Leamington Spa

Zara77

Hello Everyone
I am having to go to Leamington Spa for a few days, there will be four of us(two teens). Just need some ideas about cost effective things to do. Money is going to be really tight, as it is near the end of the month-so good cheap places to eat recommendations would be most appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
Zara

susancs

We stayed in Leamington Spa when we visited Warwick Castle and there was a good whetherspoons pub that we used for cheap breakfasts and they also did evening meals. Warwick Castle is fab and a short drive away. You can usually get 2 for 1 entry vouchers if you do a google search. There is a shopping area in Leamington Spa with a small shopping centre. Stratford Upon Avon is about 25 minutes drive away and may be something your teens may be interested in if they are doing or about to do GCSE English Lit.

The_ICT_Engineer

The Hatton lock Flight on the Grand Union canal, just the north of Warwick is worth a visit and a nice cafe at the top, plus a great view down the flight toward Warwick.

janiebquick

Some nice walks by the river and a nice gardens - the Jephson gardens. Lots of quite respectable Indian restaurants if I remember rightly in Leamington, but avoid Warwick restaurants as very touristy. Warwick castle pricy but really worth it.

Zara77

Thank you all for your suggestions, I think we will visit Warwick Castle. Still a little concerned about the cost of food and good cheap places to eat.
Any other recommendations will be greatly received.
Zara

courtney22

You can get two for one entry vouchers for warwick castle just try googling it I know the sun are doing two for one in the next few weeks.

In leamington there's a shopping parade and there's a lovely Chinese resturant that is buffet all you can eat my friends and I go it's lovely it's not expensive to eat there even cheaper for lunch .

Also ask is at the top of parade you can use clubcard vouchers there if you have any if you don't google ask resturant they always have buy one get one free I'd say a main is up to £10 each depending what you have .

Will you have a car? If so Stratford up Avon isn't far a lovely old town to have a look around you could have a trip on o boat I did this recently £12 for 4 of us .

bylromarha

The bottom of the town is locally known as balti boulevard - walk down to the huge church, then keep walking towards a railway bridge across the road. There are loads of tasty cheap curry places down there. Get a table naan to share and a balti each - really good value. This place (turn left at the railway bridge) is one of many which does 2 for 1 on main dishes Sun - Thurs.

There are a couple of noodle bars about as well.

Jephson Gardens at the bottom of the parade has the free botanical gardens to walk round and you can hire a boat pretty cheaply too.

If you have a car and any of the teens are into cars, drive to Coventry (about 20 mins) and visit the free Coventry Transport museum Martin raved about it when he did some filiming there earlier this year! Coventry also has the free Herbert Gallery If you don't have a car, the bus links are good.

If your teens are aspiring to university, then call into Warwick University. It is vast, there are loads of places to drop into on the campus.

Stratford is another place it's fun to mooch round, as is Warwick Town centre.

You may be able to pick up a cheap show at the Royal Spa Centre as well as the local paper often do good deals for shows which need to sell a few more tickets at short notice.

johnmc

Congratulations! Leamington is a fantastic place to visit with loads to do.

Plenty of restaurants with a wide range of prices on Parade. Oriental Star at the top is a buffet style, excellent fare and good prices.

I wouldn't recommend the student level restaurants in Old Town.

Spa Centre has some excellent acts
http://www.warwickdc.gov.uk/WDC/RoyalSpaCentre/Whats+on/

There's the Jephson Gardens with nice floral displays in the summer and the hot house all year round. And free.

A nice walk around Newbold Comyn with a trip to Sydenham Drive and the best chippy in the area IMO (Pete's Plaice) is good.

There's the cinema in Portland Place which is clean and reasonably priced.

Plenty of shops from £1 to designer stores.

A trip to the Pump Rooms isn't complete without trying the waters that gave the town its name from the tap outside. Then go into the tea room to get rid of the taste! They have a museum, library and tourist information in there.

Warwick has the castle and some nice parks, excellent pubs and eating houses. Castle Balti in St John's is great, but don't ask for the large naan - it takes 2 of them to carry it.

Racehorse pub on Stratford Road does good pub food, their speciality is Warwick Chicken.

A couple of museums in St John's and the square.

Kenilworth is a pretty town.

Stratford has the butterfly farm (nice and warm!), Shakespeare birth place, the theatre and open top bus rides around the area.

Coventry has the highly rated home of the Thrust land speed record breaker at the Transport Museum, an excellent all week round market and pedestrianised town centre. 2 cathedrals (one was destroyed in WW2), theatres and cinemas aplenty.