View From The Ramparts, Rochester Castle

I'm the king of the castle.

Finally. At the third attempt. The previous two times I presented myself at the ticket office only to find the keep was closed for repair work.

Rochester Castle is the largest Norman keep in the country- larger than the ones at Dover or the Tower of London. It's in fairly good repair too- and I don't see why- apart from the expense- they don't put the floors and roofs back in and turn it into a museum of medieval life.

Corner Turret

The keep at Rochester Castle has three square turrets and one rounded one. The round one is a replacement for an original that got broken during the siege of 1216.

I'm not good with heights- and being up there on that narrow walkway- with sheer drops on either side was a stimulating experience. The interior of the castle has a net stretched over it- and the notices explain that it's there to keep pigeons out and cannot be expected to support the weight of a human body....