Hotspots and hidden gems: New trail shows visitors the best places to go during a two-day trip to Warwick

Visitors to Warwick can enjoy a tour of the town’s famous hotspots and hidden gems thanks to a new 'town break trail' launched by the Chamber of Trade.

The Warwick Town Break Trail offers a ready-made itinerary for how to spend 48 hours in the historic town, taking in everything from cultural highlights, the world-famous castle, and an array of independent shops, cafes and restaurants.

Produced by Warwick Chamber of Trade thanks to funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant, the trail is available in paper form from Warwick tourist information centre, or it can be accessed via the Buyin2Warwick website, allowing people to use their phones to navigate their way through its step-by-step instructions.

It can be followed from start to finish, or used as inspiration for a day trip to the medieval market town.

The trail starts in the heart of the town centre, taking in cultural highlights including the Warwickshire Yeomanry Museum of military history, the Court House, the iconic St Mary’s Church and the town’s war memorial.

Other hotspots include the Lord Leycester Hospital and its Master’s Garden, as well as Market Place and the Market Hall Museum.

The guide also offers insider tips on some of Warwick’s 'hidden gems', including ‘Tink a Tank Lane’ that leads to the often-missed College Garden, or Northgate Street’s row of townhouses, as well as one of the original prison doors incorporated into the side of Shire Hall, which dispensed justice and housed prisoners in the dungeon until the 1800s, but is now home to Warwickshire County Council.

Other unexpected highlights include a statue of Britain’s first black World Boxing Middleweight champion, Randolph Turpin, who grew up in Warwick in the 1930s, in the Market Square, as

well as one of the UK’s oldest working pillar post boxes on High Street.

Day two of the trail takes visitors from Pageant Gardens behind the visitor information centre down the cobbled Mill Street and The Mill Garden, as well as a trip to St Nicholas Park.

It also guides visitors through Smith Street - home to more than 30 independent shops, eateries and businesses - then to the historic castle.

The trail has been put together by Warwick Chamber of Trade as part of its work to promote the town and its businesses to visitors from near and far.

Sue Butcher, chairman of Warwick Chamber of Trade, said: “We’re always trying to think of ways to encourage people to come to Warwick, whether it’s for a day or a weekend, and the

trail is something we think will really give people a flavour of our wonderful town.

"Warwick’s the perfect place for a town break, packed with so much to see and do.

"In our view, you need two full days to do the town justice and take everything in, so we’ve constructed a plan for a perfect 48 hours.

“So many people still don’t know the full extent of what Warwick has to offer so we hope this will go some way to pointing out everything from our world-famous attractions to our unique shops and eateries, as well as some hidden gems that you really wouldn’t know about without our insider knowledge.”

The Warwick town trail can be found at: https://www.buyin2warwick.co.uk/staycation