Castle Bolton

Sadly, the weather on the third day of my break didn't improve... still drizzly, misty and dull. I ventured up to Castle Bolton, just to see the area, though it was all closed for the winter. The village is called after the medieval Bolton Castle, built in the late 1300s and still owned, remarkably, by descendants of the Scrope family, the original owners.  Mary, Queen of Scots, whom Queen Elizabeth I saw as a threat to her rule, was imprisoned here for six months in 1568, before being removed to Tutbury where she spent most of the last 18 years of her life until her execution in 1587.  It doesn't sound like too harsh an imprisonment, as the castle was made more comfortable for her and she had a retinue of at least 50 knights, ladies and staff, most of whom lodged in the surrounding village. She was also allowed out to go walking, riding and hunting. The castle was later damaged in the English Civil War, after a siege lasting a year.

Nowadays it is run as a heritage centre, with family days, falconry displays, a café and a shop and it is available for weddings and private events. Maybe I'll go back sometime when it's open. 

The surrounding village is quite attractive, as is the small church of St Oswald (very damp and musty inside!)