Lincoln Castle: Magna Carta, gorgeous views and the strangest chapel...

[caption id="attachment_1813" align="alignnone" width="940"] We loved walking all the way round Lincoln Castle[/caption]

We fell in love with Lincoln when we visited. With its beauty, history, culture and delicious food, there wasn’t really much not to like! However, the highlight of our stay was Lincoln Castle. Let me tell you why.

It was William the Conquerer who decided to build a splendid cathedral and castle almost next to each other in Lincoln. You feel quite spoilt when you look from one to the other – views aren’t normally this magnificent - and only a short trip through the marketplace separates the two.

So, the castle was built almost 1,000 years ago by William, as part of his strategy to keep control of the north of his new kingdom. Located at the top of a hill, its huge size made it clear that the king meant business.

Over the years the castle has seen all sorts of historic happenings, from the capture of King Stephen in 1141, to the withstanding of a 40 day siege during the reign of Richard I. The castle was besieged again in 1217 and in 1644, during the English Civil War.

The 1217 siege took place during the civil war which followed the signing of the Magna Carta and Lincoln Castle boasts one of only four copies of this famous charter. Even more impressively, the castle has an original Charter of the Forest (basically a later version of the Magna Carta, reissued in 2017 with some extra clauses). This is the only place in the world where both of these famous documents, one more than 800 years old and the other not far off it, can be seen on display, side by side.

[caption id="attachment_1814" align="alignnone" width="768"] The words of the Magna Carta were on the walls of the new vault[/caption]

When you enter Lincoln Castle (the grounds are free, but you have to pay to go inside the buildings), you have a few options. You could start by walking around the walls, but I’m going to suggest going directly inside to see the Magna Carta, which is held in a brand new vault.

You enter this by crossing an old Victorian exercise yard (used when the castle was in another guise, as a prison). Keep going down some stairs, past a really gorgeous display of Barons’ shields, and you are there.

We’d recommend that you start by watching the introductory films. There are two of these and while one explains the story of King John and the reasons behind the signing of the “great charter”, the other looks at its significant over the many years since. It’s really quite moving to see how it had a huge influence on so many different people from so many countries.

We thought these films were very well done and actually gave you the information and historical context needed. We have been to many historical places, and found ourselves dismayed by all the glitz and interactivity offered without also offering any basic explanation of why you might want to be there. The Magna Carta films were far better than this.

After the films we made our way to the darkened room where the documents were on show. I found these fascinating, but if you have younger children, they may not be overly engaged (how interesting can documents be?). Still, it’s worth showing them, if only so they can say they have been. There aren’t many more famous pieces of parchment (oh, and you could drop in an interesting fact: that Lincoln Cathedral's Magna Carta was being exhibited at the New York World's Fair in 1939 when World War II started. The document was kept safe at Fort Knox until the end of hostilities and returned to Lincoln in 1946.)

After visiting the Magna Carta centre we went to see the chapel, which is truly remarkable. It’s a Victorian chapel, built when the castle was a Victorian prison. Those in charge had a very specific idea of how to stop criminality – it was called the “separate system.”

The idea was that mixing together led to the spread of dangerous ideas. Because of this, prisoners were kept isolated, in their cells, while exercising and at meals. The aim was for them to think about what they had done and to repent.

[caption id="attachment_1816" align="alignnone" width="940"] You could only look ahead to hear the chaplain![/caption]

Because of the regime, the prisoners were also kept apart when they went to pray, and that means the chapel is particularly unusual – it’s the kind of place that stays in your head long after you’ve visited.

This is because there aren’t pews, and instead the chapel is made up of separate cubicles, each with a door to separate prisoner from fellow prisoner (protecting them from contamination). This “separate system” chapel is the only one of its type in the world.

[caption id="attachment_1817" align="alignnone" width="768"] The seats were narrow and uncomfortable[/caption]

It felt very strange being shut in these narrow cubicles. All you could do was face ahead, where, of course, in the past you would have listened to the Chaplain each week.

The chapel isn’t all that’s left of the castle’s Victorian phase. You can also visit the main part of the old prison and into the cells too.

These have been very cleverly done for visitors, with some containing the type of activities prisoners would have got up to (you can have a go at the tedious task of picking oakum - separating strands of rope) and others which screen videos of real people’s stories and ask what kind of punishment viewers think they should get.

You can find out about the lives of the governor or surgeon and read about the punishments people were given when they misbehaved while inside (for such crimes as being “insolent.”). You (or your children) can also dress up as a prisoner or member of staff

Lincoln Castle is not the kind of place for a quick visit, but I can only see that as a positive. It also contains a remarkable sarcophagus, and the courthouse is still a working building, where Lincoln Crown Court hears criminal trials.

But I think I loved the walk around the ramparts the best. We were blessed with gorgeous weather and collected our audio tours before we set off. These were excellent and we all enjoyed walking around at our own pace and finding out such a lot about the history of this old fortress (visited by Henry VIII with his bride, Catherine Howard, in 1641). It’s not often that you can see a castle from 360 degrees.

The views were brilliant, especially from the castle’s east wall battlements which you look straight across at the soaring spires of the Cathedral. It is also possible to stand just where public hangings were once cheered on by the crowds below and go down into the dungeons.

[caption id="attachment_1820" align="alignnone" width="940"] The castle with Lincoln Cathedral behind it[/caption]

Further along you can also go up, to the observatory tower (not for those who don’t like heights)  and walk through the Lucy Tower, which was a burial ground for prisoners hanged at the castle. It’s a quiet place now, and we all sat down for some contemplation.

We really enjoyed our trip to Lincoln and loved Lincoln Castle. It was terrific to see its many guises over the years, to gaze upon the Magna Carta, walk into that very odd chapel and marvel at the views. And we would definitely return!

Lincoln Cathedral is open every day from 10 to 5pm (from October to March, it closes at 4pm). The Medieval Wall Walk costs £5 per adult, £3 for children, or £13 for a family (two adults and up to three children), while an all inclusive ticket for the castle (including ghte prison, Magna Carta and Medieval Wall Walk) cost £12 per adult, £7.20 per child or £31.20 for a family. This includes a free return visit within six months. As I mentioned it’s free to go into the grounds and we saw lots of families there playing, many who had obviously taken a picnic. This seems a great idea and could well be a lovely way to spend a few hours.

Read JESSICA'S POST ON WHAT ELSE TO DO IN LINCOLN (there's a lot!)

 

We've joined up with The Weekly Postcard. Head over there for some more travel posts with great views!

 

An unforgettable speedboat experience on the River Thames (by Robert)

Robert, who's 10, writes:

My family and I have seen London from high up, a tour bus and from simply walking around, but I had never seen London like I did a few weeks ago.  Dad and I saw the wonderful city on a boat and it was brilliant.

The Canary Wharf Experience wasn’t just a tour; that was only the beginning. The boat ride was actually split into three sections: the informative tour, the adventurous ride and the relaxing trip.

1.The tour

After putting life jackets on and climbing into a small boat called a rib boat, that could fit 12 people, we set off on our journey. The tour guide who was standing at the back by the driver was extremely good and funny. Whenever we passed a building, he would explain in detail what that structure was. He told lots of jokes during the trip and nearly all of them were funny. When we passed a scene from a James Bond movie the 007 theme tune came on.

One of the great things about the ride was that whatever you missed on the first trip going away, would be on your side for the way back. That means you didn’t miss anything. And I mean anything! We could see every landmark from Buckingham Palace to the London Eye and we had the most amazing view of the Houses of Parliament. Then when we passed Tower Bridge we had...

[caption id="attachment_1772" align="alignnone" width="940"] We saw the Tower of London![/caption]

2.The ride

We were peacefully gliding along when the tour guide said "Now we’re going to go a bit faster."

And by a bit, he meant a lot.

Soon enough we travelling at 40 miles per hour with the wind blowing in our faces when the boat tilted on its side and we were so close to the water. Then it did the same on the other side and we were really high up. Nobody was suspecting this and I got a real shock when the boat turned vertically.

This happened again and again on top of the speed, plus near the end the boat was lifting off the water and with a splash, it then came back down again.

This is not something for the faint hearted, as it is like a rollercoaster or fast ride at a fun fair. During all the commotion Walking on Sunshine was played which made it even more lively. Then the boat became slower and we started the...

[caption id="attachment_1773" align="alignnone" width="940"] I loved it when we went fast[/caption]

3.The time to relax

The final part of the boat ride was a nice peaceful trip where you looked at all the beautiful scenery while listening to Skyfall. This was a really nice way to end.

[caption id="attachment_1790" align="alignnone" width="940"] It was all such great fun![/caption]

Overall, the Thames Rib/Canary Wharf experience was great and I could do it again and again, It would be a brilliant, special birthday present for someone. Unlike other tours it had so much to it and I think you should definitely try it out. But just remember not to pull the red chain or it’s a £70 fine and bring a towel just in case for afterwards, as you get quite wet.

Disclosure: Brian and Robert tried out the Unforgettable Canary Wharf Experience For Two In London as part of a Tinggly Experience. Tinggly offers different travel experiences from around the world (in over 80 countries) offering a gift voucher to anyone who wants to take part. There are three different options, Essential for €69, Premium for €99, and Ultimate for €249. The hundreds of experiences range from a two-day Chitwan Jungle Safari experience in Nepal, to creating your original perfume in Grasse, France or a thrilling experience with Aston Martin across the United Kingdom. Visit their website for more!

 

More by Robert on London:

The Monument to the Great Fire of London

A backstage tour at the National Theatre

 

Should you try out Meet & Greet parking?

Our most recent holiday was always going to be splendid, involving a luxurious hotel (the Domes of Elounda, which we will write about soon) in a beautiful place (Crete). However, I did have one major concern, which worried me even before we were going to leave the country. And that involved how we would get to the airport.

We were flying to Heraklion Airport, going via Gatwick and coming back on a bank holiday Monday where there was the risk of a rail strike. My husband and I decided we should drive to the airport in case the strike did go ahead, but this meant the risk of traffic jams, then all the hassle of airport parking. It was not a very cheery thought.

Ah yes, airport parking. In my experience this involves stress and rush. At least until now.....

I say this because we were really spoilt this holiday. Instead of a frantic drive to the airport then struggling with luggage and children while jumping on a courtesy bus to the airport, we tried out Meet and Greet parking via APH. And I have to say we were impressed.

If you don't know what Meet and Greet parking is, it is exactly what the name suggests - someone meets you and then takes away your car to look after it for a week. Having looked into parking at the main airport car park, we were surprised to find that Meet & Greet was in the same kind of ballpark when it comes to money. And it is rather more relaxing.

We drove to Gatwick the day we were leaving, having already giving APH an idea of when we would get there. We also rang from the car to confirm when we would arrive. Barry was waiting for us in the short-stay orange carpark when we arrived. He was extremely friendly and checked over our car with us (so we would know if anything had happened to it when we were away), noting down any scratches or dents. He also told us that the distance to the depot was seven miles away, so we would see an extra 15 miles on our car when we returned from our holiday.

After filling in the paperwork, he reminded us to take our hats, mobile phones and gloves and wished us a good holiday! It was as simple as that. We were off to check-in, with no transfer to a minibus or hassle at all. We all felt remarkably relaxed, and we knew our car was safe.

[caption id="attachment_1787" align="alignnone" width="940"] Barry was helpful and friendly![/caption]

On our return to Gatwick, it was similarly straightforward. We rang APH when we were in baggage reclaim and another Barry (maybe only men called Barry are allowed to work at this company) met us in the orange car park with our car. It was all incredibly quick and I have to say, it really did take away one of the negatives I associate with holidays. There is simply so little stress with this method and it is also something we would try again. Plus I think it would be even more rewarding if you had small children and all the paraphernalia that involves....

[caption id="attachment_1788" align="alignnone" width="940"] We look quite relaxed for a return from holiday, don't we?[/caption]

Disclosure: We tried out APH's meet and greet parking on a complimentary basis, but the company had no input into this blog post. One week’s Meet & Greet airport parking at Gatwick Airport with Airport Parking & Hotels (APH) costs from £74.95. To book, visit www.aph.com or call 01342 859536.

Five Cool Places to Eat in London

Jess, who's 13, writes: Having lived in London my entire life, I have definitely had the chance to eat at some great places. These days when we hear about somewhere we think sounds interesting, we sometimes look up where it is and travel there for lunch! Here are five places that serve fantastic food, and are really exciting to visit:

Cereal Killer Cafe

[caption id="attachment_1741" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Outside the Cereal Killer Cafe in Camden Stables[/caption]

The Cereal Killer Cafe is lots of fun to visit, and is located in Camden Stables and Brick Lane. As the name suggests, it serves a variety of cereals, as well as fruit, toppings, milks and pop tarts. Mum and I visited the store in Camden, and both had no idea what to choose from the menu. Eventually, we both decided on different "cereal cocktails" - bowls of a few types of cereal with toppings and milk.

[caption id="attachment_1747" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Mum's "Mint Choc cHipster" cereal concoction![/caption]

I chose the "peanut butter jelly time" concoction, which was peanut butter cap'n crunch, reese's chips and strawberry milk, while mum picked the "mint choc cHipster". This consisted of chocapic, wheetos, mint aero bubbles and mint milk...

Both of our cereals were utterly delicious, and I really want to go again. I loved trying reese's cereal as I had never even seen that before, and there are so many more cereals I want to try. It is also an awesome place to visit, as the shop in Camden Stables has old merchandise on the walls, video games and even actual beds which people were sitting on!

[caption id="attachment_1739" align="alignnone" width="1200"] There were so many cereals to choose from![/caption]

I would definitely recommend the Cereal Killer Cafe to anyone in the area around Camden or Brick Lane, as it was lots of fun, the food was scrumptious, and it was a really different place to visit.

The cost of cereals vary depending on which country they are from and which size they are. Small American cereals are £3, medium sized ones are £3.70 and large bowls are £4.40. Milk is free, and toppings are £0.60. Cereal "cocktails" range from £3.70 to £4.80. 

Melt Room

[caption id="attachment_1743" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Outside Melt Room[/caption]

Melt Room is found in Soho, and serves mouthwatering grilled cheese, as well as salads, soup and breakfast. Mum and I visited for lunch, and both tried grilled cheese sandwiches. While I had a portobello mushroom sandwich, mum tried tuna bean salad. These were both incredibly good, and we loved dipping our melts into the relish we bought.

[caption id="attachment_1742" align="alignnone" width="1200"] A delicious portabello mushroom grilled cheese sandwich[/caption]

It wasn't too busy, and we were able to get our food really quickly. The music was quite loud, but the grilled cheese was so good that it didn't really matter.

Melts from Melt Room cost between £3.50 and £5.00, and the Classic cheese Melt is £4.00.

Chin Chin Labs

I always visit Chin Chin Labs when I am in Camden with my friends, as everything tastes brilliant and it is really exciting to see your ice cream being made in front of you. Chin Chin Labs serves delectable ice cream that is made in front of you, using liquid nitrogen. In fact, it is "Europe’s only Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Parlour"...

[caption id="attachment_691" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Chin Chin Labs is in Camden, North London[/caption]

The ice-cream bases are prepared in liquid form and the nitrogen is added to freeze it straight away. The shop is like a chemistry lab, and there are clouds of steam billowing everywhere. It is always a really exciting experience, and the ice cream is always super.

[caption id="attachment_690" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Watching the making of the ice-cream is quite an experience[/caption]

 

I have tried flavours ranging from fig jam doughnut to Christmas tree, and the flavours change every week. There is constantly chocolate and vanilla on the menu, as well as two interesting flavours. One of these is always vegan, meaning that we can take Robert along too!

[caption id="attachment_1750" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Delicious ice cream served with scrumptious toppings - my favourite is the grilled white chocolate.[/caption]

It is so much fun to go to, and you should definitely give it a visit if you are in the area. I wrote a review of the shop here.

Ice creams from Chin Chin Labs are either £3.95 or £4.95, and come with a topping. 

Boba Jam

I'd never tried bubble tea before I visited Boba Jam near Leicester Square, but I was surprised at how delicious it is. Boba Jam is my friend's favourite shop for bubble tea, and she says that she has drunk a lot of it over the years!

[caption id="attachment_1752" align="alignnone" width="1060"] With my green apple bubble tea[/caption]

Bubble tea is essentially a flavoured drink with tapioca balls that you can suck through your straw. It is absolutely delicious, and Boba Jam has so many different flavours. My favourite is green apple, but passion fruit is also really good. Boba Jam also serves lots of different desserts which look fantastic, but I have never tried one.

It is about a five minute walk from Tottenham Court Road Station, meaning that it is really easy to get to. My friends and I normally go there after we've watched a film in Leicester Square.

Regular bubble teas from Boba Jam are £3.60, and the shop also sells dumplings, main meals and desserts.

Wahaca

Wahaca is my favourite place to eat in London by a mile. Their main restaurant can be found near Piccadilly Circus, but they also have stalls in other places, such as by the Thames at the Southbank. Wahaca serves delicious Mexican food, and everyone is lovely and friendly.

There is such a large variety of food - tacos, empanadas, quesadillas and dips all feature on the menu. My favourite things to eat are the pea and mint empanadas and the broccoli in green goddess dressing. Every single time we have been, the service was fantastic.

The desserts are delicious, and it is fun to share lots of different plates with the rest of the family!

Sharing dishes at Wahaca are generally around £4.00, and we tend to share four or five dishes between two people.

 

More by me:

Playing Games at The National Video Game Arcade!

What to do in and around Nottingham (by all of us!)

The National Space Centre, Leicester (by Robert)

Robert, who's 10, writes: You may or may not know that I love space and that is why going to the National Space Centre in Leicester was one of the highlights of my holiday. There were so many things to do, from watching films to launching rockets and I loved every bit.

The ground floor with the shop and cafe was the main and biggest part of the museum with four sections; Exploring the Universe, The Planets, Orbiting Earth and Space now. Each part had a great mix of interactive and non-interactive displays including thing to touch, see and do. Fact boards were scattered around the ground floor, most of which had a variety of objects in a glass cases which were to do with the piece of text. Touch screen computers (or whatever the technology was called) let you play games or watch videos, all of which were relevant to artefacts around it. Some of my favourites were creating my own planet, doing quizzes and seeing the world from up close then zooming out billions of metres.

[caption id="attachment_1764" align="alignnone" width="768"] We learnt a lot![/caption]

Personally I liked learning more by doing the activities provided. There was a reaction test with two levels where you had to hit buttons when they lit up; I wasn’t very good at it! I also enjoyed building a sponge rocket. You had seven different parts to assemble into a rocket and you had to do it inside one minute. Jess and I completed the task in 31 seconds; mum and dad didn’t do so well. There were stars to count, things to make, big bangs to create and even two full sized model shuttles to go into and explore. The centre was great for everyone; mum and dad enjoyed it as much as us.

The Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium was brilliant. Our ticket enabled us to go and see a show called "We are stars". This film was all about how the world was created and as it was a planetarium the story was all around you. It was so well done as an extremely complex science was put into an animation which younger children could understand. It was funny, interesting and some of the pictures of space were just amazing. As the story was in front, behind, above and beside you at some points you felt a bit dizzy but it was perfectly fine. The story was fascinating and I could’ve watched it again. If you go, do not miss it as it only plays at certain times.

One of my favourite bits of the whole museum was the tranquillity star base. After seven stages you found out what position you would be in space, I was a mechanic. At each section your barcode on your ticket was scanned and then you started the next test. There were reaction tests, medical tests, logic tests and more. My favourite was a bumpy simulator where you felt as though you were travelling in space. This ride is six minutes long with a six minute briefing. It is 3D and you get jerked around a lot so you don’t have to go on it. You still get given a role at the end even if you skip a few sections.

[caption id="attachment_1762" align="alignnone" width="940"] Robert gives a weather report[/caption]

Another thing I liked was the weather dome where you presented the weather on the news. You read out lines from a screen in front of you and gestured to the different pictures of countries behind you. After you completed all your lines you went out of the dome and you could watch your video. Remember that this will be the only time to see yourself unless you do it again and also do not speak too fast, as that could mean you are talking about hot weather in Africa while pointing at the rainy UK.

[caption id="attachment_1763" align="alignnone" width="940"] Taking part in a space mission[/caption]

The last three floors were much smaller but had the same amount of facts and information. The journey from the first floor to the top is 42m so you get a great view. On floor one (New Frontiers) you could launch rockets and on floor three (Leaving Earth) you heard all about the space race and Russia’s triumphant first man above earth. Also on that floor was a section which simulated launching a small shuttle. 1-2 people were in the control room and instructed the single person in the shuttle what to do. After a few minutes the rocket “took off”, watch out for the smoke. The fourth floor consisted of Neil Armstrong’s story, a version of guess who and lots of time lines.

Over all It was a fantastic day out and I would really recommend it. You don't even need good weather to enjoy it!

Read about my trip to Space Camp at Kennedy Space Center, Florida!

Disclosure: We visited the Space Centre as guests on a "Family Fun short break" called Stay Play Explore, which is run by Leicester Shire Promotions. There are a range of these breaks, which cost £129 for two adults and two children, and which include an overnight stay in a hotel (we stayed in the Hilton Leicester) and the opportunity to visit three attractions in the area. You can find out more from their website.