Stockbridge Common Marsh

As you enter Stockbridge Common Marsh you pass a National Trust sign that says ‘The Lions Den’ and I have absolutely no idea why!

 

 

 

The common is mainly grassland where you can walk and picnic during dry weather.

 

 

 

 

A tributary of the River Test flows along one edge.

 

 

 

 

If you look carefully you may spot brown trout.

 

 

 

 

 

Paddling

Children can have a little paddle by the bridge

 

 

 

 

but they may not be alone!

 

 

 

 

 

Stockbridge Town

If you cross the bridge and walk a short way, you come to the pretty town of Stockbridge.

 

 

 

 

The River Test flows through the town, past shops and places to eat. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Paths

The paths are flat and easy to walk on but can become boggy and muddy during wetter weather.

 

Nearest Town: Stockbridge, near Andover and Winchester
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: SO20 6JA 

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

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

How Long We Spent There: 3 hours
Buggies: You might be able to use an all terrain buggy.

Parking: There is a car park but it can be very busy. 
Cost of Parking: Free.

Wildlife You Might See: Butterflies and other insects; herons, kingfishers and other birds; brown trout,  other fish and pond life; cows and water voles.

Information Written: June 2022

 

Thomas Land

Thomas Land is a world of Thomas-themed rides

 

 

 

 

 

 

and attractions.  

 

 

 

 

 

You can see characters like James

 

 

 

 

 

Toby

 

 

 

 

 

Cranky

 

 

 

 

 

 

Henry

 

 

 

 

 

Gordon

 

 

 

 

 

Flynn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and Harold. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas, Percy and Rosie make regular appearances, pulling passengers riding in carriages Annie and Clarabel between Knapford station and Tidmouth Halt station.

 

 

 

Tidmouth Halt Station

Once at Tidmouth Halt station, you find Spencer and an adventure play area

 

 

 

 

a dinosaur trail and some zoo animals. 

 

 

 

 

 

Drayton Manor

Drayton Manor is a theme park with rides for all ages, zoo animals and crazy golf. 

 

Nearest Town: Tamworth, Near Birmingham
County: Staffordshire
Nearest Postcode: B78 3TW

Adult Cost Range: Various prices depending on when you go. Please see their website for details.
Child Cost Range: Various prices depending on when you go. Please see their website for details.
Free if: Under 2 years old

Opens: Various times and days throughout the year. Please see their website for details.

Where to Eat: Various restaurants, cafes and picnic areas.
Facilities: Toilets, accessible toilets, shops, cafes, snacks and ice creams.

How Long We Spent There: 5 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly 

Parking: Large car parks
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife you might see: Zoo animals, including tigers, red pandas, monkeys, meerkats, lynx, capybara, tapir, gibbon, marmoset, porcupine, frog, snake and bird like emus, cockatoos, flamingos and rheas.

Information Written: July 2020

 

Ashford Hangers

This is a National Nature Reserve with invigoratingly steep hillsides covered in clinging trees

 

 

 

 

and breathtaking views extending across Hampshire and Sussex.

 

 

 

 

Ashford Stream 

The path from the parking spot follows Ashford Stream, which is shallow enough in places to paddle and splash around. 

 

 

 

From April to June, the smell of wild garlic fills the air.

 

 

 

 

Lutcombe Pond 

A gentle five minute stroll takes you to a small bridge

 

 

 

 

and then to Lutcombe Pond, which has unusually clear water and a dam you can walk over.

 

 

 

 

Onwards or Upwards?

The path forks at the little bridge and each route takes you deeper into the reserve.

 

 

 

 

Onwards Over the Bridge…

The path over the bridge skirts the base of the Ashford Hangers, which is a flat and easy walk.

 

 

 

 

This path has many side shoots that will take you up to the top of the hangers,

 

 

 

 

including this side shoot straight up Shoulder of Mutton Hill, which really is every bit as steep as this photo makes it look! 

 

 

 

 

…or Upwards to Hangers Way

The path to the left of the bridge takes you past Lutcombe Pond, directly up the hill

 

 

 

 

and on to Hangers Way,

 

 

 

 

 

which leads to the top of Shoulder of Mutton Hill

 

 

 

 

and also to Cobbett’s View on Wheatham Hill. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Paths

The paths along Ashford Stream and around Lutcombe Pond are fairly flat but can be muddy.

You can reach the pond with a buggy.

 

 

Beyond the pond, the paths up the hill become steep and narrow in places. 

 

 

 

 

The paths over the bridge and along the foot of the hangers are wider and flatter. 

 

Nearest Town: Steep, Near Petersfield
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: GU32 1AB

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

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

How Long We Spent There: 2 hours
Buggies: You can take a buggy to the pond but the paths beyond this point are steep and/or narrow. 

Parking: There is a small space for a few cars to park off the road (GU32 1AB) and next to the stream. 
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife You Might See: Butterflies, other insects and birds.

Information Written: April 2019
Information Checked: January 2024

 

Paultons Park

Paultons Park itself is a family theme park that also has

 

 

 

 

dinosaurs to spot

 

 

 

 

 

animals to watch

 

 

 

 

 

adventure play areas and splash pads

 

 

 

 

 

a wide variety of rides for all ages

 

 

 

 

 

and a train and several garden walks for anyone who prefers something a little more gentle. 

 

 

 

 

Peppa Pig World

This Peppa Pig themed part of the park brings the Peppa Pig stories, characters and illustrations to life and allows you to explore Peppa’s town

 

 

 

 

meet her family and friends

 

 

 

 

 

ride in their trains and boats

 

 

 

 

 

cars and helicopters

 

 

 

 

 

and even meet Peppa herself. 

 

 

 

 

 

Peppa Pig Prep!

Believe it or not, we visited Peppa Pig World without having watched or read anything about Peppa Pig!

 

 

 

 

We still enjoyed our first visit, even without knowing the characters, but reading the books definitely made subsequent visits more magical!

 

 

 

 

George’s Spaceship Playzone

This is a soft play area with slides and climbing frames

 

 

 

 

as well as an area for smaller children. 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs roam around the Lost Kingdom!

We spotted several, including Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Velociraptors and the staggeringly large Argentinosaurus. 

 

 

The Dinosaur Tour Co. offer dinosaur safaris by Jeep! 

 

 

 

 

 

Water Kingdom

Paultons Park has two splash parks – a large splash pad with tipping buckets, fountains and water shooters and another smaller one called Muddy Puddles.

 

 

 

Adventure Play Areas

There are three adventure play areas, including one that is themed around Mr Potato from Peppa Pig and another dinosaur-themed one where you can dig for fossils. 

Nearest Town: Romsey, Near Southampton
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: SO51 6AL

Adult Cost Range: Various prices depending on when you go. Please see their website for details.
Child Cost Range: Various prices depending on when you go. Please see their website for details.
Free if: Under 1 metre tall

Opens: Various times and days throughout the year. Please see their website for details.

Where to Eat: Various restaurants, cafes and picnic areas.
Facilities: Toilets, accessible toilets, shops, cafes, snacks and ice creams.

How Long We Spent There: 5 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly 

Parking: Large car parks
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife you might see: Penguins, giant tortoises, flamingos, pelicans, tropical birds, owls, fish, lizards and insects.

Information Written: July 2017
Information Checked: April 2021

 

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 Adventure Play Area

Large trees surround the play area, giving it a shady, peaceful feel. The play equipment includes:

• a slide
• various climbing frames
• swings
• toddler swings
• a swinging basket
• a seesaw
• a ground level trampoline
• a zip wire
• scramble nets
• a climbing wall
• balance beams.

 

 

Sports Facilities

There are also plenty of places to play sports:

• a table tennis table (bring your own bats!)
• a street snooker wall and court (a cross between football and snooker)
• tennis courts
• a football pitch
• a cricket ground.

 

Normandy Common

Normandy Common is a wooded area with an orchid meadow, pond, orchard, woods, various sports areas, and a small adventure play area.

 

 

 

 

There is a map in each of the car parks that shows you where everything is. The three main areas we visit are below but there are other little areas you can discover for yourself!

 

 

 

 

The Stream and Pond

The stream flows through the play area next to the car park on the main road. It can flow quite quickly in wet weather. Sometimes there are ducks on it.

 

 

 

The pond is at the end of the stream in the woods on the other side of the road. 

 

 

 

 

The Wispy Woods

We call the wooded area between the cricket pitch and the orchard the Wispy Woods because some of the enormous fir trees look feathered.

It’s a smallish patch of mature woodland with a wild feel. I find it an ideal place to let the children run around and explore. 

 

 

The Secret Orchard

The is a Traditional Orchard, a conservation area that is being preserved as a habitat for plants and animals. It is planted in grassland and managed in an organic way.

Nearest Town: Normandy, Near Guildford and Aldershot
County: Surrey
Nearest Postcode: GU3 2DB

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic.
Facilities: None but there some picnic tables.

How Long We Spent There: 2 hours
Buggies: Generally buggy friendly but some of the paths can be narrow.

Parking: There are two play area car parks on Hunts Hill Road. The first is on the corner with the main road (GU3 2DB). The other is further down Hunts Hill Road (GU3 2DB).
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife You Might See: Birds, butterflies, insects, slow worms, snakes, lizards, stag beetles, glow worms, newts, frogs, kingfishers and dragonflies.

Information Written: April 2023
Information Checked: January 2024

 

Normandy Common

Normandy Common is a wooded area with an orchid meadow, pond, orchard, woods, various sports areas, and a small adventure play area.

 

 

 

There is a map in each of the car parks that shows you where everything is. The three main areas we visit are below but there are other little areas you can discover for yourself!

 

 

 

The Stream and Pond

The stream flows through the play area next to the car park on the main road. It can flow quite quickly in wet weather and sometimes there are ducks on it.

 

 

 

The pond is in the woods at the end of the stream on the other side of the road. 

 

 

 

 

To find the pond, cross Hunts Hill Road (the road the car parks are on). There is a footpath and bridge immediately on your left, which takes you into the woods and then onto Normandy Pond. 

 

 

 

The Wispy Woods

We call the wooded area between the cricket pitch and the orchard the Wispy Woods because some of its enormous and feathery fir trees.

It’s a smallish patch of mature woodland with a wild feel. I find it an ideal place to let the children run around and explore. 

 

 

The Secret Orchard

This is a Traditional Orchard, a conservation area that is being preserved as a habitat for plants and animals. It is planted in grassland and managed in an organic way.

The boards say, “All wildlife and visitors can enjoy a variety of true and traditional fruit flavours.”

 

We visited in September and found pear, apple, plum, and cherry trees.

We also saw a mulberry bush, which I knew from the nursery rhyme but had never actually seen. 

 

 

 

Finding the Woods and Orchard

Leave the play area and walk over the football pitch towards the red bin. Walk over the bridge and onto the cricket ground until you reach the cricket building.

 

 

 

Walk across the car park to the woods and take the footpath marked as a Permissive Horse Ride.

 

 

 

 

Follow this path until you come to the entrance to the Wispy Woods on the left.

 

 

 

 

To reach the orchard, keep following this path beyond the woods, ignoring any side paths.

There is a large bend to the right and then a smaller bend to the left and the orchard is up a slight hill and on the right. It is about a five minute walk from the Wispy Woods.

 

The orchard and woods are clearly marked on the car park maps. If it is your first visit, then consider taking a photo of the map with you. 

 

The Adventure Play Area

Large trees surround Normandy Common Play Area, making it a shady, peaceful place to play. The equipment includes:

• a slide
• various climbing frames
• swings
• toddler swings
• a swinging basket
• a seesaw
• a ground level trampoline
• a zip wire
• scramble nets
• a climbing wall and balance beams that together make an obstacle course.

 

Sports Facilities

There are also plenty of places to play sports:

• a table tennis table (bring your own bats!)
• a street snooker wall and court (a cross between football and snooker)
• tennis courts
• a football pitch
• a cricket ground.

Nearest Town: Normandy, Near Guildford and Aldershot
County: Surrey
Nearest Postcode: GU3 2DB

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic.
Facilities: None but there some picnic tables.

How Long We Spent There: 2 hours
Buggies: Generally buggy friendly but some of the paths can be narrow.

Parking: There are two play area car parks on Hunts Hill Road. The first is on the corner with the main road (GU3 2DB). The other is further down Hunts Hill Road (GU3 2DB).
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife You Might See: Birds, butterflies, insects, slow worms, snakes, lizards, stag beetles, glow worms, newts, frogs, kingfishers and dragonflies.

Information Written: July 2016
Information Checked: January 2024

 

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

 

Fun at the Beach…

The pond has several sandy beaches where you can have fun wading, paddling and splashing.

You can also pond dip, build sand castles and feed the ducks.

 

 

The biggest beaches are on the car park side of the pond but there are a few smaller beaches in other parts too. 

 

 

 

 

…but No Swimming

Swimming is not allowed at Frensham Little Pond to protect the pond habitat, but you can swim at the nearby Frensham Great Pond. 

 

 

 

 

The Tern Cafe

The Tern Cafe is next to the pond and only a short walk from the car park.

It offers snacks, drinks and ice creams and has picnic tables, some under cover. 

 

 

 

Bird Hide

What will you spy from the bird hide?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Walks

Although this is called Frensham Little Pond, it is not small – it took us about an hour to walk all the way around.

 

 

 

 

There are benches and a boardwalk along the way. 

There is a Frensham Little Pond Family Trail you can follow around the pond. 

 

 

 

The Paths

Most of the paths were easy to push a normal buggy across. Some do have tree roots.

 

 

 

 

There are sandy stretches onto Frensham Common that are tougher.

 

 

 

 

 

Frensham Common

Frensham Little Pond is part of Frensham Common, an area of open and airy heathland with woods and beautiful viewpoints.

 

Nearest Town: Frensham, near Farnham
County: Surrey
Nearest Postcode: GU10 3BT

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat at the Tern Cafe. 
Facilities: Cafe, snacks, ice cream, picnic area, toilets, accessible toilets. 

How Long We Spent There: 3 hours
Buggies: You can push a buggy around the pond but choose one that can cope with sand and roots. 

Parking: There are several car parks but they can be very busy when the weather is warm.
Cost of Parking: Free for National Trust members or from £1.50 per hour.

Wildlife You Might See: Lots of birds, including ducks, swans, coots, moorhens and squirrels.

Information Written: March 2016
Information Checked: November 2023