It's been over two years since we've been here last and now that Coops is a little older and the price of the owl garden is in the entry fee, we definitely won't be leaving it as long next time
What's in Picton Castle?
I feel that the name of this place is somewhat misleading - as I remember expecting some old ruins like Carew or Pembroke castle, but the 'castle' is still intact and more like a mansion than a castle in my opinion! However, the Castle Mansion isn't the main attraction if you're heading to Picton Castle with a Mini Human and in this blog I'll take you through what we enjoyed most.
JUNGLE BOARDWALK
If you turn right after entering Picton Castle, you'll come to the Jungle Boardwalk. This is a wide balance beam that is longer than you'll expect, taking you through the trees. Although this is wider than a balance beam you'd have in a park for example, it's not a boardwalk that's wide enough for a pram. You can walk alongside it if you happen to be as big of a stress head as my father!!
PLAY AREA
At the end of the Jungle Boardwalk there's a climbing wall and two tree houses with a slide. This is the only play area as such and Picton Castle is more about exploring in trees and bushes than playing on swings and slides.
MAZE
There's a hedged maze alongside the boardwalk. It's easy enough to navigate around as it's quite small - but word of warning, it is VERY muddy and is definitely a walk for wellies. You CAN get a pram through here, but as you can see, you wheels will get very muddy!!
GARDENS
There are so many different areas to explore at Picton Castle and different gardens all around the main grounds. The walled gardens are lovely and if you're more green fingered than I am I'm sure you'll appreciate all of the flowers and plants that they have there. Our favourite area was the Peep-In Gardens as it had a real jungle feel to it and the boys enjoyed hiding in the trees!!
FAIRGROUND
I'm pretty sure that the fairground is seasonal but if you're heading there before the end of the summer they do have a helter skelter and some fairground stalls on the North Lawn by the castle; this is the only thing you need money for in the grounds (unless you're planning on doing the castle tour. Thanks to Sioned for capturing this shot - much to my dismay, Coops was just short of the white line so he had to have an adult come down with him! I can confirm that my hips definitely do not lie and we were only just narrow enough to get to the bottom!! Plus, my heart was going walking up those steps - I never used to be scared of heights!
MINI ZOO/OWL GARDEN
They've definitely added some animals to this area since I was here last as I'm pretty sure it was only owls and some birds last time. This area is now also included in the entry ticket price which I think was a good decision on their part as I can remember thinking the whole thing was a little expensive last time I went; I didn't feel that way this time. The new animals there have here now are skunks, spider monkeys, a python, an otter, iguanas and tortoises. They also have a schedule of events on the hour like meet the mammal or large bird flying show! There was a big tepee in the middle of the mini zoo if you're looking for somewhere to shelter or picnic!
CASTLE TOURS
We didn't do the castle tour this time (although this is definitely the kind of thing I would enjoy doing!) The cost of the guided tour is £6 for adults and £4 for children over 5. Maybe something to do on a wetter and colder day!
FAIRY TRAIL
We completely missed this and only noticed it was there on our way out and we stayed until closing time. So, in case you miss it too, head to the Peach Gardens for the Fairy Doors. Coops would have loved this so we'll be heading straight there when we go back for sure!
What else do I need to know?
Parking is free and there are two sets of toilets on the grounds. There's also a small catering van by the potting sheds and walled gardens as well as a really lovely cafe with great food in the courtyard. You'll find the giftshop in this area too but I purposely didn't venture in that way today as I knew Cooper would want the wooden swords that they were selling!! Dogs are allowed in the grounds but you can't take them into the Mini Zoo or on the Castle Tour. I would say that 95% of the grounds is pram friendly and I did see a scooter or two around and no signs saying that bikes/scooters weren't allowed! If I had to say a negative, I must admit that I found it disappointing that there wasn't a single bilingual sign in the whole of the grounds; I've come to expect this from Welsh attractions now. BUT, I won't finish on a negative - Picton Castle is well worth a visit and we definitely won't be leaving it so long between visits next time!
Have a scroll of some more pics that we took whilst at Picton Castle today! These boys did a fair few steps today!!
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