UK Tourist & Leisure Attractions - Cotswolds

Well, Mike was happy as this gorgeous princess welcomed us at Warwick Castle to experience 1000 years of bloody battles, mystic myths, spellbinding tales, heroic knights and pampered princesses.

On the left is the Castle Dungeon, a new for 2009 attraction, which we tried first.  Scary actors led us round some really gory gruesome scenes - and Belinda was put on trial for witchcraft!  Oo-er!

Anyway, after a good scream we next climbed the 530 steep and uneven steps of the ramparts and were rewarded with a magnificent view over the castle grounds and Warwick town.  Our tip: don't look down those grates in the floor though!

Another tip - pick your time to visit Warwick Castle carefully, we found the place swamped with school parties in early July.

We got a great view from the ramparts towards Maidens Tower and The Mound.

Oooo, need a good head for heights up here, we were even higher than Caesar's tower next door.  One disconcerting thing was the glass panels in the stone floors we kept coming across - it made Mike go all quivery looking straight down the drop below!

Anyway, onto Caesar's tower which...

...Belinda was about to enter here.

Here's the grand Great Hall inside Warwick Castle and centre stage two armor clad Knights face to face.

We wandered round Warwick Castle's State Rooms and observed a way of life from Georgian times.

Inside another Warwick Castle area we were able to get a glimpse of everyday life in medieval times with a wander through scenes such as preparation for battle.

This lively birds of prey display was one of the activities we saw at Warwick Castle, another was an archery demonstration and yet another was the blacksmith.

Here's a pleasing view of Warwick Castle's Central Courtyard.  Activities included that birds of prey display, a jousting tournament, and many castle characters on the loose about the place such as bowmen, jousters and jesters.

Warwick Castle admission cost £17.95 plus an extra £7.50 for the dungeon and - ohmigod - £3.50 for the car park on top.  These costs would soon mount up for a family struggling during the recession!

This looked like a pretty fearsome weapon from medieval times.  It's the Trebuchet, an ancient siege weapon which we just missed being fired.  Doh!

Another day and on to Sudeley Castle, located just south of Winchcombe.  After a wander around the magnificent gardens and captivating wildfowl area with its rare and endangered species we headed...

...inside Sudeley Castle where we checked out the Six Wives at Sudeley exhibition, complete with Henry VIII himself.  Other worthwhile displays at Sudeley Castle included the Threads of Time and The Sudeley Story.

We enjoyed refreshment in the castle coffee shop, located in the Medieval Banqueting Hall, and once the rain stopped headed outside again to take some final photos.  Sudeley Castle admission cost £7.20.

We were able to use our supermarket rewards tokens for both Warwick and Sudeley Castle entrance.

The Cotswolds were stunning, despite the mixed weather we endured.  Of course, we didn't get round the half of it in a week, so no doubt we'll be returning some day...

There's more on the lovely Cotswolds in our UK tourist resources.

Now for our last Cotswolds visit of the holiday, the delightful Bourton on the Water in Gloucestershire...

Bourton on the Water gets its charm from the numerous low arched bridges that span the shallow River Windrush which runs through its centre.  Along its course are many coffee shops, pubs - and the inevitable tourist trap gift shops!

We enjoyed our picnic lunch on the village green in this rather idyllic setting by Bourton on the Water's River Windrush - along with many other tourists.  There's a number of attractions in Bourton, including a Bird Park and Model Railway, both of which we...

...didn't visit.  One attraction we did though was the Motor Museum (entrance £3.90).  Although rather over-packed with motoring memorabilia, our wander round the various sections, especially the nostalgia filled 60s & 70s, was enthralling.  And we even met Brum at the Motor Museum!

Next up was Bourton on the Water's entrancing 1/9th scale Model Village, built in the 1930s, here with a rather more recent Belinda strolling down the miniature street.  The Model Village is constructed from the local Cotswold stone and is in the grounds of the Old New Inn.  Entrance cost £3.25.

Here in the Model Village we stood at the spot where we had our lunch by the river earlier, only our larger selves now.  Can you spot the bird having a splash in the miniature River Windrush and spoiling the scale?

The Model Village in Bourton on the Water had an even more miniature village within, and another one within that!  It did look a bit barren though, maybe it was a work in progress?