When planning the trip to the UK, I knew that I wanted to see a castle. I found that “castle” can mean quite a few things, however. There are restored castles, furnished, with demonstrations, and guides in period dress. There are castles in various levels of ruin, some with only fragments of stone wall or only earthworks remaining. There are castles that were meant to be lived in, those that were intended to convey the power and might of the owner, and those that were defensive fortresses built in times of war. You can watch developments in architecture and building materials, such as size of windows, by looking at castles from different time periods.

Many of England’s stone castles were refortifications of original wooden Motte-and-bailey structures. Such was the case for Hastings Castle, which was built around the time that William the Conqueror reached England in 1066, and rebuilt in stone in 1070. The cliffs it was built on have eroded, sending the keep and half of the curtain wall into the sea, leaving one of the towers and parts of The Collegiate Church of St. Mary-in-the-Castle.

Camber Castle, on the other hand, was built in 1512 – 1514 to defend Rye anchorage, but the river silted up and it was abandoned in 1637. Today it is surrounded by sheep pastures and a nature reserve.

The only way to get to the castle is by footpath. England is criss-crossed by public footpaths that can take you from one coast to the other. These footpaths are often on private property. Walkers are expected to close the gates they walk through, which are helpfully labeled as public rights of way, and respect the owner’s property. This is very contrary to the attitudes of the sprawling United States, where there is no such honor system and the Private Property signs are only ignored by low life hunters that blithely shoot near or at homes.

Here, a footpath on the East Hill of Hastings, follows the cliffs over the sea. The wildest places we saw still seemed somewhat tamed. Everywhere in England, even if it’s been allowed to return to nature now, has been shaped over the centuries by human habitation.

A gatekeeper butterfly.

And a six spot burnet moth.

Battle Abbey is at the site where William the Conqueror defeated King Harold, erected by William as penance for the killings during his invasion. The Church of St. Martin, finished around 1094, with its altar on the supposed spot where King Harold fell, was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII. The abbey is in ruin but can be explored, while the gatehouse is still in excellent condition, and today houses the gift shop and a small museum.

Here are the beautiful arched ceilings in the novice’s room in the abbey.