FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL Fun AMES and

LOOKING out across the rolling plains of the Cordoba Campina, my teenage son felt just like Olenna Tyrell surveying her kingdom. His perch on a balcony near the top of a tower at Almodovar del Rio castle (left)-- had become part of one of the seminal scenes of Game of Thrones’ series seven. This vertigo-swirling spot at mythical Highgarden castle is where the ancient queen of the Reach empire looks out (below) to see the giant army of the Lannisters amassing far below.

Within hours her redoubt is stormed and Olenna is forced to imbibe poison in a moment now etched in celluloid history.

One of many parts of this imposing Moorish castle that can be visited today (with over a dozen stills from the hit HBO series conveniently post-

GIANT JOB: 800 workmen took 36 years restoring Almodovar Castle ed up), in the words of my son this is ‘how castles should be restored’. A formidable spot over a bend in Andalucia’s Guadalquivir river, half way along the ancient Roman road between Sevilla and Cordoba, the 8th century fortress had indeed been carefully renovated to the tune of millions by the former Count of Torralva back in the early 20th century.

Some 800 workmen spent 36 years turning it into a home, with dozens of bedrooms, alongside obligatory banquet halls and ballrooms, as well as keeping its most interesting features, including a huge courtyard and dungeon.

Impressive in both scale and location, little-visited Almodovar castle is a great way to spend a couple of hours either side of a splendid lunch at La Taberna Cuatro Caminos, a short five-minute stroll downhill. Part of a long-weekend history tour, geared around Game of Thrones, but equally appealing to my wife, who appreciated the scenery and architecture of the fascinating Campina region, the real joy however, is the lack of tourists.

For this extensive area of rich farm-

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