From Oban we had a quick overnight stop back in Edinburgh, then took the train south to visit my gran in Doncaster. It was so good to see her and her husband Ken and they very kindly let us stay in their very deluxe motor home in their back garden. This motor home was better equipped than many houses I’ve lived in and was a really comfy place to stay!

We had several very competitive games of Rummikub, saw my aunt and uncle, ate lots of tasty food, and really enjoyed hanging out and chatting. We stayed for two nights, so we had bits of two days and one whole day there. Gran and Ken offered to take us to see one of their favorite castles in the area, so of course we couldn’t say no to that!

They took us to Castle Howard and it was spectacular! The grounds were beautiful and the house/castle is absolutely huge. This castle has been used twice for filming major productions of Brideshead Revisited and part of the upper level had an exhibition about how the filming was done.

We walked through the rose garden and the other beautifully landscaped gardens.

The roses were in bloom

Justin ponders the gardens

Bumble Bee

Then we walked through the house.

Castle Howard!

And it was full of cool old rooms.

Red Room

Blue Room

Dining Room

I may have gone overboard on taking photos of the statues – they were very expressive. So check out the gallery if they seem interesting.

Stained Glass and Statue

Snooty Statue

Statue and Painting

We had a tasty lunch at the restaurant there and then did some more walking on the grounds. We had a little photo shoot.

Ken, Gran, and Me!

Saw the fountain.

Atlas Fountain

And the “Temple of the Four Winds,” which, if you ask me, looks like an awesome place for a picnic.

Temple of the Four Winds

After a totally delicious ice cream it was time to head back. We loved exploring the castle and especially loved having some time to spend with Gran and Ken. We’ll have to be back soon so that someone other than Justin can win the Rummikub!