Warwick Castle

Written by Mynn aka Babah Sarah

This weekend has brought us to Warwick Castle. The castle is only around a 12 minute drive from our town, and it has been our first time there.

The city Warwick is akin to Stratford-upon-Avon; ancient, peaceful, cultural, beautiful and extremely serene. So serene, infact, that it made me think what a nice place it'd be for (my) retirement. Away from the hustle and bustle of larger cities, expertly landscaped gardens and parks and historic architecture, Warwick was the ideal place for us to visit and unwind. Especially after my extremely busy oncall week.

Arriving at the castle, we were surprised by the carpark which seemed in the middle of a small forest. The "forest" turned out to be the castle's surrounding garden full of beautiful summery flowers of many colours and gigantic trees which seemed to be as old as the castle itself. From the carpark to the castle was a journey itself, a 10 minute trek through the garden. Some visitors were even eating pack lunches and holding picnics outside the castle gates.

At the castle gates, we were shocked. Not only because the tour guides and staff were dressed in medieval themes (pictured below), but especially seeing the entrance prices. Entry for an adult costs £16 and children £10. That would make the total cost for our small party a hefty £52. We were close to entering the castle grounds, but my mother texted us saying that my parents would like to visit the castle too, when they come and visit in just around 10 days time. So our visit to Warwick Castle is postponed.

Our sense of adventure undeterred, we headed for the town centre for lunch. We discovered a Japanese Restaurant called Shihan and made our minds to eat there. Our lunch was sushi, salmon teriyaki, and MS ordered a yakisoba. Overall, we were happy with Shihan's spacious and well planned interiors. The sushi was also delicious. I particularly like sampling different kinds of fish, not just regular tuna and salmon. Among today's was salmon roe and seabass. The picture I used for the blog's new banner was taken in Shihan.

However, they're also a few things we'd like to criticise about the restaurant. I think the teriyaki and especially the yakisoba was not particularly special (especially for the price). The yakisoba in Wagamama tastes multiple times better and is cheaper. Infact, I would say the yakisoba is probably even less delicious compared to Tenkaichi in Cardiff, and the yakisoba in Tenkaichi is extremely good value. Deifnitely disappointed with the main course. The service was also slightly slow.

Overall, we had a great time in Warwick, especially visiting Warwick castle. Can't wait to go into the Castle grounds next time with my parents!