National Trust: Powis Castle And Garden, Welshpool > Reviews (1)

Today we visited Powis Castle, near Welshpool and had a great day out!

The castle stands well on the top of a hill and the gardens are built around the castle, tiered down the hillside. The castle was built in the 1200s and from its medieval beginning has been embellished and modernised.

The castle was home to the Herbert family who through marriage became linked to the Clive family if India and there is a superb collection of Indian treasures exhibited in the Clive museum, in part of the castle. As you would expect the rooms are very elaborate and full of interesting artifices and pictures, including a magnificent inlaid marble table, a largepainting of Verona by Bellotto, a fantastic long gallery full of portraits, statues and painted costs of arms of the Herbert ancestors and twentieth century revamps of the dining and smoking room.

The gardens are terraced on the hillside, back with flowers, some quite unusual, this is certainly a gardener's paradise. There is a theme of partly sculpted trees, shaped in a very unusual way and not resembling any particular shape like with most topiary. There is also a maze which is mowed into the grass, which the kids loved playing on.

Opening Times
The castle is open most days from 12 noon - 5pm, however this varies throughout the year so it's worth checking online at http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/powis-ca​stle/.

Cafes and Shops
There was at least two shops with the usual National Trust type gift and I saw two cafes, one selling cooked food at the castle and one in the gardens which was selling sandwiches and drinks. Had a nice cup of tea looking out onto the gardens, the prices were normal, I think it was £1.75 for a pot of tea.

Prices
We have a yearly pass at the moment, but the cost for those without passes are £13 for adults and £6.50 for children. They also have family tickets For £32.50 for two adults, £19.50 for one adult. If you are a fan of visiting historic houses it is worth buying an annual ticket, At the moment they have a promotion on £44 for a single person and £76 for two adults.

Travel
There is a station in Welshpool and aparently there is a bus to get there fore Welshpool. How ever it's much easier to get there by car, a few miles of the A490.