Today was an optional trip to Leeds Castle, and it only cost 15 pounds through the program including the coach and entrance fee. For entrance tickets, it’s currently 15 pounds for adults and 12.50 for students.
The castle dates back to the 1100s and started as a Norman castle. Even Henry VIII visited often with his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. The first person to live at the castle was a descendant of one of William the Conqueror’s lords. But today the castle is privately owned. King Henry’s son, Edward VI, gave it to a courtier for his services. What a nice gift! Ever since Edward’s gift, the castle stayed privately owned.
There are many ways to get to the castle: train, tour, coach and car. The web site (www.leeds-castle.com) is very helpful with directions and types of transportation. The castle is in the area of Kent, only about an hour from London. The city of Leeds is in a completely different part of England.
Once again, I think the outside of the castle and its attractions were better than the inside. The inside is very typical state apartments, but the outside has views of the castle on an island with two beautiful lakes. Attractions also include the aviary, which we enjoyed because it was something so different from what you usual see at a castle.
It’s a good 10-minute walk to the castle once you get to the entrance. But it’s the best way to see the castle with the lakes. On your self-guided tour, you will see the cellar, bedrooms, beautiful stone and marble fireplaces, the dining room, the library and plenty of neat, old wooden doors.
The dinning room was decorated for a party. Someone was celebrating her 40th birthday later that day. The attendant wouldn’t name whose birthday it was, so we left it to our imagination that it was someone royal or a celebrity. But the attendant did say that the person was going to be surprised and flown in by helicopter.
As I mentioned, after the castle there is still plenty to do. We walked over to the aviary to see the famous toucans. It was very exciting and you could get really close to them. I just kept thinking about Fruit Loops. If you don’t like toucans, there are plenty of other birds to visit.
Then we ventured over to the maze. Once you solve the maze, you are led into a beautiful grotto. The maze took us a while and we finally used the attendant to help us because she was up high and could direct us.
The grotto is made of shells and rocks. It’s a minotaur theme and the black swan is prevalent too. You will see the black swan frequently because it is the castle’s symbol.
We took the long walk back from the maze to reach the exit, mostly to kill time and enjoy the views. Make sure to walk all around the grounds to see the castle at many angles. It’s not hard to find a Kodak shot with the lakes, castle and reflection.
Other activities at the castle include golf and hot balloon rides. Families could definitely spend an afternoon or the day at the castle grounds.
Tags: leeds castle
Tal's Travel Tips 
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