A couple of weeks ago we decided to visit Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire (a 35 minute car drive from Tysoe) to try the new garden audio tour post lockdown.
Here’s everything that you need to know for your visit and if you’ve any more questions, just drop it in the comments below!
From July, the Palace State Rooms, Formal Gardens and wider walks were open but buying a ticket online is essential as is booking an arrival time. Annual pass holders also need to book an arrival time. Pleasure gardens are set to open 22nd July.
New garden audio tour
The new garden audio tour is accessible from the Blenheim Palace app website: https://app.blenheimpalace.com/ There’s free wifi to help with connectivity. There’s also a new family treasure hunt.
The audio tour is a 2.2mile walk taking about an hour, simply follow the numbers and listen to each audio clip. There are also signposts through the gardens with QR codes to scan which will play the same clip if you go off-piste as we did. The tour starts at the Boat House, taking in Rose Garden, Cascades Waterfall, South Lawn, Secret Garden, Italian Gardens, Water Terraces and the Lake.
Entering the palace post lockdown
If you opt to enter the Blenheim Palace post lockdown, you’ll walk through with a group of 6 people and you’ll only be in a group with known friends or family.
The Palace has a number of WC facilities open as well as food and drink stops – the Orangery Restaurant offers dine in and the Oxfordshire Pantry for takeaways.
The Palace has other covid-19 measures including using one way systems, operating cashless, additional mobile toilet and catering facilities outside, encouraging guests to keep 2m distance, hand sanitiser stops and staff wearing PPE.
There’s more info via FAQs: https://www.blenheimpalace.com/visitus/covid-frequently-asked-questions/
And good news the Christmas trail is set to return this festive period!