★★★★
NEWS 21
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Travel
readertravelholidays.com
LEGOland is
built for fun
Festive
Breaks
York
fr
£109om
.95pp
for 2
day
s
St Nicholas
Christmas Fayre
& Christmas at Castle Howard
Departing 26 November 2011
Come with us and play your own part in festive
history at York’s bustling marketplace of sweets
and treats, and then enjoy the decorations and
festivities at majestic Castle Howard.
• Included visit to the York St Nicholas Fayre
• A visit to Castle Howard
• Overnight stay at a 3 or 4 star Yorkshire
area hotel with dinner & full English breakfast
• Return coach travel from Liverpool, Southport
& Birkenhead
AMAZING: The fantastic Miniland in the theme park and inset, right, Nina and James in front of a model of Mount Rushmore
Windsor provides a
fun-packed weekend
for Jane Haase
and family
I
’VE got a treat for you,” I
told my seven-year-old son
James. “Where have you
always wanted to go?” I
quizzed him, secretly
confident of the answer.
“The Wizarding World of
Harry Potter!” he replied
excitedly.
“Er, no. Try again.”
“Disneyland Paris,” he
ventured.
“Er, no. Try again.”
“LEGOland.”
At last. “Yes,” I cried, and
such is the enduring appeal of
LEGO James was genuinely
delighted that was our
destination. He has shelves
groaning with complex Star
Wars and Harry Potter models
made from the colourful bricks
and happily spends hours
constructing them.
Located in Windsor, the theme
park is a good three hours drive
from Liverpool so James, little
sister Nina, hubby and me
decided to make a weekend of it.
We stayed at The Christopher
Hotel in nearby Eton, home of
the famous college which
includes David Cameron and
Boris Johnson among its old
boys. A former coaching inn, it
was slap bang in the middle of
elegant Eton High Street with its
pretty hanging baskets,
surrounded by antique shops,
art galleries and restaurants.
And it is just a stone’s throw
from Windsor, a short walk away
Chatsworth
House
fr
£109om
.95pp
for 2
days
& Lincoln Christmas Market
Departing 3 December 2011
Come and experience a Christmas season
inspired by the rich culture and traditions of
classic ‘Christmas Carols’ at Chatsworth House
whilst with over 300 stalls, Lincoln Christmas
market set against the backdrop of a magnificent
Cathedral and a castle has a magical English
festive atmosphere.
• Included visit to Chatsworth House
• A visit to Lincoln Christmas Market
• Overnight stay at a 3 or 4 star South Yorkshire/
East Midlands area hotel with dinner
& full English breakfast
• Return coach travel from Liverpool, Southport
& Birkenhead
TRAVEL FACTS
Jane Haase and family stayed at The
Christopher Hotel in Eton.
The hotel, pictured right, offers a
LEGOland package which includes one
night's accommodation and a two-day
family pass for two adults and two
children in a junior suite starting from
£322. For a room only prices start from
£154 (based on double occupancy).
For further information visit
www.thechristopher.co.uk , or call 01753
852359.
Tickets for LEGOland are adults
£41.40, children £32.40 for day passes.
Go to www.LEGOLAND.co.uk
across the pedestrian bridge
over the River Thames, making
the hotel an ideal base for
visiting Windsor Castle, nearby
shops, or simply taking a boat up
the Thames and feeding the
many hundreds of swans which
linger around the bridge.
Our family hotel room was
comfortable and stylishly
decorated with a sofa bed for the
children. We enjoyed a lovely
evening meal in the hotel’s
smart restaurant, seabass for me
and delicious calves liver for my
husband, while James and Nina
had penne and chicken breast
and chips from the decent
selection offered on its children’s
menu.
On Saturday morning we
collected our theme park tickets
from the hotel reception and it
was a short 10 minute drive to
our destination. James could
hardly contain himself as we
waited for the gates to open at
10am.
Fantastic life-size LEGO
models are dotted everywhere
from the dinosaurs that greet
you at the entrance to the
amazing knight in armour and
his horse near The Dragon
rollercoaster ride.
Covering 150 acres of parkland
a handy map helps you navigate
your way around the various
sections of the theme park which
is aimed at 3-12 year olds.
There are 55 rides as well as
the fantastic Miniland which is
worth the entrance fee alone
with its small but perfectly
formed models representing
countries and cities around the
world. There are iconic London
landmarks like Buckingham
Palace and Canary Wharf Tower,
which at 5.2 metres tall is the
largest model in Miniland and
took three model makers 850
hours to complete using 200,000
LEGO bricks. There’s an equally
impressive Edinburgh Castle;
Italian ruins; Dutch windmills
and a smoking Space Shuttle
about to be launched from a mini
Cape Canaveral.
First on our list of rides was
the new Atlantis Submarine
Voyage attraction. You climb
into a mini submarine and are
taken on a journey to see the
City of Atlantis where real zebra
sharks and fish swim by model
mermaids and a huge King
Neptune made out of 100,000
bricks.
There’s plenty to do for all
ages from panning for gold in
the Pirates’ Training Camp to
shooting skeletons and spiders
in the Laser Raiders ride.
We got wet on the log flume
and took part in a rescue at The
Fire Academy.
Queuing can be a problem but
we targeted the more popular
rides at the start and end of the
day so our shortest wait was
about 10 minutes and our longest
45. Qbots are available to cut
waiting times but are pricey at
£15 per person.
And as for James he was more
than delighted with his holiday
treat. “What would you give it
out of 10?” I asked.
“A million!” came the reply.
Grassington
fr
£109om
.95pp
for 2
days
Dickensian
Christmas Fair
& Christmas at Castle Howard
Departing 10 December 2011
Be part of a fabulous festive whirl through
Dickensian times this festive season at the
vibrant Christmas fair at Grassington.
Christmas shopping at the stately Castle Howard
is a very special occasion too!
• Included visit to Grassington Dickensian Festival
• A visit to Castle Howard
• Overnight stay at a 3 or 4 star Yorkshire area hotel
with dinner & full English breakfast
• Return coach travel from Liverpool, Southport
& Birkenhead
For further information and a FREE brochure call:
0151 227 5987
To make a booking call:
01524 511780
or visit: www.liverpool.reader.travel
OPENING TIMES: MON-FRI 8.30-19.30 SAT 8.45-15.30 SUN 10.00-15.00
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: TRINITY MIRROR NORTH WEST AND NORTH WALES
IN CONJUNCTION WITH: OMEGA HOLIDAYS. ABTA V4782.
SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS APPLY. SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY.