Warwick Castle was a great little day trip. It's set up and run as a real midevil castle complete with actors and characters in costume. Again I wish I'd had more time to see the actual city, especially since the entire day can be spent just here. It wouldn't be a wasted visit if you ever get a chance. The train runs direct from London to Warwick I believe and it's only about a 2 hour trip there. This was a stop taken on the route to Ambleside.
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This worker was really shooting arrows at a mark as I walked into the castle. Made me want to take some archery lessons.
Yes, I did get my picture taken in the drunkard sign. Of course my eyes are closed in the picture as usual.
Of course you can't pass through a real castle without walking under
neath a metal gate and hoping it doesn't come crashing down on your head.
neath a metal gate and hoping it doesn't come crashing down on your head.
The castle forms a kind of circle, and in the center is a grassy courtyard. Here are a few pictures from different angles of the castle. It's a bit tricky to get the whole castle in one picture.
As the castle is dark with bright windows, getting an effective picture is fun. Here a few to get an idea of the wealth and ornate insides. This place was also reserved for a wedding that afternoon. I imagine this would not be a cheap location, but it would definitely be amazing.
At certain times during the day they have a show of "birds of prey." It's a bit unreal to watch this creatures fly around an old castle and over your head. A few of these birds were brushing heads with their wings. At this little show they were showing hawks, vultures, and a bald eagle. On the grounds is a little caged area where they keep all these birds. After the show it was fun to watch this eagle bathe himself in a giant bucket of very cold water and clean himself. I'm sure I"ll never get this close to a bald eagle again.
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This is a little boat house along the river that runs through to the castle. The grounds are huge, green and beautiful.
I just love this tree. I wonder how old it is and what it's seen. This catapult is apparently one of he largest in the world. I didn't get to see what it could do. Never enough time.
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This is the backside of the castle - a giant stone cliff face that drops into the river. Wow. Watching eagles fly around here - wow. Definitely feels like you've taken a step back in time.
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I love this view of the trees and river. I think I love it because it's untamed.
A few more pictures of the view, and you can maybe get a better idea of the size of this place. So fun.
I also recommend visiting in October. The weather was cold, but is was blue sky and few tourists. Worth the cold.
Apparently Tussaud owns the castle. As in Madam Tussaud and her wax museum. In the basement of the castle is a tour of the working areas - like the blacksmith, the cook, the weaponry, washing, etc. Amazingly these are all wax statues, not real people. (Well, that isn't a statue of me, I'm really there posing.) It kept throwing me as I often had a hard time telling who was a live person and who was a statue. Cool, but also somewhat creepy. I kept expecting them to drop their arms or do something more. Totally creepy.
You could pay extra and tour through the dungeons and see in depths all the torture devices used at the time. I opted out of that. Too realistic and horrifying for my taste, especially with these creepy life-like statues. That would give you nightmares for a year at least.
Thus ends one more day trip of my England adventures. More to come so stay tuned.
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