castle howard

welcome to castle howard!

Today, we left Cambridge around 9:15 am for a rather long bus ride. The estimated time was three hours, but around 12:30, the bus came to a very narrow road with a very small gate. The tour bus had to pull some pretty incredible maneuvers to turn around on a small country road, take a few windy back-roads, and arrive at the Castle Howard by 1 pm.

Needless to say, we were all sick of being on the bus as well as starving. There were several cafes, but Sophie and I opted for a small general store, where we bought a picnic breakfast of focaccia bread, brie cheese, cherry tomatoes, blackberries, and a brownie. We sat in the stable yards and munched contentedly.

After we were satiated, I set off to explore the Castle Howard. The Howard family has lived there ever since it was built over 300 years ago, but the gardens and house are still open to the public. Apparently, the film Brideshead Revisted was filmed there, so there was some movie memorabilia about. 

hello, castle

the entry-way

Only a small section of the actual castle was available to the public, but the house was gorgeous. Long stone hall-ways filled with Greek and Roman busts, elegant marble stair-cases, gorgeous bed-rooms with beautiful wall-paper, four-poster beds, thousands of paintings… 

bed-room

the chapel

the grand entry-way

The Grand Hall-way was an incredible dome, decorated with carvings, murals, and stretching up three stories high. The stone chapel was ornate and beautiful—it was a surprise to me that there was a chapel attached to the house.

I made my way out to the grounds, circling around the well-manicured Boar gardens where stretches of perfectly trimmed grass stretch out endlessly, and the expansive countryside is laid out before you like a map. 

the boar garden

I then headed into the Rose Gardens where pathways lead you round hedges and lattices laden with roses: pink, yellow, white, red, and everything in between. There were secret corners where lovers lounged, picnicking, Greek statues of mythical creatures, and giant lawns with koi fountains. The entire air was a heady breeze of delicious floral scents, the sun shone down gently, and the breeze was in perfect proportion. It was, as they say, a lovely day. 

rose gardens

and more rose gardens

Next, I headed to the Atlas Fountain, a huge fountain in the Castle’s backyard. 

the atlas fountain, castle in background

the view across the lake

I then headed towards the lake, taking a path around it to reach my desired destination—the Temple of the Four Winds. After a few failed attempts, I tried to cross a bridge which ended up being much more slippery than I thought. I splashed into the lake, soaking my feet and the lower half of my skirt. Managing to collect my dignity, I hiked uphill where I final found the Temple. 

the four winds temple

The mindset of the rich is quite amusing. “Oh, we’re bored—let’s just build another garden/temple/statue” seems to be the attitude. Anyways, after that, I headed back to the stable to meet up with the group.

and one more beautiful shot!

Afterwards, we boarded a bus and headed to York hostel, where we’ll be chilling for the next few days. It’s a nice town and a large, spacious hostel—something I’m grateful for, because Cambridge was cramped!

Tomorrow is Eucharist at Yorkminster and a walking tour. I’ll update when I can—lots of things due in the next few days.

Thanks for reading, friends!