The best running trails around Combe

I went by on a cloudy day unfortunately, so if you got a picture on a sunny day, please upload it :)

In addition to a tour of the baroque-style castle, there is also an interesting and recommendable exhibition about the British politician Winston Churchill.

Car park opposite Judd’s garage. Wonderful walk must be undertaken

In 1704, Blenheim architect John Vanbrugh set out to create something spectacular across what was then just a marshy brook. The Grand Bridge was the outcome, containing no less than 30 rooms. In 1764, 'Capability' Brown set about improving and landscaping the grounds. His most notable work was the creation of Blenheim's Lake, which submerged the lower stories of the bridge.

The Oxfordshire village of Combe is wonderfully located for some fantastic walks. Nestled in the Evenlode Valley, there are tranquil riverside and woodland trails to the south and west of the village. To the east are the magnificent grounds of Blenheim Park, with its large lakes and superb oak woodland. In the village, the Cock Inn serves good pub grub at reasonable prices and there are a few guesthouses to choose from. St Laurence Church is a Grade II-listed building and dates from the 12th century.

Built between 1705 and 1722, Blenheim Palace is one of Britain's largest and finest houses and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its vast beauty can only truly be appreciated when you explore the 2,000 acres of parkland and walk the corridors of the grand house. Many important historical figures have been linked to Blenheim Palace, including Sir Winston Churchhill who was born there. Tickets for adults cost £28.50 which includes access to various exhibitions, as well as a formal gardens, pleasure gardens, indoor cinema and parkland. If you come by bike, you get a 30% discount! The palace is open from 10.30am - 5.30pm.

Everything about the bridge is extraordinary and much of it is puzzling. No ground plan has survived. All we have is an elevation showing the proposed superstructure in the manner of a viaduct or of the Pont du Garde. Sarah 1st Duchess of M Marlborough vetoed the arcade. ÒI made Mr Vanbrugh my enemy', she wrote, Òby the constant disputes I had with him to prevent his extravagance.' The immensity of the Grand Bridge and its cost was one of the main subjects of their dispute. The Duchess scathingly told a friend that she had counted thirty-three rooms in it, that there was a house at each corner and that what made it so much prettier than London Bridge was that you might Òset in six rooms and look out at the window' while the coaches rumbled over your head. Vanbrugh in its defence went so far as to assure her that if, when it was finished, she found a house inside it she would go and live in it. Nothing was more unlikely; and indeed there is no evidence that it was ever lived in, though some rooms have fireplaces and chimneys, and one large windowless chamber has been plastered and fitted with an elliptical arch as though for a theatre. Old guidebooks describe the bridge as a cool retreat in summer, and no doubt many a picnic was enjoyed in the sunnier rooms. Unfortunately, it is no longer safe to enter now. http://www.camelotintl.com/heritage/historichouses/south_east/blenheim_palace/bpbridge.html

Blenheim Palace is the family estate of the Dukes of Marlborough, one of the largest palace and park ensembles in England. Located on the outskirts of Woodstock in Oxfordshire. Since 1987 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in 1705-1724 in a baroque style, rare for England, designed by John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor as the residence of the first Duke of Marlborough and his wife Sarah. It got its name in honor of the Duke's victory over the French at Blenheim. In 1874, a descendant of the Duke, Winston Churchill, was born in the palace.