Day Out at Warwick Castle

February in Britain is a bleak time of the year when trees are bare of leaves and the sun barely comes out. This year was particularly bad, declared the wettest winter on record for England and Wales in almost 250 years, with villages in the South turned into islands secluded from the towns and cities sometimes accessible only by motorboats. But this time of the year could also be an ideal time to visit top attractions that are normally flooded with visitors in the summer and during Bank holidays. 

So early one February morning, when the sun was playing hide-and-seek with the clouds, we hit the motorway and headed to Warwick Castle, one of Britain's most visited sites. The journey took nearly two hours because of delays caused by roadworks but we got there just before one o'clock when the first drizzles of rain shower began to fall.

It was a very quiet day with no queues at the ticket office. A group of school children were on a school trip and a bus full of Chinese tourists were roaming the grounds. Inside the castle confines, there were only a handful of visitors that at times we found ourselves alone in the staterooms, an experience we certainly would not have during the high season. The pram was not allowed in so we had to carry our six-month-old around but this was not a problem. 

The medieval castle, founded in 1068 by William The Conqueror, has most of its magnificent towers and ramparts stunningly preserved. The Great Hall and the State Rooms would not win my vote for grandiosity if you compare it to other stately homes in the Peak District but they are well-maintained and interesting. The giant fireplace in the centre of the hall, supposed to keep the whole house warm, definitely got our attention. 

A fascinating part of the tour was 'Secrets and Scandals' (formerly The Royal Weekend) Exhibition, a delightful display of stately rooms which uses waxworks to make you feel you are a guest at the Earl of Warwick's home. The rooms, littered with many plates of afternoon tea lying around (not edible), are not roped off and we were free to look and walk around and be part of the party. The lifestyle of the upper classes was showcased with a hint of typical British sarcasm which I was afraid could have been lost in translation amongst some visitors. 

Afternoon tea: light meal eaten between 4pm and 6pm, a custom originated amongst the wealthy classes in England.

When we went out, the sun has already come out, and we decided to explore the grounds which was smaller than the map makes it out. We were not able to cross the bridge because the river was dangerously raging downstream with levels reaching almost as high as the water weir. We didn't also have the chance to see the towers and the dungeons. But we had a very enjoyable day and we will surely be back when Isaac can run around. 

P.S. The day trip can be quite expensive so we bought a packed lunch and ate it at the car park. Parking near the entrance is charged for the whole day which was rather costly.