THOUSANDS of visitors were transported back in time at Corfe Castle to watch Viking marauders lock horns with Saxon warriors.

The three-day Siege of Wareham re-enactment event, that started at the historic castle grounds on Saturday, continues today.

Tony Thorpe, of the Viking Re-enactment Society, explained: “As well as the main battles and skirmishes we also show the public some of our training exercises, which are quite intense because the guys like to win.”

More than 350 members of the society will take part in the event, which has transported onlookers back to 876AD.

Tony added: “As the public comes in under the gate it opens up to how the castle would have looked like in the period when the Danes were attacking.

“The local villagers would have come inside the castle to be protected, and that is how we set it out.

“The battles are noisy, loud and quite frightening in parts.”

The castle’s grounds have been transformed into a Saxon village with more than 60 individual structures.

Members of the public also have the chance to watch young warriors training and take in the sights and sounds in a variety of living history displays.

Today, at 2.30pm, re-enactors in full costume will gather in the village square, before marching to the castle for the main battle.

Holidaymaker Terry Aitken, who attended the event with his two young children earlier in the bank holiday weekend, told the Daily Echo: “The fighting was a lot more ferocious than I thought, but still suitable for the kids.

“It was incredible to hear the clash of swords and it drives it home how brutal the battles must have been.”