Nestled in the heart of Wensleydale, Middleham Castle stands proudly over the tiny town of the same name. The boyhood home of Richard III, not much more than the shell of the castle remains today, but there’s still plenty to explore. The castle is managed by English Heritage, and after finally joining while we were in Cornwall a few weeks ago (thank you Tesco Clubcard vouchers) we decided to pay a visit to our local site.
Richard III wasn’t the only king to visit Middleham – Edward IV was briefly held prisoner here during the Wars of the Roses. The information boards around the site explore the history of the castle and its inhabitants over the centuries, and do a good job of bringing them to life – although we weren’t 100% convinced by the basilisk incorporated into Richard III’s statue in the courtyard (it looked more like a chicken to us).
We spent around 45 minutes wandering through the ruins, which we had mostly to ourselves with only a few other visitors there at the same time as us. If you visit, make sure to climb up the spiral stairs in one of the towers for good views out over Wensleydale and Middleham.
With rain and fog forecast for the afternoon, we kept our trip to a quick visit to the castle, but if you wanted to make a day of it you could easily add on a walk down to Pinker’s Pond, or take a stroll up to the gallops. Middleham is home to more than a thousand racehorses, and we’ve never been here without spotting at least one or two out on exercise!
If you want to grab a bit to eat while you’re out, there are a few different pubs in Middleham to choose between, or alternatively you can take a walk along the river Cover to the dog friendly Cover Bridge Inn – this is an especially good option in summer, when you can sit out in their lovely beer garden by the river.
Dog friendly rating – 5/5. Dogs are welcome everywhere with you at Middleham, including in the shop and small exhibition inside. Ours were very happy to be treated to a biscuit from the lady in the shop, and there were water bowls out for dogs as well. The best thing about visiting places like this with a reactive dog is that all the other dogs you might come across will be on a lead too! So you’re safe from the ‘don’t worry he’s friendly’ brigade.
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There is a walk from Jervaulx Abbey to Middleham that featured on the BBC(https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00122hp) that looked quite interesting. She did have the advantage of very good weather and maybe a drier season before!
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We’ll have to give this one a try!