Sunday was cold. For a change though, at least for England in January, the sun was shining. Never one to miss out on an opportunity to drag my husband and daughter off to some stately home or ruined castle, the English Heritage guidebook was dusted off after being given a break over the holiday season and we were bundled up and in the car within an hour or so. Kenilworth Castle is an easy 40 minute drive from our house and is one of our favourite places from the summer so it seemed a good choice.

Kenilworth began life as a Norman Keep in the time of Henry I (1120 or so) and became a royal castle under Henry II. Over time, it was built up into an island stronghold able to protect Henry III (though it is no longer surrounded by a mere or lake). With each monarch, it changed. This can be seen in the Tudor Stables (which now house a rather tasty tea room) and the Elizabethan Gatehouse. The Gatehouse was built by Robert Dudley as a place for Elizabeth I when she visited. Walking around, it’s interesting to see the changes and imagine what it was like during so many key periods in my country’s history. Not that we are the only one who have ever done that…

When we’d been there last summer (a couple of times) we’d taken a picnic as there is plenty of space for lazing on the grass. On one visit we’d been lucky enough to catch a demonstration of Elizabethan dancing and music, which our daughter loved. There weren’t any demonstrations on Sunday and lolling on the grass wasn’t an option but we still had fun climbing the battlements and visiting the house before walking around the walls and splashing in the mud and puddles – thankfully we’d taken our wellies…

After a couple of hours, and a stop at the coffee shop for a cream tea (because it wouldn’t be a trip to a historical site without a pot of tea and a scone), the sky started to come in dark and the chill in the air turned bitter, meaning it was time to go home.

If it hadn’t, we might have risked the 30 minute round trip to Pleasance, site of an island retreat built by Henry V, or 10 minute walk to Kenilworth Priory, the remains of an Augustinian monestry founded in 1124. About the same distance away is a great park for kids (with the added attraction of an ice-cream shop) – all good for summer visits, when no doubt we’ll be back!

Note: For some reason, I managed to not take a photo of the walk up to the castle. The one used is courtesy of Angela Tuff [CC BY-SA 2.0],