Warwick Castle: You have to see it!

Agreed! We took our children to Warwick Castle years ago, and they still talk about how it! It really stands out as a "best castle" for them. When we went some of the trails did not have fences to protect against slipping down steep inclines. My daughter who was 6 at the time slipped, and I caught her before she ended up rolling down the hill. She still talks about that experience.
Barbara

From the castle, cross the little bridge over the river. There is a great atmospheric view of the castle through the trees with the bridge in the foreground

Thanks! We are going with our 10 yr old this summer! I can't wait!

Also you can go over to St. Mary's Church in Warwick (about a 6 minute walk from the castle) and (although its about 4 years since I last did this) pay a small fee to climb the (very tall) tower and from the top you get a good view over the castle - its good for taking pictures. You can also have a look round the church and do brass rubbing too (popular with kids). There's also a small museum in the Market Square (3-4 mins walk from St Mary's, 5-6 mins walk from the Castle) which is either free to enter, or has a low entrance fee. Its the county museum, so don't expect anything spectacular, but it does show the history of Warwick. There did used to be a Burger King in Leamington (the town that is contiguous with Warwick) but it shut down years ago. Not entirely sure why.

I used to go rowing on that river, right under the bridge. It is a beautiful view... but no so appreciated when you're 17, its 5.30am on a January morning, you're being shouted at by an Australian and the river has chunks of ice in :P

Agreed it is a fun day out, especially for kids/teens. My then 14 old son loved it, and if they still do it, do see the jousting show they put on, it was really well done.

We went to Warwick on Saturday, and since it's a Bank Holiday here, it was a complete zoo. Reminded us of Six Flags over Texas during Memorial weekend. We did not enter the castle though. There were too many shows going on, and the cost to get in was ridiculous. Apparently we could have gotten 2for1 with some voucher which we had no idea of. Terribly disorganised at the ticket entrance. Maybe on a quiet day it would be worth the visit. The ambiance around there takes away from the historical aspect in my opinion. More like a theme park.

Fair enough Eli, but should your lack of a voucher and a bank holiday crowd lead to condemnation? If you never went in how do you know what you missed? You're British but were surprised by a bank holiday? And the forecast for Saturday was the only good day in the weekend so most folk would go then.

Warwick Castle is covered by the GB Heritage Pass so the high admission price helps justify the pass for other sites. I would expect any "kid friendly" site in Great Britain to be just as crowded on a Bank Hol as Six Flags Over Texas on Memorial Day. I'd be shocked if it wasn't. I've never been to Warwick Castle but plan on going in September, on a weekday and just as it opens. I suspect this will be one of those sites we just won't have enough time to really see it all (like all day) and will just say we've got to come back later.

Eli, I think you should go again, on a quiet weekday. Warwick is magnificent, and it's a wonder it is still around for us to see. You missed a lot. I can never go to Warwick without walking around, thinking of all the people who have built it or owned it. William the Conqueror, Richard Neville the "Kingmaker", King Henry II, King Richard III(built the Bear and Clarence Towers in the 1480's), John Dudley, and Queen Elizabeth I stayed there several times. And that just gets us to only the 1560's in the history of the castle! Before William the Conqueror, there was a hill fort there in Anglo-Saxon times, built by Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, about 914. Somewhere near the castle runs the old Fosse Way Roman road. I find the history of the place to be so fascinating that for me it is worth going many times. Even if there are children and visitors all around, it would have been that way in medieval times on a holiday, or when there was a jousting tournament going on. Somehow, that doesn't ruin it for me when I go. The money the visitors bring in pays for the upkeep of the castle (to state the obvious). Without that, maybe the castle would have fallen into disrepair years ago, like so many in England. I'd rather put up with the crowds. I agree with Jean-Paul. For those of you who have not been; you have to see it!

The owners say "Bigger than Universal and second only to Disney, Merlin Entertainments brings together LEGOLAND, Madame Tussauds, The EDF Energy London Eye, SEA LIFE, Gardaland, Dungeons – as well as national brands such as Alton Towers, THORPE PARK, Warwick Castle, Heide Park and Chessington World of Adventures & Zoo. All brands which are distinctive, challenging and innovative ..." From the Warwick castle website, so it's not surprising that there is a lot going on there especially for children.

Yes, I agree with you Linda. They've kind of tarted it up and over commercialized it. But at least it still stands. It would be a lot worse if it were torn down to the ground and replaced with yet another shopping mall. I just enjoy what's there and ignore the hype.