Caerlaverock Castle

In my rush to head south to Hadrian's Wall for the Illumination event, I had to skip over Caerlaverock Castle. Lonely Planet described it as one of the best castles in Britain, so I knew I had to head back into Scotland to remedy this situation. I was not disappointed. 

The triangular, pink stoned fortress is surrounded by a moat and looks unassailable, though history says otherwise. Being on the volatile Scotland-England border, it was taken several times. It is testament to its strength, however, that a mere sixty men were able to hold off the entire English army for a lengthy siege. 

I enjoyed the no longer functional stairs in the towers. 

After gawking at the castle for a while, I headed around back towards the wetlands and to see the old castle. Mind you, the 'new' castle I had been looking at was built in the 1270s. The old castle was only fifty years older, and now consists of a few stones outlining the foundation of the square keep. 

The wetlands were pleasant and quiet. I think I was the only person in the area. 

I saw two toads during my brief walk between the castles, and nearly stepped on one before it spoiled its camouflage by moving. 

In front of the castle were reconstructed siege engines. The video in the visitor's center showed the demonstrations of their power. The catapult was interesting

...but I love trebuchets, the ultimate castle breakers before gunpowder. 

Once I was finally satisfied with gazing upon the castle, I jaunted onward, back into England.