Medieval Day at Skirmish 2011

After having completely failed to go to the Festival of History, we managed to go to Skirmish 2011 with some friends for a day out. It was a 2-hour drive but well worth it, we had a blast! In total the bf and I took about 300 photos but I made a small selection for you to share this lovely day. The weather was perfect (it should be 28C at least tomorrow which is way too warm, today was a nice 22C) and it wasnt too crowded which was bad for the merchants but great for us Londoners who wanted some nature and peace and quiet. And jousting and fighting hihi...

A bit of history on Skirmish. It used to be called Joust and be organised by the Mediaeval Baebes together with the owners of Berkeley Castle until the big flood a few years back which bankrupted the entire thing(click here for a hilarious video of someone waterskiing behind a horse across the flooded fields). About two years after said flood, a new group took over and started organising Skirmish. It is still relatively small compared to Joust but still a lovely festival to attend. Joust will always remain special to me as it was the first ever medieval festival I went to (wearing velours! *cringe*) and it was great being back on site.

Arriving on site. We had already been told a rude medieval joke on entry so the day started well. The English... hahaha

Straight to the market for me, where lots of nice items were on sale...

Plenty of swords for the kids too

Martin's stall (from Martin's Jerked Meat) was covered in these felted flowers which the crafter in me could totally appreciate. He didnt make them but he bought them at another fair. There were hundreds!

Lots of reenactors were there, prepared in many ways...

Some (like our friends) brought their own stoves...

And set the table...

Me talking with a friend and sneakily admitting am not entirely medieval but have the modern stuff cleverly hidden in my wicker basket... LOL

There was jousting too of course but too many pictures didnt come out right. Knights are good too though :)

These kids were so cute while waiting for the battle to start!

The forces approach...

Shots are fired... the guns were ok, the canons were loud! But on the other side of the battlefield so too far for my little camera.

Preparing to fight...

And away we go! It all looked very warm and tiring...

Even with their fallen lying all over the place, they still wanted to insult the enemy...

After the battle was done everyone went with their flags risen high back to their camps...

Which had been left quite empty during the battle so we could take this lovely shot :) It's the only shot of my in my kit for today so I had to include this hihi.

The camps slowly refilling...

One final shot of Berkeley Castle.
Unfortunately with the new organisation this is no longer open to the festival public and you need a separate ticket but I've seen the inside many times and it is amazing, they even have an oubliette! Which is not a dungeon as an oubliette doesnt have a door. The castle is still being used today (probably not the oubliette though hihi).

If you're interested in Berkeley Castle, please follow this link and it will tell you all about it. For example, did you know that King Edward II was murdered in this castle in 1327? Or that Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream was written for a Berkeley wedding? Or that the first American Thanksgiving was held by Berkeley men? Or that William Berkeley became the first governor of Virginia in 1641? Really, I love this castle :) If you're ever around you must visit this! Or go tomorrow when Skirmish is on again :)