Trip report: (hidden) gems of England
Aug 12th, 2008 | 04:12 AM
#41
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flanner:
The M&S filling station is off M5, if I remember correctly, at exit 9, must be on A46 near Ashchurch/Aston Cross.
You know that every single word of my report is very close to the truth.
Afterall and MissPrism:
I watched the Champions League game Schalke vs. Chelsea from a seat in row 4 just behind the goal. It was terrific to see the players from such a close angle (although Drogba and a bad day). Schalke was clearly better, but it ended with a draw. Anyway, I admire each team if it plays well. (Haven't seen the English national team playing well for quite a bit of time. Probably the cricket team is better, partly because hardly anybody else in the world is playing cricket.)
The M&S filling station is off M5, if I remember correctly, at exit 9, must be on A46 near Ashchurch/Aston Cross.
You know that every single word of my report is very close to the truth.
Afterall and MissPrism:
I watched the Champions League game Schalke vs. Chelsea from a seat in row 4 just behind the goal. It was terrific to see the players from such a close angle (although Drogba and a bad day). Schalke was clearly better, but it ended with a draw. Anyway, I admire each team if it plays well. (Haven't seen the English national team playing well for quite a bit of time. Probably the cricket team is better, partly because hardly anybody else in the world is playing cricket.)
Aug 12th, 2008 | 04:25 AM
#43
Joined: Apr 2003
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Ah, the one outside Tewkesbury.
Also, I'm afraid, outside the Cotswolds. Someone actually persuaded some Government fund to cough up for markers defining where the Cotswold starts - thus, of course, inflating the value of houses inside the markers, and therefore a wholly laudable misuse of public money.
The Tewkesbury M&S/BP is outside the sacred zone. Only by a few miles - but those few miles add tens of percents to property prices.
Also, I'm afraid, outside the Cotswolds. Someone actually persuaded some Government fund to cough up for markers defining where the Cotswold starts - thus, of course, inflating the value of houses inside the markers, and therefore a wholly laudable misuse of public money.
The Tewkesbury M&S/BP is outside the sacred zone. Only by a few miles - but those few miles add tens of percents to property prices.
Aug 12th, 2008 | 07:57 AM
#45
Joined: Jul 2007
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I've learnt something else today from this board - there are at least two Lygon Arms in the UK. I was completely thrown by "the Lygon Arms, a historic pub which had been extended to a fashionable, charming boutique hotel" in Chipping Camden.
For our overseas readers there is a Lygon Arms in Broadway in Worcestershire which is, in the modern vernacular, like, well posh. Haven't been there for almost 30 years so I won't offer an opinion.
As for football, traveller1959, you are fortunate to have seen Chelsea close-up, but they have barely any English players which is a characteristic of most of out top sides. Perhaps why our national side hasn't thrived of late.
For our overseas readers there is a Lygon Arms in Broadway in Worcestershire which is, in the modern vernacular, like, well posh. Haven't been there for almost 30 years so I won't offer an opinion.
As for football, traveller1959, you are fortunate to have seen Chelsea close-up, but they have barely any English players which is a characteristic of most of out top sides. Perhaps why our national side hasn't thrived of late.
Aug 12th, 2008 | 08:26 AM
#46
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Yes, there are two Lygon Arms. We chose to stay in the affordable one.
Isn't "Lygon" an old word for lion?
Re: Chelsea
At least I saw good ole Lamps playing, but he was kind of indisposed during that game, too. But it was a game at the group stages and after all not important, because they had already qualified for the next round.
Isn't "Lygon" an old word for lion?
Re: Chelsea
At least I saw good ole Lamps playing, but he was kind of indisposed during that game, too. But it was a game at the group stages and after all not important, because they had already qualified for the next round.
Aug 12th, 2008 | 09:38 AM
#47
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,087
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As I said before, a great trip report!
For those now considering Woolacombe as a holiday destination, do not pass up as chance to visit this wonderful place in Mortehoe...
http://www.mortehoeshellfish.co.uk/
...see review in Telegraph...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wine/main...2/edmoir14.xml
When I first came across this place some years ago it was literally just Mrs H selling crab, lobster etc over her kitchen counter at the back door - the parrot was there though! Now they have turned the whole downstairs of the house into a very rustic 'restaurant' (take your own bread and booze!) but it still has loads of charm.
I was there again at the beginning of July and as always the shellfish and seafood is amazing. They also do takeaway.
For those now considering Woolacombe as a holiday destination, do not pass up as chance to visit this wonderful place in Mortehoe...
http://www.mortehoeshellfish.co.uk/
...see review in Telegraph...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wine/main...2/edmoir14.xml
When I first came across this place some years ago it was literally just Mrs H selling crab, lobster etc over her kitchen counter at the back door - the parrot was there though! Now they have turned the whole downstairs of the house into a very rustic 'restaurant' (take your own bread and booze!) but it still has loads of charm.
I was there again at the beginning of July and as always the shellfish and seafood is amazing. They also do takeaway.
Aug 12th, 2008 | 09:49 AM
#48
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,268
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"Isn't "Lygon" an old word for lion?"
No. The word's never been used in English (or French) as anything except a surname. Always possible, of course, that the Lygon family chose lions for their arms because they thought - or wanted people to think - their name meant "lion". But they'd have been wrong.
The Lygons were landowners in the area for about 500 years: by the 1920s they were the Earls Beauchamp and became the models for Lord Marchmain and his family in Brideshead Revisited: their house was the model for Brideshead. Both hotels were originally called the White Hart - a common name for pubs since the 14th century.
The Broadway one was then allegedly bought by a Lygon, a younger son of the then Earl, as part of a parcel of land around 1820: he's supposed to have sold the hotel to his steward on condition the name got changed to the Lygon Arms. His butler acquired the Chipping Campden one about 10 years later, and also obligingly changed ITS name to the Lygon Arms. The Lygon concerned died unmarried: I've always assumed he saw this as a way of having his name live on, but I've never seen a wholly convincing explanation of these two places' parallel histories.
No. The word's never been used in English (or French) as anything except a surname. Always possible, of course, that the Lygon family chose lions for their arms because they thought - or wanted people to think - their name meant "lion". But they'd have been wrong.
The Lygons were landowners in the area for about 500 years: by the 1920s they were the Earls Beauchamp and became the models for Lord Marchmain and his family in Brideshead Revisited: their house was the model for Brideshead. Both hotels were originally called the White Hart - a common name for pubs since the 14th century.
The Broadway one was then allegedly bought by a Lygon, a younger son of the then Earl, as part of a parcel of land around 1820: he's supposed to have sold the hotel to his steward on condition the name got changed to the Lygon Arms. His butler acquired the Chipping Campden one about 10 years later, and also obligingly changed ITS name to the Lygon Arms. The Lygon concerned died unmarried: I've always assumed he saw this as a way of having his name live on, but I've never seen a wholly convincing explanation of these two places' parallel histories.
Aug 12th, 2008 | 11:09 AM
#49
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Joined: Dec 2005
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Thank you, Flanner, for these insights.
This forum gives useful information even after a journey has ended. Thank you.
I had to smile reading the name Beauchamp. The name Beauchamp plays a certain role in Armistead Maupin's "Barbary Lane" novels which happen in San Francisco.
This forum gives useful information even after a journey has ended. Thank you.
I had to smile reading the name Beauchamp. The name Beauchamp plays a certain role in Armistead Maupin's "Barbary Lane" novels which happen in San Francisco.
Aug 12th, 2008 | 02:06 PM
#52
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Joined: Dec 2005
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Day Seven: Agatha’s Garden and Honey-coloured Towns
This morning, my son ordered Full English Breakfast. Full English Breakfast is a platter with a fried egg, bacon, black pudding, baked beans, hash brown, fried bread, grilled tomato, mushrooms and, as the centrepiece, a British Sausage, also known, according to the BBC, as “Emulsified High-Fat Offal Tube”.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzeDZtx3wUw
You have to plough at least ten acres afterwards to burn the calories. DW wants to stay slim and ordered “just one egg and a half tomato”. She got three fried eggs and six tomatoes.
We started our sightseeing tour with a visit of Chipping Campden’s “wool” church. It is called this way because this oversized church was built around 1380 with the money of a wool merchant. It is a fine gothic church with a pretty graveyard which must be nice to visit in a foggy night. Inside, there is a splendid tomb. We overheard an elder gentleman explaining this monument at length to a lady. When they parted, the lady asked him for his name. He answered, let’s say, “Smith”. She asked, unbelievingly: “Just Mr Smith?” Then he: “In fact, I am doctor, but I am privately here.” Perfect English etiquette on both sides.
As soon as she was gone, he started talking to me. He told me that the unimpressive tomb slab in front of the altar was most significant, because it was the grave of Mr William Grevel who spoke of himself as “the flower of wool merchants” and who financed building the church. He also explained that “Chipping” means market and gave us directions to find William Grevel’s house, a distinct medieval house with gothic arches in the middle of High Street. He also said that the house was inhabited by the doctor’s widow and that the locals worried about what would happen to the house after when she would pass away some day. They would not like the idea that the house would be acquired by a London investment banker.
This was also the day visit an English garden. Just a few minutes from Chipping Campden, you find Hidcote Manor Gardens. These gardens are the epitome of a romantic English garden which is with utmost care kept in a way that it looks like a wilderness with an abundance of flowers. It popped into my mind that this was the perfect setting for an Agatha Christie story. Imagine a party of eight people, strolling after lunch through the garden, splitting up into smaller groups and vanishing between the plants. At teatime, the gardener’s dog would discover a corpse in one of the flowerbeds and Miss Marple would start having some chats.
Indeed, even with hundreds of visitors in the gardens, it would have been easy to knock off someone on one of those secluded pathways and hide the body under the giant spinach leaves which were growing abundantly along the brook. My mother-in-law must have sensed something, because she kept distance and said that she preferred the French gardens over the English gardens.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...otemanorgarden
After visiting the gardens (we skipped the maize maze), we started our Cotswolds sightseeing tour which led us to Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Lower and Upper Slaughter and Broadway, besides a dozen of nameless hamlets. All these towns and villages have in common that they are picturesque with their honey-coloured houses. Bourton-on-the-Water has made the Faustian pact with the Devil of Tourism and is highly commercialised, others remain sleepy. We found that Chipping Campden was indeed the best place to stay but also liked Broadway.
In Lower Slaughter (one of the smaller villages), we made a little stroll until our fashion-addicted ladies felt that they must burn some British Pounds in the old watermill’s boutique. While waiting, I bought the most expensive ice cream of my lifetime for the boys. Two scoops were sold at over 4£ which is almost 10 (ten) times as much as you would pay for the same size and quality in Germany’s East. The flavour was “brown bread” and I thought: who else in this world is able to create an ice cream flavour out of the remains of paper recycling?
For lunch, we found a picnic place which was popular with bicyclists. There was a diner inside a real railway car but we chose to munch our own supplies al fresco. From the neighbouring table we heard something what sounded like a barking bullfrog, but from the facial expressions of the family sitting there I concluded it must have been the 10-year-old daughter belching. So much for English etiquette. Thank God, our boys are already 18.
This morning, my son ordered Full English Breakfast. Full English Breakfast is a platter with a fried egg, bacon, black pudding, baked beans, hash brown, fried bread, grilled tomato, mushrooms and, as the centrepiece, a British Sausage, also known, according to the BBC, as “Emulsified High-Fat Offal Tube”.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzeDZtx3wUw
You have to plough at least ten acres afterwards to burn the calories. DW wants to stay slim and ordered “just one egg and a half tomato”. She got three fried eggs and six tomatoes.
We started our sightseeing tour with a visit of Chipping Campden’s “wool” church. It is called this way because this oversized church was built around 1380 with the money of a wool merchant. It is a fine gothic church with a pretty graveyard which must be nice to visit in a foggy night. Inside, there is a splendid tomb. We overheard an elder gentleman explaining this monument at length to a lady. When they parted, the lady asked him for his name. He answered, let’s say, “Smith”. She asked, unbelievingly: “Just Mr Smith?” Then he: “In fact, I am doctor, but I am privately here.” Perfect English etiquette on both sides.
As soon as she was gone, he started talking to me. He told me that the unimpressive tomb slab in front of the altar was most significant, because it was the grave of Mr William Grevel who spoke of himself as “the flower of wool merchants” and who financed building the church. He also explained that “Chipping” means market and gave us directions to find William Grevel’s house, a distinct medieval house with gothic arches in the middle of High Street. He also said that the house was inhabited by the doctor’s widow and that the locals worried about what would happen to the house after when she would pass away some day. They would not like the idea that the house would be acquired by a London investment banker.
This was also the day visit an English garden. Just a few minutes from Chipping Campden, you find Hidcote Manor Gardens. These gardens are the epitome of a romantic English garden which is with utmost care kept in a way that it looks like a wilderness with an abundance of flowers. It popped into my mind that this was the perfect setting for an Agatha Christie story. Imagine a party of eight people, strolling after lunch through the garden, splitting up into smaller groups and vanishing between the plants. At teatime, the gardener’s dog would discover a corpse in one of the flowerbeds and Miss Marple would start having some chats.
Indeed, even with hundreds of visitors in the gardens, it would have been easy to knock off someone on one of those secluded pathways and hide the body under the giant spinach leaves which were growing abundantly along the brook. My mother-in-law must have sensed something, because she kept distance and said that she preferred the French gardens over the English gardens.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...otemanorgarden
After visiting the gardens (we skipped the maize maze), we started our Cotswolds sightseeing tour which led us to Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Lower and Upper Slaughter and Broadway, besides a dozen of nameless hamlets. All these towns and villages have in common that they are picturesque with their honey-coloured houses. Bourton-on-the-Water has made the Faustian pact with the Devil of Tourism and is highly commercialised, others remain sleepy. We found that Chipping Campden was indeed the best place to stay but also liked Broadway.
In Lower Slaughter (one of the smaller villages), we made a little stroll until our fashion-addicted ladies felt that they must burn some British Pounds in the old watermill’s boutique. While waiting, I bought the most expensive ice cream of my lifetime for the boys. Two scoops were sold at over 4£ which is almost 10 (ten) times as much as you would pay for the same size and quality in Germany’s East. The flavour was “brown bread” and I thought: who else in this world is able to create an ice cream flavour out of the remains of paper recycling?
For lunch, we found a picnic place which was popular with bicyclists. There was a diner inside a real railway car but we chose to munch our own supplies al fresco. From the neighbouring table we heard something what sounded like a barking bullfrog, but from the facial expressions of the family sitting there I concluded it must have been the 10-year-old daughter belching. So much for English etiquette. Thank God, our boys are already 18.
Aug 13th, 2008 | 05:19 AM
#54
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,109
Likes: 0
Great report!!! I love the titles that you think of for each section! I was laughing about the belching at another table. I loved your thoughts of Agatha Christie at Hidcote. I loved that place.
One summer a college friend and I travelled in England and Scotland together and we were both murder mystery fans and used to make up murder mystery scenarios at various places we visited. We should all get together and collaborate on a book!
One summer a college friend and I travelled in England and Scotland together and we were both murder mystery fans and used to make up murder mystery scenarios at various places we visited. We should all get together and collaborate on a book!
Aug 13th, 2008 | 09:45 AM
#55
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,047
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Day Eight: A Magical Place: Warwick Castle
This day was dedicated to a daytrip in northern direction. When we reached Stratford-on-Avon, we kind of praised the Tudor style there as a welcome alternative to the somewhat uniform honey-coloured stones of the Cotswolds. But our main destination was Warwick Castle.
www.warwick-castle.co.uk
Warwick Castle is one of those perfectly organised achievements of the entertainment industry. After paying the entrance fee for the car par (6£
, you get a free 3km hike across nicely landscaped parking-lots until you reach the ticket booths of Warwick Castle. You pay 17.95 £ admission per adult (families are admitted at a discount price of 55£ which does not include visiting the authentic ghost tower (special entrance fee) or a 3-minute swordplay course (additional fee) or other activities.
BTW, the ghost show is named “Ghosts Alive” which I consider a most appropriate name. If you want to get an idea how scary it is click on the following link:
WARNING: The following link includes explicit material. It is not suitable for persons under the age of 21 or persons with a heart condition or persons who are especially sensible. I decline every responsibility for consequences which might be triggered by watching this material, e.g. heart attack, anxiety state or mental illness.
http://www.warwick-castle.co.uk/flas...osts_alive.asp
I told my travel companions the history of Warwick Castle: “The Castle was erected in 1994 by the Great and Powerful Earl of Disney who had moved the structure over the pond from Hollywood where it had served for several decades as a backdrop for knights’ tales movies. In 2003 it had been refurbished by Lady Tussaud.” In these days, however, reality surpasses irony: Warwick Castle indeed belongs to The Tussauds Group. It resembles Disneyland in every way. The only difference is that instead of Mickey Mouse and Goofy, a damsel and a witch are running across the yard.
During our visit, there was a jousting spectacle. If you really want to get the authentic impression how a jousting contest was in medieval times go to Warwick Castle. They have knights and horses and costumes and an anchorman using a high-tech PA system.
The highlight of each visit to Warwick Castle is a tour of the stateroom where you can get a picture of you and a waxen Queen Elizabeth II at 11.95£.
We enjoyed Warwick Castle very much. Of course, like every proper English castle, it is haunted and possesses a certain magical power. The magical power Warwick Castle is, it brings out the truth. Take MIL. When we were ready to descend into the dungeon, my mother-in-law said “I don’t want to go into the prison. I have already been so often in prison in my lifetime.” This is an aspect of MIL’s life which I had not known so far, and I am glad that the magical power of Warwick Castle made this clear.
Warwick Castle is great for small children and Japanese adults. A family can have a wonderful day and loose a fortune for admission, activities, snacks and drinks. We decided to save our fortune in order to spend it for more sensible expenses, especially beer and champagne at the Lygon Arms.
Did I tell you about food at Lygon Arms? The Lygon Arms is basically a pub with (very nice) rooms and so is the food. MIL made the mistake to order a sirloin steak and what she got was the worst steak I had ever tasted in my life. Rack of lamb, usually a sure bet in England, was overcooked, too. But the homemade steak and ale pie (at 7.95£ was brilliant and so was the bread pudding. You have to know what to order in a pub.
To our surprise, beyond the usual array of beers, the Lygon Arms has an extensive wine list, including excellent Champagne (Duval-Leroy) at 27£ per bottle and a mature 2002 Lamothe-Cissac Cru Bourgeois at 25£ per bottle. Eating and drinking in England remained a mystery for us: it can be so grotty bad or so brilliantly good (even in the same establishment!), it can be so expensive or amazingly reasonable!
Staggering, we went to bed.
This day was dedicated to a daytrip in northern direction. When we reached Stratford-on-Avon, we kind of praised the Tudor style there as a welcome alternative to the somewhat uniform honey-coloured stones of the Cotswolds. But our main destination was Warwick Castle.
www.warwick-castle.co.uk
Warwick Castle is one of those perfectly organised achievements of the entertainment industry. After paying the entrance fee for the car par (6£
, you get a free 3km hike across nicely landscaped parking-lots until you reach the ticket booths of Warwick Castle. You pay 17.95 £ admission per adult (families are admitted at a discount price of 55£ which does not include visiting the authentic ghost tower (special entrance fee) or a 3-minute swordplay course (additional fee) or other activities.BTW, the ghost show is named “Ghosts Alive” which I consider a most appropriate name. If you want to get an idea how scary it is click on the following link:
WARNING: The following link includes explicit material. It is not suitable for persons under the age of 21 or persons with a heart condition or persons who are especially sensible. I decline every responsibility for consequences which might be triggered by watching this material, e.g. heart attack, anxiety state or mental illness.
http://www.warwick-castle.co.uk/flas...osts_alive.asp
I told my travel companions the history of Warwick Castle: “The Castle was erected in 1994 by the Great and Powerful Earl of Disney who had moved the structure over the pond from Hollywood where it had served for several decades as a backdrop for knights’ tales movies. In 2003 it had been refurbished by Lady Tussaud.” In these days, however, reality surpasses irony: Warwick Castle indeed belongs to The Tussauds Group. It resembles Disneyland in every way. The only difference is that instead of Mickey Mouse and Goofy, a damsel and a witch are running across the yard.
During our visit, there was a jousting spectacle. If you really want to get the authentic impression how a jousting contest was in medieval times go to Warwick Castle. They have knights and horses and costumes and an anchorman using a high-tech PA system.
The highlight of each visit to Warwick Castle is a tour of the stateroom where you can get a picture of you and a waxen Queen Elizabeth II at 11.95£.
We enjoyed Warwick Castle very much. Of course, like every proper English castle, it is haunted and possesses a certain magical power. The magical power Warwick Castle is, it brings out the truth. Take MIL. When we were ready to descend into the dungeon, my mother-in-law said “I don’t want to go into the prison. I have already been so often in prison in my lifetime.” This is an aspect of MIL’s life which I had not known so far, and I am glad that the magical power of Warwick Castle made this clear.
Warwick Castle is great for small children and Japanese adults. A family can have a wonderful day and loose a fortune for admission, activities, snacks and drinks. We decided to save our fortune in order to spend it for more sensible expenses, especially beer and champagne at the Lygon Arms.
Did I tell you about food at Lygon Arms? The Lygon Arms is basically a pub with (very nice) rooms and so is the food. MIL made the mistake to order a sirloin steak and what she got was the worst steak I had ever tasted in my life. Rack of lamb, usually a sure bet in England, was overcooked, too. But the homemade steak and ale pie (at 7.95£
was brilliant and so was the bread pudding. You have to know what to order in a pub.To our surprise, beyond the usual array of beers, the Lygon Arms has an extensive wine list, including excellent Champagne (Duval-Leroy) at 27£ per bottle and a mature 2002 Lamothe-Cissac Cru Bourgeois at 25£ per bottle. Eating and drinking in England remained a mystery for us: it can be so grotty bad or so brilliantly good (even in the same establishment!), it can be so expensive or amazingly reasonable!
Staggering, we went to bed.
Aug 13th, 2008 | 10:07 AM
#56
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 75,038
Likes: 50
Just gets better and better 
(One hint that will help others - The Great British Heritage Pass covers entry to Warwick Castle, all the Shakespeare properties in Stratford, Hidcote Manor gardens, the Roman Baths, Stonehenge, etc - so it can be a HUGE money saver)
(One hint that will help others - The Great British Heritage Pass covers entry to Warwick Castle, all the Shakespeare properties in Stratford, Hidcote Manor gardens, the Roman Baths, Stonehenge, etc - so it can be a HUGE money saver)
Aug 13th, 2008 | 05:27 PM
#59
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
I love your trip report so much, and wish I had read it before leaving for our own trip to London (July 31 - Aug 11). Just think of the tips that would have made our trip even more fabulous.
Can't tell if you loved or loathed Warwick Castle. Yes it's commercialized but it provided us one day of very good fun - and we're a bunch of cynics.
Lucky you too, as you had good weather - we had only cold rain except for our day at Warwick. A magical castle indeed.
Your writing style and wry humor is great - I've just finished my own trip report and wish I could go back, delete delete and borrow your flare.
Can't tell if you loved or loathed Warwick Castle. Yes it's commercialized but it provided us one day of very good fun - and we're a bunch of cynics.
Lucky you too, as you had good weather - we had only cold rain except for our day at Warwick. A magical castle indeed.
Your writing style and wry humor is great - I've just finished my own trip report and wish I could go back, delete delete and borrow your flare.
Aug 14th, 2008 | 01:12 AM
#60
Original Poster
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,047
Likes: 0
>>Can't tell if you loved or loathed Warwick Castle.<<
Can't tell either - but that's typical for Faustian pacts. We surely enjoyed the day there. And if I had the opportunity to plan this trip again I would include a visit to Warwick Castle again - but I would give my travel companions proper warning beforehand.
It is often a matter of expectations.
If you expect a serious historic experience you will be deeply disappointed by this Disney Castle.
If you expect a romantic medieval experience you will also be disappointed.
My intention is to give you readers just some impressions what you can expect.
My next installment will be about Blenheim Palace.
I myself gained a lot from other Fodorites' comments here on the forum which I had been reading before I went there. So, I was properly forwarned.
Can't tell either - but that's typical for Faustian pacts. We surely enjoyed the day there. And if I had the opportunity to plan this trip again I would include a visit to Warwick Castle again - but I would give my travel companions proper warning beforehand.
It is often a matter of expectations.
If you expect a serious historic experience you will be deeply disappointed by this Disney Castle.
If you expect a romantic medieval experience you will also be disappointed.
My intention is to give you readers just some impressions what you can expect.
My next installment will be about Blenheim Palace.
I myself gained a lot from other Fodorites' comments here on the forum which I had been reading before I went there. So, I was properly forwarned.
