Guide To King John’s Castle

Remains of a royal castle built in the 13th century within a bend on the south side of the River Whitewater. Built on the orders of king John parts of a flint keep remain inside one of two moated enclosures. Documentary evidence shows that it was built between 1207-1212, it was besieged by the French in 1216 and badly damaged. It needed to be repaired and it is likely that the keep was then built , three stories high and of octagonal shape,. Parts of the moats have been removed with the building of the Basingstoke Canal.

We walked along the canal and followed the brown signs to ‘castle’.

A little tucked away, but a lovely ruin.

Plenty of signs explaining the history of the castle.

Definitely worth going to see.

We also saw a few paddleboarders.

What a great little side visit, was not a planned visit and happened to be passing. Parking nearby is very limited but found somewhere about 5 mins away. Canal side approach was very pretty. Castle is free to access, literally a 5 to 10 minute time period is sufficient at the castle as it is both small and a ruin but there are seem information boards to read.

King John’s castle sounds so much better than Odiham castle. To reach the site is an easy walk alongside the Basingstoke canal.

Great nice little walk along the canal then to the right is the Castle remains itself. Nice little day out and alot of history to learn from the Plaque’s too. Worth a visit if your down in these neck of the woods 👍🏼