Full information about the following parks and visits can be found in the May 2005 issue of Practical Caravan. For back issues telephone 08456 777812. Admission Price and Opening Times were correct at the time of publishing. Please check for latest information before visiting.

Where to go: CONWY CASTLE

Location Conwy, Gwynedd
Tel 01492 592358
Web www.cadw.wales.gov.uk
Open Daily, 9.30am-4pm or 6pm, depending on season; from 11am on Sundays
Admission Adult £6.50; concession £5.50; family £18.50
 •  Edward I built a network of castles to secure newly conquered territory in Wales. Conwy Castle, erected between 1283 and 1287, is arguably the finest example in Wales.
An outstanding example of medieval military architecture, the distinctively long and narrow structure has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Where to stay: CONWY TOURING PARK

Address Conwy Touring Park, Trefriw Road, Conwy, North Wales LL32 8UX
Website www.conwytouringpark.com
Open 18 March-24 September

Where to go: CORFE CASTLE

Location near Wareham, Dorset
Tel 01929 481294
Web www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Open Daily, 10pm-4/6pm, depending on season
Admission Adult £4.70; child £2.30; family of five £11.50
 •  From the heights overlooking the Isle of Purbeck, Corfe Castle has dominated the village to which it lends its name since the time of William the Conqueror.
Many fine Norman and early English features remain, despite Cromwell's destruction of the main fortress.
Also worth a visit is the village of Corfe, across the moat from the castle. It is built from the same Purbeck stone as the fortress, and is popular as a film location. You can make your visit by steam train on the Swanage Railway.

Where to stay: WAREHAM FOREST TOURIST PARK

Address North Trigon, Wareham, Dorset BH20 7NZ
Website www.wareham-forest.co.uk
Open All year

Where to go: DOVER CASTLE AND SECRET WARTIME TUNNELS

Location Dover, Kent
Tel 01304 211067
Web www.english-heritage.org.uk
Open Daily 10am-4/6pm, depending on season; closed 25-26 December and 1 January Admission Adult £8.50; child £4.30
 •  Dover Castle guarded the narrowest point of the English Channel, between Kent and longtime arch-enemy France, and the location has been of enormous strategic importance since the Iron Age.
Unlike most medieval castles, Dover's role did not end with the English Civil War. Tunnels cut into the cliffs 100 years before were the operation centre for the evacuation of forces from Dunkirk in World War II.

Where to stay: HAWTHORN FARM CARAVAN PARK

Address Martin Mill, Dover, Kent CT15 5LA
Web www.keatfarm.co.uk Open 1 March-31 October

Where to go: EDINBURGH CASTLE

Location Edinburgh
Tel 0131 225 9846
Web www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
Open Daily, 9.30am-5pm or 6pm (depending on season); closed 25-26 December
Admission Adult £9.80; child £3.50
 •  Perched on top of an extinct volcano, the fortress dominating the skyline of Scotland's capital is a powerful national symbol.
Its complex history is reflected in its mixture of architectural styles. Tiny St Margaret's Chapel, Edinburgh's oldest building, dates from the 1100s, while the Great Hall, with its impressive hammerbeam roof, was built by James IV.
The castle also houses Scotland's Crown Jewels, the National War Museum and an exhibition about prisoners of war.

Where to stay: MORTONHALL CARAVAN AND CAMPING PARK

Address 38 Mortonhall Gate, Frogstone Road East, Edinburgh EH16 6TJ
Web www.meadowhead.co.uk
Open 11 March-5 January

Where to go: HARLECH CASTLE

Location Harlech, Gwynedd
Tel 01766 780552
Web www.harlech.com
Open 9.30/11am-4/6pm depending on season; closed 24-26 December and 1 January
Admission Adult £3; child £2.50; family of five £8.50; under-5s free
 •  Surveying the Irish Sea from atop a huge outcropping, Harlech Castle was built by Edward I as part of his ‘iron ring' of fortresses to contain the rebellious Welsh.
There are breathtaking views out over Snowdonia from the walls and towers that still stand at near their original height.

Where to stay: BARCDY CARAVAN AND CAMPING PARK

Address Talsarnau, Gwynedd LL47 6YG
Web www.barcdy.co.uk
Open 24 March-1 October

Where to go: KENILWORTH CASTLE

Location Kenilworth, Warwickshire
Tel 01926 852078
Web www.english-heritage.org.uk
Open Daily, 10am-4/6pm, depending on season; closed 24-26 December and 1 January
Admission Adult £4.80; child £2.40
 •  Built 50 years after the Norman Conquest, Kenilworth Castle is the most extensive set of castle ruins in England. Enlarged by King John, it has an impressive Norman keep, Tudor gardens and a great hall.
John of Gaunt transformed it from a fortress into a palace in the 14th century, and constructed private apartments overlooking its lake, which is now dried up.
Henry V built himself a banqueting hall here after his victory at Agincourt. A Tudor gatehouse and stable block added around 1560 remain largely intact.

Where to stay: LODGE FARM

Address Bilton Lane, Long Lawford, Rugby, Warwickshire CV23 9DU
Website www.lodgefarm.com
Open 15 March-31 October

Where to go: STOKESAY CASTLE

Location Craven Arms, Shropshire
Tel 01588 672544
Web www.english-heritage.org.uk
Open Daily, 10am-4/6pm, depending on season; closed 24-26 December and 1 January
Admission Adult £4.50; child £2.30
 •  English Heritage, which manages the castle, calls this the best-preserved 13th century fortified manor house in England.
It is one of a later generation of Norman castles in which the emphasis was on luxury rather than combat. Its splendid timber-framed Jacobean gatehouse still stands, and the great hall has remained mostly intact since medieval times.

Where to stay: THE GREEN CARAVAN PARK

Address Wentnor, Bishop's Castle, Shropshire SY9 5EF
Tel www.greencaravanpark.co.uk
Open March-November

Where to go: TINTAGEL CASTLE

Location Tintagel, North Cornwall
Tel 01840 770328
Web www.english-heritage.org.uk
Open Daily, 10am-4/6pm, depending on season; closed 24-26 December and 1 January
Admission Adult £3.70; child £1.90
 •  Few ruins have given rise to legends as great as those of Tintagel Castle, which sits above Cornwall's rocky Atlantic coast.
The remains of the castle date from the first half of the 13th century when it was built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall. By then, the site was already considered to be the birthplace of the legendary King Arthur.

Where to stay: BUDEMEADOWS TOURING PARK

Address Widemouth Bay, Bude, Cornwall EX23 0NA
Website www.budemeadows.co.uk
Open All year

Where to go: WARWICK CASTLE

Location Warwick CV34 4QU
Web www.warwick-castle.co.uk
Open Daily except December 25, 10 am-5/6pm
Admission Adult £12.95-£16.95; child (4-16) £7.95-£9.95; family £34-£45
 •  In 914AD, Aethelflaed, daughter of Alfred the Great, ordered the construction of an earthen rampart to protect the small hilltop settlement of Warwick against a Danish invasion. William I built a motte-and-bailey fort of wood in 1068, and the stone structure standing on the site today was erected in 1260.
Among its many attractions are dungeons, the great hall and state rooms There are also special events, including a display of birds of prey and a presentation on castle ghosts.
You can climb some of the magnificent ramparts and view exhibitions outlining the castle's place at the hub of English history.

Where to stay: DODWELL PARK CAMPING AND CARAVAN SITE

Address Evesham Road, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire CV37 9SR
Website www.dodwellpark.co.uk
Open All year

Where to go: WINDSOR CASTLE

Location Windsor, Berkshire
Tel 020 7766 7304
Web www.royal.gov.uk
Open Daily (except 25 March, 8 April, 13 June, 25-26 December), 9.45am-4.15/5.15pm depending on season
Admission Adults £12.50; child (5-16) £6.50; family of five £15. When state apartments are closed: adults £6; children £3; family £15.
 •  Named one of the Seven Wonders of Britain in a nationwide survey conducted for the English Tourism Council, this is a ‘must see'.
One of the Queen's three official residences, the castle has been home to generations of UK monarchs for more than 900 years. It is the largest inhabited castle in the world and the oldest in continuous occupation. It includes St George's Chapel, one of the UK's most beautiful ecclesiastical buildings.

Where to stay: HIGHCLERE FARM COUNTRY AND TOURING PARK

Address Newbarn Lane, Seer Green, Buckinghamshire HP9 2QZ
Website www.highclerefarmpark
Open All year except February

Full information about the following parks and visits can be found in the May 2005 issue of Practical Caravan. For back issues telephone 08456 777812. Admission Price and Opening Times were correct at the time of publishing. Please check for latest information before visiting.