The castle holds many events throughout the year, but one that had previously caught my attention was the mele. Held in august it gives you a sample of the medieval times. From battles, entertainment, birds and much much more. My boyfriend and I arrived around half way through the day with it starting at 10 and ending at 5 pm. As you enter you can see the array of tents on display with lots going on. The first tent you pass has an assortment of what I would call circus equipment. A collection of such things jesters would have used to entertain, from juggling to the diablo.
We soon moved on to the tents, they had people dressed in attire to suit the medieval era. There was one tent where you could try on such things as gauntlets, helmets and other amour. Another tent had the smell of a beautiful wafting stew, when you had a closer look it didn’t look so appetising. Other tents were just there for show to create an atmosphere. It did really set the scene of a medieval settlement.
In the far corner of the grounds was a cornered off section. This is where you could have a taster of archery. Though this was not included in the price of your main ticket it cost £2 for 3 arrows. There were 3 targets and the staff are excellent at showing you the technique of how to hold the bow. The first arrow I shot hardly went far at all and pretty much hit the ground. I soon realised it was a lot harder than I first thought. Finally on the 3rd arrow I managed to get the arrow somewhat higher than before and slightly near the target. It was a shame it was only 3 arrows as I was starting to get the hang of it and would definitely be having another go at archery.
Soon the sound of crowds gathered as we made our way to watch the first combat battle round. Each knight marched into the arena with their coats of arms on display and their squires in pursuit. Each knight was then introduced into the arena. Unfortunately the French knight was booed and jeered at. Each knight then took it in turns to battle against each other. You could see how heavy the armor was when they were lifting their swords the energy they had to use. The battle was somewhat comical with a lot of slap stick humor used. In the battle the squires were holding back the opponents. The crowd got really into the battle cheering on the knights the favored. The first round of the battles was done and the scores were very tight with many of the knights drawing. The knights marched off to rest and prepare for round 2.
As we waited we explored the castle grounds. Heading over to west of the grounds to where the birds were. When we approached there were several owls on display, a cute baby owl and then some beastly hawk owls. They were so calm with the amount of people there so elegant in the way they moved their heads. There was the cutest little baby owl called Mr. G. I had an opportunity to hold it allowing me to be that little bit closer. He just sat there twisting his head but the rest of his body staying so still. The feathers so beautiful and the size of him so tiny, but his claws looked menacing. I could have just stood there and watched the birds for hours but there was a castle to
explore.
With the event being held you had to buy an extra ticket to get access to the house well as the keep. which was a bit disappointing. So what access we did have to the castle we explored. Going through a little door on the east side of the castle we went into the walls of the castle. Here they had recreated a war like era, with air raid sirens and announcements playing. We walked the length of the wall and soon came to an arch looking over the castle grounds. Displaying the whole event. Once we climbed the stairs to the top we could see over the grounds with an epic Birdseye view of the battle grounds.
It had soon come time for the final battle between the knights and their squires, time for a champion to be crowned. The announcer bellowed out the commands for the battle to commence. The squires helping the knights by pinning down there opponents. It went on until the last man was standing. Me and my boyfriend greatly enjoyed the entertaining battles. The day finally came to an end and it was time to leave. In hindsight it would have been nice if there was food you could have purchased. Possibly from the medieval era to get into the true spirit. I will be sure to attend another event like this in the future possible going to see the jousting next year. Enjoyed by all and a great day out.