Warwick Castle has it all!! (Warwick Castle)

Member Name: KELLY170980

Product:	Warwick Castle
Date:	23/02/09 (382 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It caters for all ages and tastes

Disadvantages: Some steep steps, can be pricey

Warwick castle is a beautiful medieval castle, It was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 and is a gorgeous piece of English heritage, I'm not going to bore you all with too much history of the place as you could easily see that on Wikipedia etc, so I will try and explain more from a family day out point of view and will also mention the experience I have encountered on the more corporate and entertaining side of the venue. (I hope that makes sense )

I do not live too far from Warwick so I have visited the castle many times both as a child and now as a mother myself, the castle can be seen from all around the town and is built next to the river Avon, on top of a hill and is truly a most charming site you could hope to see, its signposted very well throughout the town and also travelling there, (M40) you will not miss the numerous signs.

It currently belongs to the Tussards group whom brought it in the 70's, and over the years its become a lot more commercial and is one of the UK's most visited attractions now, although I do not feel this detracts from the beauty and magic of the castle.

When I was a little girl my parents took me there many times, especially in the summer for picnics etc and I can remember vividly finding it so spellbinding and used to imagine I was a princess and there were magical fairies all around the castle, and id be running around while my dad pretending he was a dragon and my brother would try and slay him, its just the most beautiful and magical place and I have so many fond memories of visiting there as a child.

Upon visiting there now with my children, I have tried to recreate some of the good times I had their as a child, and thankfully it has worked, my children love having picnics in the grounds and also love role playing, they are a prince and a princess, and this time its mummy who is the dragon and daddy is the king..... did not bargain I would end up as the dragon, but oh well!! I think the grounds of Warwick castle are the best thing in my opinion and me and my family love this part of Warwick castle the best.

The castle has many other things to offer such as;

Brilliant displays of furniture and tapestries

Dungeons and torture rooms

Grand and stunning stately rooms (there is a lovely display of a running bath, and you can smell the lavender going into the bath, it's so lovely)

Ghost tower ( don't take the little ones up, my daughter screamed her lungs out ...maybe because her big brother had his jumper over his head shouting "ooooooooooooo" at the top of his voice pretending he was a ghost...little monkey!)

Numerous towers to climb and ruins to explore (wear comfy shoes and also be careful as some of the stairs are very narrow and quite dangerous for small children or elderly people)

Weapon collection featuring armour, swords etc

There are load more great things to see and experience other than those already mentioned for e.g. there is now a new playground for the children which is really nice, it has a castle type themed playgym with swings, slides, the nets to climb up etc. It's very safe and my children really loved it.
There are also some seats nearby for the mummies and daddies to have a rest, or in my hubbies case a sleep!! Can not take him anywhere!!
I am looking forward to going again soon, as I would really like to experience the playground again in better weather and also in a few weeks time they open the new exhibition of the castle dungeon, and I would love to go and see that.

Anyway in summary it's a great day out for all ages, and myself and my family always thoroughly enjoy ourselves, it can be whatever you want it to be, whether that be informative, relaxing, creative or whether you are like us and pretend to be princesses and dragons etc....its all good fun.

****Other info****
Prices are as follows
Adult 16.95
Child 10.00 (this is for children four to sixteen)
Senior 11.95 (60 +0
Student 14.95
Disabled/carer 8.50
Family 45.00 (2 adults and 2 children)

If you book online though you get an extra 10 percent off.

Opening times
5th January - 3rd April 2009 10-5
4th April - 1st November 2009 10-6

(Another tip is if you save up your club card vouchers or I think nectar might do them as well, then trips like this can be funded through them)


****The corporate and dining experience with Warwick Castle********

I work for a large company who's head office is in Warwick, so we tend to have quite a few events and meetings etc at Warwick castle and I must say they are absolutely fantastic and well worth every penny spent.

Some of my colleagues have experienced both the kingmakers banquet and also the highwayman's dinner and both experiences were absolutely brilliant, especially the highwayman's one.

Myself and my family really would like to try out there new event for this year, it's the dungeons after dark the description of the evening is as listed below, and it sounds great. I know the prices are quite steep but for a night out, especially for a special occasion I think its well worth it. I have put all details below as I thought being such a new event then most people may not have heard of it, and thought it would be of interest to some fellow dooyooers.

****The Caste Dungeon evening****

Do you dare enter The Castle Dungeon after dark?
Deep in the heart of the Castle courtyard lies The Castle Dungeon where the plague is taking no prisoners.
Prepare to experience the darkest, bloodiest and most frightening times in Warwick Castle's history. The Castle Dungeon will provide the ultimate evening of scarily good entertainment complimented by plenty of food and wine, if you still have the stomach for it!
Private tours, drinks receptions and evening dinners are all great ways to experience Warwick Castle's newest attraction. Stay close together and beware, things get more sinister after dark.

The package costs £49.00 per person (inclusive of VAT) and includes:

* A trip through The Castle Dungeon

* A delicious three course dinner served in the Castle's Undercroft by candlelight

* Unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks throughout the evening meal, which may come in handy for steadying your nerves!

The evening starts at 7.15pm and concludes at 11pm

**Menu***

tomato & sorrell broth
~
chicken wrapped in smoked bacon topped with puff pastry cranberry red wine jus served with potatoes and seasonal vegetables
individual pepper stuffed with leek and mushroom risotto (vegetarian option)
~
cherry & apple crumble served with cream
coffee & traditional fudge

(As per details on www.warwickcastle.co.uk)

I would defiantly recommend any company whom are looking for a teambuilding event also to check out the website as they cater for many needs and their customer service is amazing.

Anyway whether you are looking for a family day a corporate event a romantic or entertaining evening, Warwick castle has it all.

Summary: Great day out for all and they have some breathtaking events on offer.