National Trust Charlecote Park Review
Charlecote Park
Warwickshire
Reviewed by Katie Garrett
As a family we have never visited a National Trust site before so we were very excited to go to Charlecote Park in Warwick. My husband and I took along my four year old daughter, three year old son and 6 month old son. The park was well sign posted and parking which is opposite the entrance was easy to find and free which is always great.
Our tickets were swiftly sorted by some very friendly members of staff and we made our way up the beautiful driveway towards the house. Along one side of the drive there were fallow deer grazing which my children were delighted to see and they insisted we stopped for pictures. The drive is long but there was a shuttle run up and down for those who struggle with mobility. We passed a sign stating that a lamb walk would be taking place at several times throughout the day so noted the times but by this point little bellies were rumbling.
We set up for a picnic, there were several areas which held picnic tables. I was really impressed with one area which had picnic tables with a lovely view of the river Avon. There were several outdoor toys set up here, footballs, a cricket set, some hoppy animals and some tennis racket sets. This allowed my husband and I to have a leisurely lunch and an actual conversation (which is a rarity with three young children) while the children played nearby. There was also other picnic areas which didn’t have the toy sets out which I felt was good for people who would prefer a quieter lunch.
After a bathroom stop where the facilities were clean and fresh we headed towards the main house. I was slightly apprehensive that my three year old son would be noisy and slightly bored looking round. However the house had put on a game for the children where they had hidden a toy lamb in each room and the children had to find them, if they found all the lambs they could earn a sticker at the end. My children absolutely loved this game. We were given a sheet with information on each room we would enter which I found really helpful to answer the children’s questions. There was also a volunteer in each room, they were outstanding in both their knowledge and the ease of which they interacted with the children making us all feel so welcome. The rooms were well set out with lots of interesting artefacts and beautiful items to look at. We also visited the kitchen where another volunteer dressed in costume was cooking lemon curd and some buns, she explained how the kitchen worked to us all and again was so knowledgeable. Here the children could dress up and practising writing on slate with chalks. Following the kitchen was situated the gift shop which had local produce and other national trust branded products.
© Jane Eastwood
It was now time to head for the lamb walk, we walked over to where the Jacob sheep were. They are all housed outside so their lambing season begins 1st April to ensure that the worst of the cold weather is over. The deputy ranger gave us a brilliant talk about the sheep, I felt it was aimed just right, not too long or too short and we all admired the latest lambs. The ranger was able to answer questions on the care of the sheep and park land. We were offered the opportunity to go and see the heronry which is one of the largest in Warwickshire, however the little people needed a rest. We stopped for a drink and a biscuit and another play on the grass, the sun was shining and it felt like a little bit of heaven sat there enjoying the sounds of the children giggling away.
Exploration of the stables and laundry was our next destination where we learnt how the house used to brew its own beer. There was a small second hand bookshop in one of the stables where we had a browse. We then started to explore the immaculate gardens which are filled with beautiful well maintained flowers. We passed the Orangery restaurant which had a variety of hot and cold food on offer at reasonable prices with both in and outdoor seating.
On our way out we wandered through the attached garden centre with many plants for sale and thanked the staff on reception for such a lovely day, they were knowledgeable on prices for season tickets and this is something we as a family are now considering as we had such a lovely time. We would love to explore more that the National Trust have to offer. We were surprised at just how much there was to do at Charlecote Park, a full days’ worth of activities and well worth the ticket price. We came away feeling very well looked after and cared for by all members of staff and have already recommended to friends and family.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost (with Gift Aid): Adults £10.05 (£11.10), Children £5 (£5.50), Family £25 (£27.50).
For more information visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/charlecote-park.
Charlecote Park, Wellesbourne, Warwick, Warwickshire, CV35 9ER | 01789 470277
