England: Helmsley Castle

A large chunk of northern Yorkshire is the North Moors National Park preserving an elevated plateau of moorland with many historic villages and ruined castles dotting the landscape. One of them is the village of Helmsley with the rather haunting Helmsley Castle. The castle was built in 1120 making it – yes! – 900 hunted freaking years old. The castle passed many hands in its history and saw transformation from a medieval fortified castle to a Tudor mansion to Victorian ruin. Although seriously ruined by now, it’s still stunning with half-a-facade towering on one side and the main building standing as a ghost on the other. Truly spectacular and a must see!