Royal Leamington Spa

This came about as a midway point meet for myself and friends; a place I wasn’t wholly familiar with before coming but as always, I am ready with my exploring cap.

The drive through from where I live, took me through Moreton in Marsh in the Cotswolds, which we did stop at on the way back. The journey through this area is stunning with far reaching views across the countryside; you definitely are the winner if you’re the passenger in the car!

As you approach the town, it’s hard to miss the Regency architecture; beautiful pastel coloured houses guide you effortlessly into the main centre. The town is steeped in history. The pump room, which was built in the 1800’s brought the town to a prestigious spa status and after Queen Victoria’s visit to it in 1838, it was granted it’s Royal title. In fact Queen Victoria first visited the town when she was just 11 years old. She stayed at the Regent Hotel (which seems to get booked up quite quickly!).

I’ve broken out the next few sections, depending on your leisure interests

Walkers

The Jephson Gardens are very pretty and tranquil- there’s a small Sensory Garden, built in 2015 that is quite close to the entrance, that takes you on a momentary respite from life as you take in smells, sights and textures (make sure to touch the Lamb’s Ears!). There are plenty of statues and facts to read about as you make your way through it. There’s a small lake to sit around on a warmer day, perhaps take a picnic. You can also hire boats just across the water from the gardens.

Places I want to visit next time:
The Glasshouse (within Jephson Gardens) and the Aviary Cafe
Victoria Park
Pump Room Gardens

Shoppers

We didn’t spend too long shopping on this trip but Regent street will provide you with plenty of charity shops to mooch about in. There’s also a preloved designer store, called Dressing Room which when we popped into. It had just received a lot of new stock; there’s certainly something for every budget here. There’s also a couple of shopping centre’s and from what I could tell, the majority of high street retailers that you may want, along with some independents.

Places I want to visit next time:
Regency Court Shopping Centre

Drinkers

You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to pubs and bars. We visited a few and stand out ones for me were
Fizzy Moon (best for daytime, if you don’t enjoy a hustle bustle atmosphere and great for the evening if you want a party atmosphere); it’s been in receipt of Muddy Stiletto’s top bar in Warwick award since 2018 so it’s definitely doing something right.
The Royal Pug which had really nice interiors and a great cocktail menu
The Cricketers, which is outside of town, close to our hotel and the bowling green. Clean, well cared for pub and I would love to go here for a sunday roast or a meal. A really pleasant surprise as our last pub stop of the evening. We were lucky to meet a sweet Border Terrier dog who acted like it was very much her pub and was so friendly. Adorable!

Cafe’s/Deli

We stopped in to a really dreamy looking Italian Deli on Regent’s street called Pinky Pig. The cannoli’s are heaven!! We actually went back the next day to have a GREAT coffee in their Oliver Bonas-inspired cafe and took away some lovely ingredients to make dinner that night. The staff are so friendly and helpful, it was a pleasure to go back there (and get more cannoli!)

Places I’d like to go back to:
The Dice Cafe – you have to prebook but you book your time and there’s a huge amount of board games you can play per hour, while having a drink!
Jomo – a seafood tapas deli that you can sit in that had a romantic feel to it

Restaurants
We ate at the Elephant Thai – the decor is incredible, so much to look at and I had such a lovely Southern Thai curry, which followed a mixed Thai starter platter…to say I was full was an understatement. I definitely had the best meal in our group!

Places I’d like to go back to:
Carisma Tapas and Wine Bar

Hotels

We stayed in a really nice b&b called Victoria Park Lodge. It had free parking and was a 5-10 min walk into the town. The staff were extremely helpful and welcoming and our room was clean and quiet. Special call out for the spongy carpets, it somehow just gave a real homely feel to the place. The breakfast, there was a range of continental and cooked, we had cooked; it was tasty and really not needed after a big thai meal the night before, but nonetheless enjoyed!

Sightseeing

Without doubt, the Pump Rooms would be on your list, to look at the Art Gallery and Museum, to find out about the history of the building
Given Queen Victoria’s assocation with the area, finding her statue, which moved an inch during a bombing to the area in World War 2. A perfect spot to contemplate and watch the world go by
If you do go to Jephson Gardens and the Pump Room Gardens, you will find war memorials, fountains, the bandstand, clock towers and arches which are all worthy of a pause to enjoy
Lansdowne Crescent, which is near to Jephson Gardens is also worth a view

There are walking tours to get involved in that talk you through the history of this town, available through emailing secretary@leamingtonhistory.co.uk

Would I go again?

Definitely!! This is for sure a weekend visit, maybe even two nights and two-three whole days if you wanted to do it all. I felt I only just scratched the surface during my 24 hours here which makes me want to plan another trip there this summer!