Explore #10 of the Gigawatts & Megalolz Tour
Despite having already explored four locations and been on the go since 4.30am that morning, our team couldn’t resist rounding off Day Two with a revisit to the magical Chateau Noisy.
History
For a potted history of the castle, and lots more photos, please have a look at my report from my first visit back in April 2014.
Our Explore
This was a revisit for Darren and I, and Marlon had been umpteen times over the years, but it was the first time for Dan. By the time we parked up it was already gone 7pm, the skies had darkened and an ominous wind had picked up – the sort which signals a storm at any moment. Indeed no sooner had we left the car then it started to rain. But we pressed on, and arrived at the castle in the early-evening gloom. Far from perfect light for photography, but I was happy just to be seeing this old beauty again.
As always, click on a photo to VIEW LARGE
A few minutes later the heavens well and truly opened, and we were sheltering inside Noisy from a huge lightning storm – it was a fantastic feeling!
I grabbed a shot of the ornate entrance ceiling…
…and was gutted to see that the main staircase has become even more trashed, and had more mindless graffiti added to it, since my last visit. 🙁
I also made it my mission to get to the famous twin baths, which had eluded me during my first visit. The access to these involved a walk with death across a second-storey floor which had been burned and completely collapsed at one end! Marlon volunteered to go first, and Darren and I were more than happy to let him be the urbex guinea pig. Thankfully he made it down the hallway of doom in one piece, and Darren and I gingerly followed.
This shot was taken with the storm still in mid-flow, and wind was howling in through the broken windows and around the bathroom – you can just about make out the movement in the shower curtain to the left of the shot, but it doesn’t really give a sense of the meteorological drama and noise in the room at the time!
Soon the storm had passed, and as we made our way up to the top of the clocktower to enjoy the panoramic views we were bathed in glorious late-summer’s evening sunshine…
When Darren and I got to the top of the tower we interrupted a French guy and his lady friend, who were trying to take glamour (?) shots of her in her skimpies! We’d already surprised them when we first arrived at the castle, but as they weren’t the owners we had just much a right to be there as them! Anyway we made some small talk, and healed Anglo-Franco relations a bit, before they headed back downstairs.
Here’s a shot of Marlon and Dan, admiring the views from one of the other turrets – (best to click on this shot to view large).
…and another shot from the top…
Marlon and Dan then joined us in the clocktower, we cracked open the ace Belgian beers we’d had the foresight to pick up that afternoon, and toasted another fantastic day of exploring in great company.
Oh, and we all giggled like 13 year old schoolboys when we noticed that Frenchie and his friend were taking more risqué shots in front of the castle beneath us… Dan may or may not have got his, er, telephoto out! 🙂
Finally we bade a reluctant farewell to beautiful old Noisy… I really hope she’s still there next year and that I get to see her again, but if not this was a special couple of hours which I’ll always remember fondly.
It was almost pitch dark by the time we made our way awkwardly (and in the case of Marlon pretty drunkenly) through the forest and back to the car. By the time we checked into our hotel that evening it was about 10.30pm!
As always thanks for looking – lots more reports coming in a week or so, as I’m away on holiday for a few days next week.
Cheers
Adam X