tried & tested

We’ve been to Willows Activity Farm lots of times over the years, and I’ve always wanted to do a review for the website, so this summer holidays we were kindly invited to do just that!

The boys are now 4 and nearly 8, so given the focus of Willows is around Peter Rabbit you might think it’s only suitable for little ones- wrong! My 7 year old still loved it- he may not want to go to any shows, but there is so much for kids of all ages!

Their Summer Spectacular is running until Sunday September 1st, so there’s still time to enjoy all that Willows Activity Farm has to offer in the summer holidays. Get lost in the a-maze-ing Maize Maze, but make sure you find your way out to enjoy the splash-tastic Puddle Play Park where you’re guaranteed a splashing good time (so don’t forget a change of clothes and your towel.) Foam Fun time is back for another year and BRAND NEW Adventure Golf is open too! The daily programme includes adventure play, funfair rides, tractor ride, farmyard animals, indoor soft play – for one all-inclusive price.

Upon arrival, we headed through Cotton Tail Village, an indoor imaginative area that is made up of lots of different play areas that children can explore including a vets, classroom and shop, in to the Soft Play. The boys love it in here- there are great drop slides, a large play area, dedicated toddler area and lots of seating, so parents/carers can relax while they keep an eye on the kids.

After they’d run off some steam, we headed across to the JCB Young Drivers indoor area, where there are different sized JCB-themed ride-ons and a large track for them to “drive” around.

Just outside there are a couple of fairground rides- one of the great things about Willows is that everything is included in the price once you’re there, so you can have peace of mind that the kids can take part in all the activities and rides without you having to pay.

There’s also a Meet-and-Greet stage area where, throughout the day, you can meet many of the Peter Rabbit characters. It’s a lovely experience for younger children (and as a Beatrix-Potter lover myself, I quite enjoy seeing all the characters too! Fun fact- my name is spelled with an ’ie’ because  there is a little girl called Lucie in Beatrix Potter’s tales- very common with Lucies born in the 80s!)

It was now time to hit the play areas and this is where Willows comes in to its own for kids of all ages! There are so many outdoor activities in the Outdoor Play & Adventure Area, you’ll be spoiled for choice. From obstacle courses, to  giant inflatable bouncing pillows, themed wooden playhouses (including Squirrel Nutkin and Mr Tod’s Lair), bouncy castles, trampolines, zip wire and sand play- there’s so much to do!

Another great thing about Willows is that there are lots of areas (included covered ones) for you to bring your own picnic lunches, so we sat on picnic tables alongside the bouncy cushions to have lunch. There is lots of choice in the café within the soft play if you want to buy lunch there instead.

After a lot of bouncing, we decided to go and see the a-maze-ing Maize Maze before going for a ride on Tristan the Runaway Tractor. We passed by the Puddle Play Park, Panning For Gold and Foam Fun areas as it was quite an overcast day, so not really warm enough to get wet, but they looked really fun- ideal on sunnier days! Don’t forget a change of clothes and a towel though to take full advantage!

The maze was fun and the children enjoyed looking for clues to find their way round. It is very tall, so beware if you have a little escape artist (see picture of my runner) as it can be hard to find them! Once we’d made our way out, the children were each given a small bag of popcorn which they loved.

Next to the maze, you can take a ride on Tristan the Runaway Tractor (don't worry he's actually very well driven and well-behaved!) who trundles round the field where you can spot sheep, Highland Cows and various Peter Rabbit characters.

Next we headed to the brand new Adventure Golf area, which the kids really enjoyed. The different holes were challenging, but not too hard for children and they had a great time tackling each course.

My youngest is a big Peter Rabbit fan so I took him to see Cotton Tail’s show on the Outdoor stage. I’ve always loved the shows here- they’re really well done, just the right length for little ones to not get bored, and there’s lots of singing and dancing for everyone to get involved with.

Across from the outdoor stage is Peter Rabbit’s Adventure Playground, which is full of imaginative play including the Lily Bobtail Nature Discovery Area, the kitchen and laundry of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and the state of the art Great Invention Sensory game, created by Mr Bouncer, along with an interactive dancing arch like we have in Bancroft Park in Hitchin. The children really enjoyed exploring in this area and bonus points for the benches that my friend and I could sit on while they played!

Making our way back towards the main entrance, we next went to The Farmyard, which is a lovely indoor area where children can feed and get close to lots of farm animals including goats, donkeys, sheep and horses. There’s even a small petting area where a member of staff will help children to hold a guinea pig on their lap, which all the children loved- even when my eldest was continuously pooed on by our guinea pig, causing much laughter!

Having looped back, the children all had another go on the fairground rides and it was time to hit the gift shop for a memento from the day. There are lots of Peter Rabbit items, along with plenty of other toys, games and gifts within the shop. One thing to note is that it’s card only, so my usual tactic of getting them use their pocket money from their own wallets was quashed, which they were thrilled about.

Despite a full day of fun and activities, there were still other parts of Willows which we didn't get to, so you really can come here again and again to experience all it has to offer. If you're local, you can even look in to getting membership there.

Willows’ Summer Spectacular is running until Sunday September 1st, so there’s a couple of days left to enjoy all that this fabulous local attraction has to offer this summer. Don’t forget Willows Activity Farm is open all year round though (only closing for a few days over Christmas) and they have lots of great events throughout the year, including their Potato Shindig, Pumpkin Festival and Santa Spectacular still to come this year. You can find out about their special events and book tickets through their website here.

We were kindly gifted our tickets to review Willows Activity Farm.

Don't forget to watch my Reel on Instagram of our day.

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Don't forget to check out all my other Tried and Tested reviews here.

You'll also find Reels from our various days out on my Instagram page here.