Ju arrived and after coffee we set off for Belvoir castle for Cinderella at Christmas. We were expecting an event similar to Chatsworth last year, but perhaps a little more modest and with slightly less people. We certainly got that! There was a courtyard of shops advertised as a wonderful array of independent boutiques. Hmm. There was a specialist coffee shop, a specialist chocolate shop , a toy shop and a very over- priced deli.
We walked up to the castle in beauful sunshine. The castle grounds looked lovely but most of them were out of bounds until the spring- not sure why. We went into the castle before our booked slot as they weren’t busy. The lack of visitors was good as we could see everything and take our time. The castle is clearly still a home and perhaps surprisingly felt warm and comfortable. The transformation for Cinderella’s Christmas though was rather modest and felt a bit amateurish at times. Finished off with a cup of tea in the old servant’s hall - looked like it hadn’t been touched for years. That was fine apart from the accumulated dust!
Got home for coffee and a mince pie . Ju went home and I took advantage of the time gain d by picking up a couple of parcels and buying the wallpaper for my downstairs loo.
Don’t think we’ll go to Belvoir next year!