| Okehampton Castle |
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Isn't it typical? I have lived here for eight years and had never visited Okehampton Castle. I had seen photos, which were not at all inviting, all being of the tall, leaning sort of chimney remnant, giving the impression that this is all that there is. |
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My first surprise, on making my way down Castle Road, was, after passing all the housing, to come across a small, leafy lane with the sign "Lover's Meet". I stopped to investigate and found a truly inviting passage with the river rippling past at the end. |
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Just past the lane, I came to the Castle car park. It was quite empty and, after looking around for the 'pay & display' machines, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was no charge. I checked once more and then made my way towards the entrance but was distracted by the sight of a couple of ponies in the field on the other side of the road. |
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I found that I had arrived too early, as the Castle didn't open until 10 a.m. However, there were very good views to be had from the road. The picture on the left was taken looking directly from the entrance area, where there is a small kiosk I had to cross the road to get far enough away to the the shot on the right, a view of nearly the entire building. |
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Moving in a little, one starts to get an impression of what the building might have looked like before it became a ruin. The separate spaces and construction methods are clear to be examined. I do not recommend just looking from the outside road for, as you can see from these pictures, you do only get a one sided view. |
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I was sufficiently impressed, however, to want to come back again, to climb over the mound and get close enough to appreciate the full impressiveness of the building. I also would like to get more information, in the form of a booklet, to take away and maybe take the advertised audio tour. |
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What I did do was watch the birds that had made their homes in the holes in the end wall and then, just before I left, watch someone (a curator?) walk with their dog up the hill to the Castle, thinking, of all the jobs there are to do, that didn't look a bad one. |
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When the summer holidays came, I did go back with my family. If you go to the next page you will see what the castle looks like from the inside with photos taken by my daughter and grandson |
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