Zog and the Quest for the Golden Star Trail at Warwick Castle

We’ve had a lovely day out at Warwick Castle. First, we headed to the brand new Zog and the Quest for the Golden Star activity trail, which is based on the book by Julia Donaldson. Your little ones can join in and complete 5 lessons to become a fully-fledged dragon and earn their golden star! They learn how to roar, fly, breathe fire, capture a princess, and learn to fight with Sir Gadabout at knight school. At the entrance, your children get a Zog Trail Activity Stamp Card which your children will use to stamp after they complete each lesson, it also has a handy map in which shows you where all the activities are.

Year 1 involved learning how to fly! This is a perfect opportunity for your children to get a photo with Zog with the beautiful Castle as the backdrop. If you follow the trail around you come to year 2, where your little ones learn how to roar. This activity is super interactive as your children can step on each of the footpads on the floor to hear the dragons roar! Age and weight definitely help here, as we had to stamp on the pads for Elijah to make the dragons give out their best roar. I love how spaced out the buttons were so there was enough space for a few children to get involved while adhering to social distancing guidelines.

In year 3, your little ones learn how to breathe fire! Zog had an accident while breathing fire and set his wing alight! Elijah quickly came to the rescue and used the interactive buttons to squirt water on Zog's poorly wing. Next to year 3 of the Zog trail is the Horrible Histories Maze where your children can journey back in time and explore hundreds of years of history, from the Terrifying Tudors, the Middle Ages, to the First World War. This area is aimed more toward school-aged children and is not pushchair friendly.

Year 4 is based at the back of Warwick Castle, over the River Avon by the trebuchet. Here, your children learn how to capture a princess. This area is like a mini obstacle course with timber beams to walk across and wooden stumps to jump on. Surrounding the obstacle course is an accessible trail, which we thought was a lovely touch. This area was super popular. It is surrounded by loads of green space with Warwick Castle's south façade in the background - a perfect spot for a picnic.

Year 5 was the only class that Elijah didn't take part in as he is a little too young to understand the instructions. This is located on the oak tree lawn which you pass when heading towards the conservatory and peacock garden from the side closest to the entrance of Warwick Castle. Here, your children take part in a live class with Sir Gadabout where he teaches them how to fight and be a knight! The classes are running every half an hour throughout the day, on the quarter to and quarter past. The class involves 'Simon Says' type games and looks like so much fun! Your children do need a sword to take part which you can purchase onsite (the cheapest sword being £6.50) or alternatively, you can bring one from home. At the end of the lesson, Sir Gadabout gives out a golden star pop badge to each child who took part. But we did see Sir Gadabout kindly give golden stars to younger children that were waiting for their siblings which we thought was lovely.

Once you have finished the trail and all the years in the activity book are stamped, your children can meet Zog! Zog makes multiple appearances throughout the day and for the times when he isn't there in person, there is his statue double in his place! This is a great photo opportunity for your little ones! If you follow the path round after you have met Zog, you will head toward the conservatory and peacock gardens. This is a beautiful area to sit with a coffee and have a little break while your little ones have a snack or explore.

At 12 and 3pm, the spectacular birds of prey show 'The Falconer's Quest' starts. It is the UK’s largest birds of prey show where the Castle’s feathered friends perform epic aerial acrobatics! We absolutely loved it. Our favourite was definitely the sea eagle because of its enormous wingspan! The show is definitely a must-watch when you’re at Warwick Castle!⁣

It was so interesting learning about the history of Warwick Castle. We’ve been to Warwick Castle a few times now but it was the first time we explored inside the castle. The Great Hall has a spectacular display of weaponry and suits of armour. The wax figures and staterooms immerse you into the Castle’s past; the detail of the dining room and staterooms, particularly the Italian plaster ceilings, rich tapestries, and portraits are incredible!⁣⁣

Some interesting facts about the castle and grounds:⁣⁣

⚔️ The castle was built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century.⁣⁣

⚔️ The castle’s dungeon dates back to 1345 and was used to house prisoners including King Edward IV.⁣⁣

⚔️ It is home to the world’s largest and most powerful trebuchet.⁣⁣

⚔️ Warwick Castle has been a tourist attraction for over 100 years.⁣⁣

⚔️ In its history, Warwick Castle has been owned by both men and women. It was once owned by a 2-year-old girl, Anne. She inherited the castle after her father, the first Duke of Warwick passed away. But unfortunately, she died three years later.⁣⁣

There’s just so much to learn and discover at Warwick Castle!⁣

Important Information

🏰 The castle is open daily from 10am-4pm.⁣

🐉 The Zog

🎫 Ticket prices are £22 each (aged 3+) during the weekend and £20 during the week with under 3s free.⁣

☔️ Rainy day guarantee.⁣

🍴Lunch and refreshments can be purchased at several food outlets or you can bring your own picnic. There are benches scattered around the grounds and lots of tables in the courtyard.⁣

🚻 There are toilets available on-site including baby changing and accessible toilets.⁣

👶🏻 Pushchair friendly.

🅿️ Parking is £6 per day at Stratford Road Car Park, Castle Lane, CV34 6AH.⁣

🖌 NHS track and trace, temperature checked on arrival, face coverings to be worn in indoor areas (inside the Castle, toilets, and gift shop).⁣

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Top tips:

⭐️ Go midweek during term time and take advantage of their parent and toddler ticket which is just £12!⁣

⭐️ Or if you would like to go on the weekend, use a Kellogg’s 2 for 1 voucher which you can find on Kellogg’s cereal boxes and other products.

⭐️ Your little one needs a sword for Sir Gadabout’s Knight School. You can bring your own sword or you can buy one from the shops dotted around Warwick Castle. Prices start at £6.50 🗡

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