Buy in 2 Warwick Trail

If you follow me on Instagram @smallhousebigtrips you may remember that we visited Warwick last month to take part in the Buy in 2 Warwick Trail.

The trail is FREE to take part and you can pop into Warwick Visitor Centre located in The Court House to pick up the itinerary from the lovely members of staff inside. I have to admit the lady who was on the main desk when we arrived was such a pleasure to talk to, so welcoming and enthusiastic about Warwick. You can get some amazing Warwick inspired gifts and souvenirs from the Visitor Centre and they have a number of history sections where you can find out more about some of the local areas of history.

From here, we walked towards St Mary’s Church, an historic landmark (built in 1123), tourist attraction and busy parish church set in the ancient town. It was closed when we arrived so we didn’t get to go inside but we explored the glorious Church Yard and took in the beauty of the snowdrops and the architecture of the building and took a walk down Tink A Tank Lane, to explore the quaint College Garden which again was picturesque with the array of spring flowers including snowdrops and crocuses. A place you could sit and have a think whilst listening to the birdsong in the pleached lime trees.

We then turned right and explored some more of the gorgeous Georgian architecture, heading along Northgate Street to find Shire Hall which housed prisoners in the dungeon until the 1800s.

The trail tells us that the building was home to the Warwick Crown Court until 2010, before it relocated to Leamington Spa. Shire Hall is now the main office and meeting place for the Warwickshire County Council. Keep your eyes peeled as you can see an original prison door incorporated into the side of the building.

We kept walking and soon found the library and a shop on the corner with a very friendly shop assistant. Warwick is such a happy place full of the most genuine, friendly people. The Market Square is full of independent places to eat, drink and shop and on the side is a statue of previous Warwick resident Randolph Turpin who was Britain’s first black World Boxing Middleweight champion.

We then walked by the Market Hall and down Swan Street to see the outside of Lord Leycester Hospital. I think I may have been inside as a child as I had de-ja-vu when we stood outside the main gates. What an absolutely stunning building. It is currently closed for extensive maintenance work but will reopen in 2023. It has been featured in a number of TV shows and films including A Christmas Carol and Doctor Who.

With hungry bellies we then visited Dough and Brew, a fabulous eatery which we want to shout from the rooftops about. The food is delicious, fresh and incredible value for money. Read our full review of here on a separate post (because it definitely deserved one) here: https://smallhousebigtrips.co.uk/dough-and-brew/ .

Exploring new areas is great fun and we enjoyed checking out some of the local independent shops including Golden Monkey Tea Co, a loose leaf tea merchant with an abundance of varieties and a great little childrens section to keep them busy whilst you explore the store. The Deli, Warwick which had its own unique Cheese Room was a winner for us too and Moss plants and home, which had SO many beautiful plants to choose from.

Hill Close Gardens was our next stop. Restored Victorian hedged gardens of historic importance with Grade II listed summer houses and an array of history. Check out our full post with lots of pictures of this hidden gem in Warwickshire. Almost like The Secret Garden. Review here: https://smallhousebigtrips.co.uk/hillclosegardens/

What do you do after some exercise in the fresh air? Have cake of course. So we headed to Love Bread and Co Bakery where we had some drinks and cake. A perfect place to stop with a lovely outdoors area for those who want to enjoy the sunshine.

After cake we headed off to St Nicholas Park. The perfect place to visit with the family. A mini theme park/fair, play areas, mini golf, swan boats and so much more. The perfect place to take a picnic with a scenic view including Warwick Castle.

We had a brilliant time taking part on the Buyin2Warwick Trail and we cannot wait to return to do some more of the many places mentioned on the itinerary.

Thank you to https://weareempr.co.uk/ for arranging our visit and telling us about this brilliant trail.