After Dunster Castle was closed on our last trip, we make another attempt to visit the beautiful castle today. We’re luckier today – and again we’re spoiled with the warm and sunny weather. And even the drive to Dunster is a pleasure.

Then we arrive, standing in front of the imposing building. A small passageway takes us to the back of the castle and its park. It looks like an enchanted garden with its tall palm trees and Mediterranean flair. Lemons have even been growing here since at least 1757! In the winter of 2003/04, the lemon tree died of old age. It was almost 250 years old then. But it lives on because a piece of the tree was cut off and replanted. What a great tree! I’m sure it enjoys the marvelous view over the hills and the sea as much as we do.

We climb up to the round plateau and learn that the original fortress stood here, with today’s building being added later. During the civil war over the Reformation, the castle was besieged for a long time. The lords of the castle finally had to give up. They were forced to demolish the old fortress and the building’s fortifications. All that remained was the residential part of the building. And the park with its garden behind and above the castle. With beautiful plants and cute bees with furry bottoms.

We buy sandwiches for lunch in the café. While we’re eating, birds keep dropping by. One chirps loudly from the tree next to us. The park and the plants around the castle are a paradise for animals anyway.

Now it’s time to take a look inside. In the library, a friendly museum guide tells us about the history of the castle and the family that lived here. She introduces us to each person in the paintings and even asks us to stand a little to the side so that we can see the painting of a woman that was not so easy to see from our position. Then she moves on to the photos on the table. Her colleague leads us through the rest of the rooms, which are really impressive.

The staircase and the ceilings are particularly impressive, says the museum guide. And he didn’t promise too much. The banisters were each carved from a single piece of wood and are incredibly three-dimensional and rich in detail. Thanks to the coins depicted in one place, it has even been possible to narrow down the age of the staircase fairly precisely – namely to the period in which the coins depicted were in circulation. The table in the dining room is set just as it was at the reception for the Maharaja of Jaipur and his polo team.

When we realise that the castle is about to close, we decide to forego the tour of the rooms on the first floor and slowly make our way back. This takes a little longer than planned. There seems to have been a serious accident on the route. The ambulance is just pulling up and the police are cordoning off the road. Thanks to LucY’s big screen, we manage to find an alternative route. I try to follow the locals. But then they speed along the narrow roads through the forest far too fast, even for my taste.

Anyway, we arrive safely back in Taunton and freshen up in the hotel before we are invited to dinner with Catherine and Dee. She has ordered from a caterer who offers a different meal every week. We soon enjoy the vegan soya chicken, rice, apple coleslaw and cornbread, and later a cheesecake with raspberries for dessert.