Although the village itself is tiny, with 4 main streets that you can circle in less than 15 minutes, it's the perfect place to spend the day exploring. And y'all know by now that my daycation partner-in-crime is Sara.
We had been wanting to take a mini vacation before I went back to the states for Christmas break because come January, I'm going to be living in the library frantically finish up my papers, and Sara is currently dealing with an impending visa expiration date plus job hunting. With a time and money crunch on our hands, we decided to go somewhere nearby – enter Lacock. She had never been so it was my turn to play tour guide! (She has multiple history degrees, it's hard to compete)
After an easy-peasy train journey and speedy taxi through the English countryside, we arrived just as the town was waking up and had the entire abbey cloisters and grounds to ourselves for a while. The abbey rooms are only open on Sundays, so unfortunately I still have yet to see them – but I'll take any excuse to return here!
The abbey was founded in the 13th century, but most importantly – it served as Hogwarts for several of the Harry Potter films including a potion's dungeon, housing the Mirror of Erised, and several corridor shots, among others. If you're a fan of the movies, you'll instantly recognize scenes as soon as you step into the cloisters.
This time around, the village and abbey were decorated for Christmas! Not a door to be found sans-wreath...
Not wanting to leave out any Harry Potter sites, we strolled over to the Potter's home (from Sorcerer's Stone, not Deathly Hallows), and paid Slughorn a visit too.
Sniff, right in the feels.
We got there by apparating of course...
One of my favorite things about Lacock is how much of a bubble it is. As I mentioned in the previous post, the village is owned entirely by the National Trust and in order to live there, you have to have proven lineage of your family in the village. After hundreds of years of the same families living there, it's hard to imagine that they don't know a thing or two about their neighbor! At the same time, the vibe is extremely warm. Lots of homes and businesses promote their goods for sale on their front porch and simply ask buyers to slide their payment through their letter box. Honor system at it's finest.
We decided to venture out past the main roads and check out the surrounding streets and fields. We were greeted with bubbling streams, picturesque back gardens, rolling hills, and lots of sheep.
On our way out of the village, I spotted this precious pup tucked away on top of a sofa, curiously watching passerby's and probably wondering why a girl with a camera was squealing at them.
I love you lots, Lacock. Now I just need to find a local to marry so I can live there when I'm old and grey.
Do you have a favorite village or tiny town you like to escape to?
