Samhain Publishing Ltd Weblog

Castles and History and Research

Seven years ago, when my husband asked me where I’d ever dreamt of going, but never thought I’d actually go there, my answer was easy, “England, so I can see some real castles.” I didn’t realize he had been about to buy airline tickets for our honeymoon. Since then, we’ve been back four times and have visited at least eighty-two castles throughout England, Scotland and Wales. We’ve also explored cathedrals, abbeys, stone circles and mansions. The country is just so rich with history, it’s hard not to stop in every little town along the way from place to place, too.

It has also been unintentional research. I mean, here in the States, especially Southern California, buildings just aren’t that old. When we hear a building was erected in 1904, it’s a cause for awe and amazement. Across the pond, I’ve visited numerous sites that were erected thousands of years earlier. Sure the States have a little bit left of the early colonization, but they just don’t have the remains of tiltyards or dungeons where kings were locked up to be murdered or even crenellated wall walks with views for miles and miles.

From stone circles to castles that used to be wood, but were replaced with stone centuries ago, I have learned so much and surprisingly retained much of it because we keep going back and exploring further. I’ve been inspired to add bits to books I’ve written myself (as Rina Slayter) and with Jen (as Ashleigh Raine).

Since I’m usually playing tour guide and historian for my husband, I try to read up as much as I can before arriving, but there’s always signs and guidebooks. Some locations aren’t much more than a pile or two of rocks set in absolutely stunning countryside and it’s up to my imagination to bring them to life for my husband to stay interested.

He has particularly enjoyed the ones that seem to employ advanced technology for the day and age, the sites with breathtaking views, and the ones sort of off the beaten path. We’ve even hiked the two miles all the way out to Dunstanburgh (it is inaccessible by car) and walked about a mile around Kenilworth because we got there before it opened.

At Warwick, we watched them shoot off a real trebuchet during an entertaining and history-filled presentation. In fact, we’d visited the castle the day before and postponed leaving from morning until afternoon just so we could see the trebuchet presentation. I mean, how often does one get to see the world-record-holding catapult actually throw a projectile? For me, that was a perfect mix of history, technology and oddity all rolled into one.

After taking in the castle on a rainy day in Conwy, North Wales, we walked along the High street and visited a house built in 1301 that time had seemingly forgotten. I fell in love with this little walled town—only some of it had spilled out beyond its walls.

After a delicious dinner, I joked, “Feel like shooting an arrow?” and suggested we pretend we were Medieval archers and explore the town walls despite the rain.

As we climbed the stairs to the wall walk—built in 1289—and made our way to the highest point, which was opposite the castle, I asked my husband, “So what do you think of the Thirteenth Century?”

“It’s steep,” he said between ragged breaths as we dragged ourselves upward, in the sprinkling shower, “Very, very steep.”

Our trek rewarded us with an incredible view of the town, castle and beach…which we loved so much that we climbed back up the following day.

I just wish I could bring it all home with me. Los Angeles could use a little more history.