An astonishing waste of money. This is in short, a £100 day out for a family of four (in our case; 2 adults, two children, 5 and 3). Is it worth it? Certainly not.
Entry cost us an eye watering £64, which admittedly we could have saved £4 on if we'd booked in advance. Lunch was around £20, and drinks though the day another £10 (4x coffee). Facepainting and other activities were thankfully free. Food isn't cheap, especially given the entry price, lunch is about £5pp and hot drinks are around £2.50 each.
I had hoped that for my £100 I would get something
worthwhile in return. Sadly that was not the case, I'd essentially paid for access to a woodland playground for the children, with a few side shows.
What annoys me the most is that an adult pays £16.50 for nothing. There's zero value for money for an adult; you're simply there to look after your children and keep them safe. A member of staff did say "you could go on the zip line" when I asked what there was to justify the adult entry fee.
I get that it costs money to run these places, and that the plethora of staff need to be paid, and that the masses of equipment need to be bought. But, if your business model relies on an "if-you-build-it-they-will-come-and-pay-for-it" form of modern highway-highway robbery, all disguised as "children's entertainment", you're looking at a limited set of patrons. Showing value for money at that sort of ticket price is essential.
I should note however that the staff were very friendly and very enthusiastic. We were thankful for that at least, as they helped the children enjoy their day. I can't fault the staff at all, they were excellent.
Perhaps you'll have an amazing time if you go, your kids will certainly enjoy it, especially if the sun is shining. But, for two parents to pay £33 to stand in a wood for the day you'd have to really want to be there. By contrast, you could goto Holkham Hall and pay £3 for parking, and the kids have an equally good time in a woodland playground, complete with zip line.
One other thing: this isn't an "all weather" site. If it looks like rain, stay away. A lot of the equipment gets quite slippery in the wet, and there is a severe lack of cover from the elements. Everything is out in the rain, so wrap up warm and take a brolly. Incidentally there are no indoor heated areas, so if the kids get cold your day is over. Unless you can persuade them to stand under a hand dryer in the loos.
Like I said, £100 to stand in a wood. read more