Trip to London: Day Three Hampton Court Palce

Day Three: Our last day and the day we were to come home.  Being the 'travelling day' we decided on a quieter, less thrill seeker day and decided to visit Hampton Court Palace - a place that I have always wanted to visit.  The night before we looked on line to book tickets and purchased the years Palace pass for a family as it was only £40 more than a day pass, and we knew we would use the pass later in the year when we visit London in August.

We we arrive we collected our annual passes and then headed straight for the maze which Titch was desperate to do.

On the way to the maze you walk through the rose gardens and these are stunning. It did help that it was such a glorious day, but I could have spent ages walked around just taking pictures of the roses.

The maze was great fun, and we all enjoyed getting lost and then eventually succeeding in finding the centre. We then had to find our way out, to which Titch asked if we could use Sat Nav - not sure it would work!

We then headed inside to explore the Palace and the rooms. There was so much to see and do. Titch even got to turn the roast beef that was cooking on the open fire. The smell was amazing.  There were staff all around dressed up, in character, who you could talk to and ask questions.

The grounds at the back of the palace were amazing. We had brought ourselves a picnic and sat under the trees just admiring the view whilst we ate.

We only managed to spend around 3 hours here, but could have easily spend double that, so hopefully we will get to go again.

We have so many beautiful places in this country and luckily when the weather is good as it has been these places just come to life.  

Our Merlin Adventures begin... Warwick in Winter

Being extremely eager to start our Merlin adventures we decided that the first place we would visit would be Warwick Castle.  I had seen it advertise on TV the previous year and was quite excited to final have the opportunity to visit.  So we packed up a lunch and drove down to Warwickshire.  

As soon as we arrived we realised how cold  and windy it was going to be, but decided as always just make the most of the day out.  From the start I was mesmerised by the castle.  It is so beautiful even on a winters day.  

As we had Premium Passes we were also entitled to go into the Dungeons for free.  I was a little apprehensive as I had read that the actors like to get you involved and being a tad shy this did worry me.  However, there was nothing to worry about. The actors were brilliant. the were engaging and not too pushy. Titch loves gory and horror so this was right up his street; however, I can understand why some children would be scared inside there.  

Inside the castle itself there is plenty to see and learn about. Titch loves learning about the Tudors so was happy to see and read about Henry VIII and his wife.  We also spent time in the towers learning about the History of the castle and the grounds.  Considering it was a cold day, the castle was bust with visitors, but this did not spoil the experience as it is so vast that it never feels too busy.  

As it was Winter some activities were not on but the shows for the Birds of prey and the Bowman luckily were.  

The Birds of Prey show was fab.  The falconer was informative and engaging.  He explained as much as he could about each bird that he brought out and they were all truly spectacular.  

There is also a Horrible Histories Maze to complete and you can join the Knight school to learn how to use a sword. 

It was cold and windy, but a fab day we did have... we can't wait to come back though when it is a bit warmer. 

Back in Time

We are quite lucky that Titch still enjoys days out with us and learning knew things.  We are all interested in History so took the opportunity to go back in time to the Victorians and visit Blists Hill Victorian Town.  Blists Hill is part fo the Ironbridge Gorge Museum trust and ,like many place now, they sell Annual Passport Tickets. For a family of 3 is cost us £66.50 of which may seem a little steep at first but you do get 9 other attractions for a year within that price.  You can buy individual ticket , but as we like to get out and about we thought it would be worth it for the year ticket.

From the moment that you enter you are transported back in time and you are able to exchange your money into Victorian coins. Titch enjoyed this and was fascinated by the old money.  We then explored the town, where there were opportunities to talk to staff, purchase goods and interact with actors - such as the teacher and police man.  All staff are dressed in costume which really adds the the real life experience and they were really engaging with the children and adults.

For lunch there is a fish and chip shop which was surprisingly quite.  We paid with our Victorian money and then sat in the pub court yard to eat them.  They are fried in beef dripping so my husband was delighted with the taste of these and , of course, were love by Titch too.

The is loads to see and do at Blists Hill, including shops, workshops, mills, a school, Victorian games and of course and Carousel.  Some parts are not always open , but there is still plenty to do and see.


When we asked Titch what he enjoyed the most he said the Sweet shop and the chips - why am I not surprised?

Blists Hill is a living museum and this is something that definitely interested our boy. It offered hands on learning and experiences that children need in order to fully understand what life was like.  So not only did we have a great day spending time as a family but we also learned a lot too.