If you live within, or about an hour from Leeds Castle, near Maidstone in Kent I’d say you’re worth a visit. It’s one of those attractions where your entry ticket will gain you admission for a whole year. So, on the basis that you can return again and again, it’s great value, but if you have further to travel and might only visit the once then it’s a costlier affair.
Entry Costs
The price of an adult ticket is £25 if you buy
in advance online, or a pound more if you get it on the day. Children are free
up to 4 years and a child ticket (4-15 years) is £16.50 in advance. I was
pleased to see that customer feedback had been noted and acted on in the last
year and there are now family tickets available for a cost of £70 (that’s
either 2 adults and up to 4 children or 1 adult and up to 5 children). As mentioned,
£70 is a great price if you return multiple times.
We visited Leeds Castle last Tuesday during the
February school half-term and it was fairly busy with families with small
children, but being a big site there was plenty of space for everyone. Inside
the actual castle was quiet, as was the maze but the falconry display was
fairly busy and the play park was heaving.
At 11am as we arrived there was plenty of
parking, with friendly attendants directing us and we didn’t have far at all to
walk to the entrance. I was super pleased to see massive (and clean) toilets by
the entrance and it didn’t take us long to get in. You’re best to check opening
hours on the website before you travel, as the times change from the low to
high season. We could have arrived as early as 10am if had wished and last
entry is at 3pm, with the park closing at 5pm in February.
Gorgeous Grounds and Walks
There is a very pleasant walk from the entrance
area to the castle and we really enjoyed a slow walk along admiring all the
birds, gardens and black swans. It makes me smile to think that the thing my
three kids (ages 11, 11 and 15 years) probably enjoyed best was the duck
feeding and chatting as a family as we walked along. It really is the simple
things! Duck feed is available to buy at £1 a bag. If you don’t fancy the walk,
there is a land train that you can pay to use, it is 50p per child and £1 per
adult. I have to say that I’d like to have seen this included in the cost of
entry.
There is, of course, transport for those with
accessibility needs and no cost for this. Accessibility appeared to be good
across the site and had been thought through well, of course some areas like
the maze and parts of the castle are inaccessible due to their nature and age.
In all there is 500 acres of glorious parkland
and gardens that you can explore during your day out. The kids liked crossing
the bridge in the Oriental garden, I loved the views above the waterfall to the
castle in the Woodland garden and there is also the Culpeper Garden and Lady
Baillie Mediterranean terrace garden to look around too.
The Castle
If you like your history then Leeds Castle is
definitely for you as Leeds Castle started as a Norman stronghold, then
progressed to be the private property of six of England’s medieval queens, a
palace used by Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon, a Jacobean
country house, a Georgian mansion, an elegant early 20th century retreat for
the influential and famous and in the 21st century, it has become one of the
most visited historic buildings in Britain.
It’s always good to look around a historic
castle and I particularly liked watching the video visual representation of how
the castle has changed over the centuries, within the Gatehouse Exhibition. You
enter the castle through one of the cellars and work your way up the castle,
part of it is very old and historic still with Medieval and Tudor influences and
then you go through to the more modern part, which has been preserved as a
1920’s house and you see the influences of the last owner Lady Baille.
It’s worth mentioning that at the moment the
front of the castle is covered in scaffolding and this means you can’t get a picturesque
shot from the front, but the current works are due to be finished in March this
year and of course the work to the stonework and external fabric of the castle
is necessary to preserve it.
Refreshments
We stopped first at the kiosk by the castle and
had coffee, donuts and cookies. The fresh donuts were £1 each or 6 for £5 and
we very much enjoyed those. Miss M had a fresh baked cookie for £1 and she
loved that too. The coffee was a bit more hit and miss, with mine being quite tasty
and my husband’s tasting of burnt UHT milk.
We’d bought a picnic with us as we didn’t want
to spend too much during the day, and I think if we return we’d do the same
again. The burgers and such in the Maze Grill looked pretty limp and weren’t
cheap, but then it’s the norm when you’re at an attraction. We did order Costa
coffee here and it’s the worst I’ve ever had. We wouldn’t use this outlet
again.
We didn’t visit the Castle View restaurant, but
the menu looks great and the images of the food on the website are
mouthwatering. At lunch it is £11.50 for battered haddock and chips, £7.80 for
Chefs open sandwich of the day and £12.50 for choose your own topping pizza
flatbread. So prices comparable to the good pubs in the area.
There is also a very pleasant courtyard area
that we walked through and there’s a range of kiosk outlets there to get a
sandwich, cold drink or Costa coffee.
Activities for Children
The maze is a really good one, it is big enough
for the kids to feel they have got lost, but not too scary. My son and I were
able to stand on the central stone structure and guide my daughter into us at
the middle. You then leave the maze by an underground cave/ grotto, which was a
nice touch.
Sadly, for us the older children’s play area was
being redeveloped whilst we visited, but it looks as if it will be amazing,
even for older children like my 11 year old's. In fact the Knights Stronghold
playground is being developed for use by those up to 14 years of age and it
looks massive. It is based on the design of Leeds Castle and will have spiralling
slides, fireman’s poles, giant cargo nets and zip wires.
There is also Squires’ Court Playground for younger
children, and this was busy and in use when we visited, but it only suitable
for those up to 6 years of age.
Falconry
Each day at 2pm there is a falconry display over
by the maze, it lasts for around 40 minutes and is included in the entry price.
For my husband and I this was the highlight of our day. I’d advise you get to
the area about ten minutes before the display starts and then you can choose
where you’d like to stand.
There are a good variety of birds in the display
– Barn Owls, a Kestrel, a Harris Hawk and another odd looking one that I can’t
recall the name of. The Falconry staff are really knowledgeable and very
friendly, so you get a good introduction through the talk and it is interesting
to watch how the birds would hoover and then swoop on their prey.
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| Thanks to my husband for these great photos |
You can also visit the Birds of Prey Centre and
see the birds there, either on display in the weathering ground or in their
aviaries. I’m a bit sad that we didn’t book for the free Birds of Prey Centre
Behind the Scenes Tour that was running twice daily during half-term. When I
saw it I wondered if it would engage the kids, but after seeing the display I
feel sure it would have.
Also at the Castle
There are plenty of events at Leeds Castle that
are included in the price of your admission ticket. I really fancy seeing the Medieval jousting tournaments
on the weekend of 25th – 27th May but there are plenty of
other talks and exhibitions that you may enjoy. Have
a look and see for yourself.
If you fancy an overnight stay in the grounds
there is a good variety of accommodation too, with deluxe B&Bs, glamping
and a holiday cottage too.
Take a good look round the website, as there is
loads to find out and you can even have your wedding at the castle if you so
wish.
Conclusion
We had a great day at Leeds Castle; it isn’t
easy to occupy three tweens and teens on a family day out, but we all managed
to leave having had a good time. The highlights were the falconry display, maze
and just wandering the grounds feeding the ducks, geese and swans.
For me the refreshments we had were a let down
and I couldn’t help feeling that the castle wasn’t the best example I’d ever
seen, but I may just have been spoilt as I really loved the history and
grandeur of Arundel Castle and the magnificence of Windsor.
The family entry ticket price of £70 is great
value if you are going to return many times and I’d recommend seeing what
events are happening when you visit and booking in advance if it advises you to
do so.
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Disclosure: We received a free family ticket in exchange for an honest review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.
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| More of my husbands photos |
I'm linking this post up with Louise for CountryKids.