Homeward bound

On a lovely sunny day we left Craster and meandered our way home. Oddity book in hand (actually called In Search off the Authentic North Northumberland), we explored a little of the wildly beautiful Northumberland National Park between Rothbury and Otterburn. We did stop at a gibbet, the story involved can be found by looking up Winter's Gibbet, but I was more interested in a stone beneath the gibbet, which was the base of a wayside cross marking a drove road from Scotland to England. It's certainly wild up there, I wonder what it was like then. 

However, our main object was the pretty village of Elsdon and its castle. Well, it doesn't have a castle any more, but what it does have is what is regarded as one of the best examples of a motte and bailey in the country. And it is certainly impressive. The only way I could give any indication of it is by this panorama. The figure in the distance is Gordon, who after having climbed the motte on the left was then exploring the bailey. Gives you some idea of the size of it. 

This Norman castle was built in the 11th century as part of defence against Scottish raids. A wooden tower and fence would have stood on the top of the motte and the adjacent area, the bailey,  protected by the mound and moat and more fences, would have held all the working parts of the castle. Elsdon Castle was never developed into a masonry structure, which is why there is nothing of the castle itself left, but why the motte and bailey are so well preserved.