Going Local | Beautiful Blenheim

As I mentioned in my recent post – my luxury weekend in York – it is easy to forget the appeal of our own country when we are faced with the attraction of many of the world’s far flung destinations. Golden sandy beaches, ancient ruins and temples, tropical rainforests, exotic islands and cities where the buildings rise high above the clouds – I want to see them all. But sometimes it is worth stepping back and looking at where you are now. I for one am back in my own country, the UK, and it is about time that I need to start exploring my country and my local area – and whilst I’m at it I can save some of those all-important pennies!

That brings me on to introducing my new series ‘Going Local’ where I will be discovering towns, beautiful stately homes and estates, plus the odd eatery or two, in my neck of the woods aka South East England. I am excited to kick this off with a visit to one of the UK’s national treasures – the beautiful Blenheim Palace.

Now that it is September and summer will soon be over for another year, I am fully intent on making the most of any sunshine that we are treated to. A few Saturdays ago I woke up to find my room drenched in bright rays of sunshine and quickly got out of bed to make the most of the day!

It was quickly decided that we should head over to Blenheim Palace in Woodstock for the day and it turned out to be a popular choice for many others too!

For those of you who don’t know – Blenheim is a grand country house in Oxfordshire which serves as the principle residence for the dukes of Marlborough. Interestingly it is also the only non-royal house in England to hold the title of Palace. You may also find it interesting to know that Blenheim was the birthplace of the one and only Sir Winston Churchill.

Anyway on arrival in Woodstock, we parked up the car and set off for a stroll. We made our way into the very pretty town of Woodstock, with its traditional Cotswold stone buildings, in search of a bite to eat, and promptly settled for lunch in family run Brasserie Brothertons.

After lunch and a short wander through the honey coloured streets – plus a spot of (dream) house hunting – we retraced our steps back on to the Blenheim Estate.

We couldn’t resist a nosey inside the house and spent some time admiring its antique furnishings, hugely expensive paintings and sparkling silverware pieces which were proudly displayed throughout all the state rooms.

It was then time to venture out into the fresh air for a walk around the gardens. Whilst the Blenheim Estate is huge, set in a mind boggling two thousand acres, the majority of the grounds are made up of landscaped parkland. However there are beautiful Formal Gardens in close proximity to the house which are more than worth discovering!

After a good deal of exploring and basking in the sunshine on the vast lawn, it was about time to take a refreshment break! The fact that there is a lovely café overlooking the water terraces means that not stopping for a cool drink on a warm summers day would just be plain rude!

As always, our lovely day out was soon at an end and we said farewell to Blenheim. On the plus side, having converted our ticket to a 12 month pass for no extra cost, I’m sure we will be returning to Blenheim again very soon.

What do you think about my trip to Blenheim Palace? Have you been or if not, would you consider a visit?

What is your favourite day trip in your local area? I would love to know so let me know in the comments below!