1066........

The Battle of Hastings........actually the battle was fought outside of Hastings and was the last time that England ever saw a successful invasion. Who knows how that fight would have gone that day had King Harold not been hit by an arrow that killed him. Harold was in the north of the country having rushed north to meet an army of Vikings who were plotting an invasion also. The battle of Stamford Bridge was a success for King Harold 11 but he received warning of Williams invasion in the south. Once more his people had to force march to the south and meet William at the Battle of Seniac Hill. Harold, so the story goes was hit by an arrow into his eye, and so the Bayeux Tapestry will forever show him with the arrow protruding from his helmet. I wont go into the rest of the history here, its interesting enough but I don't need to rewrite it. Harold was a brave man and its a shame that he was killed as he was before we could see if he could have won. They say that Williams cavalry would have taken the day against the foot soldiers of Harold's army. Who knows. So we went to Battle to see the field and to pay respects to where the last English King was killed in battle. Everything changed after Hastings. Our language changed, our country changed. William built castles all over the country. Many still stand today. We went to the Abbey ruins at Battle and where there is a stone where it is believed that Harold was killed. The Abbey itself, even though in ruins is impressive. Walking along the outskirts one faces where the battlefield was, now calm and tranquil fields of wildflowers its a poignant spot. There are plenty of places to go inside and see what's left. The cloisters under the abbey still have amazing ceilings and there are dark places that are fun to wander through. Look out through arrow slits and imagine. The steps are worn from hundreds of years of use. Amazing. A quiet and tranquil exploration, what a fun thing to do for a day out. Especially if (like me) you love history. Just look at those blue sky's we were so fortunate with the weather. The small town of Battle is a pretty place to visit and I am glad we didn't miss it.