Today was the first of our excursion days! With their first week of lessons over, it was time for our students to enjoy some time outside of the Cambridge they had come to know over the first week. We set off bright and early at 9am after our hearty college breakfasts. The destination: Hampton Court Palace! Hampton Court Palace is one of the most famous royal palaces in England, with a history spanning over 500 years. The palace is most famously associated with King Henry VIII. All six of his wives lived there at some point, and it’s where some of the most dramatic events of his reign, including the death of Jane Seymour and the arrest of Catherine Howard, took place.
Exploring his apartments gave the students a detailed insight into this rich history, with each room providing an account of what it was used for and how it linked to the larger Tudor story. Lavish dining halls and bedrooms alongside stunning architecture impressed us all, with endless rooms to explore. A particular favourite of mine were the beautiful gardens, especially the Privy Garden! The beautiful landscaping was made even nicer by the nice weather, with students enjoying crepes and ice creams in the sun. With large fountains as the centrepieces of these stunning gardens, the Palace provided us with some truly beautiful scenes. A big hit amongst the students was the hedge Maze – luckily both students and supervisors emerged sucessful and unscathed.
After four hours of exploring the Palace grounds, it was time to head back home to Cambridge. We unfortunately got stuck in the Friday rush hour traffic, making the drive back a little bit longer than usual, and making everyone even more hungry for dinner! The evening gave our students a little bit of free time to grab something to eat and chill out after a tiring day.
Our evening activities included a Nintendo Switch session, which a group of our students thoroughly enjoyed. For many others it was an early night after a day full of fun.
Make sure to follow us on instagram @reachcambridge to see all the action happen, and come back here every day to follow along with our student’s journeys!
