Exploring our local castles.

After using our services, what will you do with all your new-found free time?

Royal Leamington Spa is a lovely town - it’s definitely a great place to work, but, if you’re like us and don’t find shopping on a Saturday (with everyone else) hugely appealing, it’s good to find somewhere different to go at weekends.

There are two castles within a 15 minute drive of the centre of Leamington Spa - Warwick castle is spectacular. If you have never been, WHY NOT? Plan a trip immediately - go for broke and invite friends or family along. £24 for an adult might sound a bit expensive, but book on-line and that comes down to £18, and we promise you won’t be disappointed. And with their ‘rainy day guarantee’, you get to come back for free if your trip gets washed out.

The other castle is based at Kenilworth. Owned by English Heritage, it is one of the largest historic attractions in the West Midlands, and is best known as the home of Robert Dudley, the great love of Queen Elizabeth I. Kenilworth Castle was enhanced over time to impress his Queen in 1575 and in a bid to gain her hand in marriage.

The most recent additions are the recreated Elizabethan Garden which had been lost to the world for over 400 years and new for 2014 are the Kenilworth Castle Platforms. The new staircases take visitors up 18m (60ft) to the queen’s former bedroom and views over the castle grounds and lands once held by Dudley and the previous owners of the castle.