Blenheim Palace Festival of Transport Review
Blenheim Palace
Festival of Transport
Reviewed by Tricia Shaw
Set in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside, Blenheim Palace held their Festival of Transport during the August Bank holiday weekend. We visited on the Sunday and were thrilled to see some great classics. Despite the rain there were plenty of entries in the various categories. I enjoyed showing the kids the Hillman Imps and the Ford Cortina, both of which I remembered from my childhood, as well as getting a rare glimpse at the interiors and engines of the super cars and luxury cars. The children liked walking around the cars and were happy to wander around for about an hour. Surprisingly, the tannoy system was very clear and it was even possible to hear the commentator from the car park. The festival seemed to be well organised and it was just a shame that the weather was so poor or we would have stayed longer.
Having looked around at all the cars and browsed the various stalls we decided it was time for lunch before heading to look at the house and gardens. There were many options for lunch in various parts of the grounds and we look forward to sampling the food on future visits. On this occasion we had taken a picnic, which we ate in the car due to the rain. There are plenty of picnic tables available and it is a beautiful setting in which to set out the picnic blanket and enjoy the views.
Having eaten we headed towards the palace. This early 18th century mansion is absolutely stunning to look at and there is plenty to see in all the rooms. The children, aged 7 and 10, enjoyed spotting the items featured in the booklet that we picked up at the entrance to the house. However, there is far too much to see in one day so we decided to just visit the main rooms and the Churchill exhibition. There was a lot of information on display and we did not really have the chance to read it fully due to an impatient little boy wanting to get to the Pleasure Garden. My husband and I intend to return on our own later in the year so that we can read them in peace! On leaving the house, we were lucky to be able to hear the organ being played and the organist very kindly showed the children how the organ stops changed the sound.
Next stop? A quick look at the formal gardens. They were beautiful and we particularly loved the views of the lake from the Water Terraces. As the rain cleared we headed back through the courtyards and back into the park towards the train. At 50p per person, the train ride between the palace and the Pleasure Garden was good value and was great fun for the kids. It is walkable but takes about 15 minutes. There is plenty of fun for everyone in the pleasure gardens. The maze kept the children busy for quite a while before they decided to move on to the next activity. We had a game of draughts on the giant board and then walked round to play in the playground.
Before continuing our visit we stopped for a cup of tea and cake for us and ice-creams for the kids at the Pleasure Garden Deli, which set us back about £12. We ended our day with a quick look at the Blenheim Bygones exhibition, the lavender garden and the butterfly house.
The entry price to the palace park and gardens is quite high for a one day ticket (£23 for an adult, £60 for a family of 4) however you can convert it to an annual pass for free, either on the day or online with 2 weeks of your visit, making it very good value for money. There are other ticket options if you don’t want to go into the house, full details are available on the website: www.blenheimpalace.com. If you choose to upgrade your annual pass to a Privilege pass for £5, you get a 15% discount in the shops and cafés.
Everywhere we went the members of staff were friendly and very helpful. The guides in the house were knowledgeable and great with the kids. It was easy to find, entry to the park was quick and easy and we had no problems with parking. All in all it was a very pleasant day despite the poor weather. We look forward to returning and perhaps taking one of the buggy tours around the estate or a guided tour of the palace state rooms.
There is so much to do there, for people of all ages and fitness, that I would highly recommend a day out at Blenheim Palace for all the family.
Rating: 5/5 
For more information on Blenheim Palace and events visit www.blenheimpalace.com.
Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, OX20 1PP
