Warwick Castle – A Review

Ever since we stumbled upon a vlog of a family visit to Warwick Castle, we knew we needed to go! Knights, horses, a trebuchet, a moat, an intact castle… it’s as if all of Bertie’s Christmas’s came at once! Not to mention the added bonus of Zog!

Shows at Warwick Castle

As English Heritage members, we initially found it a little jarring that Warwick Castle is run more like a theme park, but we soon fell in love with the hands-on-history style entertainment. While we were at Warwick Castle (June 2023) there were four shows:

• The Legend of the Trebuchet – this was a show that did what it said on the tin! A short play about some villagers who use the trebuchet to protect the castle while the Kingmaker is away. There’s no doubt the trebuchet is a magnificent monument. Read more about the show here.
• The Falconers Quest – the story of a keen falconer who devoted his life to finding the finest birds in England. Apparently there is some truth behind the epic prose. Read more about the show here.
• The War of the Roses – an abridged story of the once called Civil Wars. This show is fast paced, and full of action, one that you won’t want to miss. Read more here.
• Zog – a little bit of a different vibe to the previous shows. This is definitely one for those with younger kids (though older kids and adults may well enjoy it too – I won’t tell if you don’t!). There’s actually a whole host of Zog related activities at the castle and you can read all about them here.

The Warwick Warriors

I cannot recommend or thank these gentlemen enough! Bertie is obsessed with knights – knowing more about them than most adults from armour and weapons, to sword techniques and battle formations. We were lucky enough to meet the Warwick Warriors for the first time at Scarborough castle’s Knight’s Tournament. We recognised one of the knights, and as we got talking to them we established he had been at Scarborough in 2022 and was even originally from Hornsea – a local boy!

They remembered Bertie for the rest of our stay and called him Sir Bertie throughout. This really made him feel special and made everything even better for us to see the joy on his face.

When we visited (June 2023), the Warwick Warriors were running twice daily battle shows and knights school for the kids. It was great fun to hear them talk about their swords (“it’s a knife!”) and watch them show the kids how to handle their weapons and fight their parents (“oh no, Daddy will have to fight with you, Barnaby needs a feed”). Bertie still now asks to re-watch the videos I took so he can perfect his spear technique!

Luckily enough, we met the Warwick Warriors again a few weeks later where they still called Bertie by name. Truly remarkable guys who are worth their weight in gold for all the fantastic value they add to the day.

The Knight’s Village at Warwick Castle

Obviously Warwick Castle is a long drive for us (around 155 miles), so it’s too far for a day trip. What better way to round up our stay than a night in a knight’s tent?

Bertie was ecstatic – he genuinely believes we were sleeping next door to the knights he’d met earlier in the day. You can read more about our fabulous stay in the Knight’s Village here.

Final Thoughts on Warwick Castle

All in all our two days at Warwick Castle were amazing. Despite two full days we still didn’t manage to do everything we wanted to do – Zog playground, Princess Tower, Horrible Histories Maze, The Kingmaker, The Conqueror’s Fortress… a genuinely good reason for us to come back in the future!

We did take our own food for day one, and after a large breakfast at the Knight’s Village on day two we weren’t that hungry. Sadly, the food was the biggest let down of our stay – the evening meal at the Knight’s Village left a lot to be desired, and the scone from The Undercroft Cafe was the most pitiful thing I’ve ever seen (see above photo). Maybe the food is better elsewhere, but as we were already struggling with time to see everything, we didn’t have chance to check out anywhere else.

I would definitely recommend a visit to Warwick Castle – I think everyone should visit at least once. Just don’t expect to see everything in one day, you truly do need a few days to make the most of the experience, especially with younger children. And don’t forget it’s a bit of a trek from the carpark to the Castle, even with allocated Knight’s Village parking, it was a long way for tired little legs!