Hampton Court

Today we met with Joanna, Alice and Jess for a day out at Hampton Court. We arrived at their house in Windsor at 9:30 as instructed and shortly afterwards set off to drive to Hampton. As we passed through the village it was interesting to spot places which we had previously seen from the river.

As soon as we arrived and bought our tickets, we made for the information centre where we were able to collect activity sheets. Jess and Alice chose different ones so we split into two groups, but not until the two girls were kitted out with appropriate period clothes!

Jess, accompanied by Joanna and Christine set off on their exploration, which included the Tudor kitchens.

Meanwhile, Mike went with Alice to complete the search of places where ghosts have been reported in the past. Alas, they failed to spot any there today - no doubt the hordes of visitors scared them off!

We all met up at the Tiltyard Tea Rooms where we enjoyed lunch - Alice and Jess opted for a special food bag each whilst the adults had a hot meal.

Immediately after lunch we spent some time in the gardens - firstly taking in the famous Maze. Despite best efforts, we failed to get lost and readily found our way to the centre - and then out by the Quick Exit.

It was such a lovely afternoon we wandered quite slowly through the beautiful gardens. The girls found a tree that was especially good for climbing.

The gardens are very well cared for and are in great condition, despite the fact that this is one of the most visited attractions.

We exchanged information about which parts were the more interesting and after our garden stroll we split into two groups once more, aiming to meet up for one of the Timeplays in the Haunted Gallery at 3:30.

Alice and Mike toured the Tudor kitchens but also went to some of the other parts that they had missed in the morning.

The Timeplay was called Across Five Centuries and told the stories of several people who were or are connected with the palace. Unfortunately, this group was quite new and what we saw was really only a rehearsal (although no-one said so until things started to unravel!)

We did try to find the remaining two Timeplays but they did not appear even though some of the cast could been wandering around, rather lost! By now we were tiring quickly (at least the adults were!) so - as it was by now well after 4.30 - we walked back to the car park which was a little distance away from the main gate.