England: Bamburgh Castle
This castle is touted as the mother of all castle lake in England. While it may not be such, it is surely massive and impressive and enjoys a stunning seafront location with the spectacular beach right in front of it. There was a Celtic fort here around 400AD, which was later destroyed by Vikings, and then rebuilt by Normans, finally becoming the property of the English crown in 1095. The castle then became abandoned by the 18th century, but restored in the 19th to its full glory. The interior is also meticulously restored with grand rooms with knight armor to dungeons in the basements. And the views of the sea with the cannons pointing at it are undoubtedly superb – you can see the Farne Islands offshore in the distance.
