Day Trips from London: London to Bodiam Castle

Bodiam Castle

Its been a while since I've added to my Day Trips from London series but over this Easter long weekend, a friend and I finally took a trip to Bodiam Castle. I love that living in the UK I can just go and see a castle, built by a Knight, that existed almost 400 years before Australia was 'discovered' by Captain Cook, complete with moat, just like that.

The original bridge actually was from this grassy patch to the island in the middle.

Bodiam is a 14th century castle that was built during the reign of Richard II. Originally belonging to the Dalyngrigge family, it passed through several hands before it was donated to the National Trust in 1925.

Main entrance - wooden portcullis and family shields above

The exterior of the castle is intact (or has been restored) and as I approached it, it was quite the sight. I can understand why the grounds were landscaped in such a way, it would have made quite the imposing and intimidating impression. It does give the impression that it is bigger than it actually is.

Over the bridge, through the main entrance with the original wooden portcullis (quite rare) and up a side staircase to the battlements and I could see the whole interior of the castle. Only ruins remain, surrounding the green lawn of the courtyard. But with the help of a map, fireplaces and the markings of where the upper floors were, it was easy to glean life when it was a fully functioning castle.

The arched door way leads to the Great Hall

Facing the main entrance from the courtyard

The arches from the Great Hall leading to the pantry, buttery and kitchens

All the little details...

Dont forget to look up - Parts of Bodiam had 3 floors.

Looking out from the Retainers Hall to the courtyard

Possibly my favourite thing about the whole castle was the back entrance. Supposedly used for 'informal' access to friends, services and the like. I like to think of it as an early equivalent to the kitchen door used by friends today instead of the main house door. Except I'm sure that most kitchen doors don't have murder holes as a precaution.

Murder holes

Oh, did I mention its a photogenic castle? It was so easy to take good photos of it from every angle, almost no effort required ;)

Tips for visiting Bodiam Castle

 

How to get to Bodiam Castle

I think that the best way to get to Bodiam Castle from London is to drive. But due to Easter car hire opening hours my friend and I ended up taking a train to Maidstone and hiring a zipcar to drive there which worked well too.

The National Trust site does give various public transport options.

Food & drink

Bodiam Castle has a cafe near the carpark which serves a couple of hot meals, sandwiches, tea, coffee and cake. It has both indoor and outdoor seating. Across the road there is a Shepherd Neame pub Castle Inn which can serve as another option. Otherwise, if youre driving, why not take a picnic and eat there?

Nearby

There is a steam train station nearby Bodiam Castle, if you are looking for a full day out check out the Kent and East Sussex Railway website.
Why not take advantage of the beautiful countryside and take a walk along the public footpaths? I saw a couple of stiles and marked paths so with a bit of googling found this map.

Not a bad way to spend a day away from the hustle and bustle of London don't you think?

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Day Trips from London: London to Blenheim Palace

After moving into my new flat last year and during the period of unpacking, I decided to take a break and visit Blenheim Palace in a spectacular accomplishment in procrastination. My floor was still full of boxes that I kept tripping over, I still had no bed (where would we be without air mattresses?) or wardrobe for that matter - and yes I was going all wrinkly to work in the mornings, but what the heck, it was high time for another edition of Day Trips from London.

I spent 6 hours (no, that is not a typo) travelling to Blenheim Palace and back. Blenheim Place is the current home of the Marlborough family. As it happened, only a few days before my trip, the 11th Duke of Marlborough passed away, but the house was open as per his wishes.

Blenheim Palace is most famous for being the home and birthplace of Winston Churchill. Walking around the Palace and its gardens, its hard to imagine this being a current home for anyone.

First impressions

My first reaction on seeing it from the outside was that it reminded me of Versailles (no doubt, if i'd seen Blenheim first, I'd have thought Versailles looked like Blenheim). It is a grand structure built from Oxford sandstone, its russet colours deepening and lightening as the clouds scuttled across the sky. From the forecourt, I saw the first Ai Weiwei installation in the Great Hall - a massive chandler held up by a support beam overhanging the hall.

Ai Weiwei chandelier in the Great Hall at Blenheim Place

Inside the Palace

When I first walked in, it was hard no not gaze upwards and take in the height of the Great Hall and the painted ceiling. Ai Weiwei's chandelier installation dominated the space and glowed with light.
I wandered through the Churchill Exhibition, through halls with painted portraits of current and previous members of the Marlborough family, through the room Churchill was born, state rooms and a grand dining room. It was really hard to imagine this Palace as a home. Some of the more modern family portraits did help but it still seemed strange to me.

Ai Weiwei's art installations were sometimes glaringly obvious and some not so much. Modern art is not really my thing so I think the impression was lost on me sadly.

See the flag? That is the 'rent' paid to the Queen each year.

The Palace grounds

The grounds are unending. I confess that I only saw a small part of them opting instead to make a beeline for the cafe and indulge in a cup of tea and some yummy scones while looking out at the formal gardens with the fountain tossing and turning in the wind. When I headed back out, the rolling hills, lake and bridge were so picturesque, I couldn't help but stop to capture the scene. Can you see why Churchill was inspired to paint here?

How to get to Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace is just outside of Oxford in the small village of Woodstock. Oxford is about an hour and 30 minutes from London Paddington rail station. From Oxford station you can catch the S3 bus which will drop you just outside Blenheim Palace gates. The bus ride can take about 40 minutes depending on traffic. On weekends the bus comes 10 past and 40 past the hour.

If you don't fancy the long trip, driving there will take you about 1.5 hours and there is parking on the grounds of the palace.

The Long Library - during times of war, this was turned into a recovery room for injured soldiers - just like Downton Abbey.

A little money-saving tip

Buy your ticket to Blenheim Palace on the bus to get 30% off! And if you fancy visiting Blenheim Palace again, convert your ticket into an annual pass for free return visits. I LOVE it when places do that because 1) it encourages a repeat visit and because of that it 2) allows you to take your time and explore bit by bit instead of rushing around trying to fit everything in.

Whats the most extreme thing you have done to procrastinate?

P.S In case your curious, here are a few other day trip to Windsor Castle, Henley-on-Thames and York. 

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Day trips from London: London to Henley-on-Thames

London to Henley-on-Thames

Henley-on-Thames is a Londoners easy weekend escape. It's a small town along the Thames that is mostly known for their rowing regattas including the famous Royal Regatta. For a sunny weekend it is nice to take a walk along the river, find a spot to relax or enjoy a lunch in the sunny courtyard of a local pub.

River side in Henley-on-Thames

The town centre is filled with tables and chairs (from Starbucks and Patisserie Valerie) to take advantage of the sunny weather. It also plays host to a weekly market held on Thursdays. Henley-on-Thames is a place you go to relax, chill out by the river and just enjoy good weather. If you are looking for narrow cobblestone alleyways, old houses leaning into each other, historic sites by the bucket load...then this isn't the place for you, try a day trip to York instead. For now though, here are some tips for visiting Henley-on-Thames.

A sunny day in Henley-on-Thames town square

Henley-on-Thames old town square and Town Hall

What to do

Relax, take a walk, sit by the river and just enjoy some peace and quiet. If you must do something, go for a cruise, poke around the old Tudor antique shop or stop by the River and Rowing Museum.

Have you ever wanted to live right on the river?

The old Tudor Antique shop - sorry its blurry!

Lots of pottery was found while pottering around the old antique shop

bed warmers, and an odd assortment of walking sticks - should you happen to need one

old tins from times gone by...

Where to eat

For a bite to eat, try The Tuns pub. Their Sunday roast is the most tender I've ever had. For something lighter try the Upstairs and Downstairs Tea Rooms or Maison Blanc pastry shop (I didn't try them personally but they did look good).

The Grade I listed bridge that is iconic of Henley-on-Thames

St Marys Church in Henley-on-Thames

How to get there
Trains depart from Paddington railway station. You will need to change at Twyford where you'll need to hop over to Platform 5 for the train to Henley-on-Thames.

Wisteria covered building

Look towards the town square - the old Town Hall is on the right

Have you been to Henley-on-Thames?

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Day Trips from London: London to Windsor Castle

Hey everyone, I'm back for another installment of my London day trip series. As you know, last week I took you to the WB Studio Tour (also known as the Harry Potter studio tour) but this week I'll be taking you from Hogwarts Castle to Windsor Castle, home of the Queen. Did you know HRH refers to Buckingham Palace as "The Office" and Windsor Castle as "Home"?

The State Apartments and Quadrangle - Windsor castle

I have been to Windsor twice to visit Windsor Castle and explore the town. Both trips were enjoyable and a very comfortable day trip from London.

Windsor Castle

Like the majority of Historic Royal Palaces that are actually in use - there are only sections available to the public. Visit Windsor Castle and you will get a glimpse of the ornate State Apartments, Semi-State Rooms, St Georges Chapel and the grounds. Occasionally they open other areas, for example, they recently did a tours that allowed you into the Round Tower (the Keep) or the Kitchens. And lets not forget seeing the Changing of the Guard.

The Changing of the Guard at Windsor Castle

My favourite spots have to be:

• The Waterloo Chambers - this is a massive room with a beautiful ceiling
• The Grand Staircase - mainly a thoroughfare but its usually filled with light and has all sorts of interesting curios (the photo doesn't really do it justice)
• The North Terrace - If you walk past the entrance to the State Apartments (and are lucky) further down the terrace you can see the East Terrace which is where the Private Apartments are located - but regardless of that, its just so picturesque

The Grand Staircase (via)

The Waterloo Chambers (via)

The beautiful East Terrace of Windsor Castle

My only gripe with visiting Windsor Castle is the "no photos allowed" policy which is applied to all  properties in the Royal Collections Trust including Buckingham Palace. Surely security is up to scratch enough to allow this? And if they are worried about congestion, they have Wardens in every room that can help with the flow of people moving about.

The North Terrace and entry to the State Apartments - Windsor Castle

Around Town

Windsor High Street is full of cute shops, tea rooms, cafes, pubs and restaurants. You have to see the Crooked House of Windsor - I'm surprised it doesn't just keel over and that its still in use! But it does have a quirky charm about it. Church St, Church Lane and Market St near the main entrance to Windsor Castle are cute lane ways with restaurants geared towards tourists but still charming to walk through.

The Crooked House of Windsor

If you fancy a walk, you can walk alongside the river by Alexandra Gardens - maybe stop at the Chocolate Theatre Cafe on Thames St first? To really get away from all the noise, try The Long Walk. Just follow the High St to Park St and you will see the gates to the park at the end of the road...right near the Two Brewers Pub ;) You might not want to do the whole walk, it is seriously long, but you can do part of it and it does provide lovely views of Windsor Castle.

Windsor Castle viewed from The Long Walk

If shopping is more your style, the boutique shops and market stalls inside the Windsor and Eton Central Rail Station are good bet. Peascod St and Bridgewater Way are also full of shops.

A view of the Quadrangle and the Visitors Apartments - Windsor Castle

Tips for visiting Windsor

• Book your ticket to visit Windsor Castle before you go and skip the queue! You can book online directly through their website.
• To get there by train you will need to choose either Windsor and Eton Riverside (WNR) or Windsor and Eton Central (WNC) rail stations when purchasing your train tickets. Both train stations are within a few minutes walk of Windsor Castle - Windsor and Eton Central is bit closer though, and a prettier station to arrive into.
• Train trips are approx 30mins if you depart from London Paddington Rail Station (bear in mind that most trips from this station will require you to change elsewhere - usually Slough) and an hour if you depart from London Waterloo Rail Station which wont require you to make any changes.
• You can drive there from London - the trip takes an average of 40 - 50 minutes depending on your departure point. There are limited car parks but this is a good site which show where they are and how much they charge.
• Bus services to Windsor depart from Victoria coach station and other London locations - for a starting point, you can check out these companies: National Express, Greenline, First Group

The Norman Gateway and the Round Tower - Windsor Castle

• The Queen Marys Dollhouse is usually quite the attraction - its a 7 level doll house complete with working lights and running water. If its not your thing, give it a miss as the line is usually super long and inside it can be too crowded to actually see anything.
• Make sure you stamp your ticket before leaving the Castle as this will allow you free entry to the Castle for a year! You can usually find the Warden who does this in Engine Court when you exit the State Apartments
• Try not to take any oversized bags or sharp objects with you - you will be subjected to security screenings on entry. 
• Check the Opening Times to make sure you don't visit on a day when all or part of Windsor Castle is closed
• Useful links: Practical Information, How to Get There, Opening Times and Prices

Do you like exploring Historic Royal Palaces and Castles?

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