Mummy Diaries | An Afternoon around Warwick Castle

Sunday 20 January 2019

We love a spontaneous trip out and decided on Warwick Castle as we’d got one of those 2-for-1 Cadbury’s vouchers – although Alfie was free anyway. It was only around an hour away and we’d definitely go back. I’d recommend not going during the winter months as not only was it freezing, but a lot of the spectacles and attractions are seasonal, and therefore didn’t run.

Of course, first stop was to thaw out and grab a coffee. The Coach House Restaurant was in the entrance and sells Costa coffee. I grabbed a hot chocolate and Ash ordered a cream tea (a large breakfast tea and scone with Rodda’s clotted cream and Tiptree strawberry jam). Eating at the castle is fairly expensive; whether that’s at the two restaurants (the other is a bit like Pizza Hut buffet) or the shack, so why not pack a picnic?

Not only were we limited in terms of attractions, due to the weather, but having a buggy made it difficult getting round. One thing we navigated with ease was the Horrible Histories maze. Consisting of six different areas for certain periods in time, we had to collect a stamp at each point for Alfie’s log book – to win a prize. Spoiler alert, like other Merlin attractions, it was a badge! If Alfie was a bit bigger, he would have loved it – it proved very popular with all the families we came across.

We also looked around the castle, but had to leave the buggy outside, due to the nature of the building. This wasn’t a problem, as we put Alfie on the reins and while he did get bored quite quickly, he was running about – meaning we missed a fair bit and couldn’t stay in one room for long. The Great Hall was incredible and had so much to see. We loved the suits of armour and horses. The Royal Weekend Party was interesting too, with waxwork figures in lots of different rooms, including library, games room, kitchen and dressing room. It depicted Victorian Britain well.

We briefly walked around the grounds before getting too cold – and went in search of the trebuchet. We also walked past the birds of prey and there were plenty of peacocks sauntering about (and trying to pinch people’s food). Archery was available, at an additional charge, with the staff dressed up in costume. Like I say, if it wasn’t so cold, I’d be more inclined to explore the 64 acres of land further!

On our way out, we decided to buy our family coats of arms. There were three giant folders of surnames and it was interesting to see the different and in some cases, foreign, versions of our names. We bought them framed on the day (I believe they were £35 each, but were £24 unframed) and they now have pride of place at the top of our stairs – one either side to the entrance of our spare room/study. Both coats of arms contain red, which symbolises strength; while Ash’s has white for peace and mine has yellow for ambition. The man in the hut explained it all thoroughly and if you’re interested, there’s a ‘try before you buy’ policy, so you can take a look and find out more.

It was a lovely afternoon out and I know when Alfie’s bigger, we’ll return – especially as he was too young for the dungeons (not recommended for under 10s, so we have a long wait!). Tickets on the gate are £20 for adults (£24 with dungeon access included), but are cheaper online. There’s also a £6 charge for the car park, which can be paid at any point – you just need to collect a token from one of the machines.

Love, Lucy xx

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