Monday, March 11, 2024 - Out of London: Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Oxford 🕰️
Windsor Castle 🏰
We woke up early to our alarm, and while Dad packed a bag for our day trip, the baby and I went downstairs for an early morning breakfast. Then we had to run out of the hotel to make our bus, which was at Victoria Station. We got there with minutes to spare by 8:02am, we were taking off. Then off we went to Windsor Castle, which was about an hour drive, if memory serves me right. However, the drive felt much shorter, our amazing tour guide pointed at so many cool stops along the way, and our Abby slept the whole way. When we got to Windsor Castle, the line was so long, wrapping all the way to the end of the street. Despite the fact that the line moved very fast, we definitely felt like we lost a lot of time in the line, and Abby continued to sleep, which was great. When we did get into Windsor Castle, there was a cute physical ticket for Abby and for all those under 5, and we wish we hadn’t lost it. Once we got through Windsor Castle security, we felt like there was so much to do. First, we went to the Castle, and there was a special stroller entrance for the baby, but we couldn’t bring the stroller too far in, and they had a stroller check. Abby was beginning to stir, and we wanted her to see the castle, so it wasn’t too big of a deal to wake her up a bit and put her on the hip carrier. There were audio guides, but Abby loved pulling them, so we mostly just looked around and took it all in. We weaved through the castle, and Abby loved walking through the castle and acting like she owned the place. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get any pictures from inside the castle, though. Then, we had to run to St. George’s Chapel because we didn’t realize how little time we had left before the bus was supposed to depart. So we very briefly and very fast went through St. George’s Chapel, but it was really cool seeing where the late Queen Elizabeth was buried, as well as seeing St. George’s Chapel after seeing the chapel in the Royal Wedding of Harry and Meghan. However, after the chapel, we had to run to the bus, which Abby definitely didn’t like. We were a few minutes late, so we could tell the tour guide was a little mad, but we weren’t the last ones on the bus. However, after the stop, the tour guide made a comment saying if we're not on time, the bus is leaving at the next stop.
Keep updated on our adventures!
Stonehenge 📷
Then off to the next stop, Stonehenge! Abby again fell asleep a few minutes after the bus started moving. Then when we got to Stonehenge, Abby was back asleep, so we put her in the stroller to sleep until we got to our next adventure. When we got to Stonehenge, we walked from the parking lot to the visitor center then had to get in line for the bus to go to Stonehenge. Abby woke up for the bus ride, which was perfect. Stonehenge was a bit cold and windy, so we didn’t stay for too long, but the view was remarkable and definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Abby loved seeing the birds - I think they were crows- flying around the area. David and I just loved taking in the beautiful structure. However, it didn’t take very long for Abby to get fussy, since there wasn’t really a lot of room to run around with all the people and being fenced in. So we headed back to the visitor center and used the time to get snacks for the road and diaper changes, before our next stop.
Oxford 📖
Our last stop on the tour was Oxford! At this point of the tour, we definitely felt like the whole tour was worth it, yet we were excited to go to the next stop! If memory serves me right, we had about an hour to explore Oxford, in total, starting with an in-depth 45 minute walking tour, which was tons of fun. The walking tour took us throughout the heart of Oxford and our tour guide was adept at pointing out all the key stops as well as really cool stories throughout the way such as those involving world-renowned authors like J.K. Rowling and J.R.R Tolkien. At Oxford, we got a bit of merchandise. David got a book from a bookstore our tour guide pointed out. I got a sweatshirt, which Abigail ended up using as we walked around Oxford as it got a bit chilly. Then we split some Italian pastries. 💡Pro tip: Enjoy the pastries, but skip on the coffee and get tea instead. Let’s just say there’s definitely a reason why the English aren’t known for their coffees.
Lastly, the drive back to London. The tour guide pre-faced our trip back saying it could take anywhere between 45 minutes and 4 hours, which is crazy. But I think we ended up getting back in a little over an hour and a half. Then since the arrival is hard to time, they can’t drop you off inside Victoria Station but rather at the corner between the station and tube, which ended up being more convenient for most people.
London Food Hall 🍔
Next to the Victoria Station tube station, we saw a Food Hall. We decided to try it. At first, I was worried the music would be too loud for Abby but as you walk in the music gets a bit quieter. The food hall ended up being like an American Food Court, but with music, beer, and a young working crowd (think 20s and 30s). We got barbecue, which turned out pretty good. Abby didn’t like it very much though, but she did enjoy walking around our booth and making the people around us think she’s absolutely adorable by flashing them a smile or playing peekaboo with them. I’d have to say though, we were probably the only tourists there, and the place was filled with locals, and let’s just say they could definitely tell we were tourists, we didn’t really know what was going on like where the utensils were. We had a good time, finished all the food. Then headed back for the night.