Walking tour of Castel Roc, from the bridge to the keep
The steps of the tour
The bridge over the stream
The car and devices were left at the Threshold House, on the far side of the forest. You cross the stream on foot: ahead, the path climbs through the fields to the village gate.
Across the fields
Wheat, barley, oats and hay meadows, in long strips all the way to the forest edge. On the left, the path to the sheepfold heads off; behind you, south of the stream, stands the windmill.
The South Gate
A stone gate tower: a vaulted passage and a half-timbered upper storey bearing the town’s arms. The walls and gates make up the last phase of the project.
The Grand-Rue
Tall, narrow houses pressed close together, their upper floors jutting out over the cobblestones. On the left, the Castel Inn.
The Market Square
The heart of the village: the well, the great linden tree and the stalls. To the north, the Bear Tavern; every street leads here.
The Church
A small Romanesque church, with a bell gable for two bells and a round-arched doorway. All around, the lanes of the village expansion.
The lower courtyard
At the foot of the rock, the keep’s courtyard, lined by the great house and the stables. The keep towers over the whole village.
From the top of the keep
The village’s close-packed roofs, the town walls, the strip fields reaching to the forest. Beyond the woods, the Threshold House, where the tour began.
Along the way, you can step into six show interiors through the golden handle of their door: the show home, the show shop, the show grocery, the Bear Tavern, the keep, the church.