Oakwood is roughly a 3.5 hour drive from us, and we decided to try and find a hotel, but we were too late as all hotels were fully booked. We were lucky then to find a hotel half way in Aberystwyth. We didn't fancy travelling up and down Wales in one day but didn't mind travelling half way back at the end of the day as it didn't feel too long of a journey for the kids or for us. We planned for an early start but didn't manage to get out of the house until around 9am, later than we planned. However, we managed to arrive around lunch.
When we arrived, we went to park. The car park is huge, and although it looked full, there were still plenty of spaces to park. We had a very eventful start to our day in Oakwood. There was a guard there with his dog, and the dog started barking at another dog. Elliw ran away and was absolutely petrified. Another guard came up to us and helped us calm Elliw down. At the beginning, I was a little annoyed, but after this guard helped us and was so lovely to us, my partner and I couldn't thank him enough. He took us to the place to hand our tickets in and showed us the way to the park. I didn't get his name, but he was so friendly and reassured Elliw that it was ok to into the park.
When we were in the park, it was only a two minute walk from the entrance. There is a small train that goes every so often, but we had missed it. Plus we had the pram for Freddie and didn't mind walking. The weather was so lovely. We were given a map, and there was also a map all over the park. We decided to go into DahlLand first and then go round as it would take us back to the start. The girls wanted to go on the trampolines but the minimum age was six, so, unfortunately, Elliw wasn't able to go on. We passed it and went to have a walk around. I did realise that the cues were really long and I would advise buying a fast pass if you were to visit at busy times.
The further we went, the girls started going on the rides. The first ride Mia went on was the pirate ship, and she absolutely loved it. My partner went on it with her and Elliw was watching with me. Elliw was too small to go on the one Mia went on but straight after Mia's go there was a turn for the smaller kids, which I thought was a great idea. Elliw decided she didn't want to go on it in the end, though. We moved on, and I went on a rollercoaster called Treetops (I think) with Mia, and then my partner went on it with Elliw. The look on Mia's face was amazing. She was shouting "I love it Mam!" and it honestly made my day. The queue for that ride was going pretty quickly, and so we didn't mind queuing up.
We moved on to a massive water slide that my partner and Elliw went on. It was a long wait, and my partner said there was a sign saying it was up to an hour wait. Luckily, it was less than that. Silly me pointed my camera and the wrong tunnel though. It looked super fun to watch everyone sliding down, and Elliw was in her glory. Normally she backs out of things like that, so I was really proud of her for going on it. When we carried on walking there was another water slide, but a much higher and bigger one and we saw another ride called 'Speed'. A ride my partner and I would have loved to go on but of course, we couldn't. It looked amazing.
We went on to see if we could get something to eat but we found it a little too expensive. But we moved onto another part of the park. The circus theme part had old-styled merry-go rounds and a train, with a little park next to it. The kids loved it and went on all the rides, and their favourite was the rollercoaster. They had so much fun, screaming and putting their hands up. Freddie went on the train with my partner and the girls, and then he went on the swing in the park. One thing I found so different taking Freddie this time was how much he was walking. We let him walk freely in the park, and although he had a few stumbles, he loved it. He was in his glory going wherever he wanted to, and it was so lovely watching him.
The next and last part of the park we went was Neverland. It was amazing, especially for the kids. It was all Peter Pan themed and it was magical. It was most definitely my favourite part of the park. It was full of different rides, a rollercoaster for kids, a small park and even a soft play area. There was also a cafe which we got a Nutella waffles from, which tasted so yummy and slush puppies for us all. Freddie eventually went to sleep half way through of being in Neverland. The best part of the park was going into the houses. It was amazing and so magical. You would have to be there to see how amazing it was.
Overall, we all really enjoyed our day at Oakwood. I think we would have enjoyed it more if we had fast passes or if Freddie was older and was able to come on the rides with us. That would mean we would all be able to go on the rides together and enjoy it. But there were some things Freddie could do such as the park and the train with my partner. If we had a hotel nearby, we would have stayed for the evening as they had an event on which sounded fantastic. Throughout August on certain dates they had a UV Paint Party. The girls would have loved it. However, they really enjoyed their day and still haven't stopped talking about it.
Check out their events, opening times and more on their website here
Have you been to Oakwood?
* We would like to thank Oakwood for our family pass to the theme park and for a lovely day. The girls enjoyed themselves so much.
We were given a family pass, in return for an honest review. However, all words, images and opinions are entirely our own.
Linked up on: Tried and Tested
Linked up on: Tried and Tested
Those photos look amazing. Looks like a wonderful place to visit and the kids are having a ball x
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with this theme park, it looks fantastic. Perfect if you are combining it with other adventures in the same area like Bluestone
ReplyDeleteOh my what a wonderful place, my troops would love it here, so much for all ages and fun all the way. #TriedTested
ReplyDeleteWe saw this on the way to Tenby when staying at Bluestone too, we never ventured in as it looked closed from the outside. However we wish we did - this place is amazing! It has everything #TriedTested
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