Warwick: What To Do When You Visit Warwick

Situated on the banks of the River Avon, Warwick is well located and steeped in history. From here one can travel south and reach the city of Coventry and to the west is another popular tourist destination, Leamington Spa. Certainly this is a town which makes an ideal base for exploring not just the town of Warwick but the whole of the West Midlands or further south to the Cotswolds. Here we'll take a look at some of the things Warwick can offer you.

Warwick Castle – This is more than just an attraction for you to wander around the towers and ramparts there are plenty of activities one can get involved in during a visit. You can experience what it feels like for soldiers preparing for battle or just how much a sword really does weigh. Plus you have the chance to experience what it was like when you went into battle wearing a helmet. Then after all this excitement take time out to visit the State Rooms which have been lavishly decorated and witness the complicated preparations for a Victorian tea party.

Shakespeare's Birthplace – Which of course is in Stratford upon Avon, a mere 8 miles from Warwick. This half timbered house was where William Shakespeare was born. The exhibitions that you walk past teach you all about his life including his writing. Scenes have been constructed which draw the visitors in and the sound effects together with artifacts dating back to Shakespeare's time mean you'll be transported back to his lifetime.

To reach the house itself one bases through what is considered to be a traditional English garden. As you walk through it you will see flowers, herbs and trees have been planted in it which Shakespeare loved and which are mentioned in his plays. The house has been carefully restored, keeping as many original features as possible.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage – Just a short trip from Shakespeare's birth place is Shottery where his future wife spent her formative years. Although we now refer to it as a cottage when his bride Anne lived in it and Shakespeare courted her it was a large farmhouse. Anne Hathaway's descendents lived here until the late 19th Century when it was purchased by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Although the cottage itself dates from the 16th and 17th centuries it also features two oak beams from 1463. As you wander inside the cottage you will find that little has changed and in the living room is not only the original open hearth but paneling as well. All the rooms within are decorated with furnishings from the period and includes the Hathaway Bed an old four poster one.

Lunt Roman Fort – Well before the construction of Warwick Castle, as its name suggests this was a Roman Army fort. Using the archaeological evidence found on the site the site now features a faithful reconstruction of the original fort. As you wander around this wonderful attraction one can get a feel for what life was like in the Roman army when in Britain. The various archaeological digs here have contributed many of the museum's pieces together with a model of how the fort would likely have looked in its heyday.

When you next visit Warwick, select your Warwick hotel or guest house from this list.