Pensthorpe Natural Park – October 2019!

We love Pensthorpe Natural Park all year round but October and the Trick or Tweat Spooktacular (running until the 3rd of November 2019) they put on every year is always my most favourite time to be there. I think it might be because the first time we ever went was over the Halloween Half Term and that was such a special visit, discovering this wonderful place for the first time (it must have been 8 years ago as Florence was nearly the same age that Raffie is now), that it really stayed in my heart!

It was always lovely, always an absolutely brilliant day out for the whole family, but over the years it has changed so much and now I think it has to be one of the very best days out for a family that Norfolk has to offer. So many renovations over the last 8 years have seen the playground grow into a most spectacular place, with a river to paddle in running all the way through it, zip wires, wooden structures to climb, play on, trail around and more – not to mention the truly amazing indoor play area ‘Hootz House’, which is so much fun we have to pop in during summer visits because we can’t miss it even when the sun is shining but which comes into its own during the colder months, inviting you into warmth and comfort like no other soft play I know. Just as with the outdoor playground everything is made with as many natural materials as possible and it’s a wooden haven of fun built with a den of slides and fun hidden away inside its structure which is clean and actually a gorgeous place to sit up high on a mezzanine floor and watch over the play. Soft play a parent can enjoy rather than endure I kid you not!

But playing aside there’s so much to do at Pensthorpe which is primarily a nature reserve who have simply adapted to be enticing for everyone. There is the walk which goes around their lake and takes probably an hour and a half at a medium pace but could be all day with us lot and along the way we feed the birds (water and land), play the thoughtful games set out so that kids don’t get bored, do the stamp trail, find animal boards, look in bug hotels, play Pooh Sticks, climb, run, walk in gardens, and at the end before we hit the parks, we see the flamingos (in their new enclosure and with their very first baby in 15 years just hatched) as well as other aviary homed feathered friends. There is also a spectacular new area for pond dipping which despite two visits since it has been built now we have missed – oh but we will simply HAVE to go back won’t we!

There’s all of this all the time but right now for Halloween, along with the regular trail and stamp trail, they are offering each child a bag with a list of nature treasures like feathers and pine cones to collect. For me this has much more worth than a stamp trail (although the kids do love that of course) and I think it would be a FAB thing to do all year round. My three adored collecting this visit!

For some reason I took no photos of the main playground – I think I was having too much fun but if you follow me on Instagram then I’m sure that you saw that on my stories! The equipment is not just for kids. Well, that’s the line I’m sticking to at any rate! I did get a couple from inside Hootz House, the indoor play area, where you get to choose a timed slot – this is fab as it means it’s never overcrowded and we always try to choose the last slot of the day so that we can leave it until the end of everything else and warm up with an hour and a half’s play inside!

And some TOP TIPS in general for visiting Pensthorpe at this time of year with children would be:

What a wonderful day – and I think not many places aside from Norfolk were on half term last week so if you’re here on holiday this week make sure to check this one out as a priority. The majority of people I see on social media are having their break this week (lucky things) and it makes much more sense with a shorter half term in school (it’s going to be loooooooong one for us) and the actual break falling over actual Halloween makes much more sense. Holidayers note that the Trick or Tweat activities are on at Pensthorpe until the 3rd of November.

And we will be back of course, not this week sadly but potentially for Florence’s birthday although that’s on NYE and the very next day the prices go down considerably… What shall we do, birthday blow out or NYD blowing the cobwebs for less?! Either way it will be worth the money and she will LOVE it! Not many places are open around her birthday but Pensthorpe is so it would be a great way to celebrate I think!

Pensthorpe Natural Park is open all year round daily from 10am (the coffee shop and gift shop open at 9am) and is only closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Prices differ throughout the year but peak costs ar £11.95 for an adult, £10.95 for a senior citizen and £10.95 for children aged 3-16.

We were gifted entry for this visit.