Catapulted fireballs, swooping birds of prey, Shakespeare and more awaits those who visit    Warwick Castle and Stratford, writes NADIA JEFFERSON-BROWN.

A GIANT fireball was hurled through the air before our eyes. A colossal catapult, said to be the world's largest working siege machine, launched the flaming missile as spectators looked on.

The authentic recreation of the Trebuchet is one of the highlights of a visit to Warwick Castle which this year celebrates its 1,100th anniversary.

Manure and dead animals may have once been the projectiles of choice to spread disease through the besieged castle, but thankfully we were spared that sight.

Soon after the riverside re-enactment, birds of prey soared above our heads, landing in tree tops and on the tower walls, before swooping down to feast from the falconer's hand.

A visit to Warwick Castle is a full day out, with events and displays at intervals throughout the day, between which there are towers – with hundreds of steps – and ramparts to climb, with beautiful views all around.

And behind the walls are lavish state rooms, in particular the Great Hall, with artefacts including a suit of armour made for the four-year-old son of Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, and a 500-year-old huge cauldron, used to cook stew for the castle’s garrison of soldiers.

Adding to the experience are actors and special effects which help bring alive the castle's history, and its gruesome tales.

I was in Warwick for the day with my husband and two sons, who are five and seven, as part of a short break to Warwickshire.

The area, aka Shakespeare's England, has a lot to celebrate this year which is also the 450th anniversary of the great playwright's birth.

Our hotel was the four-star Holiday Inn, in Stratford, the Bard's old stomping ground, close to the centre and its attractions, making it an ideal base when time is precious.

We had a family suite which was spacious, light and airy, with a super king-sized bed for us and a sofa bed in the adjoining en-suite lounge/ dining room for the boys.

Each morning, we enjoyed a full English self-service breakfast , along with continental offerings, in the hotel restaurant, which had views of the river where we spotted a heron. We also dined in the restaurant at night – the menu featured dishes as varied as slow-roasted pork belly with bacon and leek mash to Teriyaki salmon with noodles – which made for a relaxing end to our sight seeing outings.

As well as the stylish lounge/ bar area, where old photographs of RSC productions adorned the walls, including York's own Dame Judi Dench, the hotel also has an attractive outdoor heated seating area.

We took full advantage of the hotel's pool, jacuzzi and sauna room which was a major bonus for the children, and happily ignored the gym.

To pay homage to Shakespeare, we walked around the attractive, bustling marina, past the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and along the leafy banks of the River Avon to Holy Trinity Church where he was baptised, worshipped and is buried in the chancel.

Judging from the queue to see his grave, I could understand the claim that it may be England's most visited parish church.

We left the tranquil setting along an avenue of lime trees, said to represent the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles, and came to Stratford's celebrated Black Swan/ Dirty Duck, which overlooks the RSC theatre and has attracted actors since the 18th century.

Refreshed, we toured Shakespeare’s Birthplace – for many a shrine, on Henley Street, where the playwright spent his formative years and the first five years of married life with his wife, Anne Hathaway.

The rooms, and engaging story-telling actors within, shed light on the world that shaped him for the constant stream of visitors, including our youngest who was intrigued by the wooden cot, and the old, very simple toys in the bedroom.

Enthusiastic culture-seekers can also visit Anne Hathaway's Cottage, a thatched farmhouse just over a mile from the town centre, where the young Shakespeare courted his future bride.

Mary Arden's Farm, where Shakespeare's mother grew up, sheds light on life on a Tudor farm, complete with the sights, smells and sounds. It has closed for winter but reopens in March 2015.

Other Shakespeare attractions include New Place, which was the playwright's final and most significant home.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has plans to re-invigorate New Place to tell the missing story of his mature years as a successful writer and citizen of his home town through interpretation. If successful, the Trust aims to open Shakespeare’s New Place for the 400th anniversary of his death in 2016.

Both New Place and Nash’s House, a well preserved Tudor building named after Thomas Nash, the first husband of Shakespeare's granddaughter, closed in November for conservation and structural work.

But there is more to Stratford than Shakespeare. On our second day, we checked out some of the many independent shops and sampled Stratford's café culture, before exploring the Stratford Butterfly Farm which this year toasted its 30th birthday.

My children said this was the highlight of our break and the attraction is a genuine reason to visit the town in its own right for people of all ages.

Set in a large tropical greenhouse, with waterfalls, ponds and tropical plants, the enclosure also features caterpillar, arachnid and insect rooms. It's worth taking the time to marvel at the creatures in flight or feasting at the fruit stations. And when my children managed to stay still long enough, the butterflies landed on them, much to their delight.

Once the warmth of the place gets too much, and if you're with children, it's worth knowing about the expansive play area just a short stroll away where you can cool off and let the young ones burn off excess energy.

Fact file:

For more information on the area and its attractions visit www.shakespeares-england.co.uk

For hotel queries, visit holidayinn.com