For our first full day of holiday, we started with the castle situated less than 5 minutes’ walk away from our holiday cottage. Lydford Castle is a cube shaped ruin dating from Norman times. Despite its name, the castle was in fact a prison and courthouse rather than a dwelling or fortification.
We also popped into St Petroc’s Church next door. I liked the display which showed the different forms the church took over the centuries. The font is one of the oldest things in the church, dating from either the Saxon or early Norman era.
Next we drove to Okehampton and visited the Museum of Dartmoor Life. There was a one way system in place and we started at the top of the building and worked our way downstairs and through the ages. I enjoyed looking at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee exhibition.
Okehampton Castle was tricky to find. We had originally planned to visit first but then discovered that the road runs parallel so you have to go into Okehampton town itself to find the turning. The ruins were magnificent and sprawled up the hill. The climb was hard going and Matthew did slip on the steps so caution should be taken for those with mobility concerns.
