Hobbledown

Went after 3pm on a weekday when the ticket price is reduced. There was myself, my 2 year old son and my parents (senior citizens). My son had a wonderful time climbing around on both the indoor and outdoor play areas. Of course as he was so small, I just had to go on the hobblers village with him and it was great fun as it is built to take adults as well so no need to feel guilty! The 3 hours we had were amazing and cheap activity to get some fresh air and burn off energy on a cold winters afternoon in February. Even at full price it would be great value! My parents enjoyed the magic of it all and were impressed that their ticket prices reflected the fact that they couldn't actually go on anything. Great all round fun and a very special, magical, unique place where the whole family can spend time together.

My daughter (2.5 years) loves this place, we go often. the bouncy pillow and the massive sandpit are her favourite spots, and the indoor soft play is the best one we've visited. We also enjoy running about in the willow weaving space. There are quite a few animals there now, however some of them are kept in very small cages (the owl for instance) and I find that very saddening. I wish they had larger animal enclosures. That said, the food is good, and the challenges we observed when they were opening have largely been put right. Good to have easy on and off shoes when visiting this venue, and the outdoor area by the great big climbing frame gets big puddles when it is wet so you really need wellies.

We went on the opening weekend and it was awful. Our children, 18 months and 2 and a half were too little to play on any of the play ground stuff, at least not safely.We saw nails not hammered in, unfinished areas, work men and open access to building areas behind sheds. The animals are few and far between. We felt that it was a lot to pay to see a few rabbits and a donkey. The kiosk ran out of all soft drinks apart from coke - not even water! Also no coffee, tea or hot chocolate! We got a full refund. Fair enough they had just opened but I felt they opened too soon before it was finished, yet charged full prices. Pretty poor. And very little to do or see for under 3years old.

Our first visit was spoiled by my husband scalding his hand really badly on some hot tea, but this was dealt with very well by first aiders - they even phoned us in the evening to check he was ok. The return visit was a big success. Must say that the animals now take a bit of a back seat, but only because the play areas are really interesting. Good healthy food too. Not cheap but a bit different from the norm and a great day out (our kids are 5 and 7). We will definitely be back.