Famous Castles: Framlingham Castle, Suffolk

Framlingham Castle is located in Suffolk, northeast of London.

 

The English Heritage site provides an excellent aerial overview of the castle:

Postcard from Framlingham Castle, Suffolk

The Tudor Travel Guide provides an excellent history of the castle as well as a reconstruction of how the castle looked in the 16th century:

Framlingham Castle, Suffolk: A Tudor Stronghold 

 

In WWII there was an important RAF air base near Framlingham and the castle provided an invaluable navigation point for returning aircraft.

 

Flying Fortresses of the 95th Bomb Group pass over Framlingham on their return from a mission.
Picture: Horham 95th Bomb Group Heritage Association. Colour by colouriser.co.uk

The 95th Bomb Group (pictured above) arrived in England in the spring of 1943 and stayed briefly in Framlingham. They entered combat on 13 May 1943 by attacking an airfield at Saint-Omer. After suffering disastrous losses in its daylight air attacks on the Continent, the 95th was transferred to nearby RAF Horham on 15 June to regroup.

The Memorials Foundation provides an excellent website about...

The 95th Bomb Group 

The East Anglian Daily Times provides a fascinating article on WWII in Framlingham:

The War Years in Framlingham

Framlingham Castle was used by the British military as part of the regional defenses against a potential German invasion.

 

We begin our trek by entering the castle through the main gate:

 

Or we can walk the picturesque trail around the outer walls:

 

Famous Islands: Iona, Scotland

 

 Iona is a small island off the west coast of Scotland with a long and fascinating history, and a magical ambience.

The shelters on the island have a wonderful set of map and information boards:
 

BBC Scotland presents an excellent overview video:

 

View Iona from above:

The light and colors of Iona are magical in any weather, and the following documentary tours the island to show the colors that inspired the local creation of the Sound of Iona tartan:

 

Historic UK presents some History of Iona and St Columba

 Electric Scotland presents a more detailed History of Iona

A history video set to the Mike Scott and Waterboys song Peace of Iona:

 

Many believe that the famous illuminated manuscript the Book of Kells was begun or even completed at the monastery on Iona.

Join us for an exploration of...

The Beautiful and Mysterious Book of Kells

 

We begin our trek on the road leading up from the dock:

From here you can follow a circuit trail passing the famous abbey and continuing around the island:
 

A 360 degree view of the abbey and surrounding area:
 

See inside the abbey with another 360 degree view:

 

Famous Islands: Pitcairn Island

 

 

Pitcairn Island, final destination of the Bounty mutineers, and sometimes called the remotest place on earth.  The mutineers burned the Bounty when they reached the island.

 

 

Exploring Pitcairn Island by Drone

Take Me To Pitcairn

  One man attempts to re-trace the romantic voyages of the most infamous fugitives in British naval history

The forgotten history of Pitcairn Island

We head to Pitcairn Island from our expedition ship:

 We land on the sea battered pier:

 

And begin our trek with a climb, retracing the route of the Bounty mutineers:

 

On the strenuous way up, we can pause to look back down at the pier far below:

And there are lots of interesting trails to explore on the island.  Just click on the yellow peg man to view and access the streetview trails:
  

Famous Castles: Chillon Castle, Switzerland

Chillon Castle is at the eastern end of Lake Geneva, near Montreux, Switzerland:

Video Fly Over of the Castle:

Some history of the castle:

   Chillon Castle Official Website - History of the Castle

From the Exploring Castles Website: 

Chillon Castle: A Fairytale on the Banks of Lake Geneva, Switzerland

 

The poets Shelley and Byron sailed up Lake Geneva and visited the castle.  Byron was inspired to write his famous poem:

The Prisoner of Chillon

We begin our trek through the castle at the main gate at the bottom left of the above plan:

 

 Or enjoy spectacular views from the battlements:

 

 Or explore the famous dungeons that inspired the poet Byron:

 

 

Famous Castles: Orava Castle, Slovakia

 

Wiki Media Commons

Orava Castle is located in northern Slovakia on a hilltop overlooking the Orava River.

 

 

The Orava Castle Official Website provides an overview video with special guest appearances by Nosferatu:

 

 The Medieval Heritage Website provides an excellent and detailed historical and architectural overview:

Oravský Podzámok – Orava Castle

 

Castle Layout

We begin our trek at the First Gate (17 in the above plan):

 Magnificent views from the battlements:

The castle was one of the settings used in the ground breaking 1922 vampire film:  Nosferatu

 

 

Famous Castles: Almourol Castle, Portugal

 

Flybyzion on Dronestagram

Daniel Feliciano, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

 Almourol Castle, Portugal is located on an island in the Tagus River northeast of Lisbon in the very heart of Portugal.

 Panoramic Overview Video:

Some history and description:

We begin our trek at the imposing main gate:

 

From high up on the battlements enjoy some panoramic views of the Tagus River and surrounding countryside:

And after a climb up to the top of the highest tower, the view is even more stunning:

 

Famous Castles: Cahir Castle, Ireland

 

Heritage Ireland

Cahir Castle dates from the 13th century and is one of the largest castles in Ireland.  It was built on an island in the river Suir not a long way from Tipperary.

 

An aerial view of the castle:

 

The Enjoy Irish Culture website provides some excellent...

History of Cahir Castle

 

History Video from Experience Ireland:

We begin our trek at the portcullis gate:

Or take the scenic trail around the exterior walls of the castle:

Famous Castles: Hohenwerfen Castle, Austria

 

 

Hohenwerfen Castle is located in a picturesque area of the Austrian alps, south of Saltzburg.

 

 

Aerial Tour of the Castle

 

How the castle has changed over the ages:

 The castle is renowned for its falconry:

Some History of the Castle

The castle by night:

We begin our exploration of the castle at the...

Main Gate

Several floors of the castle museum can be explored and there are some wonderful scenic views from... 

 

The Fourth Floor

  

 

The other floors explore various subjects and change from time to time.  Below are some of the displays when the subject was Leonardo da Vinci.  The theme of the third floor is flight and includes some fascinating displays of...

  

 Leonardo's research into flight 

  

Famous Castles: Osaka Castle, Japan

 

 Osaka Castle features eight fascinating floors of art, history and vivid panoramas.

 

A Fly Over of Osaka City and Castle Area:

Some history of the castle:

 

Our exploration of the castle begins at the front entrance and proceeds through the eight floors:

 

Front Entrance to Osaka Castle

 On the eighth floor, we may walk around and take in magnificent vistas of the city and the grounds:

Eighth Floor Viewing Area

The seventh floor features some historical displays such as this one about the castle's violent past:

Osaka Castle's Violent History

The fifth floor features some historical panoramas such as this battle scene:

Fifth Floor Battle Panorama

 The fourth floor features some of the castle's art, such as this screen:

Fourth Floor Art

The third floor features more art as well as historical artifacts such as this...

 Battle Armour