Warwick Castle Glamping Tents: Review of Knight’s Village

If you’re heading to Warwick Castle this summer, why not extend your stay at the Knight’s Village, in one of the Warwick Castle glamping tents? 

Glamping at The Knight’s Village

Back in the day, my Dad was a scout leader. My childhood featured a lot of camping. The sort of camping with bugs, sleeping bags and leaky tents that took two hours to put up.

The Warwick Castle glamping tents offer a slightly different sort of camping experience.

For starters, your tent is fully set-up ready for your arrival. The tents sit in the castle grounds, on the banks of a pretty river, with really pretty views over the water.

Each tent comes with proper beds. There’s electricity. There’s free WiFi.

This is definitely not the camping of my childhood.

What’s Inside the Warwick Castle Glamping Tents?

We slept in one of the bigger Warwick Castle glamping tents. These tents face the water, and each has a small, outside decking area. There’s a table and chair, and some lanterns. It’s definitely at the fancy end of glamping!

Your tent comes with a padlock, so you can be assured of some privacy. But these are not exactly deadlocks, so I’d advise leaving anything especially valuable at home, or on your person.

Inside, the glamping tents feature a double, four-poster bed with either one or two single beds. These are PROPER beds with Sealy mattresses. There are thick, soft duvets and cosy cushions. There are extra blankets. 

Of course you can’t have a four-poster bed without a chandelier – and that’s provided here. Each tent is kitted with electricity so there are lights and a double power socket. That’s perfect if you need to charge your phone, or want to watch a movie.

The Nitty Gritty

Of course, the real issue when camping (for me) is around the other details.

Will I need to shower in some hideous communal block? What if Flea needs the bathroom in the middle of the night? How in the heck do I get a cup of coffee in the morning? Are the Warwick Castle glamping tents warm enough?

Relax. Here’s what you need to know:

• There are bathroom blocks and shower blocks for men and women (above). They’re the sort of cabins you see at festivals – in the VIP areas. Seriously, they’re very nice, and properly lit, with fancy sinks and proper toilets.
• The beds are ridiculously comfortable. We were here ahead of the summer season, but we were perfectly warm, and slept very well.
• The campsite is lit at night, and there are covered pathways between the tents, so you won’t trip over any ropes or have to get wet and muddy if you DO need the loo in the middle of the night.

• The tents are pretty close together and I imagine noise could be an issue when the site is busy. If you’re a light sleeper, the shop at the Knight’s Village reception sells both eye masks and ear plugs. Actually, I could have used these – I was woken at 5am by heavy rain on the roof of our tent, and the light then kept me awake.
• There is a bar inside the Knight’s Village reception building with free tea and coffee machines. You can also buy snacks and drinks when reception is open, and there are vending machines just outside the entrance selling drinks and ice cream for late night snacks.

On-Site Entertainment and Dining

As an overnight guest at Warwick Castle Knight’s Village, there are some definite perks.

Guests can opt to dine at the on-site restaurant where there’s a medieval style feast that families can share. Unfortunately, it wasn’t massively vegetarian-friendly, so we opted for the ten minute walk to a local Pizza Express. There are plenty of restaurants close by if you do want to venture out.

If you stay on-site though, there is entertainment in the restaurant. We saw a rather spectacular and very funny sword fight between two knights. During the high season, there’s also the chance to try archery and take part in a range of games.

After dinner, Flea and I opted to enjoy the peace and quiet of the waterfront. Bring bug spray, though. Industrial quantities of bug spray. And spare shoes. There’s a lot of “nature” in the camping area, and you might find yourself stepping in it.

And Then There’s the Castle…

Of course, the real attraction to staying at the Warwick Castle Knight’s Village is that guests have 2 days access to the castle itself. And this is a castle where you can easily fill two action-packed days.

Guests at the village can enter the castle via a private gate (you’ll need to ask at reception for the gate code), and from there it’s a quick five minute walk to the castle.

First up on our agenda was watching the launching of the trebuchet. This is a medieval catapult that can fire a projectile over 150 feet. The narrator was fantastic, explaining to the audience how and why these weapons were used, and how men could manipulate such a large, powerful machine using just their arms and legs.

From the Trebuchet, it was a quick walk up the hill to see one of the twice-daily falconry displays. Flea had a great time watching the massive eagles and birds of prey swooping over the castle, sometimes just inches above our heads.

Next up, Flea took a few shots at archery (we paid £5 for this), and then we headed up to the castle itself to explore.

Warwick Castle has so many amazing activities and interactive displays that it’s sometimes easy to forget the actual history and the building itself. So it was nice to have a wander around the towers and ramparts and get a real feel for the building.

After stretching our legs, it was back to business with a trip to see the War of the Roses. This is a fun live action jousting show that splits the audience into Lancastrians and Yorks, and tells the story of the last of the Plantagenets in a really fun, engaging way.

By this time we were both ravenous. There are lots of food stands and restaurants at the castle, so it’s easy to pick up lunch on the go. If you prefer, there is a restaurant, but we didn’t check it out. It has to be said, a lot of the food stands aren’t veggie-friendly, so if you have a vegetarian in the family, you might want to plan ahead.

Overall Review

At around £125 a night for a mid-week break, I think the Warwick Castle glamping tents are are pretty good value. Especially considering that overnight guests get a second day’s entry to the castle for free.

Warwick Castle Lodges v Glamping Tents

Struggling to choose between a glamping tent and a wooden lodge at Warwick Castle?

This video gives you a quick view of each:

If you think that glamping is cold or uncomfortable, then I promise you that the beds in the glamping tents at Warwick castle are warm and cosy. They’re aso as comfortable as any hotel bed you’ve slept in. The addition of electricity also makes life a lot easier.

It’s a fantastic way for kids to get the adventure of camping in a tent, while adults can still get a great night’s sleep. If you’re only stopping for one night, then the shower blocks are unlikely to be too much of an issue, and the toilets are perfectly fine. There are also restrooms in the reception building if you prefer something with less chance of seeing a spider.

The wooden lodges are certainly more private. With double glazing and electronic key locks they do give you the reassurance of knowing that you’re not going to be disturbed. Certainly, you won’t be woken up at 5am by the rain!

There’s also a TV and kettle, so it feels a bit more like a holiday cottage. if you have children who are light sleepers, the lodges also give them their own room with a door you can close.

But honestly, for my money? They’re a lot less fun. If you’re going to spend the night in the grounds of a medieval castle, you might as well do it somewhere that FEELS medieval. And on that score, for me, the Warwick Castle glamping tents win HANDS DOWN.

PIN FOR LATER:

Disclosure: We were invited to stay at the Warwick Castle glamping tents as guests of Warwick Castle. For more information on pricing and availability see the Warwick Castle website.