for these newbie experiences. They also have peregrine falcons that are used by the owners of the school, and a gorgeous tawny eagle owl named Dingle that I adore. The queen of the Harris Hawks, Rua, hates him, so they have to be very careful on when they take out which birds for multiple visitors. Many pix were taken by yrs. truly. Some day I'll get a flicker account so people can see all the fun we're having on trips.

In reality, castles were cold and draughty places. Windows were closed off by wooden planks in winter, so to the rooms were dark and without much air circulation. Usually the only warm places would be the kitchen and one smaller room for the ladies with a fireplace (sometimes situated above the kitchen). The great hall would have a fireplace and/or some fire pans as well, but that wasn't enough to get it warm. Rich lords could hang tapestries at the walls, that helped with insulation a bit; and the floor was covered with straw and rushes. But mostly the only way was to dress in layers of wool and - if you could afford it - fur; the beds would also be equipped with a bunch of furs. The one luxury were hot baths.

There's a reason I would pick a place with Roman civilisation for time travel, not the Middle Ages, much as I love visiting old castles (we got plenty in Germany). ;)

Ashford Castle. George sniffs that it wouldn't stand a seige for an hour.