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Blenheim Palace
The girls enjoy Blenheim Palace Not Enough Time
As I planned our day in the Cotswolds, I realized that I had vastly underestimated the amount of time necessary to see this beautiful part of England. We could easily spend 3 days here or longer, taking walks in the countryside, trying horseback riding, tasting scrumpy, visiting the local farms and other little towns. It probably sounds like a cliché, but the Cotswolds are very quaint. But for today, our plan was to see Blenheim Palace which was the home of Winston Churchill, and walk around our home base of Stow-on-the-Wold.
Winston Churchill’s Ultimate House
World War II buffs will be interested in visiting Blenheim Palace, the home of Winston Churchill. I’ve always admired the leadership style of Winston Churchill and his witty quotes so I was excited to visit. But I have to admit I was also drawn by the opportunity to use my English Heritage pass to get in free. However, it was not to be since Blenheim Palace was no longer part of the English Heritage system. Hoodwinked! It was definitely a waste to get that stupid pass.
Blenheim Palace has been in the Churchill family since the 1600’s and is
Hobbit Door or Church ?
Tiffany is thrilled to find a door that once inspired Tolkien. still in the family today. The palace itself is an amazing estate, clearly inspired by something like Versailles. It is huge, ornate and yet practical because the Churchill family actually lived here. There was even a Disney-esque part of the tour giving an overview of the Churchill family history complete with animatronics. It was maybe 2 and half stars on the “meh” scale, I would skip it if I had to go again. The Winston Churchill exhibit was much better.
Stow-on-the-Wold Proper
After returning from Blenheim Palace, we loaded up at the local Tesco with food for lunch that we took back to the B&B for an informal picnic. A mid-afternoon nap followed to allow everyone to recharge and regain their sensibilities, and then we set back out again for a walk around Stow.
It was quiet in the early evening, and thanks to England’s northerly location it was still light. We found the ancient twin trees guarding the door to the local church that were rumored to have inspired J.R.R. Tolkien as he wrote Lord of the Rings. The Cotswolds were a favorite place for Tolkien and he is supposed to have walked the countryside many
times. It’s not to imagine the Hobbit’s Shire, Fagorn Forest or other locations from the book being set in some place like the Cotswolds.
We walked through the Market Square and I looked for the stockade, in hopes that I could lock up Alyssa and Erin for a bit. But unfortunately the stockade had seen better days, with the wood rotting and broken. It’s probably sacrilege to suggest this, but the local town council should replace the rotted wood to make the stocks usable again. It won’t be original, but at least the tourists would have some fun.
Pub Grub and Sunsets
By chance we stumbled across The White Hart pub, and decided to eat dinner there. The right pub can make all the difference in your dinner plans and The White Hart did not disappoint. Good food and cheap prices is what pubs are all about. We knew this pub had good mojo the minute we walked in the door and could hear Mexican music playing in the background. It reminded Tiffany of her favorite Mexican restaurant back home which made her happy.
Before heading back to our B&B, I gassed up the car to
prepare for our long drive to Conway tomorrow. We passed away the last part of the day watching the sun light slowly fade over the hills in front of our B&B. It was a very relaxing moment, but way too short.
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jaffe
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I love the picture of Tiffany standing outside the door!