Readers, hello! How was your week? Mine was much improved. Last week both my daughters were at home with Covid. This week they are both back at school, and we’re pretty much back to normal.
In between Storm Arwen, freezing temperatures and the tail-end of isolation we haven’t ventured out a great deal.
So this week I’m bringing you a round up of our Harry Potter opus.
I started reading the first book to my oldest daughter in October 2020, and since then we have become immersed in the Potter universe.
She is now a fully-fledged, self-confessed Harry Potter nerd who adores the books and the films, and has enough Potter merch to open up her own shop.
And instead of going abroad this year we stayed in the UK, and found ourselves on a series of Potter-themed trips, adventures and excursions.
So if you’ve got a Potter obsessive in the family, or you simply enjoy the odd-Potter film, here’s some inspo for you for the coming months.
This week’s adventure… travels with Harry Potter
This was our first Potter-stop, back in July. We spent a long weekend in London, which of course had to include a visit to Kings Cross station, where the Hogwarts Express departs from Platform 9 3/4 in the stories.
There’s a cool photo op, where if you jump and take a picture on ‘burst’ on your phone you can get it to look like you’re charging through the wall with a luggage trolley. It’s free to queue up and get a picture.
There’s also a Potter gift shop (reader, you will soon spot a theme) where we picked up a large, snowy owl Hedwig.
Rating: 4/5
Alnwick Castle, Northumberland
We had our summer holiday in Northumberland this year, home to Alnwick Castle, where the first two Potter movies were filmed.
The castle itself is impressive, and we also took in a birds of prey flying display as well as exploring all the displays and a dragon-themed experience.
They offer a movie tour (which we didn’t go on as it was aimed at an older audience) and broomstick training, which we did attend.
It’s quite basic and not licensed by Warner Brothers, so they can’t use any of the official Warner Brothers audio or costumes, but we enjoyed the jovial atmosphere and the chance to take a photo of the girls ‘flying’ on their broomsticks.
Rating: 3/4
Where it all started, Edinburgh
After Northumberland we headed up to Edinburgh for a few days, where we explored Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, the graveyard where JK Rowling would wander for a writing break, and got inspiration for the character names.
We also visited the Elephant Cafe where Rowling would have a coffee while she wrote the books. This is a cool spot, and the toilets are totally covered in graffitti from Potter fans, which my 8yo was thrilled to be able to add to.
Finally we wandered down Victoria Street, where the quirky shops and colourful buildings are thought to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley.
None of the activities cost anything (well, the price of a coffee in the cafe), but there’s a brilliant Potter shop there called Museum Context, where she used her pocket money towards an obscenely expensive Fawkes the Phoenix, which she adores.
Rating: 4.5/5
Harry Potter, A Forbidden Forest Experience, Cheshire
I wrote about our trip here a few weeks ago, and it remains one of my favourite experiences of this year.
It’s a stunning trail which has been created by Warner Bros, so is licensed to use all of the audio, characters and scenes from the film.
My daughter’s sheer wonderment when she cast her own Patronus spell was worth to ticket price alone.
Rating: 5/5
Still to come on my Potter bucket list is the Harry Potter Studio Tour near Watford, and the ultimate dream: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Florida.
Apols if you’re Potter-ed out. You’d think we would be too after this year, but I’ve still got an appetite for more. Which is perhaps why I booked in for a Hedwig-themed Christmas window.
It makes me smile every time I pull onto our drive.
We’re off to Dunham Massey Christmas lights this evening, and we’ll be putting up our tree this weekend too.
Thanks to everyone who’s read this far, you’re my favourite of all the subscribers.
See you next week,
Jenna