I don’t know about you, but lockdown this time around has been a real struggle, especially with 2 little ones. We’ve been yearning for outdoor space, adventure and entertainment. Well, now lockdown restrictions have lessened we got all of the above and more, over the weekend when we went to the Zog and the Quest for the Golden Star interactive trail at Warwick Castle.
We’ve never been to Warwick Castle before and I was stunned by how beautiful it was. The castle and the grounds were just stunning. We were very lucky with the weather, but even so, the castle and the grounds just look incredible. Even without the Zog adventure, there’s plenty of reasons to head to Warwick Castle, the outdoor space is perfect for family picnics, an amazing bit of fresh air, lot’s to explore and stunning views.
Zog and the Quest for the Golden Star interactive trail
We love Zog the magic dragon in our house and when the boys found out they could meet the dragon-in training they were so excited! The Julia Donaldson’s kids classic has been made into a film which my little ones love, make sure they catch up on it before they go (or even watch little snippets on YouTube if they’re not quite fully-fledged film watchers yet!) My boys are adamant that Zog goes to pre-school like they do and they relate to his lessons that way. It really is so cute.
The integrative trail at Warwick Castle is great for so many reasons. Nothing is too difficult but it’s all fun and interactive. There are 5 tasks to be completed which are all explained in a great little Dragon School stamp activity card which has to be stamped after every lesson. The boys took much joy in following the booklet and made it a big part of the adventure.
Each lesson is scattered around the castle grounds so you can take it all aspects of your beautiful surroundings. From meeting Princess Pearl near the river to having Knight lessons with Sir Gadabout in a ‘Simon Says’ style game after stopping for a picnic break in the courtyard.
Once all tasks are completed and of course, the boys met Zog, they were awarded golden stars for all their heroic efforts. The delight on their faces was pretty magical, to be honest. There are timings for some of the activities so make sure you work your day around them and do expect a small queue to meet Zog, but it was manned really well and there weren’t any impatient tantrums at all! Other than that you can do the quests in whatever order you choose, once or 10 times! It’s quite nice that there’s no pressure to be everywhere at certain times and we never felt as though we missed out on anything.
The Zog activity trail is available every day from 12th April to 5th September 2021 and is included in the price of your entry ticket.
The castle is open daily from 10am to 5pm and in addition to the Zog trail, you’ll find lots of other things to keep the entire family entertained (if you’re not mesmerised by the views!)
Warwick Castle has 64 acres of beautiful grounds and gardens, including the Pageant Field, the Peacock Garden, Conservatory Tea House and the River Island featuring an amazing Trebuchet. The Peacock Garden was a highlight for me. Stunning Peacocks were literally just roaming the grounds. It was a real surreal moment and not something you get to see every day.
From the 1st May, The Falconer’s Quest, the UK’s largest birds of prey show will return. The Horrible Histories Maze is great for slightly older children with lot’s of reading and exploring to offer. There are characters roaming the castle and you might even see the odd sword fight or two!
There’s lot’s more available at Warwick Castle from overnight glamping (which we REALLY want to do!) to walk through experiences, you can find out more about them and when they’re available over on their website.
Parking & Amenities
Parking is much closer than I expected it to be. I’d say parking was only a 5-minute walk (slightly uphill) and costs a reasonable £10 for a full day. There were food carts scattered around the grounds for things like hot dogs, ice creams and skin-on fries. The usual outdoors food offering. I’d highly recommend taking a picnic and there are ample seating areas to stop for lunch.
Toilets were available and so were baby changing facilities and were in a central, easy to get to location.
Would we go again?
Absolutely! We loved everything from the scenic views to the amazing open space. Being able to sit down in the courtyard with ice cream (we’ll bring a proper picnic next time) and watch the Earl of Warwick ride past on his opulent horse and some knights have a rather fun swordfight. Then of course there’s everything else to explore, that’s even before we’ve touched on the Zog fun!
