Continued from Part 5…
We woke up nice and early and met up with some of the wedding party for breakfast before getting ready for the day. From 10am, Helen would be tied up with bridesmaids duties, and the wedding didn’t start till 2pm, so I decided to go for a drive.
I went South of Oxford to visit Donnington Castle, a 14th century castle that played an important role in the region during the English Civil War. It was taken by the Royalists in 1643, and held out against many Parliamentarian attacks for the next few years until it was eventually surrendered in 1646 at the end of the first part of the war.
The most significant part of the castle still standing is the big twin-turreted gatehouse, the rest of the ruins comprise only of a series of small walls (as Eddie Izzard would say). The centre courtyard made for a good 360 spot though.
It was very windy at the top of the hill, but the castle stood in a stunning location with great views all round.
With not much to see of the ruins themselves, I walked back down the hill, got in the car, and drove in to nearby Newbury. Newbury is to the North Wessex Downs what Cirencester is to the Cotswolds, a fairly big market town on the edge of a big area of countryside.
I didn’t have long to explore Newbury, but it was a really nice little town. It had a very full high street, barely any empty shops, and a lot of footfall. Nice to see a change from the usual empty highstreets in big towns nowadays.
I grabbed a quick brownie and a drink at a small cafe called the Hog and Hedge which was lovely, with really friendly staff. Elevenses done, I walked back to the car and headed back to Eynsham Hall to get ready for the wedding.
Back with plenty of time to spare, I decided to explore the grounds and take a few pictures of the beautiful building and surrounding areas.
After this, it was time for the wedding. I’ll keep details of that separate to this usual blog, but suffice to say it was an amazing day!
In the morning, we caught up with the wedding party before saying our goodbyes and getting on the road. We picked the cats up from the cattery in the afternoon, did a spot of shopping, then settled down for the rest of the day. We need another holiday to relax after that one! Thoroughly enjoyable week.
I caught these two together just as I was finishing writing this blog, they missed each other. Everything back to normal now!
Really enjoyed this blog Thom, love the final picture.
Look forward to seeing the wedding pics.
Glad you found time to visit yet another castle. I admire your tenacity. Eynsham Hall looks magnificent – looking forward to hearing its history.