Ever visited the Queens bedroom? Kenilworth Castle

CENTRAL DAYS OUT

Ever visited a Queen’s Bedroom? – Kenilworth Castle

by DaysOutNOW|Published 12/11/201

My family have actually set foot in the Queen's bedroom. Amazing, right?

Wait, what!?! NO! Not THAT Queen.

Queen Elizabeth I's bedroom!

To be honest her room lets in a bit of a draft, to fresh for a sleep over  (mind you half of the wall and roof was missing). More about that later.

A quick hop from our house to Kenilworth (obviously as it IS Kenilworth Castle) and we were extremely excited to see what we would find there. The only thing I had heard about the place was that ite was a ruin.

YES, A BLOODY RUIN! Nothing like Warwick Castle.

However do I listen to what others say? Well...yes but I still needed to check it out for myself.

We had been invited to review, so popped into the main shop at the entrance and spoke to a lovely girl at the till. She explained where everything was, where we could buy food (she could probably tell that I like my food) and offered us information leaflets.

We were in

Although Kenilworth isn't a full castle with loads of made up rooms, it still took me by surprise. There are entrancey bits to walk around, the surrounding gardens, little quirky out buildings, secret entrances, a tall tower (that is made up and furnished),

football foodhall (bloody predictive text) and the main section (for me) is where Queeny's room is. 

As per usual Eliza (& me) needed to use the toilet straight away, so we headed straight for the toilets.

Outside the toilet, is a paved garden with decorative, hedgey bits. Both our kids loved running around this and did so for ages........and ages.

Fun at first but then you just think

"I want to actually look around, y'know!"

We then entered: 

(LEICESTER'S GATEHOUSE)

 and had a good look around. Built by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester in 1571 as part of his grand plan to woo Queen Elizabeth I, the gatehouse is set up as it may have looked in the 1930s.  Visit the exhibition on the top floor to explore the royal love story of Elizabeth and Dudley.

It was very cold outside so we took full advantage of this heated area and studied everything

If you are wearing muddy shoes there are blue, plastic over shoe protectors to wear.

Upstairs a thoroughly nice chap explained the history of the castle and had a few fun things for the kids to do.

HUNGER STRIKES

After the Gatehouse we were all very hungry (shock). The foodhall is situated in the old stables converted into a beautiful room with high ceilings and scrummy grub for you all to eat. I would only recommend a picnic if it were a stunningly warm day.

After the food, we took a look at the rest of this impressive room.

There are loads of things for the kids to do here. If yours are anything like mine, they won't sit for five minutes so don't worry they will be kept amused while you just relax and eat.

After that we took a stroll around the whole castle from within the grounds. Kids were running up and down the mounded up earth against the castle (quite steep in places ) and loving it. In the summer you could roll down them, just watch for rocks and such like.

You see, kids don't need great, huge theme parks, they need to be able to use their imaginations.

Much, much, much healthier.

We came back round to the main section of the castle and couldn't wait to ascend the towers and explore. Keep your eyes peeled for old graffiti inside some of the rooms. Amazing. Here are some names I spotted.

Framework (I would call it) has been installed to shore up some of the old building and to give you (the visitor) a safe, easy way to climb and discover the castle.

 

THE SHARD OF THE TUDOR TIMES

Then we came into Queen Elizabeth I bedroom. Quite surreal really, although there isn't much let of it now. I can still say I have been in the Queens bedroom, can you? It would have looked impressive back in the day, set in a 100ft tower and boasting the largest glass window in Tudor England.

I won't go on to much more because after all, you'll want to discover some things for yourselves, right?

 

Kenilworth is a great day out and because it ISN'T packed to the gills with punters like Warwick Castle can be and it's a more enjoyable non commercialised (long word alert) day out that you can actually walk around in your own time and enjoy.

Free family days out in North East England

In North East England we are blessed with so many free places to have fun family days out.

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Northumberlandia, the Lady of the North, Northumberland

Northumberlandia is a unique piece of public art set in a 46 acre community park with 4 miles of footpaths on and around the landform. The country park and landscape sculpture is open from dawn until dusk each day and the centrepiece of the park is Northumberlandia, a stunning human landform sculpture of a reclining lady. Made of 1.5 million tonnes of rock, clay and soil, she is 100 feet high and a quarter of a mile long.

O

Ouseburn Farm, Newcastle

Ouseburn Farm is a community led project located in the Lower Ouseburn Valley, just a mile from Newcastle city centre. The farm attracts over 50,000 visitors a year and has an array of animals, gardens, orchard and an onsite café serving coffee and fresh food which has been produced directly from the farm.

R

Rising Sun Country Park, North Tyneside

The Rising Sun Country Park is a green oasis of 162 hectares, set in the heart of North Tyneside. Boasting a nature reserve with ponds, woodlands and extensive grasslands; a farm and Countryside Centre, the site is a haven for wildlife and an ideal place to relax and enjoy the great outdoors, with extensive footpaths, bridleways and cycleways to explore, bird hides, cafe with terrace and park views, free parking with picnic and barbecue area, children’s play area and water play feature.

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Tynemouth, North Tyneside

Tynemouth is located at the mouth of the River Tyne. In the late 18th century, sea-bathing became fashionable in Tynemouth from its east-facing beaches. Today Tynemouth village is a popular place for people from far and wide to come for a variety of reasons. It is steeped in history, has some fabulous attractions, great shopping and a vibrant nightlife. A perfect destination for a day trip, the charming village has something to offer everyone with Longsands, King Edwards Bay, Tynemouth Pier and lighthouse and the Collingwood Monument all to explore for free.

H

Hamsterley Forest, County Durham

Hamsterley Forest is a delightful 2000 hectare oasis, sprawling along the sides of a sheltered valley. Visitors to Hamsterley have no shortage of options when it comes to forest adventure or a tranquil getaway from the hustles of modern living. From wildlife watching and dark sky gazing to adventure play and high octane mountain biking, there is something there for everyone. Hamsterley Forest’s new Viking Wildplay Trail is set along an 800-metre long path straddling both sides of the bubbling Bedburn Beck. It features a number of timber play structures designed and built by North Shields based company ‘Infinite Playgrounds’. And don’t forget to download the app before you start the Gruffalo trail.

E

Embleton Bay, Northumberland

Embleton Bay was named as the UK Beach of the Year in the BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards this year. This sweetly curving beach, with its small grassy square and white-painted fishermen’s cottages is picture postcard pretty. The ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle rear upwards in the distance along from the long stretch of sand curving around Embleton Bay, where you can paddle in the shallow water, go rock pooling or relax on the sand.

A

Arbeia Roman Fort, South Shields

Arbeia Roman Fort is one of the UK’s most important archaeological sites. Just a five minute walk from South Shields seafront is Arbeia Roman Fort, the most extensively excavated Roman military supply base in the Empire. Built in AD160, this UNESCO World Heritage Site stood guard at the mouth of the River Tyne and once controlled the main port of entry to the Roman Empire in Britain. Today, Arbeia is a fascinating place to visit and is a great insight into what life was like in Roman Britain. It combines the excavated remains of the original fort with excellent reconstructions of buildings.

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Saltwell Park, Gateshead

Saltwell Park is one of Britain’s finest examples of a Victorian park. It’s historical and peaceful grounds has earned many awards such as Green Flag and Britain’s Best Park. The park offers a whole range of facilities for the whole family to enjoy including ornamental and woodland gardens, a boating lake, bowling greens, play areas, a maze, Pet’s Corner, Rose Garden, educational centre and the stunning Saltwell Towers – a gothic mansion is surrounded by ornamental gardens which has been sympathetically restored to its former Victorian glory to provide a well-equipped visitor centre and tea room.

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Tyne Riverside Country Park, Northumberland

Accessible from Prudoe or Wylam Stations and Tyne Valley bus routes, Tyne Riverside Country Park offers 200 acres of meadows, grassland, woods and river bank, following the River Tyne for four miles. Walk past Stephenson’s Cottage -– the now-picturesque birthplace of railway engineer George Stephenson – explore the industrial heritage remains, and go wildlife-watching.

For a full A-Z of Free Family Days out in North East England head over to the My Boys Club family lifestyle, food and travel blog.

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My Top 10 Tips when visiting Disney Land Paris

As my family and I have just returned from an amazing trip to Disney Land Paris back in November, I felt it was only right to share my amazing experience with others, including all the advice and tips I can offer to those who are visiting here soon, or thinking about visiting in the near future.

A Disney holiday is like no other and even if you are visiting for a couple of days, good organisation and forward planning is key to get the most out of your break. So here are my top 10 tips when visiting Disney Land Paris!

1. Travel and how to get there.

We have visited Disney Land Paris twice and have used flights first time round and the Euro Tunnel the second time. There really is a massive price difference so if you can face a road trip, then definitely consider this mode of transport as it saved us hundreds! We made it fun for the children with activities during our trip and the euro tunnel felt safe, was super quick and the children thought it was cool!

2. Consider your arrival date.

I have found that it is really important when booking your Disney break to consider the best ARRIVAL date for your budget. Visiting in peak season can be expensive but if you have flexibility, then definitely consider arriving on a super value date. So even if you arrive on a lower cost date but your holiday then turns into a moderate or high season dates, your holiday will still remain super value price as you arrived on a lower rate date.

3. Consider staying on site.

Disney has 6 on site Disney hotels and 1 lodge park located 5 minute drive away to choose from all ranging from luxury to budget. There are many perks to staying on site such as gaining access to Early Magic Hours, being a short walk away from the parks and still feeling like you are part of the magic when you return home to your hotel on the evening. When booking a Disney hotel you will also have exclusive offers available such as free half board dining! Even better!

4. Download the Disney Land Paris App!

This gave us access to the maps of the two parks and Disney Village as well as access to ride queue times, where shows were located, where the nearest rest rooms were and loads more. It was amazing to use and really helped us plan our next activity whether it be a ride with a short queue, or accessing the next show times! A real must and I would recommend anyone visiting to download it now!

5. Children can get hungry during long days out and purchasing snack and drinks can be costly!

So I found taking snack bags for the children really helped keep their tummies full during queue times and costs down. I used freezer sealable bags and packed each child a bag of snacks such as raisins, small bag of biscuits, fruit winders and cereal bars. There are also water fountains scattered around the parks so remember your water bottles!

6. Take a pushchair and/or baby carrier.

Even if you child no longer uses it at home! We found that having a pushchair for the two little ones was so helpful and allowed then to nap during the day ad gave my 3 and a half-year old a chance to rest her legs. We also took a baby carrier for our 8 month old baby which was amazing as he was able to come on a lot of rides with us and made it so much easier carrying him in the queues and around the park!

7. Make use of Fast Pass!

This was a godsend when the queues were long for the bigger thrill rides. Using your fast pass allows you to get access to a ride in a certain time frame so the queue will be quicker and shorter. We did this on several rides and allowed us to save loads of time, giving us more time to do other things. Big Thunder Mountain can have queues up to two hours long in peak season so this ride is a must for Fast Pass!

8. Make use of Parent/Baby swap.

If there are rides that you cannot take a baby/smaller child on (such as Big Thunder Mountain, Hyperspace Mountain, Star Tours), then you can make use of the Parent swap. This means that one parent gets to ride (alone or with an older child) then at the exit, a cast member will offer you a ticket to pass on to your partner, who can then access the ride via the exit and ride again! Perfect! We used this several times as we had two smaller children and one thrill seeker child.

9. Meet and Greet the Characters!

Wow what an experience this is! Disney Land Paris is not just about the rides, it’s also about the amazing interaction from the characters. Whether your children (or you!) are a fan of Mickey, Donald Duck or Stitch, there is an array of characters scattered across both parks for you to meet and greet. On occasions there can be queues and because of this, we found it ideal to book character dining. We did this twice during our last break – Character breakfast where we got to meet 6 characters and then the Princess Lunch where we also met 4 princesses and the two mice from Cinderella. Amazing experiences that will be treasured forever.

10. Where to watch the parade –

this is an amazing show and experience in itself! Characters and floats travel through the park, putting on a magical and interactive show! I would recommend arriving 30 minutes prior to the parade starting, heading towards where the parade begins. This is near the ride ‘Its a Small World’. I found it was a lot quieter here in comparison to Main Street where it was super busy and my children could not see as well. Also by watching the parade at the beginning will then allow you to hot foot it to the rides first where their will be shorter queue times!

And there we have it! I hope this has been informative and interesting to those who will be visiting this magical place soon and I hope these little snippets of advice help others have a fab time!

Guest Blog Written By : The Willow Tree

Also Featured on : Days Out Now