Constitutionally fearless, and an excellent sailor, a voyage was to him the best of holidays, invigorating the body and refreshing the brain.
Froude was already at work on the reign of Elizabeth, and in March, 1861, he went to Spain for two months.

This was the occasion of his earliest visit to Simancas, where he was allowed free access to the diplomatic correspondence and other records there collected and kept.

The advantage to Froude of these documents, especially the despatches from the Spanish Ambassadors in London to the Government at Madrid, was enormous, and it is from them that the last volumes of the History derive their peculiar value.

He used his opportunities to the utmost, and his bulky, voluminous transcripts may be seen at the British Museum.

His plan was to take rooms at Valladolid, from which he drove to Simancas, a wretched little village, and worked for the day.