No need for wellingtons at this country park (Wellington Country Park (Riseley))

Member Name: pagso

Product:	Wellington Country Park (Riseley)
Date:	13/09/09 (46 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great play areas, beautifully landscaped

Disadvantages: Cafe a letdown, expensive

We visited the park in early September on a dry but cool Sunday when the park wasn't too busy so we were able to park close to the entrance and we were able to enjoy the facilities to the full.

If the park were free I would be wholeheartedly recommending it but having paid £21.50 for 1 adult and 3 children I'm not sure it offers good value especially when you think about the wealth of countryside around this area that is free to enjoy.

The park is accessed through a visitor centre/cafe building which also houses the only toilets for the venue. Visitors are given a sticker which will allow readmittance to the park so you can come in and use the facilities as required. There are 350 acres of woodland, nature trails, a lake and various play areas to enjoy and we were given a simple map which highlighted the attractions around the park.

There are 4 nature trails to follow which take between 25 minutes and an hour; they are probably accessible with a pushchair but a bit bumpy I think for a wheelchair. Some of these take you past an area containing red deer roaming freely and the only downside was the presence of filled poop scoop bags discarded by selfish dog owners - why bother to bag your dog's mess if you are going to leave it behind?

There are a number of play areas for children around the park, suitable for all ages and of a better quality than you could find in a municipal play area and they were all in good condition on the day we visited. There is a large sandpit which was clean at the time of our visit and the signed water play area was good fun although only about 5 or 6 children could comfortably play here at the same time. There was also a farm animals area with a couple of pigs, donkeys and a few goats and sheep to look at - but this area looks like its not yet finished. There were a couple of talks on the animals scheduled but we didn't stay to hear them.

The walk around the park would probably take less than an hour if you weren't stopping to use the play areas and it is an easy and pleasant walk and has been beautifully landscaped. Dogs are allowed in the park but we didn't see many and only bicycles with stabilisers are permitted. At some point we came across a dinosaur sculpture - just the one - which seems extremely bizarre, I assume they got it cheap! There was also a miniature electric train ride that can take about 10 people a time, this is an additional £1.00 per person and would say only fun for under 10s.

We had lunch in the cafe, the kids meals were £3.95 and the hot adult meals about £6.50, jacket potatoes £5.50. The food was reasonable quality - the burgers appeared home made as did the sausage roll but overall I wasn't very impressed with the food or the service - it wasn't a very busy day but the staff had left a lot of the tables uncleared.

There is a gift shop selling toys and odds and ends for people camping at the park and there is also a paint your own pottery section.

We spent a good four hours at the park as the children enjoyed the play areas and if it was half the price I wouldn't hesitate to return but next time I would probably take a picnic as had many families. There are plenty of areas suitable for eating and benches and seating provided.

Summary: An expensive way of enjoying some of our countryside