Warwick Castle- a real castle with armour!!! (Warwick Castle)

Member Name: divegal

Product:	Warwick Castle
Date:	09/11/08 (167 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great day out,local (to me) open all year except for christmas day

Disadvantages: can be pricey for a family if you pay full price

I had not been to Warwick Castle since I was a kid at school (believe me thats a long time ago!) and a friend and myself decided to spend the day there a couple of weeks ago. We had been looking for a day out that wasnt far away (Ilive in Midlands) and didn't cost too much but was also a 'good day out' . In the end we chose Warwick Castle and what a great da we had,

I booked online throughLast Minute.com who were doing a special price promotion. The advert was a bit confusing but I took it to mean 2 people for £10. This was a great saving on the proper price of £15.95 per adult if you pay at the gate or a few pound less if you book in advance. I thought it was £17.95 each when I went but have checked this online and I must have been wrong.

We went on a Saturday and got there jsut after they opened at 10 am and there was a slight queque but not much of a wait. I fully expected the price to be £10 each when i got to the front but no it was 2 for £10 which was an absolute bargain.

On the day I went there were no special events on. At half term and holidays they tend to do things like jousting, falconry displays and things of that nature but we were both still thrilled.

I remember when i went there as a kid going up a really high, wining staircase turret things and was so scared I got a panic attack and wanted to see if I could find it again! We started off by going all up to the top of the towers and walking along a rampart kind of thing. The views from the top were great but it took an awful lot of step climbing to get there so would not be possible for anyone with walking disabilites or heart problems either.

After we had climbed up all the things we could climb up I couldnt find the one I remembered from before but noticed there were a couple of places where you could not access and maybe it had been one of those.

From there we went to the main apartments which were reproduced as a royal weekend party in 1898 given in honour of the then Prince of Wales omplete with Madame Tussaud type waxworks .

The best bit for me though was the Great Hall! Loads of armour and things including knights in armour on horses!! And swords which you can pick up !They are chained to the wall but you can still get a feel for how heavy they were. There are some more rooms here as well with a waxwork of Henry V111 and some of his wives which are very realistic. There are also some lovely stained glass windows on the gallery which I took some lovely photographs of even though that kind of things really doesnt interest me.

Outside there are some gardens which I only visited fleetingly as it was a bit cold and a large hothouse with various large plants in. There is a peacock garden but There were only a couple of peacocks about as they must have been in the warm somewhere.

I also visited the mill house which is where electricy was generated from the river and there is the biggest battery I have ever seen there. This leads to a really nice walk along the river but there are some works been done due to flood damage I think it was said so there is some building works here at the moment.

there are a couple of places which sell hot and cold drinks which were reasonably priced I guess. I cant remember exactly but I think a large cup of tea was about £1.30 ish. If you want food there are a couple of restaurants there which sells hot food but I did not go in either so cannot comment. Toilet faciliteswere pleasant enough and were dotted about so there was always one not too far away.

If you have children there is a childrens play area for them to let off a bit of steam and aghost tower to keep them entertained but there was a queue here so I didnt wait.

All in all it was great day out for adults as well as kids. There is the usual souvenir shop selling replica swords as well as the usual sweets, soft toys and fridge magnet kind of things.

Prices seem to vary depending on when you go and if you book in advance or not. At the moment price on the gate is !15.95 adults and £10.45 children or a bit ess if you book in advance. There is an offer at the moemnt also of £30 for 2 adults and 2 children if you book in advance.

For Christmas they are putting an lots of things. ther are ice sculptured, a groot, christmas trees and treasure trils type of things but check their site or prices as they go up at the end of November. i think they are also having a craft weekend as well.

Its a great place to visit but have a scout about for prices as there are oftren special offers on. Otherwise a family of four could be an expensive day out

Summary: book in advance and save money