England (8) – Blenheim – Chartwell – Canterbury

Blenheim Palace entrance

The next day, Stef picked us up and together we visited Blenheim Palace, not far from Oxford. The palace is named for the 1704 Battle of Blenheim, and thus ultimately after Blindheim (also known as Blenheim) in Bavaria. It was originally intended to be a reward to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough for his military triumphs against the French and Bavarians in the War of the Spanish Succession, culminating in the Battle of Blenheim.

Blenheim Palace ready for Halloween
posing and freezing in front of the palace

The day had started cold but sunny but very soon it was overcast, windy and rainy which stopped us from walking through the huge park.

Lewi, the guide who gave us insights on Blenheim Palace

After we had visited the inside of the palace including an exhibition on Sir Winston Churchill who was born here, we found the restaurant at the Orangerie and had a nice lunch there with an amusing Spanish waiter entertaining us.

Winston Churchill, part of the Blenheim history
copy of a provided air view of Blenheim Palace

Back at the campsite, we spent the rainy afternoon with radio communication as a world wide contest took place and with planning our last days in England. During a short period without rain, we walked to the next supermarket and that was it. It was freezing cold and we truly enjoyed the warmth of the camper.

We left Oxford and drove in direction to London and then south until we reached Chartwell, the family home of the Churchill family. It was well visited and the house was full of people. Nevertheless we enjoyed the visit with so many memorables of this great man and his wife Clementine.

Chartwell, home of W. Churchill
very nice garden @ Chartwell
the cigar of Winston …
tea @ Chartwell

Nearby, there was a different house, which we visited this day: Ightham Mote, a medieval moated manor with 700 years of history, restored with big effort by the National Trust.

Ightham Mote
nicely restored in 2003 and saved from destruction
the court yard of Ightham
hail @ Ightham Mote

We found a lovely pub afterwards, where we finally had our Sunday roast, before we stopped at a little parking for the night.

Sunday Roast for Veggies
parking for the night

In the morning, we discovered the boulders next to our parking and took a walk along this 800 meter long stone formation.

Our last castle on this trip was Scotney Castle. Once a medieval castle with moat, later partly demolished to create a romantic folly as the center of the park surrounding the new house from 1827. This manor was lived in until just a couple of years ago by the Hussey family.

the medieval Scotney Castle
and the new manor of 1827
dinner table with a view
wonderful garden @ Scotney Castle

In the afternoon, we reached Canterbury, which is an exceptional town in England, as it offers a caravan parking at the Park & Ride with a service station for campers. For only 3,50 Pounds a day we could park there very comfortable and even had the bus into the center included in the price – a big plus to this beautiful town.

maybe rain is coming? @ Canterbury

The weather had changed to cold and rainy, but we nevertheless could visit the huge cathedral and the centre of Canterbury.

Canterbury Cathedral
modern art @ Canterbury Cathedral

In the morning, it was a short drive to Dover and onto our ferry back to the mainland, this time with big waves and a grey and rainy sky.

bumpy sea on the way back to Dunkirk

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