Warwick Castle is an attraction and part of the Merlin Group, in which we used our Merlin passes to visit. It focuses on the castle and the estate, with its history and some more modern-day fun with a medieval theme, This visit would be focusing on the Lockdown procedures etc, for up to date information make sure you check their site before you leave.
We’ve been a couple of times but living where we are, we don’t often get a chance to visit, and took advantage of the opportunity while we were that way, we were keen to see the castle again but also were intrigued by how they were dealing with the lockdown, with the kids there are parts that they enjoy but for us, it’s not perhaps a whole day out experience, but you can easily half or a most of a day.
Table of Contents
We Begin…
Currently like most places and all Merlin attractions, its a booking process which means you can’t really turn up on the day and expect to get in, this is way to restrict how many people can enter and attempt to stay within Social distance regulations, also similar other places is the entrance, this is 3 parts.
Both Temperature check and bag search are done once you have finished queuing, the tickets or merlin pass are then checked with your pre-booking info etc, this whole process is as expected, a delayed process in getting in. The gun style temp check is still fast and compared to other bigger attractions ultimately it’s not a long wait but for some who aren’t used to queuing as long here, this might not you.
At point rounds the ground including the entrance are Antibac stations, there is signage and all of this is a relatively useful point, so if you get a little stuck with what’s happening or where things are there not far. Much of the attractions and places to view are all outside, so you can keep social distancing to the level you feel comfortable with and you can choose to wear masks or not, unlike other places it’s not really one way outside as this would be difficult to do, but there is plenty of space to enjoy and keep that distance
What’s on…
With the outdoors stuff not really affected, many of the normal attractions are on, like the castle grounds, the Horrible History Maze, The gardens, The big Trebuchet, and the Flacon display. Some of these are displayed with signs and Antibac but in reality, there isn’t any difference to this compared to the rest of the year, so your day won’t really change for this.
The indoor activities have had the most tweaking, the dungeon is still on but I imagine its a limited capacity and times, the Time Tower is currently closed due to distancing, as is a Tour, however the Main Hall and Rooms are all open, these though are Masks only and limited entries at a time, there is a one-way system throughout the rooms, this can be a little tough to navigate depending on who you have in front or behind, or if you’re anxious about it all.
The castle walls and towers are still open but again they are limited in time entry, which means someone is stopping you until there’s enough of a gap from the people in front.
Overall
The good thing is that much of this is outside so its all had a very limited impact on your day, especially if you compare it to other attractions, and in reality, it’s only the indoor things that get affected, like restaurants, shops and halls etc.
However this isn’t new to the rest of the country at this time, the extra activities that are often here are currently not on, and I wouldn’t be surprised if these don’t return until next year, this might affect your visit, if you have been here before and wanting something different then these themed activities can be good extra fun. It might be a slightly limited day out to normal but if this is your thing, then you will still get some enjoyment out of the visit but just say safe and take social distancing steps, others around you may not, so be prepared.
