Little Beaulieu Adventure Play Area

This fantastic adventure play area has equipment that includes:

• a tube slide
• other slides
• a basket swing
• toddler swings
• an obstacle course
• climbing walls
• a fireman’s pole
• a zip wire
• talking tubes
• musical instruments
• puzzle boards.

 

 

 

There is also a Toddlers’ Play Area for children of 5 years and under, which has equipment that includes:

• the Beaulieu open-topped bus with a slide
• a wooden play house with a bridge, ladders and a slide
• a sand pit with chutes, buckets and pulleys 
• picnic tables.

 

 

Secret Passages and Paintings

Inside the castle there are secret passages to find and explore, including one that goes behind a bookcase

 

 

 

 

and paintings with moving eyes…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Role Play

There are places to role play too, including a race car

 

 

 

 

 

 

a jeep

 

 

 

 

 

a tractor

 

 

 

 

 

and a petrol station. 

 

 

 

 

Beaulieu National Motor Museum 

At the heart of Beaulieu is the National Motor Museum, which as you’d expect is packed full of cars

 

 

 

 

including famous cars like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

 

 

 

 

Mr Bean’s mini.

 

 

 

 

 

The Monorail and Bus

Beaulieu is also home to the oldest monorail in England

 

 

 

 

and an open topped bus that drives you gently around the grounds. 

 

 

Nearest Town: Hythe, near Southampton
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: SO42 7ZN

Adult Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details. 
Child Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details. 
Free if: Under 5 years

Opens: Daily

Where to Eat: Cafe and picnic areas.
Facilities: Ice creams, snacks, cafe, shop, picnic areas, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 4 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: There is a large car park.
Cost of Parking: Free

Information Written: January 2023

 

Longleat can be divided into two main areas – the Safari and the Main Square.

 

The Safari 

This has an African Village to explore on foot and a Safari Drive-Through to explore from a vehicle – either your own or the Longleat bus.

 

 

 

 

Safari On Foot – The African Village

Here you can see lemurs, wallabies and tortoises

 

 

 

 

zebra, warthogs and goats and hand feed giraffes.  

 

 

 

 

 

Safari By Car – The Drive-Through

The Drive-Through has a commentary app, which is a fab idea that turns your drive into a live action, Kate Humble guided documentary.

 

 

 

East African Reserve

In the first section you can see ostriches, giraffes and tapirs

 

 

 

 

 

 

zebra, flamingos, pelicans and vultures. 

 

 

 

 

Monkeys

Next up are the monkeys.  Signs warn that the monkeys may damage your car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the gates open, Kate Humble chirps, “You have been warned…”.

 

 

 

 

The monkeys maraud along the lines of cars. We have seen them take cars apart.

 

 

 

 

You can choose to skip this enclosure if you like. 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Game Park

This has animals including Anne the elephant

 

 

 

 

a caravan of camels, a herd of Ankole cattle with horns of up to 2m long

 

 

 

 

a crash of rhinos and the Deer Park, where you can feed deer from your car.

 

 

 

 

The Carnivores

When we visited the big carnivore enclosures – tigers, lions, cheetahs and wolves – the tension from the back seat was palpable. 

 

 

 

The Main Square

The second part of Longleat is the Main Square, which has the house, cafes and refreshments and more animals. 

 

 

 

 

The Bat Cave

This is a bat roost and the bats fly freely around your head. 

 

 

 

 

 

Jungle Cruise

On the Jungle Cruise, you take a large boat that wouldn’t have been out of place in The African Queen – a sort of jungle steamer. 

We sailed past gorillas, colobus monkeys, lots of birds

 

 

and two hippos, who were being used as an island by some cheeky ducks.

 

 

 

 

But our favourite part of the cruise is feeding the sea lions.

They splash around the boat and make a lot of noise, jumping up out of the water to catch the fish you throw them (which you must buy).

 

 

Animal Adventure

This is home to animals like meerkats, anteaters and porcupines

 

 

 

 

binturong, fennec fox and a sloth

 

 

 

 

lorikeets you can hand feed

 

 

 

 

 

crocodiles, giant otters and koalas.

 

 

 

 

 

There is also a farmyard with animals including reindeer, wallabies and goats. 

 

 

 

 

Adventure Castle Play Area

Adventure Castle is a fantastic, castle-themed adventure play area. 

 

 

 

 

The play area’s centrepiece is a huge wooden castle with ramparts, walkways, nets and slides galore.

There is also an indoor soft play area for small children.

 

 

 

It has almost everything you can imagine for children of all ages – huge slides, climbing frames, swings and an obstacle course.

 

 

 

The Splash Pad

Jets of water activate when you press discs in the floor – some sprayed up, some sprayed down and some formed tunnels to run through.

The perfect end to an adventure-filled day.

Nearest Town: Warminster
County: Wiltshire
Nearest Postcode: BA12 7NW

Adult Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details.
Child Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details.
Free if: Under 3

Opens: Daily during the summer but with seasonal closures.

Where to Eat: There are various cafes and you can bring a picnic.
Facilities: Snacks, ice cream, cafes, picnic areas, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: A full day.
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: Large car park.
Cost of Parking: Free.

Wildlife You Might See: Zoo and safari park animals, including zebra, giraffes, camels, vultures, monkeys, an elephant, rhinos, deer, lions, tigers, cheetahs, wolves, insects and spiders, hippos, seals, gorillas, bats, anteaters, giant otters, meerkats and wallabies.

Information Written: July 2017
Information Checked: January 2024

 

Adventure Castle

The play area’s centrepiece is a huge wooden castle with ramparts, walkways, nets, and slides galore.

 

 

 

I am not going to list out all of its equipment because it had almost everything you can imagine for children of all ages.

 

 

 

There is also an indoor soft play area for small children.

 

The Splash Pad

The splash pad’s jets of water activate when you press discs in the floor – some sprayed up, some sprayed down, some formed tunnels to run around.

Nearest Town: Warminster
County: Wiltshire
Nearest Postcode: BA12 7NW

Adult Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details.
Child Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details.
Free if: Under 3

Opens: Daily during the summer but with seasonal closures.

Where to Eat: There are various cafes and you can bring a picnic.
Facilities: Cafes, picnic areas, snacks, ice cream, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: A full day.
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: Large car park.
Cost of Parking: Free.

Wildlife You Might See: Zoo and safari park animals, including zebra, giraffes, camels, vultures, monkeys, an elephant, rhinos, deer, lions, tigers, cheetahs, wolves, insects, hippos, seals, gorillas, bats, anteaters, otters, meerkats and wallabies.

Information Written: July 2017
Information Checked: January 2024

 

The Play Area for Younger Children

The first play area is for younger children up to the age of 12 years and has:

• a sand play area
• toddler swings
• a basket swing
• a seesaw
• a play house
• spinners
• a roundabout and
• an entertaining multiplay with three slides, nets, a climbing wall, fireman’s poles, binoculars, a loud hailer and an easy access ramp.

 

The Play Area for Older Children

The second play area is for older children and has:

• various swings
• a basket swing
• an obstacle course
• a climbing pole
• a rope climbing frame
• a trampoline
• a much larger slide that can be reached by climbing ropes, a climbing wall or a ladder and
• picnic tabes.

 

Sports Grounds

Also at the park are football, rugby and cricket pitches.

 

 

 

 

Scooters and Bikes

A scooter track runs through the play area.

 

 

 

 

 

There is also a surfaced path that runs around the outside of the play area and past the lake, which you can cycle or scooter along. 

 

 

 

The Lake

Around the outside of the play areas is a fishing lake with ducks, swans and geese. 

 

 

 

 

Parkside’s Cafe in the Park

There are also picnic tables, public toilets and Parkside’s Cafe in the Park, a cafe run by a local charity.

 

 

 

 

Blackwater Valley Path

If you fancy a walk then head over the playing fields towards the River Blackwater and the Blackwater Valley path where we found butterflies, ducks and caterpillars.

Nearest Town: Aldershot
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: GU12 4BP

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat at Parkside’s Cafe in the Park. 
Facilities: Cafe, snacks, ice cream, picnic area, toilets, and accessible toilets. 

How Long We Spent There: 2 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: There is a car park.
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks, swans and Canada geese.

Information Written: March 2017
Information Checked: December 2023

 

Epic Fun

LEGOLAND^® is a LEGO^® brick theme park complete with epic music, shows, models, crowds and queues.

 

 

 

 

Themed Lands

LEGOLAND^® is divided into action-packed themed lands, which combine LEGO^® brick models with rides, water fun, live shows and adventure.

 

 

 

 

Drench Towers

There is also an enormous water play area called Drench Towers and Splash Safari that has Duplo^® animals (including the polar bear, giraffe and elephant) and interactive water features like water cannons, water slides and fountains.

 

 

 

Miniland

Miniland features LEGO^® brick models of cities like London, Amsterdam and Paris as well as models of the space shuttle and remote controlled boats.

 

 

 

Legal notice: LEGO^®, DUPLO^® and LEGOLAND^® are trademarks of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site.

Nearest Town: Windsor
County: Berkshire
Nearest Postcode: SL4 4AY

Opens: Various times throughout the year

Adult Cost Range: Various
Child Cost Range: Various
Free if: Under 90cm tall

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat at one of the cafes. 
Facilities: Cafes, drinks, snacks, ice creams, picnic areas, toilets, accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: We spent a full day at LEGOLAND^® Windsor Resort and still didn’t manage to see everything!
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: There is a massive car park.
Cost of Parking: From £8

Information Written: October 2016
Information Checked: December 2023

 

Obelisk Lawn Play Area

The play area has equipment that it says is suitable for children from 2 to to 9 years old and includes:

• toddler swings
• a seesaw
• a springer
• a covered sand play area
• a multiplay with a slide, a bridge and easy to climb steps
• game boards
• fun house style mirrors and
• a partially sunken wooden ship with climbing nets, a steering wheel and a crow’s nest.

 

There are also dens in the rhododendrons to the left and right of the play area.

 

 

 

 

Adventure Play at The Savill Garden

Next to Obelisk Lawn is Adventure Play, a collection of wooden huts, tree houses and tube slides connected by bridges, climbing tunnels, nets and ladders.  

 

 

 

 

Note: Adventure Play has an entry fee.

 

 

 

 

 

The Savill Garden

A short walk takes you to the Savill Garden in one direction or the Obelisk Pond in the other.

There are lots of ducks and waterbirds to feed.

 

 

Walking to Virginia Water

A longer walk takes you through the beautiful Valley Gardens to Virginia Water Lake and the Totem Pole.

It took us about fifteen minutes to scoot there. 

 

Nearest Town: Virginia Water
County: Surrey
Nearest Postcode: TW20 0UJ

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Cafe van next to the play area, picnic areas, restaurant in the nearby Savill Garden Visitor Centre.
Facilities: Ice creams, snacks, picnic area, toilets and accessible toilets inside the nearby Savill Garden Visitor Centre.

How Long We Spent There: 2 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: Large car park.
Cost of Parking: From £3.10 per hour in the Savill Garden car park.

Wildlife You Might See: Butterflies and other insects, squirrels, lots and lots of ducks and water birds.

Information Written: December 2016
Information Checked: September 2023

 

Municipal Gardens has a range of newly refurbished equipment that provides a challenge for children of all ages but is only recommended to the age of 12 years. It includes:

• a fortress climbing frame with a tube slide, climbing walls, bridges, poles and nets
• a games area with anagrams, four in a row and reversi as well as a kitchen hob and kaleidoscope
• a second slide for younger children
• a network of houses for smaller children to climb around and play in
• toddler swings
• double swings
• swings
• a rope swing
• a tyre swing
• a balance course
• a roundabout
• a spinning disc
• a wobbly pirate ship with a steering wheel
• sea creature springers
• a seal seesaw
• a Cinderella seesaw
• a picnic table and
• seats for adults.

 

Municipal Gardens has a multi-use games area and you can play basketball, football, hockey and cricket. There is also a skateboarding area and an outdoor gym.

There are also gardens and open areas to walk through and picnic in.

Nearest Town: Aldershot
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: GU11 3EP

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic and a blanket.
Facilities: None.

How Long We Spent There: 1.5 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: There no car park but you can usually find a space on one of the nearby residential roads. Be sure to find one that does not have parking restrictions. We try Cargate Avenue (GU11 3EP), Upper Elms Road (GU11 3ES), Cargate Hill (GU11 3AA), The Warren (GU11 3AB) and Lansdowne Road (GU11 3ER).
Cost of Parking: Free

Information Written: June 2017
Information Checked: August 2023

 

 

Paddle Steamers, Rainforests and Climbing Webs

The play equipment includes:

• a sand play area with buckets and pulleys and a water play area with chutes, taps, bridges and collection pool

 

 

 

• a two-storey paddle steamer climbing frame
• a lily pad balance trail
• a wooden climbing frame shaped like rainforest plants with ladders, bridges, spider webs and walkways
• two springers
• a barrel shaped roundabout
• a zip wire
• a tunnel and
• a playhouse.

 

 

There is also:

• net climbing frame
• a climbing wall and spider web
• an uphill balance course and wobbly bridge
• swings
• toddler swings
• a basket swing
• a centipede seesaw
• two huge slides set into a hill with easy to climb steps and
• a toddler-sized slide.

 

Woking Park

The play area is on the edge of Woking Park, which has gardens filled with trees, bridges and pathways, a duck pond, stream and a multi-gym.

 

 

 

 

 

We find this a calming place to be, which is useful after all the excitement of the play area.

 

 

 

 

Leisure Facilities

Also within Woking Park are some leisure facilities including Pool in the Park, tennis courts and mini golf.

The tennis courts and mini golf can be pre-booked.

 

Nearest Town: Woking
County: Surrey
Nearest Postcode: GU22 9BA

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat in the one of the cafes.
Facilities: Cafe, toilets and accessible toilets in the leisure centre by the park.

How Long We Spent There: 2 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: Large pay and display car park.
Cost of Parking: Free for the first two hours. 

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks and squirrels.

Information Written: October 2016
Information Checked: October 2022

 

The Ship

The upper deck has two slides, easy to climb stairs, a steering wheel and a look out post.

 

 

 

 

The lower deck has another steering wheel and what looks like a throttle.

In the bow there is a loud speaker, some wheels and a hammock or seat.

 

 

 

The Other Play Equipment

This includes:

• toddler swings 
• a tyre swing
• a spinning cup
• a seesaw
• a climbing frame for older children
• seats.

Nearest Town: North Camp, Aldershot
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: GU12 4UZ

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic and a blanket. 
Facilities: None.

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: You can park on the road next to the play area. 
Cost of Parking: Free

Information Written: March 2017
Information Checked: July 2022

 

The Play Area

The equipment is aimed at children to the age of 14 and includes:

• a seesaw
• a huge obstacle course with climbing, monkey bars, balance beams and nets
• swings
• toddler swings
• climbing nets
• a slide from a wooden house
• a lighthouse with a fireman’s pole
• lots of bridges, including wobbly bridges and rope bridges and
• seats for adults.

 

 

The Trim Trail

When I last visited there was a trim trail under construction, which looked like it would be in the same natural style as the play area.

 

 

 

 

The Holloway Hill Multi-Use Games Area

There was also a multi-use games area, cricket wicket and outfield, football pitches 

 

 

 

 

tennis courts

 

 

 

 

 

and a basketball court.

 

 

Nearest Town: Godalming
County: Surrey
Nearest Postcode: GU7 1QD

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic.
Facilities: None.

How Long We Spent There: 2 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: There is a small car park.
Cost of Parking: Free

Information Written: August 2016
Information Checked: July 2022