Visiting Hogwarts

Haven’t you always dreamed of receiving a letter from a school of
witchcraft and wizardry on your 11th birthday? Or wished you could drink a
small vial of liquid luck and turn your life around? While the world of Harry
Potter may be a fictional one, there are certain real life places that you can
visit to feel the magic that went into bringing those beloved characters alive
on the big screen.

While some of the Harry Potter experience can be lived in the
filming studio where the movie was shot i.e. Warner Bros.’ Wizarding World of
Harry Potter or at the Harry Potter themed park in Florida, this article
particularly focuses on a location of timeless beauty, situated in the heart of
England – the Alnwick Castle

The Alnwick Castle is one of the many real life locations of the
Harry Potter movies, specifically Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. In
the movie, one can identify certain scenes where Harry, Ron and their friends
are flying around the castle on their broomsticks. The Alnwick Castle is
situated in Northern England, not too far from Scotland, and was the home to
the Duke of Northumberland’s family – The Percys.

The Alnwick Castle was possibly selected due to its charming,
antiquated appearance. The exquisite exterior walls of the castle, along with
the high turrets and the view of rolling green grass in all directions that the
eye can possibly see also contributed to its eclectic, enchanting features. The
Alnwick Castle is surrounded by velvety green grass that has been dotted with
various tall trees. A large number of sheep and other cattle use its grounds
for grazing. The pathway leading up to the stables is lined up with delightful
fountains, giving the location an ethereal, other worldly appearance. Because
of these qualities, long and panoramic shots could look truly majestic. These
characteristics become evident in the shots with the broomsticks flying across
the sky with the castle grounds as the most perfect backdrop.

The fact that the Alnwick Castle was used as a filming location
for this movie added to the number of tourists the castle was visited by each
year. The Alnwick Castle is a famous tourist spot and is often combined with a
visit to the Holy Island or the Viking Coast. The Alnwick Castle has received
generally favourable reviews from its visitors, who mention that there is the
option to enter the castle through the “Hogwarts Gate”. The visit is
accompanied by a whole lot of entertainment experiences. Apart from being able
to learn the history of the Percys and view the lovely State Rooms, one is also
able to have the broomstick experience or the dragon quest. Reviewers state
that both of these, especially the broomstick training. It gave adults and
children reason alike to laugh and have a wonderful adventure. Apart from
engaging in this, one can also take the film tour at the castle, or witness
jousting and the sparring of knights, which can transport one back to the
medieval times.

The tour of the Alnwick Castle can easily take up half your day,
more information for which is available online. Apart from enjoying the Harry
Potter experience, one can simply have a good time by taking a picnic basket
along and sitting on one of the picnic tables on the castle grounds that
overlook the river. As a filming location, Alnwick Castle has generally
received a 5 Star rating. Have you already visited this location, or any other
where a film was shot? We’d love to hear more about it, and what all the
location had to offer!