Swallowfield Equestrian Ltd

A working equestrian centre just outside Warwick where serious riders and casual visitors can watch horses being trained and exercised across the grounds. It's the sort of place that appeals far more to horse enthusiasts than to families after a half-hour distraction - if your kids aren't already mad about ponies, they'll be bored within minutes.

The facility operates as a proper training yard, so what you'll actually see depends entirely on what day you turn up and what's happening. On a good day you might watch riders schooling in the arena or horses being exercised in the paddocks. On a quiet day, it's fairly thin pickings. There's no formal visitor experience, no café, no gift shop - just a working yard where horses happen to be.

It's genuinely only worth the detour if you're a keen rider or your family includes someone who lives and breathes horses. Even then, phone ahead to check they're happy with visitors - it's a working operation, not a tourist attraction with scheduled viewing times.

If you're staying at Mousley House Farm or Gate Farm just down the road (both excellent bases, incidentally), Swallowfield makes a pleasant ten-minute drive if you fancy stretching the legs and watching some equestrian work. But it's not the sort of stop that warrants extra time in your itinerary. Warwick itself offers far more to actually do.