Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire is probably the nearest one to my house, but for some reason I had never visited it before now.  For those travelling up or down the length of the M1 you can see it from the motorway.  If you pass it at night you can see it spectacularly lit up.  I even tried taking a photo from the motorway one night a few years ago but unfortunately the picture did not come out too well.

The picture directly above is of the Little Castle which is a part of Bolsover Castle.  There are a lot of stairs in it and a few surprises for those with keen eyes.  One of the really good things about Bolsover though is that a miniture replica of this Little Castle has been built espectially for those who cannot see the interior of the original for themselves.

The Little Castle was begun in 1612 by Charles Cavendish and was designed as a fantasy home for entertaining guests.

The building is one of the most intact parts of the castle and well worth the walk around.  The views from the upper floors are very good as is the equisite workmanship of the rooms themselves.

It even has its own ghost.  I didn't see it myself but the story is told for those who want to hear about it.

The Riding House, above, is also intact and is said to be the finest surviving example in England of this type of building.  What was once the stables is now the Discovery Centre.

As you can see from the pictures above, much of the main castle is in ruins. You can wander amongst the rooms but sadly much of the splendour has been lost to the ravages of time and you can only imagine the true glory of Bolsover Castle at the peak of its time.

And it is clear from the guidebook that at its peak Bolsover Castle once entertained royalty, namely King Charles I in 1634.  The entertainment provided was said to be the most extravagant of the time.

For those with an interest in women in history, the guidebook also tells of Mad Madge of Newcastle, the second wife of William Cavendish.  Forward-thinking and ahead of her time, she is a classic example of a woman who was perceived as mad because of her beliefs.  I believe she would have made a very good suffragette had she had the chance.

As you can see from the above picture the views are spectacular.  Although you can't see it on the picture you can see the M1 in the distance and the beautiful Derbyshire countryside as far as the horizon.
 

On the day that I visited Bolsover Castle you could find both the piece and tranquility of the fountain garden (the Venus Fountain being the centre piece) above, and the shouts and excitement of the Vikings.  For this was one of the days when entertainment was provided for the public in the form of battles and crafts.  Below are a few of the photos I took of the entertainers.