Mud, Blood And Spectacles!

As the armies of knights and archers clashed in the grounds of Herstmonceux Castle, the heavens opened adding yet another wonderful piece of "realism" to the annual festival of Medieval life at the historic venue.

Rachel and I spent a wonderfully exhausting day absorbing the sights, sounds, smell, feel and even taste of the Middle Ages during our annual visit to this inspiring three-day event.

We watched the mammoth, anarchic recreation of a battle from The War Of The Roses, as we did last year, but this time round it had the added bonus of sleeting rain to help transport us back in time. The only thing that would have stopped them, we were told, was thunder and lightning!

Ye Olde Optician

Elsewhere we got to watch a butcher preparing a hog's head (well, I did, Rachel couldn't watch), chat with a Medieval spectacle-maker (I didn't realise people actually wore glasses as early as the 13th Century), sample some jerky from Wales (what Dungeons & Dragons adventurers would call 'dried rations'), listen to an awesome folk band and shuffle around a variety of tents offering goods and wares.

There were more people offering incredible armour and weapons for sale this year, but the current Knight financial crisis rather put the kibosh of this being anything more than a window shopping exercise. I will get the rest of my suit of armour one day!

The rain did mess with the event timetable though, so I missed the sword-fighting demonstration that I so enjoyed last year. But, all being well, we'll be back in 2013!

I took a load of pictures as always and they're available for all to peruse on my public Facebook album - beware though there are pictures of hog's head being skinned, if you're a bit sensitive to that kind of thing.