Ludgershall is a small town about 16 miles North of Salisbury, close to the border with Hampshire and not too far from Andover. It is a place I have driven through many times on the way to other places but if you look closely as you drive through you will see a sign for the Castle.
The Castle is a majestic sight and well worth a stop to have a walk around. From above, it is reminiscent of Old Sarum, with a circular bank around the perimeter. Although a good portion of it has been consumed by a house and garden, enough of it remains as it has for hundreds of years.
Like many English Heritage castles it is little more than a ruin, but parts of the tower remains and the foundations of the walls and buildings are large enough to clamber over. You can walk around the bank and moat area to take in the whole site and look across the fields towards Collingbourne Wood.
The castle itself is ancient, dating back to the 12th Century. It was turned into a hunting lodge by Henry the 3rd, but by the 15th Century it was disused so it is remarkable that so much of it remains more than 500 years later. More information about the history of the site can be found here.
When I visited, I went on a walk through Collingbourne Wood which is large enough to get lost in for several hours and you can imagine how in times past this area would have been a rich hunting ground.
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