A park I've visited many, many times, ever since I was a kid. Now when we're up visiting family…read moreit's where I take the nephews as there's so much to do here (as long as it isn't raining - Wacky Warehouse further down the promenade is our go-to place for those days). In recent years it's had a major refurb with new facilities (which was long overdue). So alongside the historically well-maintained flowerbeds and woodland walks, there's a great crazy golf course (the old one was well past its best), swing boats, a play area for younger children, trampolines, merry-go-round, tennis and basketball courts, aqua play area, miniature train and a large 'natural' adventure playground. There's a cafe near the crazy golf which sells Lewis's Ice Cream which is fantastic. A lovely place for a stroll on a nice day, with lots of different activities for the nippers (just remember to bring a pocket-full of pound coins - they'll want a go on everything!).

This place is a gem to visit with as a family we've visited Apple Jacks a number of times last…read morebeing yesterday for my daughters birthday inviting a few of her friends and there family's and every time we've been its been an absolute pleasure. Not only are there plenty of activities for the kids with the ability for adults to share the fun there staff presence and customer service is excellent with someone always available to assist. Although it's quite a large open place you have a sense of security that the little ones can stray that little further as they are generally within eye shot or failing that yelling distance :) I highly recommend Apple Jacks as a fun family day out as long as the weather is on your side..

I took my partner and her 12 yr old daughter to the scary night event on Oct 31st Oct. This is…read moredefiantly NOT one for younger children. Positive aspects: Very entertaining for adults and older teenagers. Food and drinks available at reasonable cost. Toilet (portacabins) on site but these are in typical portabin hygiene standard. Negative aspects: Narrow, very dark and constricted walk ways would make it impossible for disabled visitors to get around. No warning of stroboscopic lighting being used in very narrow and constricted walk ways in the haunted house is a potential hazard to photo sensitive epileptic suffers. Staff within the haunted house wearing horror character costumes and weapons do not listen to concerned parents as they push and push to scare accompanied young children to tears of terror. Un-illuminated and no signs in car park. Very muddy in parts (but this is a farm) No reply to emailed enquiries post visit. Telephone enquiries are directed to an orange answer machine and get no reply. At £52 for three this is a bit expensive for a low budget in apearance scare. Summary: If you want a potentially hazardous but defiantly scary night I would recommend the event. But I would not recommend the Oct 31st night time event to anybody with mobility difficulties, photo sensitive epilepsy or those with a vulnerable disposition. And no way would I recommend this for young children below 16 years. The event does things in the old fashioned way post health and safety commission and disability legislative requirements. In other words they maximise the scare factor but this may be at the expense of other considerations.

One of the worst experiences I have ever had here. I been he previously and my experience was fine…read morebut this time was the worst. At the start it was fine. Entered the park with ease and went on the wave and was really fun and enjoyable. The I went on the swing again fun and enjoyable. But now I waited for the accelerator and there was a technical issue which forced us to exit the ride. Then we went to the gold rush and waited there for at least 2 1/2hr and there was also a technical issue multiple times and is making us spend all of our time on this ride and has made this 1 of the worst experience I have ever had a Drayton manor.

I went here on a school trip yesterday. I was disappointed. Although the food and coasters were…read moregood, the queues were horrible, first off the queue for the wave WAS like a human wave because of people cutting into the line. I'm the smallest person in my group so this was a very big problem, at some points in the queue I could hardly breathe because of many people pushing around in the queue and we ended up waiting 2-3 hours stuck like that. Secondly it felt like all of the staff were mad at something and at some points weren't even doing their job. I'm a big fan of the chips, but not a big fan of the wasps there, they were constantly swarming my can of Pepsi that I brought. Thirdly, HORRIBLE prices, one single portion of chips was £4.50 one single, small bottle of Oasis was £3.50! I had to swipe my card without looking both times. Also the queue for accelerator was the same as the queue for the wave, I was pushed from the inside of the line to the outside of the line in seconds. again probably from people pushing in which the staff couldn't care enough to deal with. Both of these coasters were amazing but the queues just ruined the experience. Please improve the staff and please try to fix the line cutting problem so people can have a better experience next time.

PLEASURELAND!!!…read more Sorry, just had to get that out of the way, I turned into my seven year old self again for a moment. This was the theme park I attended growing up; I'd not yet seen the wonders of Disneyworld and Alton Towers and Camelot just doesn't count, so I loved this place. It was your average traditional seaside funfair complete with rickety rides, a few high budget thrills sponsored by soft drinks (Blackpool had the Pepsi Big One and the Irn Bru Revolution, we had the TraumaTizer) and typically bad ghost trains and whiplash-inducing waltzers. That's a misleading name if I've ever I've heard one, they're far from a gentle dance. 1912 this opened! Oh, just imagine Southport back then, the promenade, the period costumes. Well, they weren't period or costumes back then, but never mind. This was the place where as a wudgy little whippersnapper I'd love to bop around on the carousel, and there was a Fun House (whole lotta fun, prizes to be won) for playful silliness - something you don't see many of nowadays. We used to bring dates here as teenagers too for that typical idealised American movie vibe, and it even had a go-kart track we used to make idiots of ourselves on. Unfortunately, Pleasureland as we knew it closed down in 2006, oh the horror! What were we all going to do? Well, for two years we didn't know. Then in March 2008 it reopened, but redevelopment was planned from those innovative people at Sefton Council. Would you believe it, New Pleasureland, yes, that is its name, opened for the 2009/10 season. New Pleasureland? Perhaps Pleasureland: The Next Generation would have been more appropriate. No more TraumaTizer, however we do have brand spanking new waltzers, a number of twisty, speedy and crazy rollercoasters and plenty of silliness for the kids alongside classics like dodgems and of course the Haunted Inn, although a fire destroyed that earlier this year. Oops. I'm sure it'll be back. If you want the authentic fun fair experience in a lovely seaside location look no further. It's not perhaps as thrilling or sophisticated as say Alton Towers, but it's got a cute kitsch value and it tries very hard. The kids will love it, and so will anyone with a sense of humour and a strong thanatos.

Oh, PleasureLand! You will forever be remembered for being the most unique and otherworldly…read moreamusement park I have ever had the *pleasure* of visiting. I stumbled upon you by accident on a day trip to Southport, England. But as soon as I walked inside I felt like I stumbled upon an amusement park from the 30's--- in Afghanistan! Indeed, the gates looked like barracks from the Taliban. It was surreal. The park was barely inhabited and most of the rides were shut down. It was like a ghost town! We both gaped and wondered aloud how an amusement park this OLD was even still running! The majority of the rides were literally from the 30's. They had a hodgepodge of different Disney characters painted on the exterior of the attractions, including Steamboat Willie! However, my favorite attraction was the cutest artisanal carousel that possessed an EXTRA touch of magic! Instead of generic plastic horses arranged in a circle, there were several different modes of transportation a young child could choose from! For instance, the red fire truck was made out of sturdy iron and if you rode in it you also got to wear the fire helmet! Another was a spaceship with designs lifted from the Sputnik era. Unfortunately, the seat space in the spaceship was so cramped I think only an infant would have been able to fit in it. Lastly, the bulky army tank was complete with camouflaged helmets! It made me forlorn to see how much work went into making this amazing carousel. The creator really took the time to create a special world for these children. It's a shame the same love, attention, creativity, *and* quality isn't shown in rides nowadays. I also deeply regretted the fact that I left my camera home! It would have been so interesting to take pictures of all of these "ancient" theme park rides. I munched on "Candy Floss" (American translation: Cotton Candy) and enjoyed walking around looking at all the rides and laughing at the outrageousness of it all! I can't even describe all the strange things we saw there. I also couldn't wait to go back, this time with the camera! One of the best parts about PleasureLand was the endless jokes one could make *without* the presence of children nearby; "I really hope you enjoyed going to Pleasureland with me, baby." We made a million jokes that day and Pleasureland and Jolly Jack were certainly some of the highlights from my England trip! [This review was written back in 2008. I understand that Pleasureland has since been renovated so I'm not sure if some of the rides that holds a special place in my heart are still there.]

Went here on a deal with my partner and two grand- children aged 4 and 7…read more There is loads of things for little ones to do: Trampolinig, tractor rides , haystack climbing , swings and the main attraction a fair size maze with numbered boxes and stickers to collect as you go along; (keeps them interested and competative). 'The children enjoyed it too!'. Fairly reasonably priced , we paid £24 via groupon and thought it was worth that. Food is available in the form of ,chips , burgers, jacket potatoes and pizzas etc; all served in a tented inside area., again reasonable prices. A sucessful attraction that is worth a visit if you have little one's; Although they do have Halloween nights for 'grown ups' in October!

spooky world is absolute rubbish! 4 attractions, at least an hours wait per attraction. You can…read moreonly go on each attraction once. The few actors that we saw were boring, with standard zombie style trick or treat make-up, no rubber or any real effort gone into it. Whilst you're waiting to go into the Slaughterhouse you get to listen to upbeat dance music coming from the huge, brightly lit gazebo in the middle of the park, which isn't used for anything by the way. All I expected was a bit of imagination, maybe some dancing zombies or at least a bit of spooky music and low lights. Spooky World was a massive disappointment with the scariest thing being the slow, poor service to get a drink. When you walk into Slaughterhouse it's pitch black, so you might be expecting something to jump out at you. You'd be wrong. Anyone that you see is well lit and just pants. Apart from a guy running round with a chainsaw this place has no redeeming qualities. Don't waste your money. Buy a creepy mask and go and tell stories in a graveyard. Would be much scarier than this place. p.s if you have a buggy or a wheelchair forget about it. It's so muddy you'll be dragging it around. Visited October 26th 2013

Amusement Arcades come in all shapes and sizes. Most people…read moretoday think of an amusement arcade as something like a hall consisting of one-armed bandits, small kiddies roundabouts and a sitdown bingo link. Or maybe something more alabrate like Alton Towers Theme Park. But years ago in the somewhat posh area of Hunters Bar, Sheffield, people found their amusement in different ways. At the rear end of the Botanical Gardens you will find, hidden from view by dense trees and bushes, the remains of a Bear Pit. A large circular pit dug out off the soft earth, then lined with sandstones. It looks like they laid the stones as drystone walling because there's no sign of any motar between the stones. There's a large entrance at the rear, where obviously the bear was lead into the torturous pit, where we can assume the poor animal was torturously ill treated by the gawping men and women who leared over the top of the open pit. Thank God we've learnt to treat wild animals with respect these days and done away with these hidious amusement arcades of the 19th. Centruary. But having said that, if you're into historic amusements it's still interesting to see The Bear Pit, a true historic gem from days gone by.

I want to disagree with those that say Gulliver's is just for the young kids. I took my 2 teenagers…read morewho are 16 and 14 and they had a whale of a time. If you are going to go on the train, wear some good walking shoes as you have a hell of a hill to climb. The whole park is set on the side of a hill. The best thing to do is when you go in the main entrance, Take the chair lift to the top and work your way back down. All the rides are totally family friendly so Mum, Dad and the kids can all go on together. There is only a height restriction on 2 rides so my little 3 yr old niece wasn't allowed to go on the Switchback Roller coaster or the drop tower. There's Fantasy Terrace where you can ride on the Flying Carpet and go on the Dodgems. There Western World where you can drive the JCB diggers, pan for gold and ride the Log Flume. The Log Flume was one of my favourites of the day. All children and adults can go on it yet the drop is quite awesome and we got soaked through. My daughter went on it twice. You can also buy a photo from the ride - We got Magnets to put on the fridge. Next you can take a walk through the Party house with a ball pool, big pedal tractors, A big old sandpit and a great interactive piano that you play with your feet. I took some time out to look at the breath taking views of Matlock and all of Derbyshire. Take a look at the photos to see for yourself. It makes all that hill climbing worth it. The biggest area is of course Lilliput land the home of Gulliver himself. You can play Giant chess , go over the magic stepping stones and ride the veteran cars, Find your way round the 3d maze, ride the Crazy barrel rapid ride, visit Lilliput castle, ride the teacups and the Rio Grande train ride. My favourite area was the Palais Royale area with the Switchback and the cycle monorail but boy did my legs feel it in the morning! As it is Gulliver's Anniversary this year every half an hour the 2 park Mascots Gully and Gilly would come out and sing. It was a lovely treat for the little ones so we took time out to get ice cream and donuts. OK they are a little expensive but the were really Yummy. The absolute last ride you get to go on before you leave the park is the Pirate ship which is my all time favourite ride so it was perfect to save the best for last. As for the food on the park. Well the usual is availableBurgers, Pizza, Chips and Chicken. We ate at Dixies Fish bar. You queue up at the till and order your food (Fish or Chicken burgers) and then when you paid you move round to the window to wait while the slow youngsters in the kitchen prepare your mealDon't wait until you are starving to order. It all comes in disposable wrappers so you can just throw it all away on your way out. I thought the price was quite reasonable and they don't skimp on portions either. Both my children asked if we can go again next year because they went on all the rides and had a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Quite disappointing for the price…read more Fantastic for those with young children only, but for older ones it can be quite boring. Top tip - take a picnic with you as there are plenty of benches about and the food places are extortionate!

Bosworth Water Trust is a leisure park set over 50 acres, 20 acres of which is water - used for all…read moretypes of water sports. There you can go sailing, windsurfing and kayaking or have a days relaxing fishing. Day and season tickets are available for the lakes - there are two, a large and small. The small lake has less 'traffic' on it and is a quieter days fishing. There are hiring facilities for the water sports and you can pay for lessons. We've been a few time to use the caravan and camping site located on the side of the waters edge. The pitches aren't massive but it's not bad for a weekend.There are good washing and shower facilities for all who are camping. They have a small shop but it's not got loads in for the camper, I'd recommend bringing what you need. There is also a bar but I thought it was a bit expensive. For an afternoon it's a nice day out - there is a fairly good play area, space to kick a ball, a walk round the lake etc. I think it's only about £2 to get in. Outside the park, there is the town of Market Bosworth, Shackerstone Railway, Twycross Zoo and Bosworth Battlefield. Every year they host events such as the raft race or Hinckley half mararthon.