Burgh Castle

Sunday I didn't do much of anything, except driving. Monday was quite busy considering the fact that it was pissing down for much of the day. I started out with a drive up to Lowestoft, the eastermost place in England. I didn't make a stop, just notched up the mental victory of having been to all four geographic extremes of Britain (not all that difficult, really).

I then set course for one of the few castlelike entities on my road map for this area; Burgh Castle. The site grew as a Roman fortification in the 3rd century AD, as part of the Saxon Shore defenses of which Reculver and Rutupia were also part. Later, Anglo-Saxons built a church here, and the Normans built a castle in one corner.

It turned out to be much more of a Roman ruin than a castle, as the Norman building that had once stood there was completely obliterated; all you could see was some different coloration of the grass where they'd built. Three of the four Roman walls were still standing and I'm thinking they're likely to stand for another 2,000 years if nobody comes around to give'em a push.

There is also a church and a graveyard right next to the Roman castle, and I walked about there for a little while. Highly recommended place all in all, especially if you like a bit of a walk or have dogs with you.

All pics here.

The Roman castle, viewed from the outside.


Part of the Roman wall.


In some places, the wall looks like it is about to fall down.


This was once part of a much, much deeper estuary. In Roman times they would have had a proper harbor here, but silt has turned it into a much smaller waterway.


Windmills in the mist. This too would have been ocean when the Romans were here.


The church.


The graveyard.