Harry Potter – Hogwarts, Watford (and Edinburgh)

I haven’t read the books and have only watched the films as part of my duty as a caring daughter to my Potter loving Mother. Harry Potter is a small start to my TV/Film travel adventures but I got to start somewhere.

 

http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/

 

The Harry Potter Studio Tour in Watford, London to a Harry Potter fan (I like to call them ‘Potter Nuts’) they would know what prop, costume and set were used in what film and which particular storyline. To an ‘Anti Harry’ aka moi being close to film sets and special effects made the £30 ticket value for money so to a Potter Nut it must have been priceless.

When the doors opened and we walked into the great hall even I was impressed – just don’t look up: Spoiler Alert – no roof, that’s where the computer geeks come into it. I don’t want to spoil the surprises for the Potter Nuts who haven’t been yet but it took my little group of Nuts three hours to walk around ‘Hogwarts’ and some of the videos explaining different parts of the making of the films we didn’t stop to watch them all so this tour could actually last all day.

The tour can be spilt into 2 ½ parts. Part One: Sets, costumes, props and an opportunity to fly on a broomstick or the Weasley car and then you can pay £16 for a photo to prove you did it. The more photos you buy the cheaper they are we brought 5 costing just over £5 a photo.

Part 1 ½ is outdoors, Privet Road, the bus, the motorbike and side car and the bridge where Harry and Voldemort fight it out.  It’s where you can try the Butter Beer at £2.99 for an espresso sized drink (£6.99 if you buy a small beaker with it), but as it was a freezing March day the tea and coffee was a much better choice and price.

With Part 2 there were more special effects mainly puppets and the mechanics on how the puppets/models worked and drawings and cardboard models showing where the filmmaker’s imagination and skills turned JK Rowling’s words into a film set.  Then just before the gift shop there is the Hogwarts model – it will take your breath away. These photos do not do it justice. To me they saved the best till last.

Note to all Potter Nuts save hard because there is a lot goodies in the gift shop; this is your Disney World.  The shop covers everything clothing, toys, food, mugs, fridge magnets, and if you have worn out your books and DVDs you know this shop is fully stocked up. A few price examples on what’s on offer:   £25 for a wand (plenty of wands to choose from) or £4 for a chocolate one.

Only last winter I went to Edinburgh (my first non-boozy weekend there) and walking around the steep streets and the castle shaped old buildings on a quiet Sunday morning I could see where JK Rowling got some of her inspiration. It felt wrong not to have a cup of tea in the Elephant Café where JR wrote some of her Potter stories.  So I’ve had a tea at where it all started and now I’ve been to the building where it all ended.  Maybe I might watch a few of the films again to spot the props we saw on our day out.