Day 3: Wareham – Bude

Bebe

I managed to sleep until about 3.30am then I was up for the day, so did some research on where we were going for the day.

Wareham-Bude

The first stop for the day was Maiden Castle in Dorchester – not really a castle at all, but a massive Iron-Age hill fort. We went up and around it for a nice morning walk. The sun was shining and the sheep were chatty. Delightful!

Maiden Castle Iron-Age hill fort
Maiden Castle Iron-Age hill fort

From there we went on to Corfe Castle, which is the name of both the village and the castle. What a beauty! It’s a massive complex, with an inner and outer bailey, and obviously grand in its day.

Corfe Castle, built by William the Conquerer and destroyed in 1645 after a long siege during the Civil War.
Corfe Castle, built by William the Conquerer and destroyed in 1645 after a long siege during the Civil War.

Next stop was Okehampton Castle – a big motte and bailey castle that was built immediately after William the Conquerer arrived in Britain. The ‘motte’ refers to the large mound that the main fortification (keep) sits on, and the ‘bailey’ is the courtyard that surrounds it, containing a main hall, kitchens, chapel, stables, workshops, etc. This one is in a lovely out-of-the way spot that was clearly a good place to  defend the area – you can see for miles from the top of the hill.

The walls of the hall at Okehampton are on a serious lean, causing Safety Dad some concern.
The walls of the hall at Okehampton are on a serious lean, causing Safety Dad some concern.

We were planning to go to Penzance from here, but we had been delayed by Saturday traffic all day, so decided to skooch across to Bude where we were staying for the night, and call it a day.

Bude is a lovely seaside town. We took a stroll in the evening, no castles to see here.

Bude Guest House was rickety but comfy, and had a great breakfast!
Bude Guest House was rickety but comfy, and had a great breakfast!