Last time I visited “Helmsley Castle”:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/review/attraction/162773-review-helmsley-castle was on a dull and damp day in February. This time it was late May and a glorious sunny day. One of the advantages of visiting then is that the walls are covered with tiny pink flowers of Fairy Foxgloves. They haven’t been planted, but suddenly appeared. They thrive in the cracks between the stonework and have spread and spread. They look wonderful!
This time I entered through the NW gateway with a small picnic area by it. After wandering round the centre of the castle, I went out through the barbican and the SE gateway to walk round the dry moat and view the outer walls of the chamber block. They really are impressive from here.
I’d forgotten the three modern statues of medieval warriors outside the gateway. These are by Malcolm Brocklesby and are designed to evoke a ‘zen approach’ to martial arts, thus evoking how weapons merged with the warriors using them. Forgetting the ‘arty’ vocabulary, they are actually very attractive pieces.
It had been another good visit.
