An idyllic destination a short drive from London, Painshill Park is a great place to spend a day…read moreenjoying the beauty of the English countryside. Created by the eccentric Charles Hamilton, the park was created as a "romantic landscape". Both organized and naturalistic, the park offers many vistas, perspectives and experiences. Created with a variety of follies dotting the landscape, the park offers panoramic views and interesting scenes. Views from the Gothic Temple and the Turkish Tent are breathtaking. While exploring the man-made grotto (which is currently undergoing renovation) you can't help but be in awe of Hamilton's vision while at the same time thinking "This guy must have been totally out there to build stalactites with lathe and plaster and then cover them in pieces of crystal!". Whether walking the grounds, bringing a blanket and a book and enjoying the solitude, Painshill Park is a wonderful place to visit. Be prepared to walk, as the park is large and very hilly. It's a good climb to the top of the Tower as well. Would definitely recommend this if you need a relaxing afternoon away from the hustle and bustle of London.

A grade 1 listed park, much renovated over the last 25 years, by the trust that owns it…read more Created by Charles Hamilton ,in the mid 18th century, after his 2 (obligatory) Grand Tours, he wanted to create an idyllic natural setting, around a lake, with water diverted from the river Mole. He was very succesful in this, and created a number of follies, a Grotto, and the unusual Turkish Tent. Many of the plants are of American origin, and were just becoming fashionable at the time. It's worth remembering it's a park like setting rather than a garden like Wisley. Reasonable cafe near the entrance, and the ever present gift shop. Worth chcking their website for offers, currently free entry on Wednesdays in November, children free at weekends, and A special Santa event. The Grotto is only open at the weekends. A great place for a walk on a sunny day, great views across the lake and Surrey.

Toad Hall Adventure play is open 7 days a week and offers soft play facilities for children from…read morebabies through to juniors. There's a good under 3s section with a ball pit and 2-stage climbing frame (soft). There are some sit-on soft toys and some blocks. The floor is a bit suspect and there's a bit of an old smell to the area - nothing terrible but you do notice it. The play equipment appears safe but could be in better condition. The main soft play is a triple height affair with climbing, balls, slides and chutes. It's safe and in better condition than the toddler area. At weekends and after school this place can get packed but, during the day it's not too bad. A cafe facility is available serving teas, coffees, soft drinks and snacks. The prices are reasonable. Tables are kept away from the soft play being behind a low wall. They are OK but there's not a good view of the play area meaning that it's hard to have a coffee and take care of your child. For many parents this just seems to mean that they don't watch their child and so you do have to be careful that your child doesn't get set upon by unrully kids. It's not a particularly comfortable place but it's a good local option for a rainy day. Car parking is available.

Great atmosphere with tons of food/drink options! We had the daikiwi and some chocolate gelato…read more Very cute set up/decorations. Perfect date night location! Right when you walk in there's a coat check. After that you can check in upstairs to reserve a tee time (we only had to wait roughly 30 minutes). While waiting there are plenty of fun drinks at the bar or several food options. There are about 4 different small shops within Swingers that provide different foods such a pizza or gelato.

I would most definitely NOT recommend Swingers. We pre-booked this as a big group as part of my hen…read moredo and were really looking forward to planing Crazy golf but from the moment we arrived things just got worse and worse. Upon arriving one of us had tripped on the ramp directly outside the door as this was not clearly taped and made apparent to everyone that there was a trip hazard straight outside the door, as this happened the security man in the door picked on our friend and decided to make it apparent that she was not going to be allowed to participate and that a manager had to assess if she was fit enough to play.. To which we stated not only did she trip in the ramp but she is unsteady on her feet on a normal day due to her disability, however they did not take that into account and still persisted to accuse her of being intoxicated and unfit to play.. We were then eventually allowed to go inside to order our drinks to which our friend who was picked on at the door was not allowed any alcohol to which we still explained her disability to which they persisted that she was not allowed and Alcohol, shortly after this they said she was unable to play all together and that they would refund her, however we still did not find this very fair given the circumstances the manager still persisted to single my disabled friend out and make the situation worse, and the manager did not give any sympathy to the fact they had made my friend cry over this whole situation.. We then got some drinks at the bar, which were disgusting, might I add that I ordered a gin and lemonade, however I would say this was just a bland drink of ice, more than anything else.. I find it very frustrating that not only did they accuse my friend of being intoxicated, they are more than happy to serve you alcohol at the bar as much as you want, yet they then say if your too intoxicated you are unable to play yet they are happy to pour out as many drinks possible... We spoke to the security and manager on multiple occasions to explained the situation however they couldn't of cared any less and where completely unreasonable given the situation.. Before leaving a few people decided to use the toilets before going elsewhere to which we were greeted by a few women who were so pissed they could hardly go to the toilet themselves, let alone play crazy golf, however they were given entry and were allowed to play crazy golf as well as keep getting drinks at the bar.. Based on this experience I would not recommend as they are very unreasonable and unfair to customers, even more so discriminating people who are disabled, highly disappointed and a waste of time, will definitely not return.

Every child, however citified, has an inbuilt need to crab. Picture, if you will, a particularly…read moresmall Cyberman: put a kite string in one hand, and a bucket with some old bacon rind in the other, and watch that terrifying glint take over the eye. Snowhill Creek's crabbing pond is pleasingly located a) under some barbed wire and b) by what looks like a giant swamp. It's a BRILLIANT place for children to exert their need to be kings without them getting into trouble. Mercifully, the only creatures at risk here are the crabs, and they're old hands at this game. The poor things are in and out of the water so often they may as well be hired out for Old Spice adverts. (NB: Small Cybermen + water can often have dodgy consequences if left alone, so obviously go along with them) With the gentle clink of the Creek's boats in the background, there's a ritualistic furrowing of brows as bacon is attached to kite strings and unwound into the water. Crabs often lurk against the walls. Some of them are tiny, some of them are impressively large (well, ish, but to a five-year-old they look like giant sea monsters armed with chainsaws). It's a beautiful location, and a simple English tradition. Everyone should go crabbing at least once, and several hundred bonus points if you go here.

Swingers is such a great concept with a really good execution and only a few tweaks that would make…read moreit a perfect experience. You realize right away when you enter that this isn't a normal mini-golf course! From the dressed up people, the drinks flowing and the fun and creative course - you are in for a good time! Food is available from lots of little kiosks but be prepared for a decent wait for that or your drinks even with their mobile order system. You can take your drinks on the course (and get refills!) which is fun - but it also means that drink glasses are all over if the staff is behind in picking them up. The biggest negatives are feeling herded through the course quickly and very loud drunk people. But overall it's worth the visit!

Swingers is a unique indoor mini golf course plus pub. The place was hopping on a Saturday night,…read morewith a lot of energy and easily hundreds there. We enjoyed snacking on Mexican grub there, such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and chips and guac. It was way better than most Mexican food you can find in the UK, though the spice level was a bit high. I didn't golf myself, but the courses looked fun, although there weren't a ton of them. Overall a cool place to enjoy an activity or just hang with friends.

Let's be honest, looking after children is exhausting…read more Delightful but exhausting. King's Road Playground is the perfect place to let children run riot. Situated next to Alfresco and the West Pier on the seafront, it's a large playground that has climbing frames for different age groups from toddlers to 7 year olds, a sandpit and giant paddling pool. There's toilets and changing rooms, deckchairs for parents (at the cost of £2 if there's a deckchair attendant) and a wooden fence around the playground - reducing the chance of kids wandering off. The real life saver for parents however, is the fact there's three different cafes situated around the playground - so you can grab a much needed coffee, power-bar or frozen yoghurt at the same time.

A fantastic place for small children to run riot on the seafront. Plenty of sand and climbing…read moreframes not to mention the gigantic paddling pool! Mums and dads can hire deck chairs and sit by the pool or grab some great coffee or snacks from the several cafes lining the playground. Gets very busy in the summer but this seems to increase our kids enjoyment of the place! Aimed at toddlers and children up to, I'd say, 6 or 7.

Really lovely place to go for a walk, take children along as there's an activity park (two) along…read morewith a barn which holds a small museum, gift shop and cafe. Beautiful walks and plenty of parking - more expensive at the weekend, but fairly reasonable throughout the week. Lots of people take dogs there for walks, and it's fairly easy to spend a couple of hours there. Fishing nets for children can be hired from the barn to fish in a small pond nearby. There's also a river running through but to do fishing there you need a permit.

Fantastic place for my toddler, love the climbing things shaped like animals in the woods…read more Its nice and big, and the parking is more expensive at weekends but they're are no other costs, so seems pretty good value really.