Walking around Blenheim

Lucy and I are very fortunate to have Blenheim Palace only a 20 minute drive away. Blenheim is a world heritage site, and is home to the Marlborough family. Fun fact: in my previous job, I graded the Marlborough children’s maths assignments. It’s also the birthplace of Winston Churchill. I’ve been inside the palace several times to take in the ostentatious golden decor and Baroque architecture. There is a nice gift shop, and the food, though expensive, is great. There are several gardens to explore, and a children’s area (which you can get to by tiny train), and this has a maze, playground, and butterfly house. It’s definitely worth a visit if you’re visiting England and will be in Oxford!

What we like most about Blenheim is the grounds. There are loads of gardens and paths, and we particularly enjoy the long circular walk, which is about 8km, and takes you through fields, forests, and round the lake. The benefits to walking at Blenheim is that you can’t get lost, there are toilets and snacks, and the costly entrance fee of £24 can be converted to an annual pass. We just renewed our annual passes, so I’m sure we’ll make it to Blenheim many more times before the year ends. I enjoy Blenheim most in autumn when the pheasants (aka. tiny velociraptors) are squeaking around the forest, kicking each other.

Blenheim regularly hosts events including marathons and horse jumping, and on our recent visit there was an American classic car rally. I thought I’d share some photos with you of Blenheim in mid-summer, as well as a few I’ve taken over the years. Enjoy!

 

First visit to Blenheim with friends in summer 2013

Showing my parents around Blenheim on their first visit in spring 2014

Blenheim after returning from Vancouver in January 2015

A cool autumn weekend in 2015

The fountains in autumn

First visit with a sleeping niece in spring 2016

Lakeside kiss 2017