Bethany In The Big City : Blenheim Palace

Back in the deep dark depths of December AN and I decided that a weekend in the country would be the perfect way to get into a Christmassy mood and banish the winter blues. I have been wanting to visit Blenheim Palace for many years, since studying the Victorian era for my degree and so, we packed up our wellies and jumpers and hit the road to Oxfordshire.

Blenheim is beautiful and dominates the surrounding parkland, creating a truly breathtaking sight when you drive through the expansive gates and catch your first glimpse. We completely underestimated the size of the palace and quickly decided to spend the whole weekend there, one day inside the palace and the second day exploring the expansive grounds and hedge maze.

The inside was magnificent and was made even more impressive by the setting up of a banquet ready for a wedding celebration. We explored the maze of rooms, each more glittering that the last and culminating in a bright and sunny library, packed top to tail with thick hard-back volumes.

The visit was even more special as the palace had been prepared for Christmas, with sparkly lights adorning trees, holly and garlands dressing the mantels and the wonderful smell of Christmas spice wafting throughout.

I couldn't resist a couple of pictures with the trees and lights!

A was fascinated by the Churchill exhibition and by the tour guide who seemed older that the palace itself. I was more then happy to follow behind and play photographer. Preferring to soak it in alone than listen to historical facts.

Following a perfect and exhausting day we checked into a charming B and B (The Bell) in a nearby village called Charlbury, which we can't recommend enough.

We quickly bagged the sofa by the fire and spend the rest of the evening sipping wine, reading papers and toasting our toes by the fire. Later the lovely landlady served us huge bowls of bangers and mash, followed by sticky toffee pudding, which put us into a contented and satisfied trance for the rest of the night.

The next morning after the longest lie in and biggest breakfast we explored the grounds of the palace, starting with the formal gardens and then discovering the maze. The signs told us the maze would take 20 minutes to solve, however 40 minutes later we were no further to the centre!

We finished our visit with a trip to the Harry Potter tree down by the lake. A tree made famous as the tree Snape and Lily lie under in the final film! This may quite possible have been the highlight of my visit....maybe.