Warwick's own Game of Thrones-style tale brought to life with new Guy of Warwick trail

The Guy of Warwick trail takes visitors on a tour of Warwick town centre, encouraging them to solve clues and puzzles while learning about the legendary figure.

The story of Guy of Warwick - dubbed ‘England’s Forgotten Hero’ - dates back to the 10th Century, when he was a page at the court of the Earl of Warwick.

He fell in love with the Earl’s daughter Felice, but was rejected for being too low born to win her hand, prompting him to set out on a series of heroic tasks.

These included freeing the land from the terror of the Dun Cow - a beast which is immortalised in place names including Stretton-on-Dunsmore and Dunchurch - as well as taking on a giant boar that was terrorising Coventry.

Guy of Warwick then travelled around Europe proving himself as a knight before returning to marry Felice.

Full of remorse for his past violence, he later left his wife to travel to Jerusalem as a pilgrim before returning to England to help fight the invading Danes, taking on their champion Colbrond in a battle – going down in history as one of the great warriors England has ever seen.

Still disguised as a pilgrim, Guy joined a group of poor men being fed at the castle gate, where Felice didn’t recognise him. He later fell ill and spent his final days in a hermitage at nearby Guy’s Cliffe.

Knowing he was near the end, he sent for Felice and they were reunited as Guy lay dying. Distraught at his death, Felice took her own life by jumping from Guy’s Cliffe, where the couple are now said to be buried side by side.

Now the story of Guy of Warwick has been brought to life through a trail produced by the Guy of Warwick Society using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant.

The trail, which can be downloaded through an app or is available in paper format from the tourist office in Warwick, provides a map of nine locations where clues are depicted in posters in the windows of shops and businesses.

The free augmented reality app also allows people to hear the hero explain his life and adventures.

The trail culminates in the opportunity to take a selfie and enter a prize draw, allowing participants to win prizes.

Chris Wilsmore, from the Guy of Warwick Society, said: “The story of Guy of Warwick is often dismissed as folklore or legend, but is in fact rooted in history - and is easily as dramatic as some of the storylines in Game of Thrones or even Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

"We wanted to bring the tale of Guy of Warwick to life, as well as using it to encourage people to explore Warwick and everything it has to offer.

“The trail is a great way to involve everyone, taking them on a tour of the town while learning about Guy of Warwick’s story and having plenty of fun along the way.

"We’re looking forward to seeing everyone’s selfies and spreading the word about this legendary figure.”

The trail comes hot on the heels of the Town Break Trail launched last month by Warwick Chamber of Trade.

Find more information or to download the map go to at https://www.thegows.co.uk/