Winterfell - Part One
First on our tour is Winterfell, the great stronghold of the North. This castle is absolutely massive, and is surrounded by the Wintertown, the town where the northern small folk shelter during the long and terrible winters. The wolfswood also lies just outside Winterfell, and it is there we begin, with the Starks coming back in from baby’s first beheading.
(I think the location where Bran witnesses the deserter being executed is being built, but have this nice shot of the woods instead)
It’s still summer, but the North is cold enough for snows even now. But the Wintertown and Winterfell are now in view!
Wintertown is mostly empty at the moment, as the smallfolk are busy working the land during the summer, but a lot of the buildings are still here. Most of the houses in the North are made from wood and stone, and topped with sod roofs to keep in the heat. I really hope these buildings are as warm as they seem!
The gates to Winterfell are very impressive! I certainly wouldn’t want to siege this castle. Thankfully, we have booked a visit through RavenTravels, so they’ll be expecting us.
And even if you manage to breach the outer wall, there's a moat and second wall still protecting the castle.
Beyond the second gate is the Great Keep, to the right, and to the left is the armory and the Library Tower. The covered bridge running between the two, is one of several connecting the various buildings, so that people don’t have to step outside during winter. This is also one of the locations described in the books, where Jon and Arya watch Bran and Tommen “spar” and Robb *not* beating up Joffrey.
Is that blood on the ground? Probably!
If you look to the ground, there's a lot of steam from the bubbling hot springs underneath the castle. Although this causes some water table issues, like basement flooding, the Starks actually pipe the hot water through the castle walls to keep warm. Cozy!
Let’s peak inside the armory to see the forge where Mikken and Jon conspired to give a nine year old a sword.
Next door is the Library Tower, with its winding exterior wooden staircase. I’m honestly questioning the wisdom of this choice.
At least the interior seems plenty nice. Samwell would no doubt like to curl up somewhere in here.
On the other side of the courtyard is the Great Keep, where the Stark family and the majority of their household live.
Let’s have a Bran’s eye view of the main courtyard to finish this post!
