Castles and Books for Kids

Check out the non-fiction Eyewitness books - lots if different titles in the series including Knight, Castle, Arms & Armour, etc.

Lots of Castles in Wales. Chepstow Castle is the nearest & about a 40 minute drive from Bath:>https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/chepstow-castle

If visiting Chepstow Castle, you might just as well drive a few miles up the A466 to visit:>https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/tintern-abbey

A bit further into SE Wales is:>https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/raglan-castle

All the above can easily be done in a day from Bath. (Can also be done from Stow-on-the-Wold but that is a bit further).

The Cardiff area has 4 castles = Caerphilly, Castell Coch, St. Fagans (really a 1500’s Manor House & extensive grounds with historic buildings - needs half a day) and Cardiff Castle in the city centre. (Google them).

My grandkids and parents visited Warwick Castle last week and weren't that impressed and felt it was very expensive for what it offered. They described it as a 'tourist experience' owned by the Merlin Entertainments Group who also own Madame Tussauds.

Near by is Kenilworth Castle which is a ruin but has links with Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester and Elizabeth I. He spent a fortune restoring the Norman castle to make it suitable for her short visit.

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kenilworth-castle/

There is also Baddesley Clinton which is a wonderful moated manor house just north of Warwick..

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/baddesley-clinton

Have you thought about Blenheim Palace? Winston Churchill was born here. This is one of the great treasure houses of England and the inside is sumptuous. The grounds are equally as good with the water gardens and secret garden. There is a miniature train to the Pleasure Gardens with adventure playground, maze and butterfly house. The grandkids loved this and preferred it to Warwick.

https://www.blenheimpalace.com/

Chepstow castle has already been mentioned and I love this. Castell Coch is a bit further to drive but is everyone's dream of a fairy tale castle with its turrets.

https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/castell-coch

The inside is a C19th extravaganza designed for the Marquess of Bute and is fantastic - imagine the Arabian Nights... Have a look at the pictures here.

https://www.pooky.com/inspiration/we-love-interiors/amazing-interiors-castell-coch

Cardiff Castle is similar and also belonged to the Marquess of Bute. Both of these knock spots off Warwick Castle!

https://www.cardiffcastle.com/

Usborne do a series of excellent books about castles, knights and armour etc. The grandsons (now 8 and 10) have both enjoyed these books.

Usborne "See inside a castle" by Kate Daynes

Usborne Starting Point History "What were castles for" by Phil Roxbee Cox

Usborne Young Readers "The story of castles" by Lesley Sims.

They also do a range of sticker books which the two younger children might enjoy.

Horrible Histories are great and get the thumbs up for both boys.

When we were at Caerphilly in 2016, they had a pretend fire-breathing dragon. Also a trebuchet.

Any non-Disneylandish castle would contrast to Warwick although it is a nice castle. Near Monmouth, Wales, west of Cheltenham are a series of castle, White, Raglan, Skenfrith, and Grosmont. Some are free to enter as they are more ruins. The roads getting to them can be very narrow, so driving will be slow. Chepstow, Cardiff, Caerphilly, and Coch are also nice castles. Tintern Abbey, already mentioned, is worth visiting. The town of Monmouth is worth stopping in for its bridge. If you go there, you can park for free for an hour in the Waitrose parking lot. Just get a ticket from the machine and put it in the car window. From there, (on foot) cross the Monnow bridge. On the opposite side is St. Thomas’ Church. Across the street from it is an elf house and easy to miss since it’s in the base of a tree. The children would get a kick out of it. Information on Welsh castles can be found at: https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit