Blog 98 Harbury Fields Farm, Harbury, Warwickshire & Kenilworth Castle

Keef Hellinger
Nov 13, 2021
3 min read

Updated: May 21

By keef and annie hellinger, Apr 14 2016 08:08AM Harbury Fields Farm

Motorhome trip No26 : April 11th- 13th 2016 A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog NOTTS->Harbury, Warwickshire plus Royal Leamington Spa & Kenilworth Castle ->NOTTS 134 miles Harbury Fields Farm - Testing the van after its service sounded simple… until the weather declared war. Harbury Fields Farm delivered lambs, mud, and enough rain to float the motorhome. Between crochet, Cat Stevens, and dodging downpours, we even made it to Leamington Spa and Kenilworth Castle. A short break full of views, history, and very soggy socks. A cracking little trip!

Having had the van serviced, both habitation and engine, we were keen to try it out locally for a few days to ensure everything was working perfectly in readiness for more major excursions. So we chose a local one a Caravan club affiliated site at Harbury Fields Farm, not far from Leamington Spa. A lovely site that we would definitely recommend right in the middle of a working farm which does both arable and livestock and at lambing season is a must. They are so gorgeous. The owners are very friendly and told us they started the site as a CL 13 years ago then added one field and now 1.5 years ago added another field. There are 3 amenities block and they cater for the disabled camper. All in all a fab site and great 360 degree views from our motorhome. Free wifi in the reception area and good phone reception across the site. The 1st day the weather wasn’t great so after a brisk walk around the farm to see the lambs we settled down to reading, crochet and hippy music listening (Cat Stevens and Pink Floyd). It bucketed down. The next day was much better and we walked down the farm drive and caught the bus into Royal Leamington spa, rather conveniently the bus stops right outside the farm entrance. Had a lovely day in town, fab architecture, great gardens and free exhibitions in the pump and spa rooms, sadly they no longer exist but the remaining hamman spa is very interesting. We had lunch and a drink in the Weatherspoons in town but food wise one would be spoilt for choice. Again it poured down over night but no problems for the van. The next day we packed up after a nice brekkie of warmed ciabatta and set off for Kenilworth castle. A wonderful place with much history including even Robert Dudley’s attempts to marry the ‘virgin’ queen. Spent a pleasant 3 hours here and then headed off back home, arriving back about 3.30 pm

ROBERT DUDLEY & ELIZABETH 1st

Robert Dudley’s grand performance at Kenilworth Castle in July 1575 was less a polite royal visit and more a full‑scale Elizabethan seduction campaign — complete with fireworks, lavish gardens, and purpose‑built royal apartments. Dudley, Earl of Leicester, had known Elizabeth I since childhood, and their long, emotionally charged friendship fuelled endless court gossip. His hope was simple: impress the Queen so completely that she might finally agree to marry him.

During her 19‑day stay — the longest she ever spent in a courtier’s home — Dudley staged an extraordinary sequence of entertainments. He built new state apartments, created a perfumed privy garden, landscaped pleasure grounds filled with arbours and shady walks, and even commissioned a spectacular firework display over the castle’s great mere. These extravagant gestures were widely understood as his last, most ambitious attempt to win her hand.