There is no doubt about it, Pendennis Castle in Falmouth is a spectacular place to visit any time of the year. The Pendennis Castle Festive Fun weekend held on the last weekend in November, is the ideal opportunity for the whole family to spend a day having a fantastic time in the lead up to Christmas without having to spend an arm and a leg in the process.
Value for money
If you happen to be a paid up member of English Heritage there is no charge for entry but if not, the price for a family of four will be a very reasonable £16.90 and that is for a full day, from ten until four. It should also be noted that this price also includes entry to the castle.
Membership to English Heritage is £47 for the year so it may be worth considering splashing out if you fancy vesting any other of their sites throughout the year because it will save you some money.
Pendennis Castle is widely considered to be the finest mighty fortress built by Henry VIII to guard the country from any unwelcome visitors, it really is a sight to behold and it the perfect setting for the festive family fun weekend.
As you might expect, Santa is in attendance for the younger children but for everyone else it can only be described as a non stop day which will keep even the most hard to please children fully occupied and not asking mum and dad when it will be time to go home every five minutes.
Wrap up warm
Don't make the mistake of thinking that as it is really an indoor event that there will be no need for a warm coat. One of the highlights of the day is a Christmas themed trail around the grounds of the castle and there is nothing worse than taking part in something like that whilst feeling chilled to the bone, so bear that in mind.
Back inside it's time to get 'crafty' and to take part in making some Christmas related goodies that you will either be able to eat or hang on the tree. It is without doubt though that one of the best parts of the day would have to be the festive stories from times gone by. With the ideal castle setting it is easy for children especially to completely lose themselves in the words of the expert story tellers, and also give them an idea of how Christmases once were without the luxury of all of the mod cons that we have at our disposal in this day and age.
A bite to eat
It does work out to be a real value for money day out but that can all change if you decide to use the tea room, especially for a large family. Why not take a picnic, admittedly it can be cold at this time of the year but if the sun's out there is a picnic area so it is worth bearing in mind, especially if you are on a budget in the lead up to Christmas.
Are there any other events that are held elsewhere which not only offer good value for money but which also keep the whole family occupied throughout the day? Events where the focus is on having a good time as opposed to trying to get you to spend money at every opportunity?