Am I the only person that didn't know this was here?
'The Harry Potter Tree', Blenheim Park, Oxfordshire.
This took me totally by surprise as I rounded a corner on the narrow winding footpath around this part of the lakeshore. (And it is quite scary).
Very few people around despite the promise of decent weather, and I had the place to myself.
This amazing Cedar of Lebanon had role in the 2007 film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and stands overlooking the lake and bridge, close to the place I took a recently posted image of them.
Now sensitively fenced off by a wicker fence to avoid over-excited children (many now adults) doing any damage it is probably part of the original planting by Capability Brown when he created the lake and landscaped the park between 1763-1774.
The tree is only a few yards from the bridge on a very beautiful, unsigned and easily to miss path that winds along part of the lakeshore and woodlands and can be part of a very attractive series of looping walks.
It can also be accessed FREE OF CHARGE as it is one of the public footpaths that cross the park.
(The Blenheim Palace website doesn't mention this annoying gap in their extraordinary commercialisation of the estate. Unless I've misread it there is a very hefty entrance fee of £28 that says 'Park and Formal Garden Only'. Fine(ish) if you want to visit the formal gardens which I wouldn't recommend at this time of year.
However I suspect by the amount of people strolling around, this is not policed, and a friendly blind-eye is turned to locals and dog-walkers.)
There are two free public footpath entrances quite close to each other just on the outskirts of Woodstock on the Chipping Norton road. As the road drops down to the little river as it leaves Woodstock, there is an entrance through a green gate that looks like a driveway entrance (painted ubiquitous Farrow and Ball 'Lichen' green as is the unspoken law in this part of the world.)
The other entrance is about 100 yards up the hill at the end of the raised pavement...
Both completely legal, loved and well used.
Am I the only person that didn't know this was here?
'The Harry Potter Tree', Blenheim Park, Oxfordshire.
This took me totally by surprise as I rounded a corner on the narrow winding footpath around this part of the lakeshore. (And it is quite scary).
Very few people around despite the promise of decent weather, and I had the place to myself.
This amazing Cedar of Lebanon had role in the 2007 film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and stands overlooking the lake and bridge, close to the place I took a recently posted image of them.
Now sensitively fenced off by a wicker fence to avoid over-excited children (many now adults) doing any damage it is probably part of the original planting by Capability Brown when he created the lake and landscaped the park between 1763-1774.
The tree is only a few yards from the bridge on a very beautiful, unsigned and easily to miss path that winds along part of the lakeshore and woodlands and can be part of a very attractive series of looping walks.
It can also be accessed FREE OF CHARGE as it is one of the public footpaths that cross the park.
(The Blenheim Palace website doesn't mention this annoying gap in their extraordinary commercialisation of the estate. Unless I've misread it there is a very hefty entrance fee of £28 that says 'Park and Formal Garden Only'. Fine(ish) if you want to visit the formal gardens which I wouldn't recommend at this time of year.
However I suspect by the amount of people strolling around, this is not policed, and a friendly blind-eye is turned to locals and dog-walkers.)
There are two free public footpath entrances quite close to each other just on the outskirts of Woodstock on the Chipping Norton road. As the road drops down to the little river as it leaves Woodstock, there is an entrance through a green gate that looks like a driveway entrance (painted ubiquitous Farrow and Ball 'Lichen' green as is the unspoken law in this part of the world.)
The other entrance is about 100 yards up the hill at the end of the raised pavement...
Both completely legal, loved and well used.