Weekend Adventures: Warwick Castle & A Pub Crawl

For his birthday, our friend Tony & my brother had booked a couple of nights away in Warwick. On Sunday morning we drove over to meet them at Warwick Castle which, despite it being only an hour's drive away and one of the most popular tourist attractions in the UK, none of us had ever visited before.   

Warwick Castle was built in 1068, two years after the William the Conqueror’s victory at Hastings. It was an important site due to its location in the centre of England and gave him control over a critical section of Britain’s longest Roman Road, Fosse Way. The motte and bailey construction was originally made from wood. Henry Beaufort, the son of wealthy Normans, was appointed constable of the castle and in 1088 was awarded the title of Earl of Warwick. 

In 1264, during the Second Barons’ War Siege, William Mauduit, the 8th Earl of Warwick, had sided with King Henry III. Simon de Montford, leader of the Barons, opposed the king and attacked Warwick Castle. William and his wife were captured during the attack and held for ransom.

• In 1455 Richard Neville, the 16th Earl of Warwick, famously known as the “Kingmaker” due to his powerful influence, played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses. The Earl imprisoned Edward IV in Warwick Castle’s Caesar's Tower during this time.

As tensions rose between Parliament and the monarchy, Royalists attempted to take over Warwick Castle during the Civil War Siege of 1642. The Castle withstood the attack. 

 In 1978, the Tussauds Group bought the castle from the Earl of Warwick and opened Warwick Castle to the public.

As you can see, Sunday was glorious, if a bit on the chilly side, and we had great fun ascending the steps up to each tower.

The lads.....

The waxworks were scarily lifelike and several were animated - including the war horse and the cat -  which scared the bejesus out of us at first! 

Jon couldn't resist giving the helmet a go.

We had a wander around the Horrible Histories Maze...where the adults outnumbered the kids.

And chatted to the beautiful peacocks strutting around the grounds.

Jon & I had left it to the last minute to book a room for the night and the prices in Warwick, where Tony & Marcus were staying, were prohibitive so we'd booked  into a Holiday Inn down the road in Leamington Spa instead. We were just outside the town centre but remembered The Moorings at Myton, a riverside pub from previous visits, which was within walking distance and so we spent a few hours sampling the craft ales on offer. 

There was some brilliant original art on the walls, the three propaganda prints below were in the ladies' loo.

We carried on to the town centre and had a few more beers in The Copper Pot. Despite televised sport on the big screens, it was friendly, welcoming and not at all laddish. 

 

Leamington Spa or, to give it it's correct title, Royal Leamington Spa, gained popularity due to visitors travelling to take its waters in the 18th Century, has some fine examples of Regency architecture.

 

Kayal was just over the road from the pub, an award winning South Indian restaurant we'd always fancied visiting. 

The decor was gorgeous, the food certainly lived up to expectations and the staff couldn't have been more attentive. HERE'S the menu. Jon and I have always preferred South Indian food to North India,  with the use of coconut oil as opposed to ghee the food is lot lighter and tends to be much spicier. 

Leaving the boys to get an Uber to Warwick we headed back to our room and slept very soundly. 

I've got another adventure planned for later this week, stay tuned!