Day 24 – Castles and Churches, Cardiff to Upton upon Severn

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This morning started with a drive to Cardiff and a visit to Cardiff Castle. We found a stone wall outside of the castle with animals “escaping” over the wall which was very unusual. The Castle itself is interesting with a Norman Keep in the middle and Victorian residence in the outer wall. The Residence contains some amazing wood carving, not quite to the level of Windsor Castle, but very nice.

We climbed to the top of the Norman Keep which gave a great view of the Castle and surrounding area, including Millennium Stadium.

Once we had explored the Castle we jumped back on the M4 and headed tour next Castle stop in Caldicot. This Castle is not as large and intact as Cardiff, but interesting never the less. The Keep in one corner of the outer wall is older than the rest of the castle. The keep was a residence until the early 1900’s which in exploring this small building with one room per floor and tight spiral staircase would be a challenge to anyone.

We once again jumped in the car and headed north to Gloucester, but not along the motorway, we close a smaller road to take in the countryside and some small villages along the way. Once at Gloucester we strolled through the town, grabbed some lunch and wandered through Gloucester Abbey which has some wonderful gothic architecture, stained glass, and the tomb of a King of England.

We then headed to our overnight stop at Strensham. As we booked in we were told of a water festival going on this weekend in Upton upon Severn only a short drive away, so we so we headed that way.

The sides of the River at Upton upon Severn were filled with canal boats, launches and other power boats. Nearby hundreds of camper trailers, caravans and campers filled local fields, and on the banks of the river near the town was a fair like atmosphere. We walked through the village and enjoyed the atmosphere.

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