A WIZARD HOLIDAY
If you’re taking the kids to the UK for the school holidays, make it magical with a visit to one of these Harry Potter locations.
Harry on the train
Join the queues at King’s Cross station to recreate the moment Harry Potter charged through Platform 9¾ to get the Hogwarts Express. Each day scores of tourists line up at the fake portal to have their photo taken as they “push” their luggage trolley through the brick wall. The attraction has had a permanent position at King’s Cross since March 2012 and is conveniently located next to a Harry Potter shop. Take your own photo for free, or get a staff member to commemorate the moment for you — but be prepared to pay tourist prices for that. kingscross.co.uk/harry-pottersplatform-9-34 Head to the Scottish town of Glenfinnan and ride on the famous viaduct shown in Hogwarts Express scenes. You can take a Jacobite steam train from Fort William to Mallaig during summer months, or regular trains throughout the year. The rail journey is said to be among the finest in the world. visitfortwilliam.co.uk
Harry in the studio
Original sets, props and costumes have all been preserved at the Warner Bros studio where the films were made. Explore the soundstages, ride a broomstick, watch the animatronic creatures, and go where no Hogwarts student was allowed with the new permanent expansion dedicated to the Forbidden Forest. You can also wander down Diagon Alley and stop off for a glass of Butterbeer. Visiting later in the year? Time your trip to see Death Eaters at the Dark Arts exhibition (October 1-November 12), or marvel at the Christmas trees lining the Great Hall and Gryffindor common room for Hogwarts in the Snow (November 18-February 4). wbstudiotour.co.uk
Harry at the theatre
Up for 11 nominations at tomorrow’s Laurence Olivier awards, theatre production Harry Potter and the Cursed
Child is an adaptation of an original story by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne (writer of TV series This Is
England) and John Tiffany (who directed a Broadway production of The Glass Menagerie). The Cursed Child is regarded as the eighth story in the
Harry Potter series. Playing at the Palace Theatre, London, a new release of tickets is available this month. harrypottertheplay.com
Harry on a walk
On Harry Potter walking tours, guides share facts about the books and movies while stopping by many of the Harry
Potter film locations. britmovietours. com/bookings/harry-potter-walk
Harry at church
The cloisters and chapter house of Durham Cathedral, one of the UK’s finest examples of Norman architecture, were seen in the first two Harry Potter films, and can be visited by the public daily. durhamcathedral.co.uk At Gloucester Cathedral adults will be awed by the beautiful building that dates back more than 1300 years, and kids will recognise its corridors and cloisters from scenes from the first two movies. gloucester. cathedral.org.uk
Harry at university
Oxford University is well worth a visit on any trip to England thanks to its impressive history — it’s the oldest university in the English-speaking world and famed graduates include Oscar Wilde, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien. But it’s even more of a drawcard for Harry Potter fans — its famous Bodleian Library, Christ Church College, the Divinity School, and more, have all been used in HP films. ox.ac.uk/visitors
Refresh your memory on all things Harry Potter — each film is screening in chronological order from 11am on Friday 14-Saturday, April 15 on Sky Movies’ Harry Potter pop-up channel.