Camping with the Mediocre Dad

Camping tips, tricks and advice from a fairly average parent and a reformed dad blogger

Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Camping
  • Family Days Out
  • Sponsorship
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Why celebrate mediocrity?
Menu

Fatherhood²: Family Days Out – Warwick Castle

Posted on July 8, 2014June 4, 2018 by Henry Elliss

10497076_10154314698235072_5332860358191768525_oHaving been planning a weekend at Thomas Land @ Drayton Manor for some time (to celebrate Freddie’s 3rd birthday), our plans went slightly awry a few weeks before hand when we discovered that the park was semi-closed on the day we’d been planning to visit.

As we’d already booked our hotel for the Saturday night, we decided to head up to the midlands anyway, and play Saturday by ear.

Luckily, in the week before we realised we had a half-price entry to the nearby Warwick Castle (thank you very much, random cereal we purchased at some point!) so our Saturday plans were saved!

I should point out at this stage that whilst I’m calling this a ‘review’, it’s basically just my thoughts about something we did – nobody at Warwick Castle (or Merlin) have requested this, and we got nothing for free – so it’s as unbiased as they come. Anyway, back to it…

10539126_10154314694620072_5028591496814352330_oPrior to this visit, I hadn’t been to Warwick Castle for at LEAST 20 years. Since I was merely a child last time, I don’t remember a lot about it, but I could tell one thing quite obviously – like Katie Price it’s had a LOT of work done on it. Six million worth of work in fact, according to the posters all over the grounds. And like the aforementioned Ms Price, you can definitely tell.

At one stage my wife commented that it felt a little Disneyfied – though the presence of so many tourists and coach-trips certainly helped in that sense. Everything was very well maintained (which isn’t necessarily what you want from a castle, in my opinion) and there were opportunities to spend money everywhere you turned.

That aside, it actually proved to be quite a fun way to spend our day. There’s a tonne of things to do (most included in the not-insignificant entry price) including “living exhibits” from the Horrible Histories people, walls to walk, rooms to explore, trebuchets to watch, birds of prey to admire, gardens to view and plenty more.

10369035_10154314694520072_4310623499364984651_oOne of the biggest down-sides for me was just how far the car park is from the Castle – we’re talking a good 20 minute walk or more – which made the start of the visit a little more toddler-unfriendly than you might hope. But all in all it was a fun day out, and certainly turned out to be a nice way to spend our Saturday.

I’ve included a few photos I took below, so you can get a feel of it. If you’re in the area and looking to experience a bit of history, I’d recommend a visit – though if you’re looking for a rustic-looking castle to explore, there are definitely cheaper alternatives like Corfe Castle which I’d head to first…

10476379_10154314693825072_4537528101403914743_o

10492984_10154314695675072_8926964566002564844_o

10496035_10154314694290072_924300739942153866_o

10515102_10154314695850072_4765257978049002251_o

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • WhatsApp
  • Print
  • coventry
  • history
  • merlin
  • midlands
  • review
  • warwick castle
  • 3 thoughts on “Fatherhood²: Family Days Out – Warwick Castle”

    1. The JackB says:
      July 9, 2014 at 12:11 am

      Looks like it would be quite fun for adults and kids. I’ll add it to my list of places to see during my next trip to the UK.

    2. Larry says:
      July 10, 2014 at 2:24 am

      I remember going there during my traveling days about 20 years ago. I do remember others touring but it seemed more remote and less active. While the view is the same, the activity around the castle has clearly changed.

    3. Pingback: Fatherhood²: Family Days Out – Thomas Land at Drayton Manor

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    henweb

    henweb

    Pun-loving, 👨‍👦‍👦 dad-blogging, 📷 photo-taking, 🏰 Lego-making, 🎅🏿 beard-wearing, 👶 child-caring dad of 2. 💍 Husband of 1. 💩 Strategist

    View Full Profile →

    Instagram Gallery

    Obligatory snow shot ❄️ Obligatory snow shot ❄️
    A few photos from my slightly hair-raising morning A few photos from my slightly hair-raising morning walk. Some lovely sunrises, lots of ice on the canal and a couple of rivers and lakes that were quickly merging together, at the expense of the newly-laid track. At least my wellies stayed strong!
    Instagram post 18021846115464989 Instagram post 18021846115464989
    A photo from my Thursday morning walk. One good th A photo from my Thursday morning walk. One good thing to come from this week’s rail strikes (and the subsequent week WFH) was my daily sunrise walks - something I really miss when I have to go into London. Fingers crossed that 2023 allows for a few more of them.
    Merry Christmas, instagram family and friends. Ple Merry Christmas, instagram family and friends. Please enjoy this photo of our beautiful but low-key Christmas decorations, hung in the splendor of our delightful Tudor home.
    Good morning from Somerset #NoFilter Good morning from Somerset #NoFilter
    Load More… Follow on Instagram

    A little ad for some stuff




    Subscribe by RSS

    RSS Feed RSS – Posts

    Recent posts

    • 5 Tips to Make Family Travel Easier December 2, 2022
    • 5 Great Camping Blogs You Should Follow August 18, 2022
    • Summer Holidays in the Mountains? 4 Reasons Why You Should Go for it! June 7, 2022
    • Family Camping for Beginners – A Guide to Buying a New Tent May 31, 2022
    • The Best New Beauty Treatments to Prepare for Summer May 31, 2022

    A bigger ad for some stuff

    Recent Comments

    • Family Camping for Beginners - The Ultimate Guide for first time campers | Camping with the Mediocre Dad on Family Camping for beginners – Food, glorious food
    • Tiana on Fatherhood²: The Ultimate Octonauts Quiz
    • The best camping gadgets for your next trip with the family | The Mediocre Dad on Family Camping for Beginners – The Ultimate Guide for first time campers
    • Dynamite dad blogs | Samuel Windsor on Family Camping for Beginners – The Ultimate Guide for first time campers
    • Family Camping for Beginners - The Ultimate Guide for first time campers | The Mediocre Dad on Family Camping for beginners – Camping with Babies & Toddlers

    My Brimpton Village history website

    My Mastodon profile

    © 2023 Camping with the Mediocre Dad | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme
    Find me on Mastodon