Warwick Castle & Motor Museums
It was the day we had been waiting for, our trip to Warwick Castle. The medieval castle was originally built by William the Conqueror during 1068 and it looked very impressive towering above us.
We met the brave knight and his noble steed and enjoyed having our photos taken with the princesses.
Inside the castle was spectacular and we could experience the Victorian high society depicting a weekend house party with the elite, Winston Churchill and of course the Prince of Wales who would later be King Edward Vll were amongst the guests. We wandered slowly around the state rooms which tell the story of the castle’s history and ownership. Queen Anne's bed was magnificent, cloaked in red velvet and gold curtains. This was the exact bed she died in in 1714. The Great Hall is the largest room in the castle and displays the Earls armour collection; it was amazing to see but must have been so heavy. There were so many Royal portraits for us to look at (and giggle at).
Our historical didn't end there as we took our seats to watch the Falconers Quest and what a show it was! Featuring owls, eagles, a Harris hawk,
vultures and a few other birds of prey we watched and listened to the story of why birds of prey were first brought here. They flew so close to us we could have touched them. The birds were so fast, especially when swooping down to the water as if they were catching their prey. It was truly spectacular to watch and at one point there were 30 birds all flying together at one time.
It was off to the British Motor Museum in Warwick to explore the world’s largest collection of historic British cars. It holds over 400 hundred British classic cars and celebrates the past, present and future of British motoring. The museum has many different zones, and we began our journey in the motoring museum cinema where we watched footage from the archives about the evolution of the Austin Mini and Land Rover and why it’s the Royal family’s favourite mode of transport. We walked along the ‘time road’, a century of motoring history beginning in 1896 and we could see how motoring has changed over the years, even the roads and the fashions. We saw the Queen’s Moyers Rolls Royce which was given to the museum by Her Majesty.
Across the road and into the Collections Centre, a huge building housing over 250 cars from the reserve collections of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust. This centre showed us how vehicles are stored and preserved, and we even got to see some vehicles being restored in the workshop. 
The chocolate lover couldn't wait for our trip to Cadbury World in Birmingham. First, we collected our free chocolate bars which no one could resist! We travelled 1000 years back in time to Mexico and walked through the tropical rain forest of the Mayan Indians discovering the origins of the cocoa bean. It was fascinating to learn of how the Cadbury empire was built and the well-known brand we all love so much.
Next, we got to see how they make the chocolate and we even got to have a taste before it goes onto the next stage tempering which was then demonstrated by a chocolatier. It was then our turn to get hands on and write our name with a bottle of warm, melted chocolate on the huge marble slab. After that we took our seats on the Beanmobile and rode through a chocolate village wonderland, not forgetting to smile at the camera for a photo memento. The interactive purple planet was great fun as we grew our own cocoa trees, danced in chocolate rain and chased creme eggs. After lunch we went into the 4D cinema where we sat in motion seats and put on our 4d glasses as we dived into a bowl of liquid dairy milk, rode the crunchie rollercoaster and took to the skies in a Cadbury creme egg airship piloted by the caramel bunny! This was great fun and caused a lot of laughs. 
A fantastic afternoon was spent at The National Motorcycle Museum. This museum is recognised as the finest and largest in the world and opened its doors in 1984 with a collection of 350 motorbikes on display. It now has over 1000, all fully restored to the manufacturer’s original specifications. Kyle was in his element and was very knowledgeable about the history of motorbike racing and we all found a bike that was manufactured in the year we were born. We ambled through the different halls and was great to see a replica motorbike that Barry Sheene raced in the Grand Prix. It was interesting to see how much motorbikes have evolved through the years.
A wonderful morning was spent at Stonehurst Family Farm and no sooner had we arrived we were greeted by the sheep and their lambs; some of which were not very old at all. It was a wonderful experience to be able to feed them too. Next, we met the very noisy pigs. They must have been hoping for some food as well! One of the sow’s had just had 9 piglets and they were all feeding from her. Only 2 weeks ago they had successfully incubated some chicken eggs and were now happily running around in their pen. 
We sat in the petting area, and all enjoyed a hands on experience with the fluffy guinea pigs and cuddly rabbits. Then, we were introduced to the cows, who had also just had their calves. It had certainly been a busy time on the farm! Around the corner we said hello to the ponies and all had a laugh at the grumpy goats who were chasing some lambs around. After a refreshment break, we boarded the tractor for a ride around the farm giving us a different view. We then joined the woodland walk where were met the huge turkey and more chickens.
Lunch was enjoyed in the sunshine before we headed over to their own motor museum. There was a fantastic collection of veteran, vintage and classic cars, motorcycles and motoring memorabilia, built up over the last 50 years by the Duffin family. Many of the cars and motorcycles on display are still running, and attend regular vintage motoring events throughout the year, including hill climb and trialling events.
At the sealift centre we were met by the Gentoo penguin’s and we got to see them being fed. The keeper explained to us that some seemed to be nesting so he was keeping a close check on them to see if they had laid any eggs. Everyone thought they all looked very happy in their cold, icy house. Next, we ventured into the UK’s only 360-degree tunnel and marvelled at the sharks, rays and hundreds of tropical fish swimming over our heads and underneath us. It was a truly unique experience. We watched the otters who appeared to be having their morning wash and were so fun to watch as they gave us a marvellous show, swimming so fast around their enclosure. The Jelly Invaders zone was magical with all different kinds of jellyfish dancing in their illuminated tanks. Another great experience was in the rockpool area where we got to touch a starfish. It felt like stroking sandpaper. 
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