Château Gaillard

Rising from the chalk cliffs on a meander in the Seine, The ruins for the castle look down upon the village of Les Andelys.

I had arrived in the town by riverboat. We were making our way through Normandy, and we stopped below the fortress on a sunny morning. From the rail of the ship, the ruins were an impressive sight, and I knew I must make the hike to the castle.

Built in the 12th century by Richard the Lionheart, it was of cutting edge design and the strongest castle of it’s time.

Richard’s castle was a direct challenge to the French monarchy, who would take up that gauntlet and lay siege to the castle in 1204. Richard himself was not there for the defense: He had succumbed to an injury at the siege of Châlus in 1199.

Phillip II of France laid siege to the castle for 8 months, finally undermining a section of the walls and collapsing them to gain entrance to the main fortress.

reaching the castle is not difficult. A steep paved road made it’s way out of the town below, and though a good stretch of lungs and legs, it’s not an arduous climb.

The battle was long since over when I arrived. No distant sound of trumpets, or battle cries pierced the air. Rolling grassy hills covering the grounds surrounding the scarred battlements, the only testament to the efforts of the knights and soldiers who perished here more than 800 years ago.