Warwick Castle open again!
We were delighted to hear the news, Warwick Castle, open again and with stringent safety measures in place! They invited us along for a day out to experience what a day out there is like after so long in lockdown.
We were greeted by a very knowledgeable Knight who kept the kids very entertained with gruesome stories about the Castle’s history which kept the children gripped, they love living history like this. Distance was maintained. Then it was inside the gate, under the enormous Portcullis to start our adventure.
The parts of the Castle open.
Of course, following the advice of the Government, not all of Warwick Castle is open to visitors. See their website for up to date information but when we visited, there were History Tours running in the castle through the Great Hall with it’s extensive collection of weapons and suits of armour, then through exquisitely decorated rooms on a one way tour. The King Maker exhibit was open to explore on your own and the Princess Tower was shut but the Princesses were wandering around the grounds telling stories.
We loved the History Tour and all learnt something new, I have a thing about Castles anyway, (I did my Art History and Architecture Thesis on them!), but was so impressed with the way Warwick Castle has been maintained, the decor is breathtaking and of course, being owned by Madame Tussauds, all of the figurines were ‘look twice’ realistic.
Next on the tour, we explored the Conquerer’s Tower, the original part of Warwick Castle, built by William the Conquerer. It’s quite a steep climb but the view from the top is so worth it, the river below and then beautiful countryside all around for miles! Back down again, we walked through the enormous grounds to the Peacock Gardens which were filled with manicured hedges, and of course, peacocks!
They were everywhere and we were so surprised to see them climb the trees. Seriously! They fly up to a lower branch and then hop up the branches. Have a look when you go. They can also walk on the top of the box hedge mazes!
Eating and drinking at Warwick Castle
The Conservatory tea house was open for takeaways, with a selection of sandwiches, cakes and ice creams. They also do Costa coffee. I can imagine there would be long queues though, so I would recommend that you take a picnic. There weren’t many covered areas to sit and so a blanket and a brolly would probably be a good idea so you can picnic under the trees. There are other places to eat and they weren’t open when we went but I believe they are re-opening now that it’s allowed.
Shopping at the Castle
There are many shops that are open at Warwick Castle, each one sells slightly different things, key rings, fridge magnets, wooden swords, peacock mugs and so much more. You can also buy drinks and snacks. There is one mega gift shop at the end though, so might be best to wait until there in case your kids buy something early on and then see something better at the end as you are trying to get their tired selves home!
The shows on
Warwick Castle open shows do vary slightly depending on when you visit (see website for up to date details) and most are opening when the school holidays start officially, but we were lucky enough to see the Falconer’s Quest which was just superb, really breathtaking, we all loved every minute!
Despite the rain, we sat mesmerised as the story unfolded and the birds swooped and soared, feathers from their wingtips brushing the audience’s faces!
It was such a memorable end to our day and really made it for us. The show seems to be running daily at the moment.
Safety Measures in place
The big question for a lot of people is about the safety measures at Warwick Castle, open but safe? Well we certainly thought so and so does Visit England, Warwick Castle has been awarded the Visit England ‘We’re Good to Go’ industry charter mark. It means that all the required health and safety processes are in place which is very reassuring. We saw lots of signs everywhere reminded people to distance, hand sanitiser stations almost everywhere you looked and there will be far fewer visitors allowed in, only those with pre-booked entry tickets.
Temperatures will be taken (non contact) when visitors arrive. Staff were wearing masks and groups were smaller. Everything is contactless, no cash. The benches for the Falconer’s Quest show were also taped off so there was a 2 metre gap between them and staff were there to show you were to sit. Top tip: it’s first come first served!
Did we feel safe?
Yes, we really did, and I’m surprised as we really didn’t go anywhere at all for 16 weeks and so it was a very big deal for us to go somewhere public like this. But there were so many measures in place, the staff we asked all said that they felt safe returning to work and that they had received extra training which felt very reassuring. Obviously everyone has to make their decisions for their families and their circumstances but we would definitely go again without worry.
If you are looking for more ways to entertain the kids, we love Paint It Yourself Pottery in Cheltenham and to find more in the West Midlands, see here.
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