During half term we decided to use our Tesco Clubcard vouchers and have a day out at Warwick Castle. I can hand on heart say that it is a fantastic day out and if you haven’t been you should go. Yes, even if you have a Square Peg because they will love it.

It is best to visit Warwick on a dry day because you have to walk for 20 minutes from the car park to the Castle entrance. Fortunately for us it was a sunny day and Edward is generally quite happy walking….that is until to tell him which was he should be going. So Daddy ended up putting him on his shoulders. If you have a Blue Badge then parking is much closer to the Castle.

Outside the entrance was a Knight on a horse and Edward was beside himself with excitement, he was brilliant posing for the photo. (You understand that this rarely happens, he never looks at the camera on request. 😂)

The Horrible Histories Maze

A quick look at the timetable of events for the day and we decided to head straight to the Horrible Histories maze. On the way in, you pick up a Time Passport and when you get to each area such as the Slimy Stuarts, Terrible tudors etc you have to stamp the passport. Once again, Edward was beside himself with excitement (there’s a running theme here…😂) He just loved wandering around the maze, however, he wasn’t bothered if he lost us in the maze…but we all managed to find our way out of the maze in one piece.

Oops! We’ve hit a dead end!

The War of the Roses

It was actually very hot in the maze so we decided we all needed a sit down and a cup of tea. We drank our tea then heading on down to the War of the Roses! All I can say is WOW!! What an amazing show! They reinact the battles between the House of York and the House of Lancaster through jousting. Very exciting to watch!

The Falconers Quest

When this had finished we walked straight from there to the Falconers Quest. Now we visited Warwick Castle in the summer of 2018 and watched the falconry display but this time they had ramped it up. For starters it was over in a purpose built area close to the jousting. This time it was told in a story format of how the birds came to be at Warwick Castle. Again it was a incredible Falconry display. It started off with a little barn owl and escalated to an Andean Condor and a Lamagaya. These birds swooped so low over the crowd it was amazing.

In the Castle

After lunch we decided to have a look around Warwick Castle itself. It is an incredible historic building steeped in the royal history of Great Britain. One thing to note is that there are a lot and I mean a lot of steps, think 500 steps in a tight spiral staircase. So make sure you read the warning notice before you decide to go up because once you’ve gone in you can’t go back down again until you’ve reached the top! Such amazing views to see at the top of the tower. We continued to walk along the ramparts and into the other towers. All I could think about was Robin Hood Prince of Theives and I could just imagine the gruesome battles that took place.

Walking the ramparts

Let’s buy some plastic swords!

Knight School

Why on earth did we buy them plastic swords??! Well the answer is simple….Knight School.

For about an hour they had a sword fighting lesson. Edward was once again really excited to take part in this. As you’ll see in the pictures below he still had a ‘moment’ and threw himself on the floor.

For those of you who are planning to take a Square Peg to Warwick Castle, do it! They will gain so much from a visit there it’s worth the exhaustion of the day. However, there are a few things to consider before going. Firstly, I recommend getting hold of a guide book and the event timetable to plan the day with them before you go.

If you visit in high season then it does get very busy so if you’re Square Peg doesn’t like crowds then have a plan of what to do should your Square Peg not be able to cope with crowds.

Obviously you don’t have to watch the Falconry display or the War of the Roses you can just spend time in the castle. If you do decide to watch the Falconry display then prepare your Square Peg that the birds will swoop very low over your head and that there are lots of bangs and flashes at the War of the Roses.

Have you visited Warwick Castle with your Square Peg? If so, do you have any advice or recommendations?