Barnard Castle Sightseeing and a trip to Derwent Water

I was going to meet Anne and Haydn at Derwent Water in the afternoon so I decided to go to Barnard Castle in the morning which is just a five minute drive from Curlew Cottage.  I walked around the outside of the castle but it had not opened yet so the visit to the inside has to wait for my next stay at Curlew Cottage.

Barnard Castle was begun soon after 1093 on a dramatic site above the river Tees. The castle was built to control a river crossing. Much of the present castle was built during the 12th and early 13th centuries by the Balliol family. The clifftop inner ward shows the remains of fine domestic buildings, including a magnificent round tower of around 1200.

From the 14th century onwards, the castle belonged to the earls of Warwick, and from 1471 to 1485 to the Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III. After a fierce siege in 1569, when the castle was bombarded by rebels, the castle went into steep decline and was effectively abandoned by the early 17th century. It has remained an imposing ruin ever since.

 I walked down to the river alongside the castle and went right down to the riverside. In the distance I saw a Heron. Circled on picture #8.

I took great care to close in on it but at the last moment it gave chase and flew away.  I decided to come back the next morning and hunt it down....

After that episode I followed the river downstream where you can find Demesnes Mill with the waterfall. I was at the wrong side of the river to get a close up and I did not have a tripod with me. Another reason for a return visit.

On the way back up to Barnard I got some good shots of the church and the Butter Market. The Market Cross or Butter Market  was built in 1747. During its history the octagonal building has served as farmers' dairy market, Town Hall, court room, lock-up and fire station!  Now it is a very busy roundabout. I was lucky to be there early Sunday morning. 

The trip to Derwent Water in the afternoon was really nice along my favourite road from Teesdale to Stanhope (photo # 16 shows a scene from that road) and further along from Stanhope to Derwent Water. I managed to catch the nice scene with the horse and Stanhope in the background on the steep descent towards Stanhope photo #18 (place is marked on the map). After I met Anne and Haydn at Pow Hill Country Park (see map) we had a nice walk along Derwent Water (photos #18 and 19) and a good rest at The Derwent Arms in Edmundbyers afterwards.