Bolton Castle
After saying our farewells to friends who had travelled from as far apart as Cumbria, Suffolk and Hampshire we made our way home with a quick look at Aysgarth Falls (extra) and Bolton Castle.   Despite the castle being over 600 years old and damaged by Cromwell it is still in remarkable condition with a third of the rooms and three quarters of the walls intact.  It was one of the places where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned and she stayed there for six months in 1568/69 but it seems to have been a life of privilege apart from her lack of freedom.   Previously she had been imprisoned in Carlisle Castle but it was considered to be unsuitable so she was moved to Bolton Abbey where she was allowed to stay in the relative luxury with many of her retinue before being moved to Tutbury in Staffordshire where she spent much of the 18 years before her execution in 1587.

This is part of my occasional series on places connected with the tragic Mary Queen of Scots (see the tags)
(Mary Queen of Scots 21)

(I'm sorry that I am getting behind with comments again but had no wifi while we were away)