With the hottest day of the year being forecast it seemed like the perfect day to try out the brand new H2O Rampage Aqua Park near Ware.  This is a giant inflatable obstacle course in the lake at West Mill Farm.  

For £15 per person you get an hour on the park, including the safety briefing. To participate you must be over 6, be at least 1.1m tall, and be able to swim 30m unaided to participate. Children under 10 must be accompanied by a participating adult. 

The children really enjoyed it.  The hot weather helped of course, meaning the water was probably a little warmer than usual, but either way it would be a welcome relief from the extreme heat!  An hour felt just the right length of time for them and the park didn’t feel too busy. Apparently our session was fully booked and they say on the website that they cap numbers at 70, but it didn’t feel too full and there was plenty of space for everyone to fully enjoy the facility.

The inflatable equipment is, of course, brand-spanking new, but the other facilities are quite basic.  There are two portakabins that act as the male & female communal changing areas. If you are watching rather than participating there are a handful of picnic benches, 3 of which had umbrellas, but other than that there is very little shade available on the main watching area.  Take a picnic blanket just in case you can’t get a table, and if it is very sunny consider a parasol or umbrella too. 

There is a selection of basic drinks and snacks available to purchase from the box office cabin.  If you want something more substantial, bring your own picnic, or there is a restaurant at the main West Mill Farm complex, but this would require a drive back up the hill and you have to remain on-site while your children are on the park so is really only an option before or after your session.

What else do you need to know?

• Sessions are every hour, on the hour from 10am - 5pm, 7 days a week.
• You can book online, but there's no integrated payment system so payment is on the day but they take cash, all major credit cards and other methods like ApplePay.
• Checking in and paying was very efficient and you can download and sign the waiver form before you go.
• The park was manned by several lifeguards.
• Unlike some other aqua parks, wet suits are included in the price. With it being such a hot day we weren’t offered them so I was glad that we had taken rash vests to help protect from the sun and any chaffing from the buoyancy aids, which are compulsory.
• About 40 minutes drive from Harpenden, was easy enough to find.  If you’ve never been to West Mill Farm then all you need to know is to look out for the signposted turning for West Mill Farm on the left, less than a mile after you come off of the A10 onto the A602.  After that you just follow the signs for H2O Rampage down to the lake.  It’s a bumpy one-way track most of the way, but as you need to arrive about 20-30 minutes before your session and as long as you don’t hang around too long afterwards then you’re unlikely to meet too many other cars on the way up or down, but there are plenty of passing places if you do.
• I was surprised to find that there were no lockers available.  Fortunately I wasn’t planning to take part, but if I had been I’m not sure what I would have done with my bag containing my car keys, purse and phone. So that's just something to be aware of.

The Aqua Park will be open until 15th September 2019, but if it’s a success this year then I'm sure it will be back again next year!