Yesterday D and I paid a brief visit to Kenilworth Castle - mainly to visit the shop but we did have a short walk around the castle. It was cold but we had a rare sunny day!
I won't go into the history of the castle again in this post but parts of the castle date back to the 1120's and of course it was home for a while to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, favourite of Queen Elizabeth I who visited the castle several times.
Christmas Wreaths were hung everywhere created by local Kenilworth community groups.
It was somewhat busy there mainly I think due to Father Christmas visits! The castle had been closed the weekend before due to high winds so there was double the amount of children to see FC! I would have preferred to visit in the week but in the winter they are only open at weekends :(
We went into the Stables very briefly but it was packed so we quickly decided not to have lunch there and bought some snacks from the farm shop at Balsall Common on the way home where I also bought a Christmas Wreath for the front door.
We went into the ground floor of Leicester's Gatehouse - sadly you couldn't access the room where we had seen a Christmas Tree through the window.
Plenty of ivy berries for the birds
This marshy area was once the lake that King John created around the castle.
Garden Birds
A female Blackcap has been visiting the feeders in the garden for the last week. She is very feisty and chases other birds off the feeders! It is quite a few years since we had a wintering Blackcap. Just a few record shots.
Garden Robin
All photos taken by me or my son with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of my pictures or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks)
10 comments:
It is a rare thing seeing the sun these days. I get few garden birds now which I find sad. Gone are the sparrows and starlings that roosted in our roof. Occasionally I'll see a blackbird but that's all now. Good to see your birds.
Thanks so much Andrew. How right you are about the sun!! Sorry to hear about the lack of your garden birds. We too rarely get Starlings these days and House Sparrow numbers are well down. The most numerous birds are Goldfinches!
I love the festive decorations :-)
Thank you.
the weather has been so dull hasn't it. it was worth going out and risking the children to see the sun ;) And I REALLY need to revisit Kenilworth. well done on the Blackcap!!
Thanks so much Pete. It has been so dull and so good to see some sun! If you haven't visited St Nicholas (not far from castle by car) is worth a visit and there are remains of an abbey by it. Thanks re the Blackcap - still visiting :)
It looks a lovely festive walk and good that you had some sunshine for your visit. I love all the leafy decorations around the castle. Wonderful to have the female blackcap visit your garden and your photos of the little robin are lovely:)
Thanks so much Rosie - it was just good to get out especially in the sunshine! :)
The castle looks wonderful with the blue sky! Love all the wreaths, so simple yet beautiful. It’s great that you have a blackcap visiting, and the goldfinches too. We only have sparrows, blue tits and great tits visiting the feeders. Dozens of sparrows eating us out of house and home!
Thanks so much Mandy. I miss House Sparrows here - we get so few these days. We did have a Great Spotted Woodpecker on the feeders yesterday - for some reason we have had a few good weeks bird wise!
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