Knight’s Village at Warwick Castle Review – Staying in a Knight’s Lodge

knights lodgeLast weekend the family and I whizzed off for a mini break full of Medieval fantasy and Knightly charm. Sit back and enjoy our Knight’s Village at Warwick Castle review complete with a mini video tour of a Knight’s lodge!

Staying on a weekend in the middle of the Summer holidays at a hugely popular tourist destination might seem a bit mad but that’s the beauty of Warwick Castle, no matter how busy it is (and it was!) there’s always plenty to see with outdoor displays such as falconry or jousting and most of the indoor areas require no queueing. There’s also the brand new outdoor Horrible Histories maze which is definitely worth a visit. To see some of our favourite attractions take a look at some of my previous posts.

horrible history maze

Checking In

The Knight’s Village has its own dedicated parking area within the large main car park which is brilliant if you’ve just had a long drive. Check in is technically from 3pm but every overnight stay comes with two days entry to the castle so it’s worth getting there early and checking your bags in at reception so you can enjoy a full day of fun. The Knights village also has its own priority entrance into the castle which means no queues!

jousting warwick castle

After a long hot day we were all very tired as we bumbled back to the village. We were met at the gate where staff asked for our name and immediately gave us our lodge’s keycard (no waiting at reception as we’d arrived early).

The Knight’s Lodges

Inside the lodge

The lodges are all semi-detached buildings hosting up to 5 guests in two bedrooms plus an en-suite wet room. Note. There are larger lodges available for bigger parties.

Every lodge boasts an outdoor deck with medieval style bench. Ours faced straight towards an open area with huge trees and a large wooden wagon, it was perfect for keeping an eye on the kids as they played.

Each lodge has a theme of either Archer or Falconer, ours was a Falconers and was decorated with Falconry equipment hanging on the wall.

knights village at night

The interior decoration is wonderful and really enhances the experience of staying by the castle, it also seems to excite children exponentially! The beds are also really really comfy.

On a personal note I was impressed with the Elemis toiletries in the bathroom and having the wet room to wash off my grimy mini knights definitely helped!

Take a look at just how great the lodges our in this mini video tour.

The Entertainment

knights village entertainment

To be honest the kids hardly needed any extra entertainment. The Knight’s Village was pretty full and it seemed that every child was out of their lodges/tents and making friends. Our three immediately knew the names of every child staying nearby and at every available opportunity they were all outside playing. It was a huge gathering of miniature knights and princesses and they all had a fantastic time and didn’t want to leave their new friends.

knights lodge wagon

As for the organised entertainment there’s have a go archery (with long bows) which is amazing!

Knight’s Training Camp which all the children loved!

There’s even a school for Jesters!

vird of prey experience

We also paid a little extra (the rest of the activities are free) to get up close and personal with a bird of prey experience where we got to fly some of the castles falcons. This has to be my favourite activity as I’ve always wanted to try it.

Food

knights villagefood
We didn’t eat in the Knight’s Village, instead opting to walk into Warwick for Fish and Chips but the staff were supremely helpful even providing a map and recommendations.

In the morning breakfast was an all you can eat buffet with continental and cooked options, fruit, cereals and even freshly cooked pancakes. I love breakfasts like this because they suit everyone no matter how picky.

Could our stay have been improved in anyway?

falconry warwick castle

I could only think of teeny tiny mini niggles but here goes.

The Lodge only had two mugs inside – considering that it will almost exclusively be families staying it seems a bit bizarre to only provide two of the guests with drinking facilities. Kids get thirsty quickly and access to a glass of water would have been helpful. Thankfully we’d taken bottles with us. However I’m sure you could request extra cups from reception as we requested soya milk and extra teabags and were immediately accommodated. I just think they ought to be there as standard really.

If you find you can’t get the TV to work (we couldn’t at first) it’s probably because of the fabulous gold frame around the outside, a quick change of position solves this though.

Would I recommend staying in the Knight’s Village?

Most definitely, it was more than just a stay, it was a real experience and one which we will all remember. The kids are asking to go back and I think visiting during a busy time when there are lots of other little ones to play with is actually an unexpected bonus. From a parents point of view it’s great to be able to sit on your deck watching the kids with a cup of tea and let them have that little bit of independence while keeping a close eye.

We have always loved the castle anyway and there’s more than enough to fill two days, so staying overnight really enhances your visit. It actually allowed us to take a leisurely pace and really enjoy all the exhibits rather than rushing about trying not to miss anything.

Details

For more information pop over to Warwick Castle’s website

Lego Castle Launches At Warwick Castle

Lego Castle

Through the mists of time and the world of legend springs forth the brand new Lego Castle range! Whether you have knightly aspirations or long to be rescued from a dragon’s keep, this is sure to be the Lego set for you. It certainly appealed to my family as we traversed the ancient grounds of Warwick Castle to see its launch this weekend past.

Lego Warwick Castle

We began our journey with a treasure trail about the grounds, hunting high and low for dragon eggs. The clues led us around and about until finally we reached the fabled Lego flag and claimed our prize: chocolate coins! Lego Warwick Castle

Next we rode invisible horses to the Lego tent situated just outside the magnificent Warwick Castle gatehouse. Here we built castles, stables and buildings inspired by our surroundings.Lego Building

We met the beautiful Lego Princess who came to thank us for joining her quest.

The event is not just intended for us writerly types though. If you would like to join in, Lego Castle is hosting two weeks of castle-building capers from 12 to 26 August including costumed characters, build a castle play area and a treasure trail. Plus you have the bonus of being able to explore historic Warwick Castle and pretend you are a character from the current TV program The White Queen. Or is that just me?

Warwick Castle

At the launch we were lucky enough to be able to view and play with all the new playsets. We instantly fell in love with the bright red dragon from the Dragon Mountain set (70403, RRP: £34.99) and I have already been told about 100 times how my kids ‘need’ (not want need) the huge new King’s Castle (70404, RRP: £79.99).

King's Castle

As a family we are self confessed Lego nuts, my kids have Lego shoes, Lego clothes, Lego clocks, Lego watches and a copious amount of the bricky stuff itself. I suppose this could be due to my husband and me being a bit overly Lego mad from childhood. It’s wonderful to see the kids share our passion. We are also quite keen on history and mythological tales, so it’s easy to see how Lego Castle might appeal to us.King's Castle

We were fortunate to be given a few boxes of the smallest playset ‘Forest Ambush’ (70400, RRP: £7.99) to take home and try out. In comparison to the licensed ranges of Lego, the Castle range seems far better value (a small box of LOTR Lego will normally set you back £12-£13 as a comparison). The set contains two good knights, two bad, a dog, a cart with treasure chest and disguised forest ambush. The kids (and adults) had a lot of fun playing with these sets, but I think you really need more to fully appreciate the range.

Lego Castle

We were so taken with the characters that we hurried out to buy the Dragon playset the very next day 🙂 and our lounge has become chivalric beyond belief!

I took plenty of photos of the play in action but in the end I thought a video might better illustrate the fun we had, so without further ado I give you a little family animation we call….

The Princess’s Rescue!

The Princess has been kidnapped by the Dark Wizard, can the Knight save her and defeat the dragon?

Lego At Warwick Castle Details

Lego Castle are hosting the activities above between 12 to 26 August 2013.

Book online in advance for the best value entrance fees: adults from £17.10 and children from £11.70. Check www.warwick-castle.com for prices and latest attraction schedule.

Lego Castle Details

LEGO Castle is suitable for children aged 5+ and is available in toy shops nationwide from August 2013.

For further information log on to LEGO.com/CASTLE

Mike the Knight at Warwick Castle

Last Saturday my family and I travelled to Warwick Castle to meet Mike the Knight as part of a weekend organized to celebrate series two launching. The castle in conjunction with Hit Entertainment had arranged a selection of Mike themed activities. If you fancy crying ‘Be a Knight, do it Right’ Mike will be back at the castle again this coming weekend (6-7 July).

To say my children were excited would be an understatement, however my heart sank when I saw a queue at the castle ticket office (I imagined hours of waiting in line for each attraction).Thankfully this was not the case as everything was very well organized and only the Face Painting had a long queue.

The Mike the Knight area was set in little Medieval style tents and children were given booklets listing all the activities. As each activity was completed they were given a sticker and if they finished them all they received a prize (it’s a flag). The adults in charge of each event stayed in character throughout and seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the kids having fun!

My little knights started by taking a Wizard Workshop with Mike’s sister Evie. They watched as she pulled things out of a bag and helped her to cast magic spells and create something out of thin air.

Next they took to their (hobby) horses and galloped to victory in a race. The Knight in charge of this event had all the parents in stitches as he organised our kids; he had endless patience as they ran in the wrong direction, set off in twos or just generally caused chaos!

A little castle building, target shooting and face painting later we made an orderly queue and waited to meet Mike himself. He stood happily as each child came to meet him in front of the beautiful castle backdrop!

Everywhere we walked the Mike the Knight theme tune played through speakers concealed in bushes and trees 🙂 We finished by joining Sparke and Squirt’s Dragon Egg Hunt. This went all over the grounds and certainly gave the children some exercise (and the parents a chance to admire the views). We all had a fabulous time and if you have any Mike fans at home I thoroughly recommend going to meet him.

That wasn’t the end of our day though, we had the whole of Warwick Castle to explore! I have many childhood memories of visiting the castle and after reading some reviews online I wondered if I would still enjoy it. I did 🙂 The castle sometimes receives criticism for being part of the Merlin group and people accuse it of being more like a theme park than a historical monument. However I feel this couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes it is owned by Merlin, yes there are photos you can buy and gift shops to visit but the Castle is very much aware of it’s past and importance in British history.

There are little rooms all around the walls with wax figures dreaming on the eve of battle, or ghosts squealing down staircases. I suppose this might not be to everyones taste, but for a child this really brings the castle to life! There’s no standing around looking bored while Mum and Dad read a plaque on the wall, here they can watch the story unfold and get involved with the action.

We visited the Princess Tower, where my daughter was picked to test a stack of 7 mattresses to see if she could feel the pea (she could, she’s a princess! 🙂 ). We went through the Merlin Tower where my son was spoken to by a dragon and somehow they knew my daughter’s name and warned her to use her powers for good (she was astounded and promised faithfully that she would).

We saw bald eagles and owls flying between the battlements and knights teaching us why metal shields would never have worked before chopping apples held in someones hand! It was thoroughly educational and more importantly… it was alive!

For more information on Warwick Castle and the Mike the Knight event click here.

To find out more about Mike the Knight visit his website here.