The trip to Leeds Castle
October 19, 2004
and then a moat again.
It was nice to get out, and I actually felt like I was doing something instead of stagnating - a feeling that persisted starting about the third day. It's funny, the first day you spend traveling, the second you feel justified just resting, but the third you realize that you haven't done anything yet and you'd better get a move on soon. Suddenly three months have gone by and you can't exactly rationalize just sitting around anymore. But by then it's too late.
Thus, most of my travels took place in the third term, when everyone but us drama majors was taking exams, and I had nothing at all to do. In retrospect, I wish I had gotten out more. Let that be a lesson to you.
so here's leeds castle.
and some people in front of it. ...
it has a moat.
that becomes a lake.
and then a moat again.
here are some people in front of...
they do have a rad aviary, though.
although i'm not sure why, since...
see?
and there's an awesome falcon sh...
and what's a castle without a ga...
there's a baby hedge maze for th...
but there's also a real hedge ma...
the grotto underneath the maze i...
At £13.50 for adults and £8.00 children, admission isn't so bad if you're English but a little steep if you're foreign. It's not Leeds's fault - everyone knows exchange rates are rough for Americans right now. If you can handle the roughly $25 admission price, then go see Leeds: "the loveliest castle in the world."
Leeds kindly gives you the option of holding on to your unused ticket for up to a year after the purchase date, so if it's raining when you go (likely), then come back another day. Most of the attraction at Leeds Castle is outside, including their aviary of foriegn and domestic birds, the falcon shows, the tea gardens, and of course the famous hedge maze and its associated grotto.
The maze and grotto were the best part of the castle for me. I'm not a castle kind of girl, so I could have done without the endless rooms of untouchable furniture and dark oil paintings. If you're into that, then great - but I've heard much better things about Dover Castle, and it's not very far away. No, the fun for me was the underground grotto, which you can only get to by completing the hedge maze (which is surprisingly difficult - there's also a children's maze if the real one is too tough). The grotto is decorated entirely with shells and it's a really nice place to sit for a while and think, especially if the weather outside is bad.
If you want to see the countryside of Kent and the weather is nice, Leeds Castle can be a nice place to stop. Make sure to visit the ice cream stand by the falcon show if it's warm, but be prepared to spend a little. If it's raining or gloomy, you won't mind missing it. If there's one thing England is full of, it's castles. You'll stumble into another one before you know it.
Leeds kindly gives you the option of holding on to your unused ticket for up to a year after the purchase date, so if it's raining when you go (likely), then come back another day. Most of the attraction at Leeds Castle is outside, including their aviary of foriegn and domestic birds, the falcon shows, the tea gardens, and of course the famous hedge maze and its associated grotto.
The maze and grotto were the best part of the castle for me. I'm not a castle kind of girl, so I could have done without the endless rooms of untouchable furniture and dark oil paintings. If you're into that, then great - but I've heard much better things about Dover Castle, and it's not very far away. No, the fun for me was the underground grotto, which you can only get to by completing the hedge maze (which is surprisingly difficult - there's also a children's maze if the real one is too tough). The grotto is decorated entirely with shells and it's a really nice place to sit for a while and think, especially if the weather outside is bad.
If you want to see the countryside of Kent and the weather is nice, Leeds Castle can be a nice place to stop. Make sure to visit the ice cream stand by the falcon show if it's warm, but be prepared to spend a little. If it's raining or gloomy, you won't mind missing it. If there's one thing England is full of, it's castles. You'll stumble into another one before you know it.
Leeds Castle. Pretty self-explan...
