municipality of Bilzen. The knights of the Teutonic Order originally founded the Landcommanderij Alden Biesen, or 'land commandership of Alden Biesen', in the 11th century, but the current buildings were built between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Map Coordinates 50° 50? 30.12? N, 5° 31? 14.16? E

[DonaCatalina]

Castle Rising is a ruined castle situated in the village of Castle Rising in the English county of Norfolk. It was built in about 1138 by William d'Albini, 1st Earl of Arundel, who also owned Arundel Castle. Much of its square keep, surrounded by a defensive mount, is intact, and it is now in the care of English Heritage.
Map coordinates 52° 47? 37.25? N, 0° 28? 12.53? E

[DonaCatalina]

Castello di Bastia rises in the center of the same medieval suburb in the valley of the river Taverone, almost in front of Licciana. It is situated in a strategical position dominating an important road towards the pass of Lagastrello. The castle is well preserved and it is today a private residence. The original structure is almost invisible today, and the castle as it appears dates back to the XV century. It is structured in a square fortification, with four round towers to all sides and a bigger one inside, the keep.

[DonaCatalina]

Château Esch-sur-Sûre locally also known under its German name Burg Esch-an-der-Sauer, lies in the small village with the same name, south of the town of Wiltz in Luxembourg. The first building work of a castle took place after June 3, 927 AD. On this date, a certain MEGINAUD acquired, by exchange with the abbey of STAVELOT (Belgium) the area comprising the site of the HESC as well as the rock being in against-low HESC to build a castle-extremely there. He set up a tower of square dwelling that still stands, and the agricultural farm buildings These annexed buildings will later become the kitchen. In the basement, one can still see today a furnace and a chimney.











Bird's eye view:

[DonaCatalina]

Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland is our destination for today.
Eilean Donan Castle is situated in Loch Duich near Dornie about 8 miles from Kyle of Lochalsh on the A87 road on the west coast of Scotland near the Isle of Skye. Loch Long and Loch Alsh are close by. The castle can easily be reached on a day trip from Inverness or Fort William either by car or using the coach service to/from Skye.

Historically, the castle, like most in these parts, has had a rather chequered past. Originally built in 1220 by Alexander II as a defence against the Vikings, it subsequently became a stronghold of the Mackenzies of Kintail (later the Earls of Seaforth) who installed the MacRaes as hereditory keepers. Then in 1719, it was destroyed whilst acting as a garrison for Spanish troops fighting for the Jacobite cause on behalf of the 5th Earl of Seaforth. Restoration work was only started two hundred years later and not completed until 1932.

[DonaCatalina]

Back on the road to our next stop in Spain. Castillo de Almodóvar sits above the town of Almodovar, on top of a sheer-walled monolith. Therefore, it cannot only be seen from large distance, but offers spectacular vistas over the entire Guadalquivir Valley.

The castle's origins date back to Roman times. The actual construction, however, was built by the Arabs in 760. Under the rule of Fernando III it came to the Christians in 1240, and under Pedro I and Enrique II it even served as royal residence. Later the fortress was handed to the knightly order of Calatrava and then to the order of Santiago. Finally, in 1903 the Earl of Torralva, then the owner, began restoring the castle. These efforts lasted until 1936. Therefore, the historic structure is amazingly well-preserved even today.

[Peddlin]

I love this thread, and Dear DonaCatalina, my imagination thanks you!   

[LadyShadow]

I must agree.  But from the pics shown I am sure that some of them can be worse looking.  Lets hope that they dont choose to show those.

[Peddlin]

I agree. Pretty creepy!

[brier patch charlie]

Oh, No, where's the "Castle of the Day" I need my castle fix, this isn't right, Donna Catalina must be ill or something ! 

[LadyShadow]

I hope all is well and she is just having a late start today

If not, I hope she feels better soon and she is greatly missed.