Wellington Country Park Review

Dear mummy, we went to Wellington Country Park at the weekend and enjoyed the last Family Fun weekend of the summer season. We can’t believe we haven’t been here before as it’s right on our doorstep!

Wellington Country Park events calendar is jam-packed. Over the course of the year we’ve missed out on fairy parties, a teddy bears picnic, a pirate weekend, a Wild West weekend and other great activities. But we’re here now and determined to make the most of this last hot day of summer.

Entrance fee to get into the park is £9.50 in high season (from April to September) and £7.50 in the low season. It’s seems like a lot, but judging from the programme and map, you get what you pay for. 2 years and under go free (so I’ve still go another year to enjoy the park before I have to pay with my pocket-money!)

Wellington Country Park is located in between Reading and Basingstoke just off the A33 and close to the M4 and M3 motorways. It is a very large outdoor and indoor activity play centre with camping facilities, around a large lake.

It includes an enchanted forest, adventure play trail, dinosaurs and BBQ & picnic  areas, a man-made beach area with diggers and a water pump, toddler play area and babies soft play area, mini golf and an animal farm, go carts and a nature trail…… Phew! That’s a lot of things to do at Wellington Country Park! There is also the Wellington Railway, a giant jumping pillow and a snakes & ladders slide area.

We start off in the reception area and sit in the large canteen to have our lunch, it’s a very spacious area with lots of scrummy food on offer. You are allowed to bring picnics and BBQ food into Wellington Park, just make sure you use the allocated areas. We were very impressed that they have BBQ areas, where families are gathered to cook and eat their scrum.

I have a fabulous fish and chips which I devour. Popping peas in my mouth till there’s no room to cram anything else in. It’s a great dinning area and also has a play area or ‘holding area’ as my mummy likes to call it, filled with toys to keep little ones amused while waiting for their food. This is a great idea and is sponsored by WOW Toys. It’s a cross between a soft play and massive toy box! Filled with cars and planes, which the kids go crazy for! (You can also buy the toys in the gift shop, which is a clever marketing ploy) children get to try before you buy so to speak. The toilets are clean and well stocked with oodles of baby changing facilities which is good.

After our scrummy lunch we venture outside and are greeted with a fete. This is the theme of the weekend ‘family fun’. Bunting decorates the little grass lawn, there is a bouncy castle, a marquee and other stalls.

We head straight the toddlers outdoor play area, little plastic houses are littered around the woodchip area, with see-saws, slides, bouncing horses, swings and genius musical stepping-stones which I love! In the center there is a huge sandpit and I spend a great deal of time playing in here with my cousin who is a couple of years older than me.

We explore the craft area by the lake, which is another family fun feature of this weekend and make magic wands. It’s a great activity and we watch others making animal masks and cards. Lots of fun materials to use and I loved the pretty gems and feathers. Direct outside is the water and sand area, so we kick off our shoes and go to investigate. I love dipping my toes in the water and scrunching up the sand under my feet. Other children are playing with the water pumps and the diggers. It’s great fun.

There is a large hill and a viewing platform across the lake we has some stunning views across the park. I drag mummy and daddy up that hill several times and watch older children rolling themselves down it. Of course I want to copy them! But my mummy warns me that I’m too small before I launch myself down the hill, parents in tow.

Swiftly we move onto the next attraction, the Enchanted Forest, we walk across a bridge and past the greedy swans on the lake looking for crumbs and down the windy path. The adventure play trail follows the path and we all have a go. Wooden beams and Stepping stones, vertical bars and army style nets. Daddy helps me grip the bars and do chin-ups. I think he is more knackered then I am!

Soon we are surrounded by large trees and mummy points out little carved wooden doors and windows on the trees. Shhhhh. My cousin tells me. All the fairies are asleep in their houses. Being the mischievous child that I am, I run around knocking on the doors. Making ‘knock knock’ sounds, my little fist curled up brushing the I immaculately painted doors.

This place is magical and we could stay in the forest all day. However, the dinosaurs have other ideas…… We can see their heads high above the trees. There are around 20 dinosaurs dotted around, they look very scared and life-like 🙂 great for photo opportunities.

We swoop round and follow the path away from the dinosaurs after we’ve said ‘hello’ to every single one of them. Past the big kids play area which include huge slides and climbing forts. Just as I was getting despondent that I couldn’t go on anything, we spotted a hidden gem, a little hut which contain the best soft play area I’d seen in a while. We decided to check it out and it was empty, I has the whole place to myself! It was so clean and tidy. Everyone was impressed. While I played my cousin went to get her face painted.

When I had sufficiently played and tried myself out, mummy and daddy put me in the buggy and we went on a long walk to go and see the animal farm at the top of the site. It’s late in the day now and mummy is batting away Mosquitos which are trying to eat her.

This is due to the lake and walking past the woodland. We reach the animal farm just before it closes and see the sheep, rabbits, chickens and pigs wallowing in their muddy bog. My eyes are so tried and I’m trying to keep awake to see everything. There is a little brown cow called Bella which we see and as the light starts to go we head back to the entrance to say goodbye to our friends and family before we head home. Mummy later informs me that as soon as Daddy starts the engine I’m out like a light. It’s been a good day all round. Zzzzzz

To keep up to date with all the action packed activities that Wellington Country Park have on offer visit their website.

Hopefully next year we’ll be back to see the fairies, or maybe if I’m lucky we’ll be back on Hallo’welly’ween from 25th – 31st of October.

If you are looking for an action packed day, then this is the place for you!

Bella x