title	A Trip to Harry Potter World, Leavesden, Hertfordshire - 16th February 2020
intro	Part of the Boys' Christmas present was tickets to Harry Potter World - the tour of the actual sets and props at the Warner studios in Leavesden. The tour is on the Sunday afternoon, but it's half term so we stay over at a Premier Inn which is just off the M25 and only a few miles away. It's a surprisingly interesting tour, and some of the sets are highly impressive in their scale and attention to detail. Hogwarts' Great Hall, for instance, has a real stone floor, whilst Gringott's bank is full of realistic fake marble and massive chandeliers. One of the highlights is the model at the end of the whole of Hogwarts - the detail is just stunning - whilst the lowlight has to be the weather on the way out: the rain is horizontal and shreds our faces as we walk across the exposed car park back to the car. But first we get a late lunch in the next-door Beafeater, where the service is sporadic but the location is great, as it's in an old mill with a still working (well, it goes round) waterwheel.
imgp9248	We pile out of the car
imgp9250	Isobel looks back as we check in
imgp9252	Harry installs himself in the room
imgp9253	Heading off to the restaurant in the rain
imgp9255	The mill's water wheel
imgp9257	Fred and Nosher play dominoes
imgp9258	A duck waddles around outside
imgp9259	Fred roams around getting some photos
imgp9261	We head back to the room for a bit
imgp9263	Abbey Road outside the studios
imgp9264	Harry and Fred
imgp9265	Isobel takes a photo of Harry
imgp9269	Tourists do selfies outside the studio
imgp9272	One of the Wizard Chess pieces
imgp9274	A massive dragon hangs in the entrance
imgp9279	One of the many "shopping opportunities"
imgp9280	The sweet shop
imgp9281	Sweet flavours, including Rotten Egg and Soap
imgp9288	The gang looks at wands
imgp9291	Fred looks at wands
imgp9295	Harry Potter's home under the stairs
imgp9298	Harry looks at photos of the film's cast
imgp9299	The entrance to the great hall
imgp9306	Hogwart's Great Hall
imgp9307	Some of the film costumes on display
imgp9312	A big fireplace
imgp9315	The Great Hall
imgp9316	Dumbledore's lecturn
imgp9320	There's some impressive tapestry around
imgp9324	A prop in the style of Brighton Pavillion
imgp9326	The boys look around
imgp9329	Harry's dormitory
imgp9332	The set outsides are like unfinished buildings
imgp9335	Fred in the mirror
imgp9340	One of the prop makers talks about wands
imgp9348	The common room
imgp9350	A sign from the film
imgp9351	Dumbledore's office
imgp9362	Snape's lab
imgp9365	The Ford Anglia
imgp9368	Tom Riddle's grave
imgp9370	Impressive fake tiles in the Ministry of Magic
imgp9377	Harry and Fred pose by Buckbeak
imgp9382	Fake King's Cross station, real train
imgp9385	Fred pushes his trolley through the wall
imgp9388	The Hogwart's Express
imgp9395	Outside the Railway Shop
imgp9400	Stuffed versions of Harry and Ron
imgp9402	An impressive King's Cross
imgp9403	The Knight Bus
imgp9407	Fred and Harry on the Knight Bus
imgp9409	Harry on the bus
imgp9410	Beds on the bus
imgp9411	Privet Drive
imgp9412	The house set only goes so far
imgp9413	A recreation of the letters
imgp9414	4 Privet Drive, and next door
imgp9423	Fred on a motorbike
imgp9432	The gang in the Ford Anglia
imgp9435	A shelf full of troll heads
imgp9438	More prop limbs
imgp9448	The amazing set of Gringott's bank
imgp9451	Fred poses
imgp9459	The locking was so well made it is still going
imgp9462	A pile of treasure
imgp9466	Harry and Isobel in treasure
imgp9468	Fred grabs a sword
imgp9470	Gringott's is destroyed
imgp9474	A dragon convincingly destroys Gringott's Bank
imgp9478	Diagon Alley
imgp9480	Harry presses his passport
imgp9482	Roaming around on Diagon Alley
imgp9493	A story-board artist shows off some stuff
imgp9494	Harry and Isobel look at story boards
imgp9496	The amazing Hogwart's model
imgp9502	The model detail is incredible
imgp9515	A collection of paints and textures
imgp9523	Millions of wands in boxes
imgp9526	We get a foretaste of the lashing rain
imgp9531	We warm up a bit in the bar
imgp9536	Harry and Fred are on devices again