Castle by the Sea (A Story from The Hermit’s Cave)

“Castle by the Sea” is about a young couple, David and Marie, who are on holiday. Rather than spend all day lazing on the beach they decide to visit an old ruined castle. It’s a lovely day and they don’t mind the walk, but the castle is further away than it looks, so it takes them a lot longer to get there than they expected.

By the time they reach the castle, the weather has taken a turn for the worse. Hearing someone moaning, they discover the old woman who takes care of the castle is ill.

The old woman is sure that she is going to die, but she is not keen on allowing visitors inside. However, David and Marie cannot leave her to the mercy of the elements, so they take her inside anyway and soon discover that the castle is haunted by the ghost of the old woman’s mistress, Noreen.

This episode of The Hermit’s Cave may seem a little familiar to some listeners because it appears to be based on Honoré de Balzac’s short story “La Grande Breteche“. Sadly this adaptation fails to do the story justice.

The Hermit’s Cave: Castle by the Sea

(Listen to the Full Episode)