Peppa Pig World at Paulton's Park Review

I've heard so much about the latest developments to Paulton's Park with this season's opening of  Peppa Pig World.  I thought it was time I checked it out for myself and so we incorporated a day trip to Paulton's Park in our long weekend away 'down south'!

We didn't have the best journey down as Freddy objected fiercely to the idea of going straight from waking up in the morning to being put straight in a car seat.  He is a boy who has a lot of energy to expend so we had to let him run some of it off before leaving, delaying my 'crack of dawn' travel plans!  Not yet old enough to understand the lure of going to see Peppa Pig, he was still unimpressed but after we sang through our entire repertoire of  kids' TV theme songs, he finally fell asleep for the last part of our 200 mile journey.

We arrived at lunch time and although the place was really busy, the car park was just a short walk to the main entrance.  Freddy instantly woke up, forgot all his woes and was raring to go!  We collected our tickets and began our adventure.

We headed straight for Peppa Pig World to let Freddy run off all that steam that he had built up in the long 3 hours preceding our arrival.  As we approached, the colourful and iconic images were met with huge excitement as Freddy shouted "Piggy" and made oinking noises!

The attention to detail that has gone into the design of Peppa Pig World is not dissimilar to that of the separate areas of Disneyland. The buildings, the sounds, the rides and the characters beautifully bring to life the world of Peppa Pig, allowing children to immerse themselves into their favourite TV show.  And were the kids loving it!  It was so busy!  Hundreds of pre-schoolers were having the best time going on rides, meeting the characters and playing around the buildings.  The queues were quite long for little ones who were chomping on the bit to get on Daddy's Car, Grandpa's Train, the Windy Castle Ride, Peppa's Balloon Ride, George's Dragon Ride, Grandpa's Boat or Miss Rabbit's Helicopter.  Consequently Freddy only got to ride the Boat and the Train due to him getting fed up whilst queuing and trying to climb over the fences...but the rides he did go on, he totally loved!

Choo-Choo Train

Grandpa's Boat

In addition to the seven rides there is an indoor play area "George's Spaceship Playzone", the wet and wonderful "Muddy Puddles" water experience and "Mr Potato's Playground".  Again, the detail was just perfect.  Freddy spent an age in the playground.  The rainbow coloured floor was great for running around.

There were so many activities for little ones in the playground, Freddy was spoilt for choice.  It was by far the best toddler playground I had ever visited.  He was in his element so we weren't at all worried about only doing two of the seven rides.  Other theme parks could take a few lessons from Paulton's Park.  The amount of play areas and attractions suitable for toddlers was amazing.

The shop sold more Peppa Pig merchandise than I had ever seen in one place before.  From clothing to toys to jewellery there was so much on offer.

Peppa tees!

There was not one bit of Peppa Pig Land that hadn't been carefully designed to pay homage to Peppa and her pals.  I adored the fountain, the murals and the displays of Peppa Pig related items around the area.

Freddy says hello to George.

Daddy Pig's Car Ride's Garage Display

Fill em up!

You're never too old!

Peppa and George Fountain

Freddy absolutely adored Peppa Pig World.  Until going, he wasn't really a big fan of the show but he can now name most of the characters and shouts "Piggy" whenever he spots Peppa.  Ella and Kizzy enjoyed looking after their little brother and got swept along with the Peppa mania having a great time!!

Because the girls were so good allowing Freddy to play to his heart's content, we let them have the last two hours to do what they wanted.  Thankfully because everyone seems to be focused on Peppa Pig, the big rides did not have huge queues.  They were able to go on everything they wanted to including the Cobra Rolllercoaster, the Log Flume and the spinning Edge ride,which finished the day wonderfully leaving everyone happy!

I would highly recommend Paulton's Park and Peppa Pig World.  There is so much for little ones to do.  We only covered a fraction of the attractions and the zoo animals and immaculate gardens went unexplored.  But we were all completely happy with our day.  

You can book your tickets or Peppa Pig World breaks online and give the kids a real treat!

*We were given tickets for the purpose of this review but my opinions are unbiased.  I genuinely loved it!!*

Anyone Up For Alton Towers??

We spent our wedding anniversary at Splash Landings Hotel in a Pirate Themed Suite and I had a fabulous swashbuckling time with my crew!  Alton Towers really is an awesome theme park and I'd highly recommend a visit to anyone.  It holds a special place in our hearts as me and Ian went on a date there when we were 16, the year that Blackhole opened!) We also honeymooned there in 1997.

As part of our hotel package we received Fastrack Passes to all the major rides and so we just walked on everything without having to queue.  Given that the queue for Rita was over an hour long, having the luxury of jumping it made our day much more enjoyable.  With a toddler to entertain, hanging around while the older kids and daddy go on rides can be a bit of a pain.  The Fastrack Passes solved this problem perfectly.

Thirteen is still the newest ride in the park, and with a height restriction of over 1.2m, my 8 year old Kizzy could experience the thrill!  She is quite an adrenaline junkie and squealed with delight at the twists, turns and drops.  Her other favourite ride was Sonic Spinball where you are thrown around like a ball in a giant pinball machine.

Alton Towers now does character Meet and Greet sessions and we got to have our photo taken with Sonic the Hedgehog.  Although we all know it's just an employee in a blue hedgehog suit, it always feels quite magical to meet the larger than life incarnations of stars from TV, Film or Gaming.  Sad, I know!!

Alton Towers includes acres of beautifully kept 150 year old gardens, which would be an attraction in their own right.  With lakes, gazebos, bridges and follies, it is an interesting place to explore.  The ruins of the Towers itself are dramatic and impressive.  I always fantasize about winning £100 millions on the Euro Lottery and paying for the renovations!

This year there is a new show on in Cloud Cuckoo Land's Theatre, the "Go, Go,Go Show".  Five all-singing, all-dancing performers boogie there way through a musical adventure alongside a belching, sock eating monster and a hapless professor.  The catchy tunes and dance routines were toe tappingly moreish, but the jokes were groan-worthy at best!  However Freddy sat riveted to the Go Go Go Getters antics and Kizzy said they were "crazy, but she liked it!"  The girls had their photo taken with the cast after the show.  Embarrassed Teenager much!!!

We ate in the Splash Landings All-You-Can_Eat Restaurant.  It boasts a huge selection of world cuisine, English roasts, salads, fruit, desserts, ice-creams and a chocolate fountain.  You can help yourself to as many platefuls as you like.  It comes at a cost of £19.95 for the over 14's, £10.95 for Kizzy and £1.95 for Freddy. Add to this the cost of a few glassses of pop and the price of dinner came to £89.95!!  Quite steep.  My biggest gripe is that as we are all vegetarians we can't eat 50% of what's on offer.  So we end up eating a lot less than a family who can tuck into the burgers, salmon, roasts and other meat dishes.   Yet we pay the same.  Just a little bug bear I have!!  Also, Ella is not a big eater but I have to pay the same for her as I do for my greedy old self.  It's a bit galling.  Maybe we should invent a system where they weigh you on the way in and again on the way out and you're charged per extra pound you put on during the buffet binge!  Thankfully, Kizzy ate her body weight in fruit!  It is a fabulous buffet though with a lot of choice and some good options.  We were too stuffed to indulge in the array of cakes they had on offer...I kick myself for that now, because I really fancy a bit of choccie gateau!  My advice...do not eat all day prior to going to Flambo's Restaurant!

 We had a great time at Alton Towers...from our fabulous pirate bedroom to the fun of the rides to the beauty of the gardens to the awesome water park to the mahoosive buffet....it was an excellent way to spend my anniversary weekend.