British Vacation - Harry Potter Theme Vacations
By Louise Kasemeier

If you are disappointed at the delay to the 6th Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince, comfort yourself by planning a British vacation to tour some of the amazing locations used during the filming of the earlier movies. Here are a few of the most memorable scenes and where they were filmed.

Christ Church, Oxford - Hogwarts Dining Hall

Christ Church is a college at Oxford University. A double of the Great Hall was used as Hogwart's Dining Hall where the sorting ceremony took place. As Harry enters Hogwarts for the first time, the students are greeted by Professor MacGonagall. This scene was shot on the 16th century staircase which leads up to the Great Hall. J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings and C.S Lewis, author of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and the Chronicles of Narnia also attended Oxford (at the same time...in fact they were good friends). Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland also had a a long association with Christ Church.

Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester - Hogwarts Interior

A church has existed on the site of Gloucester Cathedral for more than 1300 years. The present cathedral is famous for its awe-inspiring Gothic architecture and its' cloisters are regarded as one of the most beautiful architectural features in Britain. The cathedral provides the setting for several scenes in the Harry Potter movies. The cloisters are seen in the Girls Lavatory door in the Troll scene in the film. Pupils from King's School, which adjoins the cathedral, were used as extras. The scene in 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' when the message written in blood is discovered was also filmed here.

Bodleian Library, Oxford - Hogwarts Hospital/Hogwarts Library

The historic Bodleian Library is the main research library of Oxford University. Both Duke Humfrey's Library and the Divinity School were used as some of the interiors at Hogwarts. The Divinity School, with its stunning Gothic vaulted ceiling was used as the Hogwarts infirmary/hospital in several scenes. Duke Humfrey's Library was used as the setting for Hogwart's own library.

Alnwick Castle - Hogwarts Castle Exterior

Alnwick Castle is located in the far north east of England, close to the Scottish border. It is the second largest inhabited castle in England after Windsor Castle, and has been home of the Earls and Dukes of Northumberland since 1309. It has featured in many film and television productions over the years, and was seen recently in the movie 'Elizabeth'. The castle grounds are used as the location for some of Hogwarts' exteriors, for example the scene where Harry and his classmates have their first flying lesson with broomsticks.

Lacock Abbey - Hogwarts Castle Interiors

The beautiful medieval village of Lacock, is in the county of Wiltshire, just west of London. It is is the location of picturesque 13th-century Lacock Abbey. A historic manor house. Lacock Abbey retains its medieval cloisters as well as later Tudor features. The Abbey was the setting for various interior scenes at Hogwarts School. It is near the historic city of Bath, which is also well worth a visit.

Glenfinnan Viaduct - Train Journey to Hogwarts

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has a fantastic scene with the Hogwarts Express train crossing this viaduct. The viaduct is located in the Scottish Highlands. It also appeared in two subsequent Harry Potter films, The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire and has a strong association with the series. Glenfinnan Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the West Highland Line in Glenfinnan, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It was built between 1897 and 1901. The 21-arch viaduct was one of the largest engineering undertakings using concrete when it was built by Sir Robert McAlpine. West Coast Railway Company supplied the engine and all carriages for the film.

Goathland Station - Hogsmeade Railway Station

The station at the pretty North Yorkshire village of Goathland, in the north of England was transformed into Hogsmeade Station by changing the names on the signs on the platform and benches and raising the height of the exterior wall. The station buildings have barely changed since they were built in 1865. The village has a population of around 450 and has a village Post Office, a village school, and several village pubs. Glendale House is a small bed and breakfast, right in the centre of the village where visitors can stay while exploring the area.

Black Park, Buckinghamshire

Black Park is adjacent to Pinewood Studios where most of the Harry Potter sets were created. The park is set within 530 acres of attractive woodland, grassland and heathland with a 13 acre centerpiece lake just north of Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, not far from London. The scene in Goblet of Fire in which Hagrid shows Harry the dragons prior to the First Task was shot at Black Park in mid-February 2005. Also, the scenes near and in Hagrid's Hut in the first and second Harry Potter films were shot here.

Planning a Harry Potter Tour

With half the locations in Scotland and the other half in Southern England (and one in between!), you need to plan at least a two center vacation if you want to see everything. There are plenty of specialist tour companies who run escorted Harry Potter tours annually during the summer. These can be quite expensive and places are very limited.You can also plan your own Harry Potter vacation, which would be considerably cheaper. The best way to do this would be to fly into London and spend a few nights in the area. Oxford and Lacock are within driving distance of London if you rent a car. You could then drive north to Edinburgh which would serve as your base for visiting Glenfinnan and Alnwick. You could also stop at Gloucester and Goathland on your journey up to Scotland (or on your return journey to London). Book flights, hotels and rental car in advance and plan your itinerary carefully before you leave.

If you only want to devote one or two days to Harry Potter, there are opportunites for day or overnight excursions from London (although these obviously won't include the Scottish or Yorkshire locations).

Louise Kasemeier is a Brit living in the US and her blog is here to help people in her adopted country enjoy vacations in her home country.

Visit the British Vacation blog to discover the best places to visit, best places to stay and travel tips for the perfect vacation in Britain!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Louise_Kasemeier
http://EzineArticles.com/?British-Vacation---Harry-Potter-Theme-Vacations&id=1471776

	Maggiori informazioni Iscrivere gratis la mia Azienda Acquistare una MMCard Diventare un Vs. Rivenditore
Nome*:
E-Mail*:
Telefono:
Oggetto:
Codice di sicurezza:*
Testo:*