During the Easter holidays we visited a lovely English countryside in the Forest of Dean at Herefordshire. The place we stayed was called the Flanesford Priory. This was a historic building and it was a quiet place to relax with full of nature and with birds singing all the time. We visited only a few places as we stayed at the Priory with more relaxation and little filming as it was such a picturesque place to relax. There are a few captures that I intend sharing as we go on.. Flanesford Priory ============= Sir Richard Talbot, then owner of nearby Goodrich Castle, founded the priory in 1346 as a house of the Canons Regular of St Augustine. Situated next to the River Wye and Goodrich Castle, Flanesford Priory has been converted from a 14th Century Monastery into fully equipped luxury self-catering apartments, some on two floors and some three. The surrounding countryside, including the Forest of Dean, Symonds Yat and Monmouth provide picturesque areas for exploration. The attractive town of Ross-on-Wye is ten minutes drive away. The village shop and pub at Goodrich are within easy walking distance. Flanesford Priory now has a variety of different and alluring apartments, all with oak beamed ceilings and original stone walls, combined with modern conveniences. Goodrich Castle ============= Goodrich stands majestically on a wooded hill commanding the passage of the River Wye into the picturesque valley of Symonds Yat. The castle was begun in the late 11th century, by the English thegn Godric who gave it his name. A generation later the splendidly preserved square keep which still forms its core was added, probably in the time of Richard 'Strongbow' de Clare, Earl of Pembroke and Lord of Goodrich 1148-76. Under King Richard the Lionheart, Goodrich was granted along with the earldom of Pembroke to the famous William Marshal, a great castle builder who may have initiated work on the inner ward. Each of the Marshal's four sons inherited the fortress in turn, the last dying childless at Goodrich in 1245. Thereafter the fortress and earldom passed to Henry VIII's half-brother, William de Valance, who rebuilt its defences and living quarters in the most up-to-date style. Goodrich still boasts one of the most complete sets of medieval domestic buildings surviving in any English castle. William's widow Countess Joan frequently stayed here with an entourage of up to 200, entertaining her relations and friends in the most lavish style. During the Civil War, Goodrich was held successively by both sides, Sir Henry Lingen's Royalists eventually surrendered in 1646 under threats of undermining and a deadly Parliamentarian mortar. The famous 'Roaring Meg', the only surviving Civil War mortar, has returned to the castle after 350 years. The visitor centre features an exhibition exploring life at the castle from its late 11th century origins until its dramatic fall in 1646, including Civil War artefacts.

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