Castle Howard

I'd wanted to visit Yorkshire for as long as I could remember. Come to think of it, I almost ended up studying in York. I've been to Yorkshire briefly but never actually explored it, not even the lovely city of York, which I passed on the train to Scotland many times. All of that changed a few weeks ago when we found ourselves with a few days free and decided to visit Yorkshire. Surprisingly, all of our travel only serves to increase my appreciation for being back in England. It makes you appreciate how lovely your home city of London is. We had grand plans to see as much of Yorkshire as possible in two days, technically three days and two nights, but trying to fit in York at that time felt a little ambitious - we'll save that one for another day.

On this trip, we booked a cab and headed straight for Castle Howard. We booked a cab from company they were offering economical prices. It was the easiest process through online booking. The driver picked us up from Stansted Airport. He was a gentleman with a kind heart. He drove the car so smoothly. The cab was in the best condition. With the latest technology. We thanked him after dropping him off. An amazing place I'd only heard about a few weeks before and one of England's few privately owned castles

Castle Howard is breathtaking! It's the kind of place you're hesitant to enter because you've spent so much time admiring it from the outside. If the Castle looks familiar, it's because it's appeared in several films. With that, we set off to explore Castle Howard's many halls and rooms. The rooms are decorated for the holidays, with Christmas trees everywhere you look, presents (begging to be taken home with you) in other rooms, and grand beds that make you feel like you've stepped into a special place.

Although the playground was within walking distance, we chose to take the courtesy shuttle, which was a wagon drawn by a tractor and was extremely popular with the kids. I had already reserved a spot on one of the guided tours, but I wasn't sure how long it would last or how interesting it would be, so I decided to see the house on my own first and talk to the guides stationed in almost every room. The guided tour was quite enjoyable, and even better, when it began, the house was closed to the other visitors, so we had it all to ourselves.

This was the first time I'd visited a house that I'd explored on my own before taking a guided tour, and it was a fascinating experience (I usually do the opposite, starting the day with an "early bird" tour and then returning on my own). After exploring the house on my own and then with a guided tour, I can tell you that the tour was sufficient. The only part of the house you should explore on your own is the World War One exhibition, so if you're visiting for the first time, you can spend more time exploring the grounds and let the tour take care of the rest.