Warwick Castle – the real deal

I had a friend from the States staying over Easter and she really wanted to go see a ‘real English castle’ so we headed up to Warwick Castle on Saturday.

From the moment we arrived, Warwick Castle ticked all the boxes. It was a really wintry day and our first glimpse of the castle towering over the town with a backdrop of dark storm clouds made some great photos. Inside, the castle has everything you want from a castle – towers to climb, ramparts to walk along, dungeons and even a torture chamber. Throughout the castle, there are also rooms set up in scenarios from different historical periods, complete with wax figures in period costumes and sound effects. For example, the new Kingmaker exhibit has a blacksmith at work and armourers making chainmail.

Despite the freezing weather, we ventured into the grounds to see the trebuchet firing its massive steel ball across the river and to watch the falconry show. Both shows add something to your day out, giving you a real sense of the place as a working castle. Plus I couldn’t help thinking how lovely it would be to have a picnic in the gardens on a nice spring day – better luck next time maybe!