Originally published 11 August 2003

We started our day off with a gratifying breakfast, before leaving for the castle at about 9am. As soon as we arrived, we were given some sheets as a guide to the pleasure of the sights before setting off in groups. A couple of friends and I decided to visit the dungeons first, as we had been given a talk by the “executioners” the night before and were interested to see what he was up to. After he “chopped my head off” in imitation of an execution, we descended into the gloomy murks of the torture chambers where hidden evils lay.

After we had discovered the terrors of the rack – an ancient instrument of torture – we emerged back into the light. We then struggled our way up to the top of the tower where we discussed its height relative to other castles with several members of the public. After the tiresome journey up and down, we stopped for lunch. Having quickly consumed our food, we decided to visit the medieval fair where you had to buy “groats” to participate. My friend won some peacock feathers but, unfortunately, I had no such luck. Soon after, we took a tour of the central house where we viewed certain royal items of great importance and the personal chambers of the inhabitants. When this was over, we hastily (well, the girls did, anyway!) sped through the ghost tower, which, because it had live actors, was actually quite thrilling. With little time left, we paid a quick visit to the wax works before returning back to campus. We were tired, but it had been worth it – a great day.

Rhys Parfitt (14)