Day 31- Warwick Castle

The day started with a fine misty rain but loaded up with our umbrellas we walked around the town's streets. Warwick doesn't have a large town centre with most of the old historic buildings being near the square. We did find an old pillar-box which still had its Victoria Regina insignia on it.
The Castle is walking distance from the town and is now owned by the Madame Tussaud organization. This translates to expensive entry and carpark prices. A family ticket was about 130 pounds which we thought was pricey. We did do the Dungeon Tour ... complete with actors scaring us in the dark (well mainly me).
Warwick Castle was built in 1068 by William the Conqueror who appointed the first Earl of Warwick. It has famously held King Edward IV prisoner when the 16th Earl of Warwick, Richard Neville (known as the King-maker during the War of the Roses) tried to rule in his name in 1469 and has been passed between powerful families over the centuries.
It was held under siege in 1642 by the Royalists during the First English Civil War, as Richard Neville was a Parliamentarian and held prisoners from the three civil wars. It has a long and interesting history which you see glimpses of, as you walk through each of its exhibitions and along its walls and towers.
We did walk through the gardens and see its peacocks. Watched an archer and saw the world's largest trebuchet but it wasn't working due to the rain. There was a Birds of Prey exhibition which was very good and we enjoyed watching the eagles soar and swoop. After about 4 hours touring the Castle we headed off towards Oxford.
We arrived in Oxford about 5.30pm and using the hand-drawn map provided by the B&B owner and their recommendations about where to eat, caught a bus into the town centre for dinner (Oxford has minimal carparks to deter people driving and most of the students use bicycles). We visited The White Horse which was Inspector Morse's 'local pub'. But it is tiny and was packed with people. Continued walking to The Kings Arms and also the Turf Tavern (which was hidden in behind buildings and can only be found by using a narrow walkway - almost like a Harry Potter movie). Unfortunately it was Friday night and they all were full. We then found The Beefeaters Inn which had a good menu and the food was delicious. Our waiter was an Australian, from Perth but we didn't pick the accent as he has lived here for 10 years (he is the third person who has been an ex-Aussie wanting to talk about Australia). Caught the bus home and got off at the right stop ... the bus drivers were very friendly and helpful. Tomorrow we are back to Oxford to do a walking tour.