Showing posts with label High Ropes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label High Ropes. Show all posts

Wednesday 5 September 2018

Our Summer Holiday Visit to Puxton Park, Somerset - A Review

One of our favourite places to visit in Somerset is the wonderful Puxton Park. We have been fortunate enough to have visited this family friendly attraction twice previously, however these visits have always been in the Autumn months and so my children were eager to return in the Summer sunshine.

Since our last visit there have also been a number of new additions to the park which include a High Ropes Course and a Wallace & Gromit sculpture installation. The Puxton High Ropes course was new for the Spring 2018 season and offers a 20ft high, thrilling challenge that both children and adults can enjoy.

As mentioned in my previous reviews, Puxton Park is described as "The Ultimate Fun-Filled Experience for the Whole Family" and they're not wrong. With activities to entertain all ages, the Puxton Park attraction has clearly taken careful consideration into what families look for in a day out and have worked hard to provide an enjoyable experience for everyone.

It is easily accessible from junction 21 of the M5 and well signposted from the motorway. There is also a large sign located at the main entrance which makes the attraction easy to spot whilst driving. We made our way along the driveway to the car park and my children began to get very excited as they remembered all the activities that were available.

As we approached the main reception area we saw this wonderful statue, that had been sponsored by Puxton Park for the 2018 Gromit Unleashed 2 Arts Trail. The purpose of the sculpture was to raise money for Bristol Children's Hospital and the Special Care Baby Unit at St Michael's Hospital.

It was great to see Puxton Park supporting such a worthy cause and my children thought that the Merry-Go Gromit was superb!


We had arrived shortly after opening time and it was a beautiful sunny day, so my children asked if we could head straight over to the Bumper Boats to beat the queue. This activity is great fun and allows you to travel around a water filled pool, in a circular bumper boat, with a water gun located on the front. This means that you can fire water at other guests, which everyone seemed to find hilarious! Emma and Ben enjoyed shooting the water at one another and came off the ride absolutely soaked. Fortunately the sunny weather soon dried them off and they spent half an hour on the nearby park before we made our way towards the High Ropes course.


We had visited Puxton Park expecting to pay at least another £5 each in order to enjoy the high ropes course, so we were extremely surprised to learn that this was INCLUDED in the entry price. We couldn't quite believe that there was no additional charge, considering that there must have been quite a large investment required to create such an exciting facility. Safety harnesses are provided and fitted by staff and you are shown how to use the equipment prior to accessing the course.


For safety reasons you must be wearing fully enclosed shoes, so this is something that you need to bear in mind before visiting and in order to avoid any disappointment. Unfortunately guests wearing crocs, flip flops, open toe shoes or similar will not be allowed to participate, so make sure you are dressed appropriately before attending.

The Puxton High Ropes course has been described as being one of the most exciting and challenging courses in the West of England, so we couldn't wait to put it to the test. Standing at over 25 feet tall, it features a wide range of fun and challenging elements including a rolling log, wave tunnel and walk the plank, that will certainly put your nerves to the test as you step out over the miniature railway track.

You need to measure above 1 metre in height to participate, but for toddlers or children under this height, there is the great addition of a Sky Tykes Junior ropes course. This is designed for children aged two to seven and is a miniature ropes course packed full of fun, to ensure that even the youngest of guests can enjoy the activity too. We thought this was a wonderful idea and felt that both courses were well constructed and felt really safe.


Like our previous visits, my parents had come along with us for the day and they have always commended the parks layout as being very disabled friendly with easy access to the majority of the site. My dad walks with the aid of the stick so uneven surfaces can prove tricky for him at times, however the paths around the park are smooth and level with plenty of benches available to have a rest if needed. There was some seating nearby the high ropes so they sat and enjoyed some drinks together whilst we climbed high on this new thrill-seeking activity.

My son Ben usually has a fear of heights, but after watching Emma, he plucked up the courage to give it a go and attempted all elements of the course apart from the rolling log. Admittedly none of us quite managed that one!


After the excitement of the high ropes, we had worked up a bit of an appetite. As we were visiting on a Sunday, we decided to enjoy the carvery together in the restaurant. I had booked a table a couple of days earlier and so we made our way over at lunchtime. The food was absolutely delicious and really well priced too. We all enjoyed our meals including the children, with two out of three managing to clear their plates completely! It was certainly one of the nicest Sunday Lunches that we have had in a while.

Once we had let our lunch settle, the children wanted to try Water Zorbing. Again this was included in the price, which makes the entry cost seem such excellent value for money, given the amount of activities you can participate in. We have visited other attractions before where you have had to pay £5 each to enjoy something like this, so again we were shocked at no additional payment being required.

Both Emma and Ben had a few minutes each inside the balls and certainly burnt off a lot of energy, trying to stay upright!


The remainder of our day was spent enjoying some of the children's favourite activities from our previous visits. Riley has always loved the Puxton Miniature Railway and also likes seeing all the farm animals in the barn. Ben and Emma on the other hand absolutely love the indoor play area and could literally spend hours going down the drop slides. They are definitely braver than me!

Overall we had a wonderful visit to Puxton Park and it has firmly become one of our favourite family friendly attractions in the UK. There is something for everyone to enjoy and I believe that the entry price offers superb value for money. The Puxton High Ropes course is a superb addition to the site and it is great to see that investments are being made that enhance the visitor experience.We will definitely be returning in the future!

Attraction Details

Puxton Park, Cowslip Lane, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset
Parking - Yes, there is plenty of free parking available.
Opening times - Daily from 9am til 5:30-pm Monday to Sunday (excl. 25th/26th December and 1st January).
Entry prices - Entrance costs vary, so please visit Ticket Prices to obtain the most up to date information.
Website - www.puxton.co.uk/
Twitter - @PuxtonPark
Facebook - Puxton Park


*Disclaimer - We received a complimentary family ticket to provide our honest opinion and review of the attraction. We purchased three additional tickets for our accompanying guests. All opinions and photographs are my own unless otherwise stated. Details provided are believed to be correct at the time of writing, but can be subject to change. Admission, prices and opening hours may differ from those stated. I would therefore always recommend visiting the attractions own website prior to visiting in order to obtain the most up to date information.