Upnor Castle near Rochester, I did think of going earlier in the year but decided to save it for a rainy day like today. The castle is set in tranquil grounds adjoining a riverside village, this rare example of an Elizabethan artillery fort was begun in 1559 and redeveloped in 1599-1601, to protect warships moored at Chatham dockyards. Despite a brave attempt, it entirely failed to do so in 1667, when the Dutch sailed past it to burn or capture the English fleet at anchor.
The parking was free, but you will have to walk to the castle, down a cobbled street which is not easy in heels and wet and slippery, easier to walk on the pavement. Just head for the river Medway and the entrance is at the end on the left. There were a few people around, you could count them on one hand.
I was greeted by a lovely lady who asked if I was a member of English Heritage, if you are, you can get in for free, but I'm not, so I paid £6.40, which is not much, but the castle is limited on things to see and do. I did slip over and made a hole in my tights, so I'm not a happy bunny, I will just need to get more.
It's always a good idea to have another pair in your handbag for days like this.
There was another lady looking after the gift shop, I don't know why there were two as one could look after it all. I declined the audiobook which you can hire for £1, I regretted it halfway around the castle as there is not much information on hand. The Paths and steps are slippery to be careful and narrow. It's a small castle, so you will soon get your bearings and will only take a few hours to go around it.
The restaurant is just a coffee machine in a room so best to think about going somewhere else if you require food, there is a pub nearby, but I just fancied a McDonald's, so I headed for the one on the waterfront near the cinema in Strood. Easy to park, and I went inside, there was a queue for ordering machine near the front door, I spotted the one on the other side, after going through about fifty options and fifteen minutes later I finally got to pay then I had to wait even more for my number to be called which took about another twenty minutes, I decided to nip to the ladies to check on my make-up, when I finished I rejoined waiting by that time they were calling out my number and went back to the car park to start eating it.
I did pop-in to the cinema to see what films are showing, I was thinking about the New Shaun the sheep film or Downton Abbey, but I will save that for another rainy day.
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