From the parking lot it's about a 10 min. walk to the castle itself through gardens & woodlands and across ponds & streams. The entire journey is so lovely and picturesque. They even have black swans!
Once we reached the castle, our first stop was for lunch. It was a lovely day so we sat outside with a view across the water to the castle. I probably mentioned this in previous posts but the food at museums and attractions in the UK is really fabulous. Unlike the fast food you typically find in the US, these are always really fresh & tasty hot meals.
After lunch we walked through the gardens to the children's area at the far end of the grounds.
It was a massive playground designed for knights in training with castles & towers to climb up & around plus slides, swings & a zip line. If it were up to the kids, we would have seen nothing else that day but after an hour or so we were finally able to extract C & K (if I recall, ice cream bribery was definitely involved).
Next up was the maze. This one was quite tricky. C & I got unbelievably lost and needed help from the guide above to get us to the end. J & K were already there waiting for us. Show offs!
After the maze we toured the castle itself. In the 1900's the castle was the residence of an American heiress so much of it had been restored and furnished. The kids were less than impressed with the rooms & furnishings so I ran through with them and J stayed behind to enjoy the tour.
C showing me how to curtsy, which she was taught in school.
Before returning to the car, the kids spent a good amount of time running around the grounds and rolling down the hills.
This is quite possibly my favorite day-trip so far...it was so very british! I loved the history of the place and the fact that there was lots of different things to see and do. Plus the castle made for a beautiful backdrop for photos. We literally closed the place down and they shut the doors once we exited.
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