Warwick Castle opens UK’s first interactive maze, which is every parent’s dream

DO you feel like telling your children to get lost this Easter? Then I have got the perfect solution.

Warwick Castle has just opened the UK’s first interactive, multi-sensory maze, which is every parent’s dream — teaching children while tiring them out.

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The Horrible Histories Get Lost In Time Maze features gripping scenes from centuries ago, from a Viking longboat for kids to clamber on, to a World War One trench built from more than 5,000 sandbags.
Uniquely, the entrance to the maze is in the middle, so your children will find themselves locked inside with no way out unless they complete the clues.

My kids could not wait to get stuck into the puzzles, plumping straight for the Slimy Stuarts gunpowder barrels and Measly Middle Ages poison garden.

At each stage of history, there is information to read about the era and gruesome facts to keep even the oldest children entertained.

Next up was the stocks, a fun photo opportunity for the family, followed by the meal for World War One soldiers, complete with rats and lice from soldiers’ socks.

The height of the maze bushes means parents can see their children, but keeping up with them is another matter. The maze is full of tricky turns and dead ends, and my nine-year-old had to help me find the way out.

Although the maze is the newest attraction, it’s by no means the only one. For an entry price of £18 each, the breath-taking Castle has to be one of Britain’s best value family breaks.

After the maze we went to the spooky dungeon, complete with an underground cage ready for the naughtiest prisoners — the perfect way to warn little boys to behave.

But the biggest hit of the morning was the Kingmaker, a series of interlinked underground cellar rooms with life-sized animated models showing what the atmosphere was like on the eve before a battle.

From the fletchers making arrows, cooks preparing a feast to knights queuing for the castle loo — a hole in the battlement wall — my children absolutely loved it.

They went back around five times and are still talking about it a month after our visit.

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Refuelled with a pizza and pasta buffet, we watched the archer firing at mock baddies on the Castle walls. It’s great for teens and older kids, especially as the archer explains the origins of sticking two fingers up.

One of the castle’s top attractions is its large collection of birds of prey and we settled down on the lawn to watch the stunning show.

Its highlights included an Andean condor, the world’s largest bird of prey. And Warwick Castle is certainly big on the world-beaters, as you get to see the world’s biggest trebuchet in action.

This colossal catapult is an authentic recreation of the largest and most deadly military machines of its time. It held my children rapt in awe.

In the afternoon, while my husband took the boys on to the battlements, I strolled the stunning Capability Brown designed grounds.

I also took the castle tour and peeked into the Princess Tower, which is a must for any girls who love dressing up.

Our final stop was the hugely popular Horrible Histories play, bringing the smash-hit kids TV show to life.

The Wicked Warwick sketch runs every day over summer and includes all the colourful characters, guts and gore you would expect from such an ancient castle.

So when it was time to call it a day — or should that be knight — my kids were devastated.

While the history may be horrible, Warwick Castle is a wonderful day out for families, and we can’t wait to go back.

GO: Warwick Castle

STAYING THERE: The Horrible Histories Maze: Get Lost in Time is included in general admission. For entry to Warwick Castle, you can get the cheapest prices by booking online at least five days in advance. Tickets start from £18 per person. Children under three years go free.

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