Furness Abbey is a ruined abbey in South Cumbria, just outside Barrow in Furness. In its heyday it used to be the home of the Cistercian monks.
Location
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The abbey can be found on the A590, approximately 30 minutes drive from the M6 and there’s a small car park outside the visitors centre. There’s a regular bus service (6A) which passes within a 10 minute walk of the abbey entrance, and this bus can be caught from the nearest bus stop to the railway station in Barrow. There’s a less frequent service from Dalton in Furness and other towns along the A590.
Opening Times
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Easter to Summer 10am-5pm 5 Days a Week (closed Tuesday and Wednesday).
Summer to Autumn 10am-5pm 7 Days a Week.
Late Autumn 10am-5pm 5 Days a Week (closed Tuesday and Wednesday).
Autumn to Easter 10am-4pm Sat, & Sun.
Admission Costs
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Adult: £3.50
Children: £1.80
Concession: £3.00
English Heritage Members: Free.
The Abbey
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The Abbey was built in 1123. It was given to the Cistercian monks in 1147, and was once the second richest Cistercian abbey in England, after Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire.
It was built entirely from sandstone which was sourced from the local area, and many parts of the abbey are well persevered and stand majestically in place. It’s not hard to imagine how the site would have looked when it was complete.
The monks of the abbey were highly influential in the area, and their influence spread as far as the Isle of Man, which can be found off the coast of Barrow in Furness, in the Irish Sea. One of the Kings of Man is buried within the grounds of the abbey.
The abbey stood proud until Henry VIII took umbrage with the Pope and decided to destroy the Catholic Church and all its followers. The local story tells of how Henry’s soldiers missed the abbey because it is hidden from view in the Vale of Nightshade, but one poor monk rang the bell to sound the all clear far too early, and alerted the soldiers to its presence. The abbey and the monks were destroyed, and the ruins left for future generations to walk around.
Obviously being an abbey, there are no end of ghost stories, ranging from the sightings of mad monks, to white ladies. One of the tracks leading from the abbey is known locally as Lady’s Walk due to the sightings.
The abbey has had a few famous visitors; the most famous for locals is of course William Wordsworth, the Lakeland poet, famous for his Daffodils poem. He referred to the abbey in one of his later poems, The Prelude. The abbey was also visited by the Roosevelt family, where Teddy Roosevelt was seen running around the abbey grounds with his siblings.
You can use the audio guide when wandering around the grounds, which will give details of the various buildings which are still fairly whole (the chapel, the North and South Transept, the Chapter House and Dormitory). It also details where other buildings would have stood and how well developed the drainage and water ways were for the time.
Visitors Centre
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The visitors centre is small, but has a lot of information dotted around. It doubles as the shop, but the selection of items available is very small and expensive.
In the visitors centre you’ll find sconces and pieces of architecture and grave slabs that originally came from the abbey, but have been brought inside to avoid damage.
Facilities and Accessibility
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Wheelchairs users have full access to the visitors centre and to the abbey grounds. However, there are lots of slopes and no pathways around the grounds, so some people may need assistance.
For visually impaired visitors the audio guide is included in the ticket price, and for audio impaired visitors an audio tour with hearing loop is included in the price, and they also have the audio tour scripted if required.
Dogs are allowed in the grounds, although they must be kept on a lead, and obviously any mess must be cleared up.
There is a small selection of snacks, and people are welcome to bring picnics into the abbey grounds. Within a couple of minutes walk, you’ll find the Abbey Tavern which is a local pub that sells beer and meals.
My Thoughts
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Furness Abbey is a lovely abbey to visit, and because is fairly well preserved in parts, it makes it much easier to imagine how the area would have looked back in the 12th Century, and how life might have been for the monks.
The way the abbey is situated you will be driving up and thinking ‘where on earth is it?’ Then suddenly it’s right in front of you, it’s not hard to imagine that the local story about the soldiers missing is first time around could be true. After all, way back then there would have been no clear roads and the abbey would have been completely surrounded by trees.
As it is, once you get close, you might wonder if it’s worth paying the entrance fee, because you can see all of the grounds from the road. But you can’t get a proper feel for the place from the roadside, nor can you find out which bits are which, and what would have been happening in different areas of the abbey.
Although there’s a road running around the outside of the grounds, it’s not a busy road, so the whole area feels very tranquil (until the kids start yelling !!). It’s a great place to have a picnic, because there are plenty of open areas, and having the abbey as a backdrop is beautiful. During the spring, the area is surrounded by daffodils, and they look absolutely wonderful.
Along the side of the abbey there are a few walks that are very popular with dog walkers, and you can see some of the remains of out buildings that the monks once used on these walks.
Straight across the road from the abbey there’s a natural amphitheatre, now I don’t have good memories of this amphitheatre because it used to be part of our school’s cross country run! But this is also a great area to walk your dog, depending on the time of year you might have to have the dog on a lead due to sheep or cows being loose.
If you’re not picnicking or walking dogs, it probably won’t take more than a morning or an afternoon to visit the abbey. In fact it’s more likely to take 2 hours at most (presuming you stop to look closely at things), but it’s well worth a visit.
Sunday 20 September 2009
Friday 18 September 2009
South Lakes Wild Animal Park
South Lakes Wild Animal Park is about 10 minutes away from us, so we visit at least twice a year, and we are never bored. It’s not so much a zoo as an animal experience.
How to get there
The zoo is in Dalton in Furness, a small town in South Cumbria. It’s about 30 minutes from the M6 motorway along the A590, or you can get there by train or bus. If you’re using public transport you’ll have a 10-15 minute walk from the nearest bus stop and a 20-30 minute walk from the train station. There’s a free car park, unfortunately this isn’t the biggest car park in the world and gets full rather quickly. There is an overflow car park and staff will be out to direct traffic is necessary, the over flow car park is a couple of minutes walk from the zoo entrance.
Admission Information
Adult: £11.50
Child 3-15: £8.00
OAP: £8.00
Under3's: FREE
Friend of the Park: £1.50
Opening Times
4th April 2009 - 1st November 2009
10am - 5.00pm
Last admission 4.15pm
The park is fairly unique in that many of the animals are free roaming, or are allowed to roam within their own areas in amongst the visitors. The free roaming animals are found in the Australasia section of the park, with lemurs, kangaroos, emus, etc. Food can be purchased at 50p a bag to feed the emus and the ducks. The lemurs are the only animals in that section that cannot be fed or stroked by visitors. The lemurs are the funniest animals in the zoo, they pretty much go wherever they choose, and are not afraid of people at all but they can bite, which is the reason you’re not allowed to feed them. Being approached by an emu can be a little scary at first, but they are quite gentle when taking the food from your hand.
Also in that section there is a large walk in aviary, with parrot and vultures, visitors can watch the vultures being fed daily. This bit is only open to walkthrough when the keeper is there, if you go early in the morning you might find that the keepers are all busy elsewhere, in which case you can view the birds from outside the aviary.
Another great feature of the park is the high walk ways. These allow visitors to see the animals from above, and in the case of the tigers on their climbing frame, the visitors can see them on the same level with no bars to spoil the view.
The owner of the park also began the Sumatran Tiger Trust, so every day there is a talk on the work of the trust just before the tiger feeding. The zoo is quite proud of the way in which the tigers and lions are fed. It is unique in that the meat is attached to 6 metre poles and the cats have to climb for their food. This stops the cats becoming overweight because they actually have to work for their food. During the summer the walkways can get very crowded because everyone wants to see the cats climbing, so you’d be just as well to get to the walkway early and hang around for a while. It might seem a bit boring, but the wait is worth it, to see the power in the animals.
The park is great for kids, as well as being able to feed the emus, ducks etc, they are able to join in with the lemur feeding under the supervision of the park staff. They can also help to feed the penguins and giraffes. They also have a ‘Meet the Snake’ time, where visitors can see a snake close up, and have the opportunity to stroke one.
Food
There are indoor and outdoor tables for taking picnics, and there’s also a restaurant on the site. They serve a limited range of hot foods, but they’re all of good quality, and they have a selection of cold snacks.
Beware though, there are no lockers in the zoo, so you’ll either have to carry your picnic around, or you will have to leave it in the car until you are ready to eat.
Accessibility
The zoo is fully accessible for the disabled. There are very few steps on the walkways, and where there are a couple of steps they have a ramp beside them. The elevated walkways are all accessed by walking up ramps.
It might not be the biggest zoo in the world, but I think it is the best thought out and the owner is interested in the conservation of animals not just creating a tourist attraction.
How to get there
The zoo is in Dalton in Furness, a small town in South Cumbria. It’s about 30 minutes from the M6 motorway along the A590, or you can get there by train or bus. If you’re using public transport you’ll have a 10-15 minute walk from the nearest bus stop and a 20-30 minute walk from the train station. There’s a free car park, unfortunately this isn’t the biggest car park in the world and gets full rather quickly. There is an overflow car park and staff will be out to direct traffic is necessary, the over flow car park is a couple of minutes walk from the zoo entrance.
Admission Information
Adult: £11.50
Child 3-15: £8.00
OAP: £8.00
Under3's: FREE
Friend of the Park: £1.50
Opening Times
4th April 2009 - 1st November 2009
10am - 5.00pm
Last admission 4.15pm
The park is fairly unique in that many of the animals are free roaming, or are allowed to roam within their own areas in amongst the visitors. The free roaming animals are found in the Australasia section of the park, with lemurs, kangaroos, emus, etc. Food can be purchased at 50p a bag to feed the emus and the ducks. The lemurs are the only animals in that section that cannot be fed or stroked by visitors. The lemurs are the funniest animals in the zoo, they pretty much go wherever they choose, and are not afraid of people at all but they can bite, which is the reason you’re not allowed to feed them. Being approached by an emu can be a little scary at first, but they are quite gentle when taking the food from your hand.
Also in that section there is a large walk in aviary, with parrot and vultures, visitors can watch the vultures being fed daily. This bit is only open to walkthrough when the keeper is there, if you go early in the morning you might find that the keepers are all busy elsewhere, in which case you can view the birds from outside the aviary.
Another great feature of the park is the high walk ways. These allow visitors to see the animals from above, and in the case of the tigers on their climbing frame, the visitors can see them on the same level with no bars to spoil the view.
The owner of the park also began the Sumatran Tiger Trust, so every day there is a talk on the work of the trust just before the tiger feeding. The zoo is quite proud of the way in which the tigers and lions are fed. It is unique in that the meat is attached to 6 metre poles and the cats have to climb for their food. This stops the cats becoming overweight because they actually have to work for their food. During the summer the walkways can get very crowded because everyone wants to see the cats climbing, so you’d be just as well to get to the walkway early and hang around for a while. It might seem a bit boring, but the wait is worth it, to see the power in the animals.
The park is great for kids, as well as being able to feed the emus, ducks etc, they are able to join in with the lemur feeding under the supervision of the park staff. They can also help to feed the penguins and giraffes. They also have a ‘Meet the Snake’ time, where visitors can see a snake close up, and have the opportunity to stroke one.
Food
There are indoor and outdoor tables for taking picnics, and there’s also a restaurant on the site. They serve a limited range of hot foods, but they’re all of good quality, and they have a selection of cold snacks.
Beware though, there are no lockers in the zoo, so you’ll either have to carry your picnic around, or you will have to leave it in the car until you are ready to eat.
Accessibility
The zoo is fully accessible for the disabled. There are very few steps on the walkways, and where there are a couple of steps they have a ramp beside them. The elevated walkways are all accessed by walking up ramps.
It might not be the biggest zoo in the world, but I think it is the best thought out and the owner is interested in the conservation of animals not just creating a tourist attraction.
Sunday 13 September 2009
Barrow in Furness
Barrow in Furness, as soon as I say those words 99 times out of 100 the reply will be 'where’s that?’ Except when you're speak to people from Barrow that is. I thought I'd write this little guide in case anyone was coming to the area, especially as we have cruise ships arriving at the docks now, so more and more tourists are finding us.
~Where is it?~
Barrow in Furness (or Barra as it's known) is in South Cumbria within the Furness peninsula. Still no idea? Well the easiest way to describe it is, just south of the Lake District or not too far north of Blackpool.
The A590 takes you from the M6 and straight to Barrow and is nicknamed the world's largest cul-de-sac, because it comes into Barrow then the only thing to do is turn around and go back out again.
~About the Town~
Barrow is an average sized town, with a population of around 60,000. Originally part of Lancashire, it’s now part of Cumbria.
The town was built up around the shipyard; most of the original housing was built to house the workers. The shipyard however is now past its heyday and most of the engineering work and factories have closed or down sized dramatically, so the main employers are now the local Health Authority and retailers.
~Local Points of Interest~
*Shops*
Barrow is not known for its shopping, most of the shops are confined to two streets, with the highlight being Debenhams. Other national retailers include, Gamestation, Jessops, M & S, and Body Shop. But the majority of the main shopping street is made up of charity shops or banks, with many of the shops at the present time being empty.
There is also a small out of town Retail Park, which houses the likes of Next, Comet, Currys and Tesco Extra.
As well as Tesco, other supermarkets include Asda, Morrisons and 6 branches of the Co-op.
*Pubs and Clubs*
Barrow has the same variety of pubs as the majority of towns in the country. There are the usual drinker’s pubs, and the food lover’s pubs, plus one pub with a 'Fuzzy Ed's' attached for children to play.
Along Cornwallis Street (also known as The Gaza Strip) are Barrow's nightclubs. There are 6 clubs which all open until the early hours of the morning. In addition to these clubs there is also the Princess Selandia, a floating nightclub and restaurant.
*Food*
There are cafes and restaurants a plenty in Barrow. There are Chinese, Indian, Italian, Thai and English restaurants. Take aways selling Chinese, Indian, Pizza, Kebabs, Baked Potatoes, Fish and Chips. Then of course there are McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway, and plenty of small local cafes in the town centre.
*Tourist Attractions*
Barrow only has one real tourist attraction to call its own, Furness Abbey. A 12th century ruined abbey, once belonging to the Cistercian monks, now it’s part of English Heritage.
There is also the Dock Museum, a small museum dedicated to all things maritime, and celebrating Barrow's links with the sea, and telling the history of shipbuilding in Barrow.
Just outside of Barrow, in a town called Dalton in Furness there is the South Lakes Animal Park. In my opinion one of the best zoos in the country. Not only does it have a great selection of animals, but it offers people (and children in particular) the opportunity to interact with many of the animals; Lemurs, emus, penguins and giraffes.
~Other Things To Do In Barrow~
Barrow has a beautiful park at its centre. In the past few years the play area has undergone a transformation with the old roundabouts and swings being removed, and climbing frames, zip slides and an interactive Bop It style play frame installed.
In 2008 the second play area was bulldozed and a concrete skate park was built, which is extremely popular with the skate boarders and stunt bike riders.
Also in the park there's a mini golf course, bowling greens, a greenhouse and a lake with swans and geese. During the summer there is boat rental with rowing boats and pedal boats.
The Park Leisure Centre has also undergone a £1m refit, with improvements to the gym. At weekends it holds a roller disco (there's a blast from the past) and the hall can be booked for children's parties, badminton, table tennis etc. The swimming area has a training pool, and a leisure pool with a wave machine and water slide.
Barrow also boasts two different types of beach. On Walney Island you'll find a stony beach with a small play area for the children and generally an ice cream van in attendance.
At Roanhead there is a beautiful sandy beach with plenty of sand dunes to ensure you can find a nice quiet spot. There is a permanent shop, but it is very small and only sells the bare necessities for the beach. Parking is also at a premium at Roanhead, which means on a sunny day you really need to get there early to get a parking space.
When the weather is bad, and presuming you have children there is always the Custom House. This is split into two zones, the play zone for the very young, which has a soft brick play area, and the laser zone, where older children can have fun shooting at each other with laser guns. There is also a restaurant for the adults.
Of course Barrow is only 20 minutes or so away from the Lake District which offers countless attractions.
~My Thoughts~
I've lived in Barrow for years, interspersed with times away due to work commitments and I can only say, of all the placed I've live Barrow is by far the best.
Okay it’s not the most dynamic place; it's generally a few years behind the rest of the world when it comes to new innovations. But it’s also relatively quiet, there is some trouble on occasion, but what town doesn't? And compared to the big cities you could almost say it’s a trouble free zone.
I am not afraid to let my children play out, and that means more to me than being at the forefront of development.
I think at some points everyone thinks their home town is dull, the council are only in it for themselves, or they wish there was more. But I am happy with Barrow as it is, for me it has everything it needs, anymore and it would spoil the area.
~Anything Famous About Barrow?~
Chewits once described themselves on their advert as 'Even chewier than Barrow in Furness bus depot'.
Emlyn Hughes the England and Liverpool FC footballer was born in Barrow and now has an office block named after him.
Dave Myers, one of the Hairy Bikers is also from Barrow.
I hope that has given you a little insight into Barrow.
~Where is it?~
Barrow in Furness (or Barra as it's known) is in South Cumbria within the Furness peninsula. Still no idea? Well the easiest way to describe it is, just south of the Lake District or not too far north of Blackpool.
The A590 takes you from the M6 and straight to Barrow and is nicknamed the world's largest cul-de-sac, because it comes into Barrow then the only thing to do is turn around and go back out again.
~About the Town~
Barrow is an average sized town, with a population of around 60,000. Originally part of Lancashire, it’s now part of Cumbria.
The town was built up around the shipyard; most of the original housing was built to house the workers. The shipyard however is now past its heyday and most of the engineering work and factories have closed or down sized dramatically, so the main employers are now the local Health Authority and retailers.
~Local Points of Interest~
*Shops*
Barrow is not known for its shopping, most of the shops are confined to two streets, with the highlight being Debenhams. Other national retailers include, Gamestation, Jessops, M & S, and Body Shop. But the majority of the main shopping street is made up of charity shops or banks, with many of the shops at the present time being empty.
There is also a small out of town Retail Park, which houses the likes of Next, Comet, Currys and Tesco Extra.
As well as Tesco, other supermarkets include Asda, Morrisons and 6 branches of the Co-op.
*Pubs and Clubs*
Barrow has the same variety of pubs as the majority of towns in the country. There are the usual drinker’s pubs, and the food lover’s pubs, plus one pub with a 'Fuzzy Ed's' attached for children to play.
Along Cornwallis Street (also known as The Gaza Strip) are Barrow's nightclubs. There are 6 clubs which all open until the early hours of the morning. In addition to these clubs there is also the Princess Selandia, a floating nightclub and restaurant.
*Food*
There are cafes and restaurants a plenty in Barrow. There are Chinese, Indian, Italian, Thai and English restaurants. Take aways selling Chinese, Indian, Pizza, Kebabs, Baked Potatoes, Fish and Chips. Then of course there are McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway, and plenty of small local cafes in the town centre.
*Tourist Attractions*
Barrow only has one real tourist attraction to call its own, Furness Abbey. A 12th century ruined abbey, once belonging to the Cistercian monks, now it’s part of English Heritage.
There is also the Dock Museum, a small museum dedicated to all things maritime, and celebrating Barrow's links with the sea, and telling the history of shipbuilding in Barrow.
Just outside of Barrow, in a town called Dalton in Furness there is the South Lakes Animal Park. In my opinion one of the best zoos in the country. Not only does it have a great selection of animals, but it offers people (and children in particular) the opportunity to interact with many of the animals; Lemurs, emus, penguins and giraffes.
~Other Things To Do In Barrow~
Barrow has a beautiful park at its centre. In the past few years the play area has undergone a transformation with the old roundabouts and swings being removed, and climbing frames, zip slides and an interactive Bop It style play frame installed.
In 2008 the second play area was bulldozed and a concrete skate park was built, which is extremely popular with the skate boarders and stunt bike riders.
Also in the park there's a mini golf course, bowling greens, a greenhouse and a lake with swans and geese. During the summer there is boat rental with rowing boats and pedal boats.
The Park Leisure Centre has also undergone a £1m refit, with improvements to the gym. At weekends it holds a roller disco (there's a blast from the past) and the hall can be booked for children's parties, badminton, table tennis etc. The swimming area has a training pool, and a leisure pool with a wave machine and water slide.
Barrow also boasts two different types of beach. On Walney Island you'll find a stony beach with a small play area for the children and generally an ice cream van in attendance.
At Roanhead there is a beautiful sandy beach with plenty of sand dunes to ensure you can find a nice quiet spot. There is a permanent shop, but it is very small and only sells the bare necessities for the beach. Parking is also at a premium at Roanhead, which means on a sunny day you really need to get there early to get a parking space.
When the weather is bad, and presuming you have children there is always the Custom House. This is split into two zones, the play zone for the very young, which has a soft brick play area, and the laser zone, where older children can have fun shooting at each other with laser guns. There is also a restaurant for the adults.
Of course Barrow is only 20 minutes or so away from the Lake District which offers countless attractions.
~My Thoughts~
I've lived in Barrow for years, interspersed with times away due to work commitments and I can only say, of all the placed I've live Barrow is by far the best.
Okay it’s not the most dynamic place; it's generally a few years behind the rest of the world when it comes to new innovations. But it’s also relatively quiet, there is some trouble on occasion, but what town doesn't? And compared to the big cities you could almost say it’s a trouble free zone.
I am not afraid to let my children play out, and that means more to me than being at the forefront of development.
I think at some points everyone thinks their home town is dull, the council are only in it for themselves, or they wish there was more. But I am happy with Barrow as it is, for me it has everything it needs, anymore and it would spoil the area.
~Anything Famous About Barrow?~
Chewits once described themselves on their advert as 'Even chewier than Barrow in Furness bus depot'.
Emlyn Hughes the England and Liverpool FC footballer was born in Barrow and now has an office block named after him.
Dave Myers, one of the Hairy Bikers is also from Barrow.
I hope that has given you a little insight into Barrow.
Thursday 10 September 2009
Wet and Wild Orlando
Wet and Wild is a water park in the Universal district of Orlando, it’s one that can be paid for at the gate or it comes as part and parcel of the Orlando Flexticket.
The slides are split into 5 different types, although they aren’t located in batches, they’re spread around the park.
Super Thrills
This section includes; The Storm, Bomb Bay, Der Stuka and Mach 5.
We all went on Mach 5, which is a slide where you take a mat up to the top and slide down facing forward on your stomach. There are three slides that all start in the same place, so we could all go down together, although getting onto the mat and launching yourself off is easier said than done, and is certainly not an elegant procedure. I found it uncomfortable because I had to hold myself to one side to avoid getting a friction burn on my leg, because I hadn’t quite managed to get on the mat in the centre. But the slide itself wasn’t too bad, plenty of dips and twists, so 6/10 from me.
We gave The Storm a miss because I’d been on either this one or a very similar one several years before, and when I splashed down into the water tank I panicked and felt like I was drowning, and even though both the kids are strong swimmers I didn’t want them to experience the same feeling.
I also gave Der Stuka a miss; it’s a long straight slide which is rather steep. Both the kids went on it and they liked it, when I asked my daughter said 8/10 and my son 7/10.
Next to Der Stuka is Bomb Bay, which is very similar except instead of starting from a sitting position and launching yourself off, you are standing and the floor falls away, the slide is also slightly steeper than Der Stuka.
Group Thrills
As the name suggests these rides are for groups of people. They include Black Hole, Disco H20, Bubba Tub, Brain Wash, The Flyer, The Surge and The Blast. Of these we went on; The Blast, Bubba Tub and The Surge.
The Blast: Here you have to carry your tube up to the top of the ride, either a single tube or a double. This is a bit of a pain for kids, as the tubes are quite big. Then you slide down through bursting tanks and pipelines. Not a bad ride except for dragging the tubes up, so 6/10.
Bubba Tub: There was a bit of a queue for this one; about 20 minutes. This one used round dingy style boats which took up to four people (I believe it had a minimum of 2 rule as well), which were ferried up to the top by machinery, so that was a bonus. It’s basically just a straight slide with four or five drops which you jump down in the boat. A long queue for a very short ride, so just 5/10 for this one.
The Surge used similar style boats, and again they were taken to the top by machinery rather than making the patrons carry them. Rather than being a straight slide, this one was a twisting slide with turns that caused water to splash into the boat. Better than Bubba Tub so 6/10.
Take it Easy
There are two attractions that come under this heading; Lazy River and Surf Lagoon.
Lazy River is exactly as it sounds; somewhere where you can float around in a tube and chillax. If you’ve hired tubes at the hire booth then you can use those, otherwise you can wait for a tube to come floating past. The only tricky bit is getting into them in the first place. 10/10
Surf Lagoon is in the centre of the park, and is a swimming area, which regularly has 4 foot waves rolling across. It’s also surrounded by sun beds so you can just lie back and soak up a few rays. I prefer the sun beds here to the ones at Aquatica because they’re on a solid floor rather than sand. 8/10
Just for Kids
Two attractions here as well, a kid’s park and Bubble Up.
The kid’s park is for children under 4ft, and it has a section of small rides for the kids. Obviously we didn’t use this as my kids were a bit too old.
Bubble Up. This is a large inflatable bubble that kids can climb up via the ropes and then slide of bounce down into the pool below. Some kids had a little trouble climbing up the ropes, and only a certain number are allowed in at any one time, they get about 5 minutes on the bubble before the next batch of kids are allowed in.
Exciting Extras
We never experienced any of the attractions that come under this heading, but for information they are; Knee Ski/Wake Skating, which is a cable operated tow rope around a half mile lake.
The Wild One: Which takes two riders around the lake in a bouncy tube (this costs extra)
Beach Club: A club with a DJ, beach games and prizes.
Shops and Cafes
There are a few place to eat; Surf Grill which serves burgers, hotdogs, salads, nachos and the like. Bubba’s BBQ n Chicken which sells smoked ribs and chicken, Manny’s Pizza which has pizza and subs. Then there are a couple of snack bars and drinks bars dotted around.
There are a couple of shops as well, selling beach wear, sunglasses, sun tan lotion as well as souvenirs.
The slides are split into 5 different types, although they aren’t located in batches, they’re spread around the park.
Super Thrills
This section includes; The Storm, Bomb Bay, Der Stuka and Mach 5.
We all went on Mach 5, which is a slide where you take a mat up to the top and slide down facing forward on your stomach. There are three slides that all start in the same place, so we could all go down together, although getting onto the mat and launching yourself off is easier said than done, and is certainly not an elegant procedure. I found it uncomfortable because I had to hold myself to one side to avoid getting a friction burn on my leg, because I hadn’t quite managed to get on the mat in the centre. But the slide itself wasn’t too bad, plenty of dips and twists, so 6/10 from me.
We gave The Storm a miss because I’d been on either this one or a very similar one several years before, and when I splashed down into the water tank I panicked and felt like I was drowning, and even though both the kids are strong swimmers I didn’t want them to experience the same feeling.
I also gave Der Stuka a miss; it’s a long straight slide which is rather steep. Both the kids went on it and they liked it, when I asked my daughter said 8/10 and my son 7/10.
Next to Der Stuka is Bomb Bay, which is very similar except instead of starting from a sitting position and launching yourself off, you are standing and the floor falls away, the slide is also slightly steeper than Der Stuka.
Group Thrills
As the name suggests these rides are for groups of people. They include Black Hole, Disco H20, Bubba Tub, Brain Wash, The Flyer, The Surge and The Blast. Of these we went on; The Blast, Bubba Tub and The Surge.
The Blast: Here you have to carry your tube up to the top of the ride, either a single tube or a double. This is a bit of a pain for kids, as the tubes are quite big. Then you slide down through bursting tanks and pipelines. Not a bad ride except for dragging the tubes up, so 6/10.
Bubba Tub: There was a bit of a queue for this one; about 20 minutes. This one used round dingy style boats which took up to four people (I believe it had a minimum of 2 rule as well), which were ferried up to the top by machinery, so that was a bonus. It’s basically just a straight slide with four or five drops which you jump down in the boat. A long queue for a very short ride, so just 5/10 for this one.
The Surge used similar style boats, and again they were taken to the top by machinery rather than making the patrons carry them. Rather than being a straight slide, this one was a twisting slide with turns that caused water to splash into the boat. Better than Bubba Tub so 6/10.
Take it Easy
There are two attractions that come under this heading; Lazy River and Surf Lagoon.
Lazy River is exactly as it sounds; somewhere where you can float around in a tube and chillax. If you’ve hired tubes at the hire booth then you can use those, otherwise you can wait for a tube to come floating past. The only tricky bit is getting into them in the first place. 10/10
Surf Lagoon is in the centre of the park, and is a swimming area, which regularly has 4 foot waves rolling across. It’s also surrounded by sun beds so you can just lie back and soak up a few rays. I prefer the sun beds here to the ones at Aquatica because they’re on a solid floor rather than sand. 8/10
Just for Kids
Two attractions here as well, a kid’s park and Bubble Up.
The kid’s park is for children under 4ft, and it has a section of small rides for the kids. Obviously we didn’t use this as my kids were a bit too old.
Bubble Up. This is a large inflatable bubble that kids can climb up via the ropes and then slide of bounce down into the pool below. Some kids had a little trouble climbing up the ropes, and only a certain number are allowed in at any one time, they get about 5 minutes on the bubble before the next batch of kids are allowed in.
Exciting Extras
We never experienced any of the attractions that come under this heading, but for information they are; Knee Ski/Wake Skating, which is a cable operated tow rope around a half mile lake.
The Wild One: Which takes two riders around the lake in a bouncy tube (this costs extra)
Beach Club: A club with a DJ, beach games and prizes.
Shops and Cafes
There are a few place to eat; Surf Grill which serves burgers, hotdogs, salads, nachos and the like. Bubba’s BBQ n Chicken which sells smoked ribs and chicken, Manny’s Pizza which has pizza and subs. Then there are a couple of snack bars and drinks bars dotted around.
There are a couple of shops as well, selling beach wear, sunglasses, sun tan lotion as well as souvenirs.
Wednesday 9 September 2009
Universal Islands of Adventure
Universal Studios Islands of Adventure is the second part of the Universal experience. The Islands of Adventure are accessed from the same car parks as Universal Studios, but after passing the bag check area you need to turn left at the city walk rather than right.
The party is split into six areas, Marvel Super Heroes, Toon Lagoon, Jurassic Park, the Lost Continent and Seuss Landing.
Marvel Super Heroes
The first ride you come across in this section is the Incredible Hulk coaster; unfortunately my daughter was too small to ride on this ride so I can't tell you much about it, apart from to say it looks amazing.
Doctor Doom’s Fear Fall is the next to ride you come across, where we passed by this ride the wait time was only five minutes so we decided to give it a try without actually looking up to see what sort of ride it was. It was only when the doors opened to our seats that I realised it was the ride we'd seen from the other side of the park, and was one of those rides that shot you up into the air at high speeds. The initial experience of being catapulted into the air is quite fun, but that's it really and the next few seconds of the ride where it bounces up and down a few times is a bit dull. So on the whole I give this 6/10.
The next ride we went on was the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman. This is a 3-D ride in which Spiderman is trying to save New York from Goblin and a few of the other comic book villains (I can’t remember their names because Marvel comics weren't something I used to read as a child). The 3-D effects are really good and you really feel like you are flying around even though you are sitting safely in your car. We went on this ride three times in all so I have to give it a 9/10.
Also in this area you will find Storm Force Acceleration, however I can't even remember seeing it so I can't say anything about it at all.
Toon Lagoon
The first ride we went on was Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge Rat Barges. This is a ride where you sit in a boat with seven other people, a clue to how wet you get on this ride is given when you get on the boat and notice that there is a section in the middle that is covered over so you can keep your bags and cameras dry, which is something I've never seen on a water ride before. On the ride you go over different rapids and bounce about from one side of the river to the other, as you go the rapids huge waves splosh into the boat, you might think at this point that if you're lucky you'll get the seat that manages to miss all the water, but then you go through a couple of waterfalls so there isn’t a single person who stays dry. Having said that the ride is a lot of fun and we actually went on it twice, I'm giving this ride and 8/10 purely because it's so horrible walking round soggy for the next couple of hours.
Whilst we were wet we decided to go on the other water ride in Toon Lagoon which is Dudley do Right’s Rip Saw Falls. This is a ride based on the TV series Dudley do Right which I've never watched so the characters meant nothing to me or to the kids. The ride is more of an old fashion log flume than the previous ride and just has a couple of big drops, the second of which is the steepest and the wettest. Not a bad ride 7/10.
The other attraction in this area is the Me ship, The Olive, which is a rather strange name. This isn't a ride it's a small playground area for children which has slides and water cannons to shoot at people on Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge barges, and a couple of other interactive things. At nine and 11 my kids were a little too old for this attraction.
Jurassic Park
The main ride in this area is the Jurassic Park River Adventure, this is yet another water ride where you travel along in a boat and entered Jurassic Park. There you get to see some of the different dinosaurs in the Park, a couple of which kindly spray you with water as you're going past. It's quite pleasant ride until you enter the raptor area when suddenly you start to go up and find yourself facing the T Rex, luckily just before the T Rex decides to eat you the ride drops away and you plummet to the river below, getting soaked in the process. I would have given this ride an 8.5/10, but two of the three times we went on the ride when it came to exiting the worker who was controlling the boats made it jolt quite badly and it really hurt my back, so because of that I can only give it 5/10.
Just opposite the River adventure you'll find Camp Jurassic, this is a huge playground with lots of slides, rope bridges and water cannons. My kids really enjoyed the water cannon flights with the other kids who were there, and it also gives parents time to have a rest. In this area you'll also find the Pteranadon Flyers, this is a ride just for children where they can fly around the area and see camp Jurassic from a bird’s eye view. I was sat near the entrance whilst waiting for my children to go the ride and really felt sorry for the young girl who was allowing people into the ride. The amount of adults that were arguing with her because they wanted to go on the ride was ridiculous. And when my kids came off the ride it turned out it wasn’t worth the effort anyway, they both came saying it was really boring.
The Lost Continent
We actually missed out this section both of the times we went to the Islands of adventure, there was nothing here that really gripped the children's imaginations, and none of the rides really interested them.
Seuss Landing
The only ride in the entire park that had a queue over 30 minutes on the two days we went was the high in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride, and after waiting 30 minutes to go on the ride I have to say I have absolutely no idea why the queue so long. The ride takes you over the top of Seuss Landing so you get to look down on everybody and get different view of the area, whilst at the same time you hear a Seuss style story of the alphabet being read out, but the ride is so slow you could almost fall asleep whilst riding on it. A very poor 2/10 for me.
The next ride is the Cat in the Hat, another ride for younger children. You ride on the couch through the story of the book, having never read the book I can't say how accurate it is but it's not an exciting ride, there are a couple of times when the couch spins around but that's about as wild as it gets. 5/10 for this.
There is a Caro-euss-el, which is basically a carousel with Seuss characters and is about as much fun as your average carousel. 5/10.
The final ride One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. This is an octopus style ride which goes round and the arms open down individually depending on whether person riding wants to steer up or down. The ride plays a little tune which tells the rider went to go up or down in order to avoid getting wet, however I'm sure everybody gets wet anyway. 7/10 for this ride.
Shops and cafes
As you'd expect there are shops at the exits of the majority of rides, each shop sells souvenirs which are based on the characters in that ride or in the area. There are also plenty of shops which sell a little bit of everything, including characters you'll find in the Universal Studios side of the parks.
There are also plenty of cafes around the Park, these mainly sell fast food, pizza, fried chicken, etc. But in Toon Lagoon you will also find Chinese, Italian and Mexican food, or in the Lost Continent you'll find some healthy salads.
Then all around the Park there are snack bars for you to top up your drinks and buy crisps or pretzels, etc.
Sunday 6 September 2009
Busch Gardens
Even though we were in Orlando we decided to visit Busch Gardens which is the other side of Florida in Tampa Bay, about an hour away. Busch gardens is separated into six different areas, these areas are Bird Gardens, Stanley Ville, Jungala, Timbuktu, Egypt, Morocco, Nairobi, Congo.
Bird Gardens
The main attraction in this area is the Land of the Dragons which is a children's area consisting of a playground and theatre, it's quite a small playground is probably only suitable for eight and under. As you would imagine also in this area there are plenty of birds a lake with flamingos and herons there's also a walk-through aviary which has carrots and although small but very colourful birds
Stanley Ville
The Stanley Ville area has a couple of rides. Firstly it's one of the stopping points for the Sky Ride, the Sky Ride is as the name suggests a ride which takes you around the Park so that you can see the entire park from bird's eye view. The Sky Ride has several points where you can get on and off. There's also the Stanley Falls flume ride this as you would imagine is a log flume ride. We found the queue for this ride extremely long and for the amount of time we waited the ride was quite disappointing it was just your basic log flume and with nothing particularly special it. Because it was so basic it's only a 6/10 from me.
Tanganyika Tidal Wave on the other hand was a water ride with a difference initially you set off in a boat around a meandering River taking in some of the culture of a young America, for example there were examples of Indian culture and the Wild West culture. As you turn the final corner you're suddenly greeted by an incline and of course what goes up must come down and you splash land near the entrance in the process getting absolutely soaking wet. Once you come off the ride you have to pass over the bridge near the splashdown, if you're unlucky you'll find that you cross just as the next boat is coming down and you'll get soaked all over again. This was a much better ride than the other one, and one we had to go on several times because the kids loved it so much, so from me this gets a 9/10.
Stanley Ville is also one of the stopping point for the railway as with this Sky Ride the railway goes around the entire park, not only does it save your legs walking from one area to the other and it also allows you to view the Park from a different perspective. Some of the animals can only be seen by using the railway particularly those around the Serengeti Plain.
Also in Stanley Ville is the Sheikra ride, this ride looks absolutely amazing but unfortunately my daughter was not big enough to go on it, It's a looping rollercoaster ride that also hits the water at one point soaking not only the people on board but anybody who happens to be walking close by.
Jungala
In this area there is the Jungle Flyers and wild surge Treetop trails, around this area you'll also find orang-utans but to be honest we didn't really give this area much notice so I can't comment further than that.
Congo
The Congo area also has a water ride, this time the Congo River Rapids. Rather than a log flume the River Rapids use a boat which takes eight people at a time, the boat winds its way along the Rapids making sure everybody gets soaking wet in the process, there are all so a couple of waterfalls to go through to ensure that nobody misses out. Not the most exciting ride even if it might be the wettest so only 7/10 from me.
Again in the Congo there is the Kumba ride, this is another one that looks great, but another one that we weren't able to do one because my daughter was too small for it but for anyone large enough it is a twisting rollercoaster that sends you up down and round and round several times.
Timbuktu
The Timbuktu area is smack bang in the middle of the pack. There are a couple of good rides in this area first of which is cheetah Chase, this ride similar to the Mouse in Blackpool where you ride in the car on the very top of the rollercoaster so it looks as if you are about to fly off the end of the railings. 7/10.
Next to the Cheetah Chase is the Phoenix, the Phoenix is a swinging boat ride which eventually turns completely upside down. To be honest I found the swinging that worse than going upside down that bit was easy whereas hanging in midair looking down was scarier. 9/10 for this one.
Scorpion ride is also in Timbuktu but as with the others my daughter was far too smart for this one and we weren't able to go on it.
In the centre it Timbuktu for those people who like sedate rides there is a carousel caravan. Like most carousels this ride just goes round nice and slowly with some of the animals going up and down in Mary Poppins style.
Nairobi
The first attraction in Nairobi is the Rhino Rally although this almost seems to be in Timbuktu as it's closer to Timbuktu then is to the rest of Nairobi. With the Rhino Rally you are taken around in jeep and if you're lucky you get a decent driver who will entertain you as you drive round. The Rhino Rally takes you past the rhinos obviously and also past some wildebeest type creatures. There are two parts to the rally, normally you will be able to take the dry road as well as the wet area, however the wet area is prone to breaking down as it did when we went on the rally, according to our driver this is a regular occurrence. However we still drove close enough to the water to see the crocodiles.
Nairobi is the main station for seeing the Serengeti Plain, in the Serengeti Plain you will find flamingos, giraffes, zebra, antelope, rhino, wildebeest, ostrich, lions, hyenas and hippopotamus. Just so you're not worried the Lions and the hyenas are kept well away from the other animals so there is no chance of witnessing a blood bath. Whilst we were on the train we noticed some people riding on the backs of trucks, we never did find out how to get on these trucks, I can only assume they went to the area known as Edge of Africa. The only problem with the train is that most of the animals seem to take great pleasure in hiding from it so your views of the animals are rather limited.
Slightly away from the rest of the animals in Nairobi you'll find some giant tortoise which I was find quite fascinating even though they don't do very much.
Egypt
The main ride in Egypt it is Montu, this is another ride that looks absolutely amazing but unfortunately as with many of the amazing looking rides my daughter was far too small to go on it.
Most of Egypt is taken up by this ride and the flagship restaurant the Crown Colony house. However you'll also find Clydesdale Hamlet which has a selection of Clydesdale horses, one of which is normally outside of the children to pet and for them to have their photograph taken with the horse.
Morocco
The main feature of Morocco is the Gwazi ride. This ride looks like it came out of the dark ages because it's completely wooden and I'm sure I saw a bit of woodworm on the way up. There are normally two coasters running but on the day we went they only had the lion side running and the Tiger side of it was closed. I can't say that I really enjoyed this ride at all, the dips and twists were nothing compared to the new style ride is with their 360° turns, however the clanking and the clumping as the coaster went along the track gave me terrible pains in my neck and back and by the time I got off the ride, the pains in my neck had gone up to my head and I came off with an incredible headache, my son wasn't keen on the either for the same reasons.
Also in the Morocco area you'll find chimpanzees and gorillas, on the day we went the chimpanzees were virtually impossible to see, they were all hidden away either in the hut or so far away it was too hard to see them. The gorillas on the other hand were right up by the front glass and so they could be seen clearly and easily. Next to the gorillas there is an alligator pond with several large alligators and quite a few turtles, I was quite surprised to see the turtles riding on the backs of the alligators yet the alligators didn't seem to mind.
Shops and cafes
There are plenty of shops all around the Park each selling items relevant to their particular areas for example in Egypt's area you would find souvenirs which suit an Egyptian theme.
There are also plenty of places to eat, there are lots of little snack bars around the Park where you can buy pretzels, crisps, etc and drinks. As previously mentioned in Egypt there is the flagship restaurant the Crown Colony this is a restaurant over two floors, downstairs you'll find family dining (in other words pizza, fried chicken or anything else that goes with fries), upstairs there is dining for the more sophisticated palate (in other words for posh people). As well as the Crown Colony there are plenty of other restaurants dotted around the Park.
Everything Else
Although I enjoyed the pack as with SeaWorld I found it little annoying that most of the rides were too large for my daughter to use and feel that they should cater for younger children a little more. Although we were there in the early morning which we've been told was the best time to go, we still saw very few of the animals as most of them were far too far away from the viewing areas to be able to see them properly, which was extremely disappointing as both of my children love animals and zoos sought to drive all the way from Orlando to Tampa and see next to no animals seemed like a big waste of time.
Bird Gardens
The main attraction in this area is the Land of the Dragons which is a children's area consisting of a playground and theatre, it's quite a small playground is probably only suitable for eight and under. As you would imagine also in this area there are plenty of birds a lake with flamingos and herons there's also a walk-through aviary which has carrots and although small but very colourful birds
Stanley Ville
The Stanley Ville area has a couple of rides. Firstly it's one of the stopping points for the Sky Ride, the Sky Ride is as the name suggests a ride which takes you around the Park so that you can see the entire park from bird's eye view. The Sky Ride has several points where you can get on and off. There's also the Stanley Falls flume ride this as you would imagine is a log flume ride. We found the queue for this ride extremely long and for the amount of time we waited the ride was quite disappointing it was just your basic log flume and with nothing particularly special it. Because it was so basic it's only a 6/10 from me.
Tanganyika Tidal Wave on the other hand was a water ride with a difference initially you set off in a boat around a meandering River taking in some of the culture of a young America, for example there were examples of Indian culture and the Wild West culture. As you turn the final corner you're suddenly greeted by an incline and of course what goes up must come down and you splash land near the entrance in the process getting absolutely soaking wet. Once you come off the ride you have to pass over the bridge near the splashdown, if you're unlucky you'll find that you cross just as the next boat is coming down and you'll get soaked all over again. This was a much better ride than the other one, and one we had to go on several times because the kids loved it so much, so from me this gets a 9/10.
Stanley Ville is also one of the stopping point for the railway as with this Sky Ride the railway goes around the entire park, not only does it save your legs walking from one area to the other and it also allows you to view the Park from a different perspective. Some of the animals can only be seen by using the railway particularly those around the Serengeti Plain.
Also in Stanley Ville is the Sheikra ride, this ride looks absolutely amazing but unfortunately my daughter was not big enough to go on it, It's a looping rollercoaster ride that also hits the water at one point soaking not only the people on board but anybody who happens to be walking close by.
Jungala
In this area there is the Jungle Flyers and wild surge Treetop trails, around this area you'll also find orang-utans but to be honest we didn't really give this area much notice so I can't comment further than that.
Congo
The Congo area also has a water ride, this time the Congo River Rapids. Rather than a log flume the River Rapids use a boat which takes eight people at a time, the boat winds its way along the Rapids making sure everybody gets soaking wet in the process, there are all so a couple of waterfalls to go through to ensure that nobody misses out. Not the most exciting ride even if it might be the wettest so only 7/10 from me.
Again in the Congo there is the Kumba ride, this is another one that looks great, but another one that we weren't able to do one because my daughter was too small for it but for anyone large enough it is a twisting rollercoaster that sends you up down and round and round several times.
Timbuktu
The Timbuktu area is smack bang in the middle of the pack. There are a couple of good rides in this area first of which is cheetah Chase, this ride similar to the Mouse in Blackpool where you ride in the car on the very top of the rollercoaster so it looks as if you are about to fly off the end of the railings. 7/10.
Next to the Cheetah Chase is the Phoenix, the Phoenix is a swinging boat ride which eventually turns completely upside down. To be honest I found the swinging that worse than going upside down that bit was easy whereas hanging in midair looking down was scarier. 9/10 for this one.
Scorpion ride is also in Timbuktu but as with the others my daughter was far too smart for this one and we weren't able to go on it.
In the centre it Timbuktu for those people who like sedate rides there is a carousel caravan. Like most carousels this ride just goes round nice and slowly with some of the animals going up and down in Mary Poppins style.
Nairobi
The first attraction in Nairobi is the Rhino Rally although this almost seems to be in Timbuktu as it's closer to Timbuktu then is to the rest of Nairobi. With the Rhino Rally you are taken around in jeep and if you're lucky you get a decent driver who will entertain you as you drive round. The Rhino Rally takes you past the rhinos obviously and also past some wildebeest type creatures. There are two parts to the rally, normally you will be able to take the dry road as well as the wet area, however the wet area is prone to breaking down as it did when we went on the rally, according to our driver this is a regular occurrence. However we still drove close enough to the water to see the crocodiles.
Nairobi is the main station for seeing the Serengeti Plain, in the Serengeti Plain you will find flamingos, giraffes, zebra, antelope, rhino, wildebeest, ostrich, lions, hyenas and hippopotamus. Just so you're not worried the Lions and the hyenas are kept well away from the other animals so there is no chance of witnessing a blood bath. Whilst we were on the train we noticed some people riding on the backs of trucks, we never did find out how to get on these trucks, I can only assume they went to the area known as Edge of Africa. The only problem with the train is that most of the animals seem to take great pleasure in hiding from it so your views of the animals are rather limited.
Slightly away from the rest of the animals in Nairobi you'll find some giant tortoise which I was find quite fascinating even though they don't do very much.
Egypt
The main ride in Egypt it is Montu, this is another ride that looks absolutely amazing but unfortunately as with many of the amazing looking rides my daughter was far too small to go on it.
Most of Egypt is taken up by this ride and the flagship restaurant the Crown Colony house. However you'll also find Clydesdale Hamlet which has a selection of Clydesdale horses, one of which is normally outside of the children to pet and for them to have their photograph taken with the horse.
Morocco
The main feature of Morocco is the Gwazi ride. This ride looks like it came out of the dark ages because it's completely wooden and I'm sure I saw a bit of woodworm on the way up. There are normally two coasters running but on the day we went they only had the lion side running and the Tiger side of it was closed. I can't say that I really enjoyed this ride at all, the dips and twists were nothing compared to the new style ride is with their 360° turns, however the clanking and the clumping as the coaster went along the track gave me terrible pains in my neck and back and by the time I got off the ride, the pains in my neck had gone up to my head and I came off with an incredible headache, my son wasn't keen on the either for the same reasons.
Also in the Morocco area you'll find chimpanzees and gorillas, on the day we went the chimpanzees were virtually impossible to see, they were all hidden away either in the hut or so far away it was too hard to see them. The gorillas on the other hand were right up by the front glass and so they could be seen clearly and easily. Next to the gorillas there is an alligator pond with several large alligators and quite a few turtles, I was quite surprised to see the turtles riding on the backs of the alligators yet the alligators didn't seem to mind.
Shops and cafes
There are plenty of shops all around the Park each selling items relevant to their particular areas for example in Egypt's area you would find souvenirs which suit an Egyptian theme.
There are also plenty of places to eat, there are lots of little snack bars around the Park where you can buy pretzels, crisps, etc and drinks. As previously mentioned in Egypt there is the flagship restaurant the Crown Colony this is a restaurant over two floors, downstairs you'll find family dining (in other words pizza, fried chicken or anything else that goes with fries), upstairs there is dining for the more sophisticated palate (in other words for posh people). As well as the Crown Colony there are plenty of other restaurants dotted around the Park.
Everything Else
Although I enjoyed the pack as with SeaWorld I found it little annoying that most of the rides were too large for my daughter to use and feel that they should cater for younger children a little more. Although we were there in the early morning which we've been told was the best time to go, we still saw very few of the animals as most of them were far too far away from the viewing areas to be able to see them properly, which was extremely disappointing as both of my children love animals and zoos sought to drive all the way from Orlando to Tampa and see next to no animals seemed like a big waste of time.
Aquatica - Orlando
Aquatica is Seaworld's water park, it's directly across the road from Seaworld and when you're on the higher rides there you can see the slides from the park.
== Attractions in Aquatica ==
===Dolphin Plunge ===
Here you slide down a tube without the help of any mats or tubes. The start of the ride is dark as the tunnel is fully covered, part way down you suddenly emerge into the light as the tunnel becomes transparent. At this point you actually go under the water and through a dolphin tank, which contains black and white Commerson's Dolphins. You are supposed to be able to view the dolphins as you're whizzing past, but we didn't find this to be the case. Firstly the dolphins have to be swimming near the tube to see them and very often they're not, and secondly you're going too fast and there's too much water hitting your face to see anything. 6/10 for this ride, because it's a decent slide but doesn't deliver what it promises.
=== Tassie's Twisters ===
On this ride you need a tube, either a double or a single tube which you collect at the bottom of the ride and carry up to the top. This can be a bit of a pain because they are unwieldy, especially for smaller children. The ride consists of a half tunnel (it's open at the top) which takes you to a large bowl, where you swish round a couple of times before dropping into another tunnel and splash landing in Loggerhead Lane. When I went down I found I had to push myself toward the opening for the finally splashdown because my tube had slowed down too much. I thought initially this was due to my excessive weight, but the children both said the same thing, and they certainly aren't fat, so just a 3/10 for this ride from me.
=== Loggerhead Lane ===
This is what I termed the lazy river, because basically you just float around on a tube (either single or double) and relax in the sun. Although it isn't quite as lazy as other examples of these rivers because there are waterfalls and sprays at various places. But you can also view the dolphin tank as you float by, and it's a much better way of seeing them than the Dolphin Plunge ride, you can also view a tank of tropical fish part way round as well. It's a very peaceful and relaxing ride and would have received an 8 at least, except that occasionally a group of awful louts descended on the river and the lifeguards did nothing to stop their dreadful behaviour and language. At one point my daughter got tipped out of her tube by one group and elbowed in the head by one of them at the same time, not a single apology as they raced off around the river annoying everyone else on their way. So from an 8 to a 5/10.
===Roa's Rapids ===
This is similar to Loggerhead Lane in that you float along a river going round and round. However there are no tubes, only life vests allowed. All the children and the majority of adults used them. I didn't because I found them too awkward, but the kids did and they loved being able to float along. The current if very strong in the rapids, and at certain points it gets extremely strong indeed and actually looks like rapids. If you miss the exit you've no chance of swimming back to it, my daughter missed it as we were getting out, and it took two people grabbing her hand to pull her back against the current. This ride is really fun, so it gets an 8/10.
===HooRoo Run ===
This is a wiggly slide where everyone comes down in dingy style rings. I never actually went on this one, but the kids did and they weren't overly impressed, they described it as 'meh', which says it all really.
=== Walkabout Waters ===
This is a big water playground. It's well designed and very colourful and the kids spent hours here. There are two buckets at the top of the structure which fill with water and eventually tip onto the poor unsuspecting people below. There are slides and water gun and buckets that people can fill up to tip on people below. It gave me a couple of hours peace to sunbathe so 9/10 from me (the kids loved it too).
===Taumata Racer ===
This is a slide that has a 360degree turn where the people using it slide down forwards on mats, and race against each other to the bottom. Getting on the mat in the first place is the hardest thing about this ride, and as so many of the adults I watched going on before me, I was left standing at the start trying to get going. So I came in last in the race, but really enjoyed the ride which has a really steep drop at the end . 8/10 for this one.
=== Kata's Loobaburra Cove ===
This was a play area for really small children (under 5's), so we only passed though here, but from what I saw there were a couple of slides and some stationary toys to climb on.
=== Cutback Cove and Big Surf Shores ===
I've put these together because I actually didn't realise they were two different areas whilst we were there, because they are very similar, just partly separated by a rock wall. It is a large swimming area that doubles as a wave pool every so often. I can only presume that the big surf shores side of the pool has stronger waves than the other. Not the most exciting and the wave were only as large as the ones in our local pool, so just 5/10 for this one.
=== Whanau Way ===
This is another slide where everyone uses a tube to slide down on. There are four different slides, each has a full 360 degree turn part way down. The tube stops you scrapping your back on the slide, so 7/10 from me.
== Shops and Food ==
There are several shops around the park, Sunnies n' Such, Kiwi Traders, Adaptations and Beachies. They all sell much of a muchness, but they're all worth a visit if only to cool down!
There are 3 main diners, Banana Beach Cookout, Mango Market and Waterstone Grill. You had to buy tickets for Banana Beach, and from the outside it looked to be some sort of all you can eat buffet. We ate at Waterstone Grill, which was fine, but a very limited choice and nothing particularly healthy, also very expensive, but par for the course in theme parks. There are also lots of stalls to purchase snacks and drinks around the park.
== Other Areas ==
The toilets were all kept very clean, which I imagine is made especially difficult by all the sand around, but they were spotless.
We had need of the first aiders because of my children's delicate skins (they had a reaction to the chlorine), they were very understanding and very efficient.
There are lockers around the park and as I was the only adult on our trip and I didn't want to leave bags on the loungers, I found being able to rent a locker close to where we were sitting invaluable.
There's a beach around Cutback Cove, which is lined with sunbeds. I can't say I was over keen on this idea, because sand gets absolutely everywhere. I prefer the loungers to be on a solid floor as they are in Wet 'n Wild.
=== Final Point ===
One thing that annoyed me during the day was an announcement that Aquatica valued everyone's safety, and for that reason no lifeguards were allowed to make direct eye contact whilst talking to customers. I found this very annoying because I hate it when someone doesn't look me in the eye when talking, and it did make me wonder if it was an excuse so the lifegaurds could ogle without being in trouble for not looking a person in the face.
== Attractions in Aquatica ==
===Dolphin Plunge ===
Here you slide down a tube without the help of any mats or tubes. The start of the ride is dark as the tunnel is fully covered, part way down you suddenly emerge into the light as the tunnel becomes transparent. At this point you actually go under the water and through a dolphin tank, which contains black and white Commerson's Dolphins. You are supposed to be able to view the dolphins as you're whizzing past, but we didn't find this to be the case. Firstly the dolphins have to be swimming near the tube to see them and very often they're not, and secondly you're going too fast and there's too much water hitting your face to see anything. 6/10 for this ride, because it's a decent slide but doesn't deliver what it promises.
=== Tassie's Twisters ===
On this ride you need a tube, either a double or a single tube which you collect at the bottom of the ride and carry up to the top. This can be a bit of a pain because they are unwieldy, especially for smaller children. The ride consists of a half tunnel (it's open at the top) which takes you to a large bowl, where you swish round a couple of times before dropping into another tunnel and splash landing in Loggerhead Lane. When I went down I found I had to push myself toward the opening for the finally splashdown because my tube had slowed down too much. I thought initially this was due to my excessive weight, but the children both said the same thing, and they certainly aren't fat, so just a 3/10 for this ride from me.
=== Loggerhead Lane ===
This is what I termed the lazy river, because basically you just float around on a tube (either single or double) and relax in the sun. Although it isn't quite as lazy as other examples of these rivers because there are waterfalls and sprays at various places. But you can also view the dolphin tank as you float by, and it's a much better way of seeing them than the Dolphin Plunge ride, you can also view a tank of tropical fish part way round as well. It's a very peaceful and relaxing ride and would have received an 8 at least, except that occasionally a group of awful louts descended on the river and the lifeguards did nothing to stop their dreadful behaviour and language. At one point my daughter got tipped out of her tube by one group and elbowed in the head by one of them at the same time, not a single apology as they raced off around the river annoying everyone else on their way. So from an 8 to a 5/10.
===Roa's Rapids ===
This is similar to Loggerhead Lane in that you float along a river going round and round. However there are no tubes, only life vests allowed. All the children and the majority of adults used them. I didn't because I found them too awkward, but the kids did and they loved being able to float along. The current if very strong in the rapids, and at certain points it gets extremely strong indeed and actually looks like rapids. If you miss the exit you've no chance of swimming back to it, my daughter missed it as we were getting out, and it took two people grabbing her hand to pull her back against the current. This ride is really fun, so it gets an 8/10.
===HooRoo Run ===
This is a wiggly slide where everyone comes down in dingy style rings. I never actually went on this one, but the kids did and they weren't overly impressed, they described it as 'meh', which says it all really.
=== Walkabout Waters ===
This is a big water playground. It's well designed and very colourful and the kids spent hours here. There are two buckets at the top of the structure which fill with water and eventually tip onto the poor unsuspecting people below. There are slides and water gun and buckets that people can fill up to tip on people below. It gave me a couple of hours peace to sunbathe so 9/10 from me (the kids loved it too).
===Taumata Racer ===
This is a slide that has a 360degree turn where the people using it slide down forwards on mats, and race against each other to the bottom. Getting on the mat in the first place is the hardest thing about this ride, and as so many of the adults I watched going on before me, I was left standing at the start trying to get going. So I came in last in the race, but really enjoyed the ride which has a really steep drop at the end . 8/10 for this one.
=== Kata's Loobaburra Cove ===
This was a play area for really small children (under 5's), so we only passed though here, but from what I saw there were a couple of slides and some stationary toys to climb on.
=== Cutback Cove and Big Surf Shores ===
I've put these together because I actually didn't realise they were two different areas whilst we were there, because they are very similar, just partly separated by a rock wall. It is a large swimming area that doubles as a wave pool every so often. I can only presume that the big surf shores side of the pool has stronger waves than the other. Not the most exciting and the wave were only as large as the ones in our local pool, so just 5/10 for this one.
=== Whanau Way ===
This is another slide where everyone uses a tube to slide down on. There are four different slides, each has a full 360 degree turn part way down. The tube stops you scrapping your back on the slide, so 7/10 from me.
== Shops and Food ==
There are several shops around the park, Sunnies n' Such, Kiwi Traders, Adaptations and Beachies. They all sell much of a muchness, but they're all worth a visit if only to cool down!
There are 3 main diners, Banana Beach Cookout, Mango Market and Waterstone Grill. You had to buy tickets for Banana Beach, and from the outside it looked to be some sort of all you can eat buffet. We ate at Waterstone Grill, which was fine, but a very limited choice and nothing particularly healthy, also very expensive, but par for the course in theme parks. There are also lots of stalls to purchase snacks and drinks around the park.
== Other Areas ==
The toilets were all kept very clean, which I imagine is made especially difficult by all the sand around, but they were spotless.
We had need of the first aiders because of my children's delicate skins (they had a reaction to the chlorine), they were very understanding and very efficient.
There are lockers around the park and as I was the only adult on our trip and I didn't want to leave bags on the loungers, I found being able to rent a locker close to where we were sitting invaluable.
There's a beach around Cutback Cove, which is lined with sunbeds. I can't say I was over keen on this idea, because sand gets absolutely everywhere. I prefer the loungers to be on a solid floor as they are in Wet 'n Wild.
=== Final Point ===
One thing that annoyed me during the day was an announcement that Aquatica valued everyone's safety, and for that reason no lifeguards were allowed to make direct eye contact whilst talking to customers. I found this very annoying because I hate it when someone doesn't look me in the eye when talking, and it did make me wonder if it was an excuse so the lifegaurds could ogle without being in trouble for not looking a person in the face.
Sea World - Orlando
I was a bit disappointed in Seaworld, I had great hopes for our visit there, but it all fell a bit flat.
Attractions
Firstly the rides, there are three rides, but unfortunately we only got to go on one, because my daughter isn’t all enough for the other two. So we went on Journey to Atlantis a couple of times, which is a log flume style ride, with a couple of decent drops, the kids enjoyed it too, so it gets a thumbs up.
The other two rides look great, so it was very disappointing to miss out.
Other attractions include Shamu’s Happy Harbour, which is dominated by a big play area with climbing apparatus. There are a couple of kiddie rides here, but they’re only really suitable for under 5’s, old children can fit on them, but when my kids went on they came back virtually yawning because at 9 and 11 the rides were just too sedate for them.
In the lagoon you can hire a Flamingo Boat, which annoyingly costs extra on top of the high entrance fee, and even more annoying you have to wear a life vest, which are unwieldy, and very hot. So basically once you’re in the boat you can’t turn or move your arms because you’ll burn yourself on the life vest.
There’s the Sky Tower, this again is another additional cost, and all it does is go straight up, lets you see the area from a height, then comes back down again.
Wild Arctic is a ride simulator which takes you on a helicopter ride to the Arctic. Despite going on all the simulation rides at Universal, this one made me feel really sick and I didn’t enjoy it at all. And once we got off the simulator there wasn’t really much to see, there’s a polar bear tank, but they were sleeping at the back and barely visible, so that attraction certainly wasn’t a success.
Exhibits
Of course Seaworld isn’t about rides and attractions as much as the sealife. And here there are exhibits for penguins, seals and otters, sharks, stingray, dolphins, manatees, turtles, alligators, Clydesdale horses and whales.
As well as just having exhibits the seals and otters, dolphins and the whales also do shows during the day. This isn’t something everyone agrees with, but I believe that the animals won’t perform if they’re not happy to do so, and in fact the vulture that was supposed to appear in the dolphin show decided not to bother and it was allowed to do so.
Even though Shamu is probably the most famous resident of Seaworld, but I actually thought the dolphin show was far better. It was well thought out and far more entertaining. Luckily even though we were sitting in the splash zone for both the dolphin show and the Shamu show, we managed to stay dry, which pleased me immensely but disappointed the kids.
Shops and Cafe
There are several souvenir shops in the park, all selling various Seaworld souvenirs at rather high prices.
There are also plenty of places to eat and drink, whether it’s a snack you’re after or a more substantial meal. As with all the parks in the area, it works out much cheaper to buy a souvenir drinks cup and buy the refills, although compared to Universal the refills are expensive at $1.80 (at Universal the same amount only costs 92c).
Overall
As I said at the beginning I was quite disappointed, the park was okay, but it wasn’t great. If I’d been paying for each park separately, rather than in bulk using the Orlando Flexticket, I would have been upset at the price I’d paid, especially when a lot of the things in the park had to be paid for separately.
Attractions
Firstly the rides, there are three rides, but unfortunately we only got to go on one, because my daughter isn’t all enough for the other two. So we went on Journey to Atlantis a couple of times, which is a log flume style ride, with a couple of decent drops, the kids enjoyed it too, so it gets a thumbs up.
The other two rides look great, so it was very disappointing to miss out.
Other attractions include Shamu’s Happy Harbour, which is dominated by a big play area with climbing apparatus. There are a couple of kiddie rides here, but they’re only really suitable for under 5’s, old children can fit on them, but when my kids went on they came back virtually yawning because at 9 and 11 the rides were just too sedate for them.
In the lagoon you can hire a Flamingo Boat, which annoyingly costs extra on top of the high entrance fee, and even more annoying you have to wear a life vest, which are unwieldy, and very hot. So basically once you’re in the boat you can’t turn or move your arms because you’ll burn yourself on the life vest.
There’s the Sky Tower, this again is another additional cost, and all it does is go straight up, lets you see the area from a height, then comes back down again.
Wild Arctic is a ride simulator which takes you on a helicopter ride to the Arctic. Despite going on all the simulation rides at Universal, this one made me feel really sick and I didn’t enjoy it at all. And once we got off the simulator there wasn’t really much to see, there’s a polar bear tank, but they were sleeping at the back and barely visible, so that attraction certainly wasn’t a success.
Exhibits
Of course Seaworld isn’t about rides and attractions as much as the sealife. And here there are exhibits for penguins, seals and otters, sharks, stingray, dolphins, manatees, turtles, alligators, Clydesdale horses and whales.
As well as just having exhibits the seals and otters, dolphins and the whales also do shows during the day. This isn’t something everyone agrees with, but I believe that the animals won’t perform if they’re not happy to do so, and in fact the vulture that was supposed to appear in the dolphin show decided not to bother and it was allowed to do so.
Even though Shamu is probably the most famous resident of Seaworld, but I actually thought the dolphin show was far better. It was well thought out and far more entertaining. Luckily even though we were sitting in the splash zone for both the dolphin show and the Shamu show, we managed to stay dry, which pleased me immensely but disappointed the kids.
Shops and Cafe
There are several souvenir shops in the park, all selling various Seaworld souvenirs at rather high prices.
There are also plenty of places to eat and drink, whether it’s a snack you’re after or a more substantial meal. As with all the parks in the area, it works out much cheaper to buy a souvenir drinks cup and buy the refills, although compared to Universal the refills are expensive at $1.80 (at Universal the same amount only costs 92c).
Overall
As I said at the beginning I was quite disappointed, the park was okay, but it wasn’t great. If I’d been paying for each park separately, rather than in bulk using the Orlando Flexticket, I would have been upset at the price I’d paid, especially when a lot of the things in the park had to be paid for separately.
Universal Studios - Florida
Universal Studios was our first stop on our theme park travels. It also turned out to be one of the top two that we visited.
The park is split into six areas; Production Central, New York, San Francisco/Amity, Hollywood, Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone and World Expo.
Production Central
This is the first section you come across after you pass the turnstiles and here we took in two of the rides. Well not rides so much as experiences, the first was Shrek 4D. As you can probably guess from the ride name it’s a 3D film with the added dimension of moving seats and water/air sprays. The film sees the return of Lord Farquaad, who kidnaps Fiona. Shrek and donkey must rescue her. The 3D animation is good, and at some points very effective, luckily there are only small squirts of water, which considering the film could have been a lot worse. Overall I’d give this attraction 7/10.
We also went straight across the road from Shrek 4D to Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast. Again this is a 3D film, but this time you sit in blocks of 8 seats which rise of the floor and move around with the film, and again you get squirted with water a couple of times. The kids enjoyed this one much more than Shrek, despite the fact initially my son had to be dragged in because he really didn’t want to see it. By the time it had finished he wanted to go again, so this ride gets a 9/10.
Also in Production Central is the Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket, which looks fantastic, but as my daughter wasn’t tall enough we had to miss it out.
New York
There are two rides in this section. The first time we visited the park we missed out Twister, which is a ride based on the film of the same name, and to be honest I wished we’d missed it the second time, because it was a lot of standing around and waiting for an extremely poor experience. Only 1/10 for this one.
The Revenge of the Mummy ride was a different kettle of fish. This had to be one of my favourite rides, although the first time we went on it, it scared my daughter half to death and she screamed none stop all the way round (she was able to laugh about it later though). You can’t take bags on this ride, so you have to use a locker, luckily they are free for the first hour. 9.5/10 from me on this one (I think it would be a -9.5/10 from my daughter though).
Also in this area is the Blues Brothers show, which plays 5 times a day. But we were never around at the right time, and the kids weren’t really that bothered about watching it.
San Francisco/Amity
This is an annoying area, because there are loads of stalls like fairground stalls, all of which cost extra on top of the fortune you’ve paid to get in the park. So there were a lot of "no’s" going on there. The only ride we went on was the Jaws ride, which my son enjoyed because Jaws popped up right next to him. The operator of the boat really does make a difference to the ride. The first time we went on there was an older gentleman who just went through the motions , whereas the second time a young woman took control and she was brilliant, she really put her heart and soul into the acting and it made the ride much better. 8/10 for this one.
Hollywood
We actually just walked through Hollywood each time. There are a lot of bits and pieces relating to the old movie stars and a tribute to Lucy, who I presume was someone famous at sometime, but there was nothing there to interest the kids. And we were never around at the right time for the Terminator 2 attraction, but I never really rated the films, so I wasn’t bothered about that.
Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone
We only went on the ET ride here, which is a very slow and sedate ride helping ET get home. It’s a bit annoying when you have to queue up for your ET passport, although I can understand why they do it to thin the queue out a bit so you virtually walk straight onto the ride. A little dull so only 4/10 from me there.
There’s also a playground in this area, but it’s mainly for very small children (under 5’s) apart from a couple of larger slides.
Barney also plays here, and there’s a show which highlights the ability of animal actors.
World Expo
The smallest section with only two attractions. The Simpsons Ride, which again is a 3D experience, but is probably the best one of the ones we went on. The kids loved it, I went on twice and the kids went racing aback round a couple more times on their own, leaving me time to rest my weary feet! So 10/10 for The Simpsons.
The other ride is the Men in Black Alien Attack. Here you have to shoot aliens and compare your score to the rest of the people in your party. Luckily I’d read the folder left in the villa with information about the area, which told you what to do to get a good score on this ride, so I won the first time around. 8/10 for MIB.
Shops
Apart from the rides there are loads of souvenir shops and plenty of places to get snacks and drinks. We purchased the souvenir cup which meant refills were only 92c each, we saved a fortune doing that, because it was so hot the drinks were disappearing as fast as the cup was filled up. Each ride had its own shop at the end, but as you’d expect the items were wildly overpriced, not that it stopped the kids buying things though.
Toilets
The toilets were all very clean, and always had plenty of loo roll. But for some reason the doors didn’t quite reach the door frames so people could see you on the toilet, which is something I didn’t like at all.
Meet and Greets
At regular times during the day it’s possible for kids to meet Spongebob, Shrek and Donkey, Hollywood characters and Madagascar stars.
The park is split into six areas; Production Central, New York, San Francisco/Amity, Hollywood, Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone and World Expo.
Production Central
This is the first section you come across after you pass the turnstiles and here we took in two of the rides. Well not rides so much as experiences, the first was Shrek 4D. As you can probably guess from the ride name it’s a 3D film with the added dimension of moving seats and water/air sprays. The film sees the return of Lord Farquaad, who kidnaps Fiona. Shrek and donkey must rescue her. The 3D animation is good, and at some points very effective, luckily there are only small squirts of water, which considering the film could have been a lot worse. Overall I’d give this attraction 7/10.
We also went straight across the road from Shrek 4D to Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast. Again this is a 3D film, but this time you sit in blocks of 8 seats which rise of the floor and move around with the film, and again you get squirted with water a couple of times. The kids enjoyed this one much more than Shrek, despite the fact initially my son had to be dragged in because he really didn’t want to see it. By the time it had finished he wanted to go again, so this ride gets a 9/10.
Also in Production Central is the Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket, which looks fantastic, but as my daughter wasn’t tall enough we had to miss it out.
New York
There are two rides in this section. The first time we visited the park we missed out Twister, which is a ride based on the film of the same name, and to be honest I wished we’d missed it the second time, because it was a lot of standing around and waiting for an extremely poor experience. Only 1/10 for this one.
The Revenge of the Mummy ride was a different kettle of fish. This had to be one of my favourite rides, although the first time we went on it, it scared my daughter half to death and she screamed none stop all the way round (she was able to laugh about it later though). You can’t take bags on this ride, so you have to use a locker, luckily they are free for the first hour. 9.5/10 from me on this one (I think it would be a -9.5/10 from my daughter though).
Also in this area is the Blues Brothers show, which plays 5 times a day. But we were never around at the right time, and the kids weren’t really that bothered about watching it.
San Francisco/Amity
This is an annoying area, because there are loads of stalls like fairground stalls, all of which cost extra on top of the fortune you’ve paid to get in the park. So there were a lot of "no’s" going on there. The only ride we went on was the Jaws ride, which my son enjoyed because Jaws popped up right next to him. The operator of the boat really does make a difference to the ride. The first time we went on there was an older gentleman who just went through the motions , whereas the second time a young woman took control and she was brilliant, she really put her heart and soul into the acting and it made the ride much better. 8/10 for this one.
Hollywood
We actually just walked through Hollywood each time. There are a lot of bits and pieces relating to the old movie stars and a tribute to Lucy, who I presume was someone famous at sometime, but there was nothing there to interest the kids. And we were never around at the right time for the Terminator 2 attraction, but I never really rated the films, so I wasn’t bothered about that.
Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone
We only went on the ET ride here, which is a very slow and sedate ride helping ET get home. It’s a bit annoying when you have to queue up for your ET passport, although I can understand why they do it to thin the queue out a bit so you virtually walk straight onto the ride. A little dull so only 4/10 from me there.
There’s also a playground in this area, but it’s mainly for very small children (under 5’s) apart from a couple of larger slides.
Barney also plays here, and there’s a show which highlights the ability of animal actors.
World Expo
The smallest section with only two attractions. The Simpsons Ride, which again is a 3D experience, but is probably the best one of the ones we went on. The kids loved it, I went on twice and the kids went racing aback round a couple more times on their own, leaving me time to rest my weary feet! So 10/10 for The Simpsons.
The other ride is the Men in Black Alien Attack. Here you have to shoot aliens and compare your score to the rest of the people in your party. Luckily I’d read the folder left in the villa with information about the area, which told you what to do to get a good score on this ride, so I won the first time around. 8/10 for MIB.
Shops
Apart from the rides there are loads of souvenir shops and plenty of places to get snacks and drinks. We purchased the souvenir cup which meant refills were only 92c each, we saved a fortune doing that, because it was so hot the drinks were disappearing as fast as the cup was filled up. Each ride had its own shop at the end, but as you’d expect the items were wildly overpriced, not that it stopped the kids buying things though.
Toilets
The toilets were all very clean, and always had plenty of loo roll. But for some reason the doors didn’t quite reach the door frames so people could see you on the toilet, which is something I didn’t like at all.
Meet and Greets
At regular times during the day it’s possible for kids to meet Spongebob, Shrek and Donkey, Hollywood characters and Madagascar stars.
Heads of Ayr Farm Park
Heads of Ayr Park Farm is located in Ayrshire, Scotland on the A719. As the name suggests there are animals at the park, but there’s more to it than just animals.
Opening Hours and Admission
The park is open from Easter to October, from 10am to 5 pm.
It costs £8 for an adult, £6.20 for a child or £30 for a family ticket (5 people).
Facilities
There are lots of different things to do at the Farm; firstly there are the animals which include; camels, Shetland ponies, wallabies, otters, skunks, lemurs and emus, plus a few more. After sedately walking around and looking at the wildlife, it’s time to liven things up a bit.
The park has plenty of different activities for children; there are trampolines, jumping pillows (which are huge cushions of air, similar to bouncy castles but without the walls), a huge sandpit, climbing frames, a zip slide, a ringo slide (where you slide down whilst sitting in a giant rubber ring), normal slides, quad bikes for adults and children, barrel rides and a tunnel and activity tower. There is plenty of space for picnics, and an area with picnic tables.
These are all outside, there are also a few indoor activities, including rope swings, a stable, reptiles, guinea pig area and aviary, indoor play area, and animal handling area (at set times). There is an indoor snack bar, and a gift shop.
There are no dogs allowed on the farm, except for guide dogs.
My Thoughts
The day we went started off dull, and turned to rain not long after we arrived. As usual the kids didn’t let the weather get them down, and still spent a lot of time playing outside on the jumping pillows and trampolines, although they did have to give up on the trampolines after a while as the water started to settle on the surface and they weren’t safe to use. Because of the shape of the jumping pillows, the water just ran off these and they were still able to use them. They weren’t able to use the zip slide as it was closed due to the weather, and the quad bikes were also closed because of the rain, but the ringo slide was still useable, and they thoroughly enjoyed it, although they weren’t so keen on dragging the ring back up to the top of the slide again.
They didn’t spend the entire day out in the rain though, they did use the indoor facilities as well, although they spent most of the time on the rope swings, which are located in a barn, and are basically two platforms over bales of hay, with a couple of ropes tied to the ceiling. It reminded me of the rope swings we used to make ourselves as children! The indoor play area was only really suitable for younger children (probably under 6’s), and they had a quick look in there and played on the slides for a bit, but then decided against it. For the smaller children there’s a ball pit and padded play area. They did enjoy the animal handling, which were mainly small rodents, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.
The snack bar reminds me of a school canteen, with tables and chairs that are fixed to the floor, and the food we bought wasn’t really anything special. I would definitely recommend taking a picnic, rather than buying food in the Farm.
The animals are all housed in plain fields, there’s no effort been made to adjust the surroundings to the animals individual needs, apart from a couple of the smaller animals such as the Meerkats, which have their own burrows. The animals all looked in good condition and well fed, but they didn’t look particularly happy.
The farm is a reasonable day out, if a little expensive, but not if you’re an animal lover and want to go for the animals, it’s more a day out at a large playground for kids.
Opening Hours and Admission
The park is open from Easter to October, from 10am to 5 pm.
It costs £8 for an adult, £6.20 for a child or £30 for a family ticket (5 people).
Facilities
There are lots of different things to do at the Farm; firstly there are the animals which include; camels, Shetland ponies, wallabies, otters, skunks, lemurs and emus, plus a few more. After sedately walking around and looking at the wildlife, it’s time to liven things up a bit.
The park has plenty of different activities for children; there are trampolines, jumping pillows (which are huge cushions of air, similar to bouncy castles but without the walls), a huge sandpit, climbing frames, a zip slide, a ringo slide (where you slide down whilst sitting in a giant rubber ring), normal slides, quad bikes for adults and children, barrel rides and a tunnel and activity tower. There is plenty of space for picnics, and an area with picnic tables.
These are all outside, there are also a few indoor activities, including rope swings, a stable, reptiles, guinea pig area and aviary, indoor play area, and animal handling area (at set times). There is an indoor snack bar, and a gift shop.
There are no dogs allowed on the farm, except for guide dogs.
My Thoughts
The day we went started off dull, and turned to rain not long after we arrived. As usual the kids didn’t let the weather get them down, and still spent a lot of time playing outside on the jumping pillows and trampolines, although they did have to give up on the trampolines after a while as the water started to settle on the surface and they weren’t safe to use. Because of the shape of the jumping pillows, the water just ran off these and they were still able to use them. They weren’t able to use the zip slide as it was closed due to the weather, and the quad bikes were also closed because of the rain, but the ringo slide was still useable, and they thoroughly enjoyed it, although they weren’t so keen on dragging the ring back up to the top of the slide again.
They didn’t spend the entire day out in the rain though, they did use the indoor facilities as well, although they spent most of the time on the rope swings, which are located in a barn, and are basically two platforms over bales of hay, with a couple of ropes tied to the ceiling. It reminded me of the rope swings we used to make ourselves as children! The indoor play area was only really suitable for younger children (probably under 6’s), and they had a quick look in there and played on the slides for a bit, but then decided against it. For the smaller children there’s a ball pit and padded play area. They did enjoy the animal handling, which were mainly small rodents, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.
The snack bar reminds me of a school canteen, with tables and chairs that are fixed to the floor, and the food we bought wasn’t really anything special. I would definitely recommend taking a picnic, rather than buying food in the Farm.
The animals are all housed in plain fields, there’s no effort been made to adjust the surroundings to the animals individual needs, apart from a couple of the smaller animals such as the Meerkats, which have their own burrows. The animals all looked in good condition and well fed, but they didn’t look particularly happy.
The farm is a reasonable day out, if a little expensive, but not if you’re an animal lover and want to go for the animals, it’s more a day out at a large playground for kids.
Dundonald Castle
Dundonald Castle is a ruin in the Ayrshire district of Scotland. It was built for Robert II in 1371 and was home to many Scottish kings over the years.
Directions, Admission and Opening Hours
The easiest way to get to the castle is to drive, following the A78 to Irving and then following the signs to Dundonald. You can also get to the town on public transport, buses stop within a few minutes’ walk of the visitors centre and there are train services to local towns, and from there you can get a bus or a taxi.
Admission: Adult £2.50, Child £1.25 (under 5 free).
The castle and the visitors centre are open 10am to 5pm from 1st April to 31st October.
Accessibility
The visitors centre is completely accessible for those in wheelchairs; however the castle is located at the top of a very steep hill, which may cause difficulties. If you are able to reach the castle access it limited to the ground floor only, as there are only stairs to the upper floor not ramps.
The Visitors Centre
After parking at the visitors centre car park, you enter the visitors centre, you can choose to just look around the centre and view the castle from a distance, or you can look around the centre and then take the short (but steep) walk up the hill and look inside the castle as well.
The Visitors Centre includes 4 models; the models show how the castle would have looked over the years. The first shows how the area was used as a fort in the Dark Ages (approx 500AD), it seems that this fort was burned down in approximately 1000AD and by 1200AD a motte and bailey castle stood on the site. I didn’t know what a motte and bailey castle was, and had to look it up when I got home, it seems that motte is French for raised mound or in this case a hill, and bailey means there is an enclosed courtyard, usually by a fence. This was replaced by a huge castle in 1300 surrounded by stone walls. This castle however was subject to a lot of attacks from the English in the many battles between the Scots and the English. The final castle was a much smaller affair than the 1300AD castle; in fact it was just the gatehouse of the 1300AD castle that formed the basis of the castle build for Robert II. The models are well made and are really good for people who aren’t able to imagine the buildings from the descriptions alone.
Around the walls of the visitors centre there are depictions of shields and information about each. There are also some artefacts which have been unearthed over the years. The centre is not huge and probably only takes 20-30 minutes to look around, presuming you study everything thoroughly, for a lot of people it will take much less time.
Also in the visitors centre you’ll find a small cafe, with about half a dozen tables (perhaps up to 8). They serve hot and cold drinks, and a small selection of sandwiches and home baking.
They also have a small shop which sells books about the castle and other Scottish castles; they also have a small selection of toys, jewellery and other knick knacks.
The Castle
From the visitors centre you can walk up to the castle. On the walk you’ll pass a well, this was unearthed a couple of decades ago, and it was also when they discovered the remains of the 1300AD castle.
The castle inside is quite bare, you enter into a huge hall, and about halfway up the wall there is a platform which you can reach via the stairs. The platform is at about the same level as the timber floor would have been originally. The stairs you use to reach the platform were originally the servant’s stairs. There is a plaque on the platform which gives you all the information about what the hall was used for and how it would have looked originally.
Further along the platform you can take a look at the prison and the prison pit, or you can climb a steel staircase up to the great hall. The Great Hall is where the private rooms would have been, and it was in one of those rooms that Robert II died in 1390.
My Thoughts
It’s not the most beautiful castle I have ever seen but the castle is an impressive sight, and because it’s high up on the hill it can be seen from quite a distance, I can imagine it was quite an imposing sight in 14th Century.
I enjoyed the visitors centre, as did my children. The models certainly helped them imagine how things would have looked when they were built. They were also very interesting in the heraldic shields, which I found surprising because they’d never shown any interest before.
Once you get up to the castle the scale of the work hits you. It always amazes me how these castles were built without modern transportation; using horses to drag those stones up that hill must have been such a struggle. And it makes you wonder about the scale of the earlier castle, which according to the model was about 3 times the size of the current castle, it must have been such an amazing sight in its day.
I found the castle interesting, but then I’m always amazed by the logistics of building these old buildings, and find it quite easy to imagine the life people used to live. My children however, weren’t overly impressed, obviously they haven’t read as much as I have, so they couldn’t imagine how things would have been. And because the rooms are just large bare stone, there was nothing really to spark their imaginations.
We all enjoyed the views from the top of the castle though, and it was hard even for me to imagine how the English ever managed to do any damage, because they would have been seen from miles away.
The selection was of food and cakes that were available in the cafe was small, but the food was delicious, and the staff were more than happy to chat about the castle as you are enjoying your drinks.
Just outside the visitors centre there’s a playground and skateboard park, I believe it is part of the castle facilities, but it’s also used by the locals. The children enjoyed having a play in the playground before we set off home again.
The entrance fee to the castle isn’t expensive, so I’d definitely recommend visiting, unlike somewhere like Culzean Castle it won’t be a full day out, but it certainly takes up a good couple of hours to give it justice.
Directions, Admission and Opening Hours
The easiest way to get to the castle is to drive, following the A78 to Irving and then following the signs to Dundonald. You can also get to the town on public transport, buses stop within a few minutes’ walk of the visitors centre and there are train services to local towns, and from there you can get a bus or a taxi.
Admission: Adult £2.50, Child £1.25 (under 5 free).
The castle and the visitors centre are open 10am to 5pm from 1st April to 31st October.
Accessibility
The visitors centre is completely accessible for those in wheelchairs; however the castle is located at the top of a very steep hill, which may cause difficulties. If you are able to reach the castle access it limited to the ground floor only, as there are only stairs to the upper floor not ramps.
The Visitors Centre
After parking at the visitors centre car park, you enter the visitors centre, you can choose to just look around the centre and view the castle from a distance, or you can look around the centre and then take the short (but steep) walk up the hill and look inside the castle as well.
The Visitors Centre includes 4 models; the models show how the castle would have looked over the years. The first shows how the area was used as a fort in the Dark Ages (approx 500AD), it seems that this fort was burned down in approximately 1000AD and by 1200AD a motte and bailey castle stood on the site. I didn’t know what a motte and bailey castle was, and had to look it up when I got home, it seems that motte is French for raised mound or in this case a hill, and bailey means there is an enclosed courtyard, usually by a fence. This was replaced by a huge castle in 1300 surrounded by stone walls. This castle however was subject to a lot of attacks from the English in the many battles between the Scots and the English. The final castle was a much smaller affair than the 1300AD castle; in fact it was just the gatehouse of the 1300AD castle that formed the basis of the castle build for Robert II. The models are well made and are really good for people who aren’t able to imagine the buildings from the descriptions alone.
Around the walls of the visitors centre there are depictions of shields and information about each. There are also some artefacts which have been unearthed over the years. The centre is not huge and probably only takes 20-30 minutes to look around, presuming you study everything thoroughly, for a lot of people it will take much less time.
Also in the visitors centre you’ll find a small cafe, with about half a dozen tables (perhaps up to 8). They serve hot and cold drinks, and a small selection of sandwiches and home baking.
They also have a small shop which sells books about the castle and other Scottish castles; they also have a small selection of toys, jewellery and other knick knacks.
The Castle
From the visitors centre you can walk up to the castle. On the walk you’ll pass a well, this was unearthed a couple of decades ago, and it was also when they discovered the remains of the 1300AD castle.
The castle inside is quite bare, you enter into a huge hall, and about halfway up the wall there is a platform which you can reach via the stairs. The platform is at about the same level as the timber floor would have been originally. The stairs you use to reach the platform were originally the servant’s stairs. There is a plaque on the platform which gives you all the information about what the hall was used for and how it would have looked originally.
Further along the platform you can take a look at the prison and the prison pit, or you can climb a steel staircase up to the great hall. The Great Hall is where the private rooms would have been, and it was in one of those rooms that Robert II died in 1390.
My Thoughts
It’s not the most beautiful castle I have ever seen but the castle is an impressive sight, and because it’s high up on the hill it can be seen from quite a distance, I can imagine it was quite an imposing sight in 14th Century.
I enjoyed the visitors centre, as did my children. The models certainly helped them imagine how things would have looked when they were built. They were also very interesting in the heraldic shields, which I found surprising because they’d never shown any interest before.
Once you get up to the castle the scale of the work hits you. It always amazes me how these castles were built without modern transportation; using horses to drag those stones up that hill must have been such a struggle. And it makes you wonder about the scale of the earlier castle, which according to the model was about 3 times the size of the current castle, it must have been such an amazing sight in its day.
I found the castle interesting, but then I’m always amazed by the logistics of building these old buildings, and find it quite easy to imagine the life people used to live. My children however, weren’t overly impressed, obviously they haven’t read as much as I have, so they couldn’t imagine how things would have been. And because the rooms are just large bare stone, there was nothing really to spark their imaginations.
We all enjoyed the views from the top of the castle though, and it was hard even for me to imagine how the English ever managed to do any damage, because they would have been seen from miles away.
The selection was of food and cakes that were available in the cafe was small, but the food was delicious, and the staff were more than happy to chat about the castle as you are enjoying your drinks.
Just outside the visitors centre there’s a playground and skateboard park, I believe it is part of the castle facilities, but it’s also used by the locals. The children enjoyed having a play in the playground before we set off home again.
The entrance fee to the castle isn’t expensive, so I’d definitely recommend visiting, unlike somewhere like Culzean Castle it won’t be a full day out, but it certainly takes up a good couple of hours to give it justice.
Culzean Castle Review
Culzean Castle (pronounced Cul-ain) is located in Ayrshire in Scotland, it is owned by the National Trust for Scotland, it is a magnificent castle, set in a huge country park.
Admission Times and Prices (takenfrom the website for ease)
Country Park: all year, daily 9.30am - sunset.
Walled Garden: all year, daily from 09.30am - 5.00pm (sunset if earlier)
Castle: 1 Apr to 1 Nov, daily 10.30am - 5pm (last entry to Castle 4.00pm).
Visitor Centre and all other facilities: 1 Apr to 1st Nov, daily opening from 10.00am - closing from 5.00pm
Visitor Centre, Gift Shop and Restaurant (Off Season): 2 Nov to 29 Mar, Sat/Sun 11.00am - 4.00pm.
Castle and Country Park Combined:
Adult: £13
Family: £32
1 Parent: £25
Concession: £9
Pay and Display: £2 (after 5.00pm)
Country Park Only:
Adult: £8.50
Family: £21
1 Parent: £16
Concession: £5.50
Pay & Display: £2 (after 5.00pm)
(Where it says 1 parent it means a 1 parent family).
Attractions
Castle
The main attraction of course is the castle. The castle is located at the far side of the estate overlooking the sea. It is an 18th century castle which has been restored over the years so it looks almost as good as it would have when it was new. It was designed by Robert Adams (a famous Scottish architect and designer), and inside the castle there are several collections dedicated to Adams. You’ll also find collections belonging to the Kennedy family and items belonging to Eisenhower. Of course there are paintings and tapestries galore within the castle. They also have a large collection of armour in the Castle Armoury.
Grounds
There are several gardens within the grounds, firstly a Victorian Walled Garden which features herbaceous borders, as well as including the kitchen garden and the pleasure garden. They have also restored a Victorian vinery. Behind the Walled Garden you’ll find the herb garden and the wildlife garden.
The second largest attraction, after the Castle is the Swan Pond, which is a 13 acre lake, with a children’s playground close by and a picnic area. There is also a small aviary close to the lake and a pagoda.
All around the grounds there are different walks, such as the cliff walk and the keepers walk. You’ll also see the deer park as you walk or drive through the grounds which house a small herd of Red Deer.
There are also caves in the cliff face below the castle, we never actually went down there so I’m not sure whether they are accessible to the public all the time, but the National Trust do guided tours of the caves on certain dates during the year.
Shops
There are several shops and kiosks in the Castle grounds. Close to the castle there’s the Castle Shop, which sells all manner of souvenirs, and opposite the shop you’ll find the Old Stables Restaurant.
A short walk from the Castle you’ll find the Candies@Culzean kiosk which sells homemade sweets and fudge, a second hand book shop, the visitors centre and Smiddy Toy Shop and Home Farm Restaurant, all within about 10 minutes walk of each other.
Carrying on around the main drive way and the Walled Garden also has plant sales, and finally the Swan Pond kiosk sells refreshments.
Accommodation
You can stay at the castle itself, although it’s a luxury that doesn’t come cheap. Staying in the Eisenhower apartments will set you back £25,000 for the week of Monday 13 to Sunday 19 July 2009, but fear not that price includes your breakfast! For the less well off, the Royal Artillery Cottage and the Brewhouse Flat come in at a mere £3,500 per week, self catering.
Weddings
The Castle also allow you to marry on the premises, and I can imagine the experience would be fantastic, but at £6,000 for the cheapest package it’s not for everyone.
Other Information
Dogs are welcome in the grounds but not in the buildings, any dogs in the grounds must be kept under control at all times.
There are four car parks; one at the visitors centre, one at Camellia House (and straight opposite the deer park), one close to the walled garden and finally one next to the Swan Pond.
My Thoughts
It’s not often you can describe a place in one word, but ‘stunning’ would be a great place to start. The castle itself looks amazing, you get the best views of it as you’re walking over the bridge toward it and it just looks like your stereotypical fairytale castle. Walking around the inside of the castle you get a great sense of history, and the rooms are just magnificent. As a child we’d often go around castles and I’d be bored stiff, but luckily Culzean Castle make the experience very child friendly, and have quizzes and little competitions for the children to do on their way around. When we went they had put a small Lego figure in every room, and the children had to try and spot the figure. This not only gives the children something to do, but leaves the adults free to read the information leaflets and look properly at the room and its contents. Or that was the idea behind in, in my case it actually led to lots of ‘mum, I can’t see it, where is it?’ meaning I’d have to stop what I was doing and look for it, but that all added to the fun.
The Swan Pond was absolutely beautiful, we went for the full walk around the pond, and at a couple of spots there are hides for watching the birds and the wildlife, although my two don’t stay quiet long enough for any animals to stick around, but there are supposed to be red squirrels and foxes which inhabit the area. Of course the kids made good use of the children’s play area, which is quite large, so there’s not too much of a problem with overcrowding. We visited during the school holidays and it was busy, but there was still plenty of room in the playground for all the kids to play nicely. The pagoda was a strange little building, set out of the way and surrounded on three sides by tree, it seemed to serve no purpose apart from to look nice, however I have read since that it may have been home to a monkey of some sort when if was first built.
We were able to walk from one end of the park to the other, although it looks quite a distance on the map, it isn’t really that far. But for anyone with mobility trouble the car parks are spaced nicely so you can visit one area, hop in your car and move onto the next.
Although I really enjoyed the castle and the Swan Pond, my favourite area was the Walled Garden, the entire area was blooming as you’d expect, and the variety of flowers was wonderful. Luckily it was a beautiful summer’s day when we went and this made the colours in the flowers seem that much brighter, and the scent was heavenly. The kids didn’t enjoy this area so much, but then they don’t share my love of nature.
We stopped for lunch the Old Stables Restaurant; they were serving your average lunch time fare of soups, sandwiches and light snacks, and of course teas, coffee, cold drinks and ice creams. As it was such a nice day we sat outside to eat, looking across the castle walls to the sea, we were treated to visits from bull finches who came to share in our lunch. They weren’t a nuisance though, and for someone like me who lives in a town centre and rarely sees anything but pigeons, it was very cute.
Later we stopped by at the Swan Pond Kiosk for ice creams, which despite asking for small ones, were absolutely huge!
Culzean and its grounds are so varied, there’s something to suit everyone, whether you’re a nature lover, a history buff, enjoying walking or like my two kids, enjoy climbing and running around and generally having fun. The National Trust have attraction days throughout the year, these range from nature walks, to craft fairs, to medieval fairs with jousting etc and outdoor plays, one this year I believe is Romeo and Juliet, and I can’t imagine a better setting for the play.
Although it may seem a little expensive at first glance, it’s actually great value for money, and I’d recommend it to anyo
Admission Times and Prices (takenfrom the website for ease)
Country Park: all year, daily 9.30am - sunset.
Walled Garden: all year, daily from 09.30am - 5.00pm (sunset if earlier)
Castle: 1 Apr to 1 Nov, daily 10.30am - 5pm (last entry to Castle 4.00pm).
Visitor Centre and all other facilities: 1 Apr to 1st Nov, daily opening from 10.00am - closing from 5.00pm
Visitor Centre, Gift Shop and Restaurant (Off Season): 2 Nov to 29 Mar, Sat/Sun 11.00am - 4.00pm.
Castle and Country Park Combined:
Adult: £13
Family: £32
1 Parent: £25
Concession: £9
Pay and Display: £2 (after 5.00pm)
Country Park Only:
Adult: £8.50
Family: £21
1 Parent: £16
Concession: £5.50
Pay & Display: £2 (after 5.00pm)
(Where it says 1 parent it means a 1 parent family).
Attractions
Castle
The main attraction of course is the castle. The castle is located at the far side of the estate overlooking the sea. It is an 18th century castle which has been restored over the years so it looks almost as good as it would have when it was new. It was designed by Robert Adams (a famous Scottish architect and designer), and inside the castle there are several collections dedicated to Adams. You’ll also find collections belonging to the Kennedy family and items belonging to Eisenhower. Of course there are paintings and tapestries galore within the castle. They also have a large collection of armour in the Castle Armoury.
Grounds
There are several gardens within the grounds, firstly a Victorian Walled Garden which features herbaceous borders, as well as including the kitchen garden and the pleasure garden. They have also restored a Victorian vinery. Behind the Walled Garden you’ll find the herb garden and the wildlife garden.
The second largest attraction, after the Castle is the Swan Pond, which is a 13 acre lake, with a children’s playground close by and a picnic area. There is also a small aviary close to the lake and a pagoda.
All around the grounds there are different walks, such as the cliff walk and the keepers walk. You’ll also see the deer park as you walk or drive through the grounds which house a small herd of Red Deer.
There are also caves in the cliff face below the castle, we never actually went down there so I’m not sure whether they are accessible to the public all the time, but the National Trust do guided tours of the caves on certain dates during the year.
Shops
There are several shops and kiosks in the Castle grounds. Close to the castle there’s the Castle Shop, which sells all manner of souvenirs, and opposite the shop you’ll find the Old Stables Restaurant.
A short walk from the Castle you’ll find the Candies@Culzean kiosk which sells homemade sweets and fudge, a second hand book shop, the visitors centre and Smiddy Toy Shop and Home Farm Restaurant, all within about 10 minutes walk of each other.
Carrying on around the main drive way and the Walled Garden also has plant sales, and finally the Swan Pond kiosk sells refreshments.
Accommodation
You can stay at the castle itself, although it’s a luxury that doesn’t come cheap. Staying in the Eisenhower apartments will set you back £25,000 for the week of Monday 13 to Sunday 19 July 2009, but fear not that price includes your breakfast! For the less well off, the Royal Artillery Cottage and the Brewhouse Flat come in at a mere £3,500 per week, self catering.
Weddings
The Castle also allow you to marry on the premises, and I can imagine the experience would be fantastic, but at £6,000 for the cheapest package it’s not for everyone.
Other Information
Dogs are welcome in the grounds but not in the buildings, any dogs in the grounds must be kept under control at all times.
There are four car parks; one at the visitors centre, one at Camellia House (and straight opposite the deer park), one close to the walled garden and finally one next to the Swan Pond.
My Thoughts
It’s not often you can describe a place in one word, but ‘stunning’ would be a great place to start. The castle itself looks amazing, you get the best views of it as you’re walking over the bridge toward it and it just looks like your stereotypical fairytale castle. Walking around the inside of the castle you get a great sense of history, and the rooms are just magnificent. As a child we’d often go around castles and I’d be bored stiff, but luckily Culzean Castle make the experience very child friendly, and have quizzes and little competitions for the children to do on their way around. When we went they had put a small Lego figure in every room, and the children had to try and spot the figure. This not only gives the children something to do, but leaves the adults free to read the information leaflets and look properly at the room and its contents. Or that was the idea behind in, in my case it actually led to lots of ‘mum, I can’t see it, where is it?’ meaning I’d have to stop what I was doing and look for it, but that all added to the fun.
The Swan Pond was absolutely beautiful, we went for the full walk around the pond, and at a couple of spots there are hides for watching the birds and the wildlife, although my two don’t stay quiet long enough for any animals to stick around, but there are supposed to be red squirrels and foxes which inhabit the area. Of course the kids made good use of the children’s play area, which is quite large, so there’s not too much of a problem with overcrowding. We visited during the school holidays and it was busy, but there was still plenty of room in the playground for all the kids to play nicely. The pagoda was a strange little building, set out of the way and surrounded on three sides by tree, it seemed to serve no purpose apart from to look nice, however I have read since that it may have been home to a monkey of some sort when if was first built.
We were able to walk from one end of the park to the other, although it looks quite a distance on the map, it isn’t really that far. But for anyone with mobility trouble the car parks are spaced nicely so you can visit one area, hop in your car and move onto the next.
Although I really enjoyed the castle and the Swan Pond, my favourite area was the Walled Garden, the entire area was blooming as you’d expect, and the variety of flowers was wonderful. Luckily it was a beautiful summer’s day when we went and this made the colours in the flowers seem that much brighter, and the scent was heavenly. The kids didn’t enjoy this area so much, but then they don’t share my love of nature.
We stopped for lunch the Old Stables Restaurant; they were serving your average lunch time fare of soups, sandwiches and light snacks, and of course teas, coffee, cold drinks and ice creams. As it was such a nice day we sat outside to eat, looking across the castle walls to the sea, we were treated to visits from bull finches who came to share in our lunch. They weren’t a nuisance though, and for someone like me who lives in a town centre and rarely sees anything but pigeons, it was very cute.
Later we stopped by at the Swan Pond Kiosk for ice creams, which despite asking for small ones, were absolutely huge!
Culzean and its grounds are so varied, there’s something to suit everyone, whether you’re a nature lover, a history buff, enjoying walking or like my two kids, enjoy climbing and running around and generally having fun. The National Trust have attraction days throughout the year, these range from nature walks, to craft fairs, to medieval fairs with jousting etc and outdoor plays, one this year I believe is Romeo and Juliet, and I can’t imagine a better setting for the play.
Although it may seem a little expensive at first glance, it’s actually great value for money, and I’d recommend it to anyo
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