Having realised I’d made no plans at all for the Easter holidays, I booked a trip to Castle Howard for me and my five year old daughter, at short notice the day before my visit, having seen it on Wakefield Mumbler’s list of ‘places to visit this Easter’. It was definitely a good decision and I’d recommend anyone with children over 5 to go.
The main draw is the AMAZING playground. We arrived at 10am and at 2.30pm my little girl still wanted to go back for “one more go”!
There are two sections to the playground – the “standard” playground with slides, things to climb on etc, and “Skelf Island”, which is akin to a treetop Fort with ladders, slides and places to explore. It isn’t actually in the treetops, but is high enough to feel like you could touch the trees. The best thing about this was that it was big enough that grown ups could go on too, so I wasn’t stuck just watching whilst my little girl had all the fun.
I asked my daughter what her favourite bit was, and she said the rope bridge – this is one of the ways to get to Skelf Island, and is suspended high over the waterway, so not for those scared of heights. There is an alternative route though for those who don’t want to go that way.
The layout of the grounds is well thought out, with both toilets and a cafe next to the playground, so you don’t have to walk halfway across the estate every time your child needs the loo. There is also hand sanitiser as you go into the playground, and I counted at least five sanitiser stations in the playground itself.
The only downside was that smaller children would struggle to explore without a helping hand so I’d be reluctant to take my two year old and five year old together unless another adult was with me.
Other than the playground, there are plenty of grounds to explore, including a wooded area, which my daughter loved.
Overall this was definitely a good day out, and my little girl is already making plans for going again!
Castle Howard, York YO60 7DA. Tel: 01653 648333