After a delicious lunch in The Stables, we wandered through the beautiful gardens towards the hedge maze. A loud speaker was announcing the start of the falconry show. My mind was still on the gorgeous display of tulips and wisteria , but I listened with half an ear. I was watching the sky, hoping that I could make a run through the maze before the next downpour. The falcons were flying between handlers and perching on nearby trees. I paid attention as the trainer announced that they were working on getting the falcons to hunt birds instead of rabbits, because I had noticed some terns flying around.
Surely they wouldn't make a live, in-flight kill part of the display, would they? We followed the falcon with our eyes as it swooped and came down fast on a duck beside the nearby lake. There was a flapping of wings , cloud of feathers and a "Oh, that wasn't supposed to happen," from the trainer. She tried to continue on with the show, assuring us that the duck was fine, while another handler went to retrieve the bird. He had a hard time getting the falcon to release its prey, and when it finally did, it was obvious that the duck was 'not fine'. The lifeless body was quietly slid into a bag and removed from sight.
This was not my first visit to Leeds Castle, and with each visit I am treated to a new experience. I had never before seen such a dramatic falconry display, and neither had I paid the $25 entry fee before. On my first visit, my father took one look at the main entrance to the castle grounds and decided to take a public footpath in the another direction instead. He assured us that we would see the same spectacular views of the castle without the crowds. So we followed the path... right into the back side of the castle grounds. We felt a little bad about entering without paying, so we didn't go inside the castle itself.
The next time I visited I was accompanied by three small boys. I ran around after them, nearly lost them in the maze, and fed them outside on the lawn.
My maze experience was quite different this time with my brother. He seemed to have some inside knowledge or strategy. I followed him blindly and he didn't take a wrong turn. We made it through the maze to the center in record time, then watched others wandering round either looking for a way out, or for their lost children.
My young sons had found little to interest them in the castle itself. Going around with my sister-in-law was quite a change. She is something of a history buff and we spent time reading up on the various past residents back to Henry VIII. We were surprised to find that most of the owners were men who managed to lose all their money and then marry wealthy wives. After using their wife's money to save the castle, they then ran off to a new colony in Virginia, leaving the upkeep of the castle to a woman. Eventually the castle
was sold to a wealthy American heiress, Lady Baillie. She restored the castle to its modern day state before donating it to the British government. Since then it has been used as a diplomatic venue for international peace talks. I imagine that if one can't negotiate peace in such an idyllic setting, then peace must be impossible.
We unhurriedly took in all the distinctly female details of the castle interior: the luxurious bathrooms, the fabric walls of the bedrooms, the inviting library and discrete ladies dressing
room. I am now planning my next visit. If I come with my husband he will want to bring his clubs and spend some time on the golf course. I will look to see what is flowering in the gardens and grounds. And if my sons visit again, who knows what they may then find of interest and what new view might catch their eye at Leeds Castle.
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