Warwick Castle Visit

Castles always bring me back to Disney-driven childhood fantasies of being a princess carried off by a handsome prince on a white horse, so I was thrilled when a coupon/voucher offering 2-for-1 admission to Warwick Castle arrived in the mail a few months ago. Although D grew up near here, he had never been to visit it as a child, so he was interested in it too. The castle, which claims to be England's best preserved Medieval castle, is only 25 minutes drive from where we live in southern Birmingham, so when New Years Eve day arrived bright and sunny, we decided to drive over and give it a go.

When we first entered the grounds around noon it was still fairly quiet, but I was nervous that the whole experience would be boring for adults since there seemed to be prams everywhere, and a Disney-esque quality to some of the displays. Luckily, once we passed through the courtyard and entered the main castle building through the Great Hall decked out with Christmas decorations, I was pleased to see the traditional hallmarks of a Norman castle in full display--swords, armor, massive antique furniture--and not a Swashbuckling Micky Mouse in sight. Many of the rooms featured wax 'mannequins' dressed in period clothing and they were so life-like that in my photos the rooms appear to be filled with costumed performers!

We wandered through all of the rooms in the castle, then walked up the "Mound" to the original castle ramparts for a better view of the grounds. Behind the castle walls we watched as the falconry master flew several hawks and falcons over our heads and demonstrated medieval hunting techniques using birds of prey. Following the demonstration we wandered through the Peacock Park and got closer to a dozen peacocks than I have ever been in my life! After a stroll along the castle waterfront, and through the old water-wheel/electric mill, we hiked back up to the castle entrance and took the stairs up onto the castle ramparts.

Winding up about 100 stairs in the highest castle turret was a little claustrophobic, but the view was worth it--we could see all of Warwick town and the surrounding villages. All in all it was a great way to spend a couple of hours--even on a bitterly cold day.

Since it was New Years' Eve, we didn't want to stay too late, but went for a late lunch at a charming pub in Warwick village called The Zetland Arms Hotel before heading home. The room was cozy and the food turned out to be fantastic--D had a plate of faggots & peas with mashed potatoes, and I had a grilled sausage & stilton cheese panini sandwich. We were two very satisfied customers!

Bonus #1: The castle admission office was doing a promotion giving away a voucher for an extra visit in 2010 with every adult ticket purchased in 2009, so I can go back again in the spring when it's warmer.

Bonus #2: I got to ride away from the castle with my very own price charming beside me.