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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

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Original poster

Warwick Castle- has anyone been recently?

13 replies

thebountymuncher · 13/01/2011 19:35

DS is 4 in a couple of weeks, and castle mad, so I'd like to take him to one for his birthday. I'd like to go to one with 'stuff' to see and do rather than just a walky round one.

I'm still a bit of a nervy driver (not long been driving) so would like somewhere near(ish) Leicestershire.

Is it any good there?
Are there better ones?

Thanks in advance!

OP posts:

stealthsquiggle · 13/01/2011 19:36

It's good (although expensive), but check carefully what activities are on as some (a lot) of them only run during the holidays (stuff like jousting, birds of prey, etc)

Original poster

thebountymuncher · 13/01/2011 19:42

Thankyou, will ring and find out- be horrible to get there and nothing be happening!

Hope the jousting is on, he'd love it!

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llareggub · 13/01/2011 19:47

There is usually stuff going on at weekends though the jousting is usually only during the school holidays.

We go quite often and there is plenty to do for a 4 year old. Mine enjoy the peacocks most of all.

The castle ramparts are amazing but an incredibly long walk, with quite a few in the dark going up a winding staircase. I've witnessed many children screaming in there because they are so scared and you can only go one way. So I'd leave that if your child is easily scared or gets tired easily.

The food options are quite limited and fairly pricey, so either take your own or leave the castle and stroll across into Warwick itself, where there are quite a few places to choose from. If you get your hand stamped you can go back into the castle with no problems.

cat64 · 13/01/2011 20:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

llareggub · 13/01/2011 20:38

Nectar cards used to work in the car park machine, allowing free parking. I haven't tried it for a while....

Original poster

thebountymuncher · 13/01/2011 21:02

Just looked at admission prices- wow it's a bit steep! Shall take him before his birthday, before he turns 4 and has to pay. And I'll pack some food to take. Not sure about the carpark- have to suck that charge up I think! (Have no nectar card)

Thankyou all for the advice!

I've ordered a castle tin for making his cake in- think I'm a little bit excited myself!

OP posts:

bethylou · 13/01/2011 21:05

Kenilworth castle is a ruin that is about 10mins away from Warwick and I like it more. I know they do activities but you'd need to check what's on at the mo. Sorry not to be more specific.

llareggub · 13/01/2011 21:09

Sorry - I should have said - any old card will do. Annual passholders don't pay for parking, they just need to swipe their card BUT it just clicks people through as the cards don't have a magnetic strip.

Don't tell anyone else though.

Kenilworth Castle is great. I think a castle-mad 4 year old will love it just as much as Warwick, but don't worry about paying for him when he is 4, they don't ask for birth certificates!

amummyinwaiting · 13/01/2011 21:09

Tamworth Castle is open at the weekend and has lots of hands on activities but nobody there doing anything-but it is cheap and you could also go to the castle grounds that has a big adventur castle to play on.

Original poster

thebountymuncher · 14/01/2011 11:58

Ahh... thanks llareggub, shall give that a go!

Shall look into Kenilworth and Tamworth too, thanks for the suggestions bethylou and amummyinwaiting- might go to all of them (not on the same day though!) Will save my poor sofas from being made into castles all the time!

OP posts:

Original poster

thebountymuncher · 14/01/2011 12:00

at my overuse of shall!
Don't know where I've got in the habit of using that all the time- but shall try to stop so much!

OP posts:

blowninonabreeze · 14/01/2011 12:04

Am goig to deviate a little here from the majority it seems,

but I grew up going to Warwick castle as a child (and loved it) and went back last year with the DDs (2 and 4) and IMHO it has become a little too "disneyfied" Its been taken over by the people who own Alton Towers and whilst the actual castle is still very impressive some of the exibits were nausea inducing. (The princess tower springs to mind)

The food places are very very overpriced.

The adventure playground was fun. They enjoyed the castle ramparts.

That said we did go out of season so there was no jousting etc.

Iamcountingto3 · 14/01/2011 12:05

Was just going to say that Kenilworth is sweet. It is more of a ruin, but still clearly a castle - and there's more opportunity to run around and jump off walls (iirc - it's a while since I've done Warwick, although ds has been recently). Likely to be pretty quiet and less hassle parking :-)

Bear in mind (unless it's changed) Warwick also has some bits that are slightly on the scary side for youngster (waxworks etc) - but that does rather depend upon his sensibility! So check out online which bits to avoid.

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