The castle is lovely and grounds are absolutely stunning. Although the structure and landscaping…read moreare lovely, our tour guide felt the need to weave her strong political views into most topics. Examples would be regarding a pitcher/jug that is displayed in one of the glass cases. She said the pitcher "should not be here" and if she had her way "it would be returned" because it was "stolen from a masque." She also said when referring to Dr. Edward Jenner being the first to develop a successful vaccination for small pox that "it really is a question if he were the first." She said he barely beat Africa and Turkey in this world altering vaccine. To which doctors to whom was she referring to in Africa or Turkey? She made a comment of, " My grandfather always said, 'Whatever horrible acts done have been done have been done by the English first.' and I firmly believe this." She was also railing against the decisions of the monarchs before the addition of the parliament. Then she went on to say she wished she could get rid of the current government. A guide should concentrate on the facts and remove biases. It is quite distracting and unnecessary.

What can you say about one of the oldest inhabited castles in the world which is still owned by the…read moresame family from 900 years ago. You have to go. Its where Edward II was murdered with a red hot poker up his fundament .

The Tree Cathedral is another hidden gem of Milton Keynes. I walked in the area back in March when…read morethe trees were all bare but even then it looked insanely cool. I've looked up photos of the tree cathedral in full bloom and it's just beautiful. Constructed in 1986 to look like Norwich Cathedral, I'm sure it's a great spot for small ceremonies. It's divided into various sections all meticulously planned which you can read about on the plaque right in front of the cathedral. It has a nice stone path down the center for easy navigation. Upon reading a bit more on the Tree Cathedral when I got home - you can now scatter ashes there. Peaceful and creepy at the same time. The Tree Cathedral can be found opposite of Willen Lake.

Long country walk to the shell of a mansion. Good audi tour…read moreas you wander around the ruin, and then they turn the fountain on which is spectacular. Finish it off with tea and cake as the church tea rooms The Perfect Sunday afternoon

Beautiful spot in the Cotswolds to sit and let the day wind away, very picturesque next to the…read moreriver windrush lots of history to find out about and beautiful old ruins great for photography and art drawing etc. I have spent many a day with my young children having picnic and playing with friends even making dens. You can also walk into the ajoining field and go and look at the old dove cot too, this does belong to the house baking onto the church grounds but they are happy for you to look. Also the church of the same site is also a must look, great features inside and as always beautiful stained glass.

I almost feel educated!‍ We enjoyed this pre Stonehenge!…read more Keeps getting ! Keeps getting stranger!

The lesser known but older than Stonehenge is often passed by, but I recommend you visit. You are…read moreallowed to get up close and personal with the stones and walk the circle which is very wide. The price of admission is cheap and includes parking per family. £7 for two adults and a car. You can upgrade by buying tickets for a tour and seeing some of the onsite buildings. Note that the parking lot pay machines only take coins but the admission desk takes card. Note your registration if you pay at the admission booth. I also recommend you check out the neighboring town and the Red Lion pub.

An idyllic place to study for a young art student & I was…read moreone. Inspiring place, once owned & leased by Lord Methuen to the Bath Academy of Art Once a royal Saxon manor it was later designed to house flemish master paintings.The gardens are lovely. Designed by Capability Brown complete with peacocks & a Ha-Ha.There are state rooms to visit & a picture gallery.Now the Art college has returned after 20 years,the current owner James Methuen Campbell, said: I am especially happy that artists will continue to draw inspiration from these beautiful surroundings; the setting here is unique.

Actually quite good for a fiver, much bigger than you think. Just glad I wasn't around 300 years…read moreago, or a women, or innocent (quite a fun back story of the caves). Also worth a walk up to the mausoleum above. Ps- lots of places to hide and jump out and scare family/friends :)

My children were very scared by the caves and their heinous contents, though they did enjoy a nice…read moresausage roll afterwards. Despite many attempts, my friend was unable to park her car because of the slope, so please don't bring a car if you're a terrible driver or if you're female. Otherwise, a lovely day out, apart from the lingering nightmares.

Fun to roll down the hills, also good fun in winter for sledging! If you have kids to take with you…read moreof course It's actually a really beautiful place tucked into a corner of Ciren. It took ages to find it but once we did it was worth it.

A great tour of the Oxford Castle & Prison…read more The tour was a fantastic experience. Packed with history, storytelling with a fun tour guide that all ages could appreciate. Well worth the time and money. The demonstration of a real pillory was icing on the cake.

This is a must-see if you visit Oxford. The guided tour takes you through the vestiges of the…read morecastle to view its architecture and give you an idea of its original use as a fortress. The moderate climb to the tower is worthwhile as you get a nice panoramic view of the city. As the tour transitions to the use of the castle in more recent times as a prison, there is an interesting display concerning that era highlighting criminal justice practices over the past couple of centuries. The "mug shots" of prisoners held there were fascinating and often poignant. This was particularly true for those stories of the children incarcerated for things like petty theft, acts they committed just to survive. The instruments of "correction" such as stocks were also described in detail. Notorious prisoners held at the castle prison were highlighted and their tales were intriguing. The stories of Mary Blandy and the Black Panther were especially memorable. Our guide did a fabulous job of informing us about the history and significance of the structure in a very engaging manner. The Castle Mound at the front of the grounds is also worth climbing as the views are terrific. This is definitely worth the time and price of admission if you are in Oxford.

Wantage (12km ENE) (map may be wrong)…read more Wayland Smith, Wayland Smith here is a horse for you to shoe. According to legend, a traveller whose horse has lost a shoe can leave the animal and the smallest silver coin (a groat) on the capstone at Wayland's Smithy. When he returns next morning he will find that his horse has been re-shod and the money gone. It was dusk..3 chidren with me..I took a 5p out and placed it on the stone..I said Wayland Smith, Way and the children were gone in a cloud of dust! I finish the verse and suddenly my dust was added as I ran in the increasing gloom of early evening..so fast I caught up with them and we fell in a heap giggling They do say if you look at him you are immediately struck blind Ok so combined with the rest of the area it is a good day out..take a picnic..and I used to work in archeology (as the historian) so heres the history bit :) It is conjectured that the invisible smith may have been linked to this site for many centuries before the Saxons recognized him as Wayland. The Ancient Britons may have been accustomed to making votive offerings to a local god. Wayland's Smithy is a Neolithic long barrow and chamber tomb site located, near the Uffington White Horse and Uffington Castle, at Ashbury in the English county of Oxfordshire (formerly in Berkshire).Wayland's Smithy is one of the most impressive and atmospheric Neolithic burial chambers in Britain. Somehow this ancient grave became associated with Wayland, the Saxon god of metalworking, from whom it takes its name. The later mound was 185 feet long and 43 feet wide at the south end. Its present appearance is the result of restoration following excavations undertaken by Stuart Piggott and Richard Atkinson in 1962-1963. They demonstrated that the site had been built in two different phases, a timber chambered oval barrow built around 3700 BC and the second stone chambered long barrow in around 3400 BC. The wooden mortuary house mainly consisted of a paved stone floor with two large posts at either end. A single crouched burial had been placed at one end and the mostly disarticulated remains of a further fourteen individuals were scattered in front of it. Analysis of these remains indicated that they had been subjected to excarnation prior to burial and deposited in possibly four different phases. Postholes at one end have been interpreted as supporting a timber facade. The whole monument was covered by an earth barrow with material excavated from two flanking ditches and measured around 20m in length. The later stone tomb consists of two opposing transept chambers and terminal chamber, along with the longer entrance chamber, this gives the burial area a cruciform appearance in plan. It is classified by archaeologists as one of the Severn-Cotswold tombs. The large trapezoidal earth barrow erected over it was revetted with a stone kerb and its material was again excavated from two large flanking ditches. Excavation in 1919 revealed the burials of seven adults and one child. Bones found at a prehistoric burial site indicate they belonged to victims of an ancient massacre, say scientists. The site is important as it illustrates the transition from timber chambered barrows to stone chamber tombs over a period which may have been as short as 50 years.