May 15, Portchester Castle

As I expected, by Friday evening I was beginning to feel a bit too workaholic; fortunately I had already booked train tickets to Portchester, where Portchester Castle is located, right on the edge of the estuary of one of England's most important harbors, long the hub of Britain's naval power. The original walls were built by the Romans, on the site of even older fortifications, and most of the original Roman wall still stands. The castle was added to and expanded several times, beginning in the 11th century and ending with major renovations in the 15th century; not long after, the castle became militarily superfluous because of changes in ship design, armaments, and naval warfare. Henry II and Richard II both undertook major renovations and spent substantial time here; the last major military use of the castle was for staging Henry V's successful foray into France. Lots of history in this place.
Subsequent to its military obsolescence the castle was used as a prison for a while, then fell into disrepair until its most recent owners recognized its historical importance and began the process of restoration and preservation before ultimately turning it over to the British government.
The train trip there involved changing to the underground at Euston Station then back to a regular train at Waterloo Station; it was a comfortable ride through rolling green countryside with lot of small wooded areas here and there. I spent over two hours wandering the grounds, climbing the keep, taking pictures of the romantic ruins, and generally having a very nice day of it.