First word of advice if you are looking to visit this site is to make certain your directions are good! I couldn’t get the sat nav/GPS on the car to find the site, and the Apple App found it first. We followed that to the Matlock town centre–not where this site is located!! The Google Map app found it, but took us to a narrow country road where it claimed it was at the bottom of a public footpath with a lay-by for parking. Fortunately, my husband asked someone passing, who told us where to go to find an easier trail.
The problem is that the site is not marked–at all! No street signage or anything until you reach the footpath at the top of the hill where there is minimal parking edged with stinging nettles. We had to all crawl across to the driver’s side to exit the car. Then about 100 ft into the walk is a sign explaining the site where the trail splits in two with nothing to tell you where to go. We discovered later that both trails take you to the same place, but we did worry that we had taken the incorrect path at first.
Now, complaints aside! I must say that it is an interesting place! Watch for the presents left by the cattle and sheep along the footpaths, but the view along the walk is pretty. There is an old train nearby because we could hear the whistle and the chug as it moved along through the valley.
Nine Ladies
Heather
Nine Ladies Stone Circle is a Bronze Age stone circle, which means it dates back to between 3200-600 BCE according to the European Bronze Age. The site is in Stanton Moor, located in Derbyshire in Peak District National Park.
When you get closer to the stone circle, you walk through a bit of a wood with heather interspersed with the long grass and other wild flowers and weeds. The Nine Ladies, which are traditionally thought to represent nine ladies turned to stone for daring to dance on a Sunday, sit in a clearing surrounded by trees and heather. They don’t come far out of the ground, but do make a circle.
A nearby tree has various ribbons and homemade ornaments adorning it. We were fascinated by them, and while looking were informed by the mother of another family visiting the site that they were “wishes”. She offered us a bit of torn material or “ribbon” from a scarf she was wearing, and the children had a great time making their own wishes and tying them to the tree.
For those who find the stone circle, there isn’t much more than a short walk (if you find the trail at the top of the hill) and the circle. The stop would have taken us not more than a half-hour detour out of our way to Chatsworth from where we stayed in Ashbourne if we hadn’t taken the scenic route through Matlock 😉 . I do have to say that it was fun driving through Matlock! Unfortunately, I was too busy navigating us around to take any photos! 😦
One can see a lot of beautiful scenery simply driving through Peak District National Park, but when you get the chance the ability to hike it is tiring but amazing. The National Trust site said the hike through Dovedale was easy, but once you pass Thorpe’s Cloud, the walk can be a bit more challenging. Climbing Thorpe’s Cloud is definitely difficult and I didn’t even go all the way up!
Ilam Park
The National Trust maintains Ilam Park, a 158 acre estate dating back to the 16th century. The grounds are still maintained around the house as part of the buildings contain National Trust guide offices. The house itself is leased to a youth hostel and did not appear to be open to the public.
The walk begins at the front of the estate and passes the church, through the town to a field across from the River Manifold.
Through the field
Along the trail
River Dove
After passing through several fields by gates and climbing stiles, you reach a car park near the River Dove where there is a small National Trust booth selling guide books and souvenirs.
From there, the walk proceeds down the River Dove which separates Derbyshire from Staffordshire until you reach the “Stepping Stones.” The stones have been reconstructed, but can be crossed to reach the opposite side of the river, depending upon whether you crossed the river by the bridge near the car park.
Stepping Stones
Stepping Stones
Peaks from partway up Thorpe’s Cloud
At the Stepping Stones, Thorpe’s Cloud can be climbed and crossed to reach the town of Thorpe on the opposite side. I admit to climbing a portion where I stopped and let my husband take my children to the top. It can be rather steep and I wanted to walk more of the path which stretches to Milldale.
Tissington Spires
Tissington Spires from a different angle
Once you pass Thorpe’s Cloud, the walk becomes a trail of natural sites, which you can trace in the guide-book, should you purchase one or a map printed from online. We passed Dovedale Castle, Lover’s Leap, Tissington Spires, and followed the path to Reynaud’s cave where we turned back.
I have seen maps online which suggest there is a path which circles back when you reach Milldale, but we were at Lover’s Leap when my children and mother-in-law were worn out. My husband and I were the ones who pushed further forward. Maybe next time we’ll finish the entire trail!
For those who enjoy hiking with your dogs, the trail is a common destination for people and their dogs. It was a great time watching those who enjoyed playing in the water. I have to say that the water was some of the clearest I’ve ever seen for a river. My children said that it was freezing when they waded in it! I’ve posted a map with this post to get an idea of the entire trail and the part we walked. I definitely recommend the experience. The scenery is breathtaking!
We had a late start the morning we visited Lyme Park. My mother-in-law was flying into the Manchester Airport, and had planned Lyme Park for that day because it was less than 30 minutes away. Well, the best laid plans and all. My mother-in-law’s flight was an hour late getting in and a long line at customs delayed her. Fortunately, we hadn’t planned on picking her up right when her plane landed, so it wasn’t a big problem. Her not knowing what terminal she was in did, however! Then, traffic was a bear between the airport and the house.
First off, Lyme Park is huge! And I don’t just mean the house. There are outbuildings, which require a bit of a hike to visit, and that’s on top of the house–it took us over an hour to walk through the tour. Lyme Park is easily a days outing!
For those who know my Jane Austen obsession, a trip to Lyme Park was a necessity. I was eager to see the house that was the exterior of Pemberley in the 1995 BBC mini-series with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, and I enjoyed walking into the courtyard and down the paths that were featured in the movie.
Courtyard
Recognise this?
Photographs are not allowed of the interior, which was a disappointment. Some of the furniture is on loan and privately owned, so they do not allow photography–much like featured shows in art museums and pieces on loan. There were some beautiful aspects of the house. It certainly shows its age with a few large cracks in a corridor where the house has settled.
Down in the servant’s area, near the butler’s pantry, they have a room of Edwardian clothing for people to dress up in, but my children showed no interest. One of my daughter’s mentioned later that the clothes smelled a bit funny and had pit stains.
Front of the orangery
Inside the Orangery
I loved the orangery, which had an exhibition of Axel Scheffler, a german illustrator most famous here for his work on the Gruffalo. Once you walked through the plants on one side, there was a door that led back to the exhibition. The children present were thoroughly enjoying the pictures, which was nice to see.
Due to our later arrival, tea we had in the tearoom, and having to depart before closing to reach where we were staying for check-in, we did not get to explore a great deal of the gardens. We managed to view all of those around the house and some of the paths that circled the lake, so we could get the picture that is most commonly seen of Lyme Park.
Garden next to the house
Outer part of the garden
Rose Garden
I would love to go back to finish the walks around the grounds!
This was a difficult trip! We set out to drive almost an hour and a half to see this nature reserve just outside of Colchester in Sussex, but from there we had a myriad of difficulty finding the place. We punched the location into the sat nav (GPS) and found ourselves in the middle of a neighbourhood. We happened to find one entrance by a single sign, but there was only street parking and no one else was parked along the road. We then tried the second sat nav and after giving up on its direction, turned around to happen upon another place to enter the park, but again, no parking other than on the road (I won’t even go into our attempt to turn into the local Aldi for parking!) — I will say that the parking issue was unusual in our experience for an English Heritage Site. Eventually, we decided to park on Church Lane and go into an entrance labeled Lexden Nature Reserve. According to Google Maps, it is a part of the Earthworks, but we could not tell on the map on the sat nav, and it’s not labelled as such when you arrive at that entrance.
Field upon entering
Old Oak Tree
Trail
The forest was lovely with a myriad of paths and pretty views. There are plenty of old wide-trunked oaks that are a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we had no idea through means available to us how large the Earthworks was, so after a short time and not seeing anywhere new to wander and due to the rain, we decided to leave.
I wish I had more on this, but I felt it might help someone else if I posted our experience. If you want to give the Earthworks a try, I wish you better luck than we had!
During Jane Austen Regency Week, we had a free day, so a group of us ventured to Winchester to the Cathedral so we could see Jane Austen’s grave and the house where she died.
The drive in itself was lovely, and I enjoyed catching glimpses of the picturesque countryside as I drove along. Parking is simple as it was just as we came into town from A31 and we made our way to the cathedral only to find that it was closed to prepare for a flower show that occurs every two years at the Winchester Cathedral.
We were disappointed, but moved on to College Street and the home where she died where we took pictures of the house and the surrounding area as someone pounded away on a piano inside.
Wykham Arms
House where Jane Austen died
A short walk down the road was the Wykeham Arms, a pub that was once a coaching inn and was likely where a post coach carrying Jane Austen would have come into Winchester.
Street view
Guildhall
After a quick cup of coffee, we walked down to the mill and toured the old flour mill. The best part of the experience would be going downstairs to see the water wheel, and the small island behind the mill where it now resembles a garden rather than something for livestock.
waterwheel
back garden at Mill
Winchester has a great old feel and it was a lot of fun just to wander. I can’t wait for next year when the flower show is in Chichester and we can see Jane Austen’s grave! (Why does that seem strange to be excited for that?)
In my previous post, I went over the Alton portion of Jane Austen Regency Week and in this post, I shall cover the Chawton events and sights I was able to enjoy while in Hampshire.
It is very difficult to find anything on the history of Chawton prior to Jane Austen. The fact that she lived there from 1809-1817 seems to have taken over any search of Chawton history, yet the town is steeped in Austen whether a particular cottage housed a labourer who worked on Chawton Cottage, or you venture down to Chawton House to take a tour of the library and its gardens.
My first experience of Chawton was walking to the village for lunch prior to the walking tour I took on the first Sunday of Jane Austen Regency Week. We dined at Cassandra’s Cup, a quaint teahouse directly opposite Jane Austen’s house, and chatted until it was time for the tour.
Jane Hurst discussing the thatched cottage in the background
A Cottage in Chawton
Labourer’s cottage
The walk, given by local historian Jane Hurst, began at the underpass between Alton and Chawton and made its way through the picturesque village as she explained different aspects of the roads in the early 19th century and a multitude of cottages. Ms. Hurst is remarkably knowledgeable and able to quote Jane Austen’s letters when she explains the connections, giving you a more in-depth and personal look in to the occupant of the dwelling and their impact on Austen’s life.
We returned to Chawton on Tuesday when I was able to tour Jane Austen’s house. The experience for me was extremely moving–particularly her writing table. I could not help but take a photo of the table and her chair, but also the top, which has some small holes and is very dark, almost indicating a good deal of ink made it to the table itself.
Jane Austen’s House
Jane Austen’s Writing Table
The worn and stained top
Tuesday night at the house was a special opening and tea service. Guided tours of the attic were given, and I was thrilled to be allowed inside a part of the house rarely opened for visitors. With the narrow and confined quarters and warped floorboards on the stairs, it is no wonder they do not open it on a constant basis.
View from the Attic Window
The unfinished portion of the attic
I must say that I enjoyed wandering the house and gardens. I found it rather surreal to look out of the windows and knowing that Jane must’ve looked out and viewed a similar prospect.
Pasture as you walk up the drive to Chawton House
St. Nicholas Church
Chawton House
My adventure with Jane Austen Regency Week ended on Wednesday morning, but I had not been able to see Chawton House, the home of Edward Austen-Knight, Jane’s brother, so I drove down and parked along the roadside. I could not resist the lure of grabbing my camera and taking a multitude of pictures as I walked down the lane–until I met up with the gate since the house was closed. Not to worry though! I will see it another time!
The town of Alton began as a Saxon village first noted in historical record in 1101 and grew into a small market town by the 13th century. Today, it is a pleasant mix of old architecture and new with a unique feel and atmosphere. I visited Alton as a part of Jane Austen Regency Week that is held here and in Chawton during the last full week of June every year.
For those who are unfamiliar with Jane Austen’s link to Alton, Alton is adjacent to Chawton where Jane Austen lived from 1809 to 1817 with her mother and her sister Cassandra and also where she wrote the final drafts of Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815). Although Persuasion was completed in 1816, it was not published until a year after her death (1818), the same year as Northanger Abbey.
The 2015 Jane Austen Regency Week kicked off with a Regency Day, which was very much an outdoor market environment with vendor stalls. A variety of merchandise was for sale including children’s handmade dresses, Jane Austen inspired books (I’ll leave you to guess who manned that table 🙂 ) and I believe I even saw one selling ale and cider.
Author’s table
Hoppy Horse
Sword fighting!
For additional entertainment, the Dandy Chargers glided down High Street on their “Hoppy Horses” along with a maypole dance, and sword fighting exhibitions.
Unfortunately, a muggy day (For England) and intermittent rain slowed down the people attending the event, although many still took a chance with the weather to come out and stroll down High Street where quite a few buildings boast connections to Jane Austen.
Before the Ball
Dance re-enactment
Saturday evening, a ball held in the Assembly Rooms drew quite a crowd with a group who led and helped teach the Regency dances we so commonly see in movie adaptations or read of in novels.
On Sunday, I took part in a walking tour of Chawton (I will blog about this when I cover Chawton), and attended an Evensong service at St. Lawrence Church where two of Jane Austen’s brothers preached and several of her nieces and nephews were christened. The music was lovely!
Abigail Reynolds Talk
Writer’s workshop
The last of the events I attended were an Abigail Reynolds talk at the Quaker Meeting house and a writer’s workshop also given by Abigail Reynolds at the Alton Community Centre, which were both entertaining and informative.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and so did my time in Alton. Please check back for my part of the week in Chawton. There was simply too much to put into one blog post!
Lastly, I would like to thank Kate of Old Timbers Bed and Breakfast for her wonderful cooking and for sharing her amazing old home! I was just outside of Chawton in Farringdon, which is a picturesque village and convenient (with a car of course) for access to both Alton and Chawton.
If you’ve been following my travel blog, you might remember that during a trip to Ely, we did walk around and even inside the cathedral there. At the time, there was a service, so we weren’t allowed to explore as we wished.(https://lldiamondwrites.com/2015/01/03/arrival-in-the-uk-and-ely/) Recently, we made a return trip and paid the admission to go inside the cathedral, which is stunning!
View down centre of cathedral
Columned wall near the entry
The interior of the cathedral is not just a simple church. There are several chapels, ornate crypts, and incredible ceilings to take your breath away.
Upon entering, there is an entry and the breathtaking view down the centre aisle toward the altar, but that is not all. To the side there are amazingly detailed walls of columns, and when you walk up the aisle, you find the altar is overset by another incredible ceiling.
ceiling over the altar
The chapels to the front have incredible detailed walls and ceilings. Each has it’s own character and slightly different look, despite being in the same building. In a way, the chapels are rather incongruous to the rest of the structure. With the smaller detail work of the walls.
ceiling of smaller chapel
Detail work in small chapel
Ceiling of the ladies chapel
I can only say that if you find yourself near the cathedral, it is certainly worth the price of admission!
History of the British Museum dates back to the 18th century, and its artefacts date back centuries further. The large Palladian style building on Great Russell Street in London is enormous and houses some famous and incredible artefacts. I would love to say I travelled the entirety of the place on the day we visited, but the truth is, you will probably see more than one post because the place really is enormous!
One of the greatest aspects of the museums in Britain is that they are free. There is no set admission fee for entry. The museum does have bins placed throughout the museum requesting donations, and honestly, what is even five pounds when you can view the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles.
We began with the Cycladic exhibit and worked our way through the Minoan, Greek, Roman, Assyrian, and Egyptian exhibits. We did go inside the Enlightenment exhibit for a time, but we mostly got our feet wet in the ancient artefacts.
I have to say that even my mother-in-law, who didn’t think she’d enjoy the museum, loved it.
It’s a beautiful building and there is so much inside to see. I took a Bronze Age in the Aegean class, so the ancient cultures was an incredible place to start. The Cycladic figurines, the Geometric Greek Pottery, the Roman copies of ancient Greek statues–the Elgin Marbles. It was great.
Cycladic Figurines can date back to around 3,000 BCE
Geometric Greek Pottery
If someone had no interest in ancient civilisations and were to ask for the highlights, it would be difficult, but I would have to tell them to see two main things–the Elgin Marbles and the Rosetta Stone.
Parthenon Frieze – Elgin Marbles
I know, I’ve mentioned the Elgin Marbles several times, so what are they. Well, Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin travelled to Greece in 1798. At that time, Greece was a part of the Ottoman Empire. While there, Elgin acquired parts of the Parthenon and other pieces of the Acropolis in Athens. Some sources claim he just took them, and others claim the Ottomans gave him the pieces. Yet, he returned to Britain with them and they now reside in the British Museum–much to the consternation of the Greek government.
In my opinion, the showpiece is the frieze from the Parthenon. The British Museum claims it represents a Panathenaic celebration, but a book by Connelly refuted this and I tend to agree with her interpretation. I highly recommend reading her hypothesis since I don’t have the time or space to cover it all here. Needless to say, it is really interesting–mythology, sacrifices, and everything for entertainment.
Rosetta Stone
The last piece is one my daughter was itching to see, and that is the Rosetta Stone. This is the artefact used to finally translate hieroglyphics. My daughter aside from being a mythology fanatic is a huge reader of Rick Riordan and wanted to see the Rosetta stone since it exploded within the British Museum in one of his books.
Regardless of age or your inclinations, there is something at the British Museum. I’ll update this when I am able to tour more of this amazing place.
I know. I’ve gone from historic buildings and locales to a very modern studio tour, but hey, I love the Harry Potter books and the movies are a great deal of fun. I had wanted to go just to have a look around, but I really enjoyed myself! It was a great time!
I suppose the best advice I can give to someone considering the tour is to go the the Warner Brothers website and plan ahead. We booked in December for a date in February (although the week was a school holiday here) for our selection of days and times–Yes, you read that correctly, times. They claim the tour can take up to four hours. There have been people who have spent entire days in the park, but for the most part, I think planning 4-5 hours is an appropriate amount of time to plan when you schedule your day.
I opted to have our tickets posted so we would not have to wait in line to retrieve them prior to the tour. I will say that it was nice when you consider the line to actually get into the beginning of the tour!
Lobby
We drove into Leavesden from over an hour away, so we allowed plenty of time for traffic and roadworks (road construction) in our planning, arriving with an hour to spare. This did allow us to get the kids a small snack before we got in line for the tour. The most that I can do to warn you ahead of time is that the entire experience is madness. The place is busy and it follows the entire tour. It was very smart for them to make appointment times to spread out the people within the actual studios!
Entering the building itself, the lobby his huge and has a cafe and the gift shop to each side with the queue to enter the tour down the centre. You enter the queue approximately 10-15 minutes prior to your time and you wind your way to the doors leading in. All in all, the line moves pretty swiftly, so unless you are with a small child, it isn’t going to be like waiting in line for Ana and Elsa at Disneyworld!
There is some introduction, mainly two videos and then you begin the tour in the first section, the Great Hall. It’s an amazing jumble of set props, costumes, wigs, room sets in the first portion. Things you wouldn’t have thought were actually sets, but were likely green screens stand before you in vivid detail. Sometimes smaller than you would have imagined with explanations that camera angles helped bring the prop before you to life in the movie. (Sorry about the quality of some. They claimed the lighting would be good for the photos, but my camera found it a bit dark)
Scabbers
Costumes
Crookshanks
We attended while they had some of the actual animals there. We saw Scabbers, Crookshanks, Hedwig, Fang, as well as a few other owls in front of Eyelops Emporium in Diagon Alley.
The beginning section also has some interactive things for the kids. They can ride a broomstick in front of a green screen for you to purchase either a DVD or a photo, and there is a spell casting lesson that my youngest children really enjoyed. I will say that the first portion seems to take the most time of the tour.
Offices at the Ministry of Magic
The Hall in the Leaky Cauldron
When you exit the first studio, there is another cafe that serves butterbeer. Just in case people are wondering, we read reviews that claimed it was terrible. It’s not. It’s a lot like vanilla cream soda with a vanilla flavoured whipped cream on top. It is expensive though (£2.75 for a small cup – $4.35), so we purchased on cup and all 6 of us tasted it.
The second half of the tour begins out of doors with some really fun things. Privet Drive, the Potter’s house in Godric’s Hollow, the Hogwart’s bridge, and the Night bus. When you enter the second studio, you begin with masks, make-up, and animatronics.
Amazing artwork
Amazing artwork
The next portion is the artwork, which is amazing. I went to art school, but the planning and talent that goes into something like this is amazing! I even had fun looking at the graphic design work they had for the movie.
You visit Diagon Alley, and then the last bit (I’m sure it’s online somewhere, but it’s supposed to be a surprise.)–I was awed. It is incredible! (Oh, and we spent around 5 hours in the tour. Longer than most, but my children loved the entire thing.)
Anyway, the last bit releases you into the gift shop where everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, you could ever imagine Harry Potter is sold. My children had a field day since their grandmother was there to buy them each something they wanted.
Now, after all my gushing about the experience, I will say my main complaint was the cost. The tickets are expensive, especially when you consider there were six of us. Then there was the butterbeer, which was high, and then you get to the gift shop. Some of the items were priced as I would expect, but shockingly, it was was the candy that made me choke. My mother-in-law initially told the kids she would buy them each one item and then a candy. She back-pedalled quickly when she saw the prices.
A box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavoured Beans was about £7 and a chocolate frog was £8.75! I know it is the novelty of it, but look at the cost of a chocolate bunny at Easter. Most do not cost almost £9. I loved the experience, but please be warned before you go. Fortunately, my children were old enough to understand, and my husband and I purchased them a box of Every Flavour Beans (they asked for them!) and my daughter wanted this weird lizard pop. My oldest bought her own chocolate frog.
That said, I would love to go again. I don’t know that we will because of the cost involved, but I’d still hope for a windfall! Perhaps in a few years. I understand they’re opening a new part of the studio, so we might get to see more!
The problem is that the site is not marked–at all! No street signage or anything until you reach the footpath at the top of the hill where there is minimal parking edged with stinging nettles. We had to all crawl across to the driver’s side to exit the car. Then about 100 ft into the walk is a sign explaining the site where the trail splits in two with nothing to tell you where to go. We discovered later that both trails take you to the same place, but we did worry that we had taken the incorrect path at first.
A nearby tree has various ribbons and homemade ornaments adorning it. We were fascinated by them, and while looking were informed by the mother of another family visiting the site that they were “wishes”. She offered us a bit of torn material or “ribbon” from a scarf she was wearing, and the children had a great time making their own wishes and tying them to the tree.
