I recently asked where in Norfolk I should visit on my holidays and the response was overwhelmingly that I just HAD to do a review of BeWILDerwood. I had a look at the website it seemed right up our street. Outdoor natural play in a woodland? OK then. If you already follow the blog you’ll know that I’m all about free and cheap family days out, and BeWILDerwood is quite expensive, but it’s the holidays and was our main treat day out.
If you have never heard of BeWILDerwood, which has sites in Norfolk and Cheshire then it’s an adventure playground unlike any other. Actually, adventure playground doesn’t really do it justice, but theme park doesn’t really fit either. The entire park is based on the characters and settings of the BeWILDerwood books, and it’s owned by the author who just so happened to have a massive bit of spare land on his country estate to build this place! If you’re interested you can actually buy the books on site, we brought the first two, and so far they’re pretty good.
It’s worth knowing that, other than food and drink, everything is included in the entry price. There’s a picnic area if you want to bring your own food and there’s the option to exit without having to visit the gift shop (always a massive plus).
First impressions
I kind of fell in love with this place at the entrance. In order to get to the main action you can either get a boat (more on that later), or walk the boardwalk. I strongly recommend that you walk the boardwalk!
They have paid so much attention to detail, and there’s lots of quirky little things to spot along the way. Once you get onto the main site you’ve got loads of different options. Have a look at the map here.
Before getting started on the frames we stopped off for a quick story in the main stage. Despite the fact that it was drizzly and muggy as hell, the kids were captivated. Top tip here, take bug spray. We all got bitten really badly by mosquitos here! Not their fault, but useful for you lot to know.
The Sky Maze
I still don’t know if it was a good or bad thing that we started off at the Sky Maze. We laughed so much whilst scrambling around this BUT it was also physically challenging for adults to complete. There’s lots of very narrow openings (as in child width) and walk-ways, narrow spiral staircases, low tunnels to scramble through and ladder bridges to cross. The kids had it easy! The adults, not so much. There are places where you will be on your hands and knees so don’t go wearing your best clothes if you’re planning on taking part. This review of BeWILDerwood was written during quite a damp August so it was a bit muddy in places.
There are elements that Smallest Child (4) couldn’t have completed on her own, and she probably would have been lost in there forever if we weren’t with her. The boys probably could have completed it themselves though (9 & 11). We took 40 minutes to complete the whole maze.
The slides
The slides at BeWILDerwood have to be one of the most popular (aka busiest) parts. There are three drop slides; one is a family friendly one with three lanes and the other two are increasing levels of terrifying. Ok, if you’re not a scaredy cat like me they’re increasing levels of awesome. You decide. There are really strict rules including one riding one at a time and always using a mat. Some idiot kept breaking them and so he got banned from the slides!! If it’s wet then the two steepest slides are closed, but they’ll tell you on arrival if that’s the case.
The boat ride
As we were arriving we saw the first batch of boats sailing down the stream and got very excited. They look really cool and travel from near the entrance to the lake. It’s probably about 5 minutes in total, and our boat driver was telling us various bits and pieces along the way. It’s a nice gentle ride, and adds to the overall day, but it’s also not the end of the world if you don’t get to go on one.
Tricky Tunnels
There’s a clue in the name but Tricky Tunnels was… um… tricky. This one is possibly the least parent friendly of the different zones but Smallest Child wanted to have a go and muggins drew the short straw. This one has several tight chimneys to climb up and through the inside. There’s actually one section that is so small they have built a separate, adult, walkway at the side. If a kid gets stuck in there then there’s not really a lot you can do except coax them out with snacks.
I confess to being a little bit stupid on this one. It’s a circular course and I wasn’t quite sure where to start. I went up what turned out to be a down bit, and got some quite scornful looks for my efforts. It wasn’t until I completed the course that I realised that I’d missed this fairly small indicator of where the entrance actually was. Doh!
In general though it’s worth knowing that access for adults is a bit of an issue on many of the zones at BeWILDerwood. Obviously you can just go and watch (paying for the privilege), but if you’re taking part you need to know a couple of things. There’s lots of climbing, including ladders and narrow spiral staircases. You’re quite high up a lot of the time, although nothing is really that wobbly or scary. It’s certainly not in GoApe territory. There are plenty of places where you have to squeeze through narrow gaps, and certainly makes you conscious that any lockdown weight gain should probably have gone by now! It’s also not kind to the knees or bad backs.
I’m old, overweight and creaky, but I made it through. It did feel like a proper workout at times though. On most of the zones, once you’ve started you have to see it through to the end. I’ll admit there were a couple of bits where I wasn’t sure if I’d make it out or not!!
How long are the queues at BeWILDerwood?
If you look for a review of BeWILDerwood you’ll find at least a few that mention queues. Apparently the queues at BeWILDerwood can be quite bad to get in, for food and for the toilets. I can honestly say that we didn’t really experience any of that.
We got there at dot on 10 o’clock and there were plenty of people already parked, but we were all ushered through the entrance within a few minutes. Actually, we had to hang around at the entrance for about half an hour whilst the rest of our party arrived, and I didn’t see a queue of more than one or two families at any time.
We visited a couple of the kiosks throughout the day and the longest wait was about 5 minutes. For the loos it was again only a few minutes. This review of BeWILDerwood was written during the school summer holidays. There were no limitations on visitor numbers, and it was busy, but they seemed to be coping well.
The one thing we had to queue for a relatively long time for was the boat rides. That was probably about a 20 minute wait because they were only half filling the boats. Also there was a short queue for the slides and zip lines, again it was only a few minutes.
What age is BeWILDerwood suitable for?
If you’re reading a review of BeWILDerwood you probably want to know if it’s going to be right for your family. All the adults in our group had a great, if knackering, time. We got stuck in as much as the kids did, and we weren’t the only ones. Smallest Child (4) could do pretty much everything here with help. She could have done to biggest drop slides but I wouldn’t let her. Middle Child (9) was in his element, but then he does love tree climbing. Biggest Child (11) really enjoyed it, but I don’t know how many more years he’d enjoy it for.
There are certain elements that the smallest children cannot do. Personally I probably wouldn’t take a child younger than four if you also have older kids, unless you can split your group. There is stuff for them to do, and there’s plenty for them to look at, but older kids won’t want to do the younger stuff and they won’t be able to do the older stuff. The joys of having kids with a big age gap!!
Our BeWILDerwood Review
OMG I love this place. I genuinely think BeWILDerwood is one of the best family days out in the UK and I’m so glad we went to review it. It was just amazing. We were there from opening until almost closing and hadn’t quite done everything. The kids were knackered (and by that I mean we were knackered) so we left a bit early. You could easily spend a full day here though. The concept is great and it’s been put together well.
Whilst there’s plenty of shade if it’s a sunny day, you are in a woodland and there aren’t really any indoors areas. You will get wet if it’s raining. If it’s been raining a lot you’ll probably get muddy. Dress for the weather.
Admission cost
They’re only open from February until October, with more limited opening days at the start and end of the season. It costs £19.50 per person for the majority of visitors, with younger and older guests paying a bit less. This review of BeWILDerwood was written in August 2021. All prices are correct at the time of publication. Check their website for the latest prices.
Parking / How to get there
Parking – Plenty on-site, free
Address – Horning Road, Hoveton, Norfolk, NR12 8JW
Toilets
On-site, including baby change. Some are much better than others, and some are downright tiny.
Food
Picnics are allowed and there are several places you can have them. There are a couple of places on site you can buy food. The prices are fairly reasonable, £4.95 for a kids box. There are also a couple of cheaper options.
Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook