Brilliant forest play park for children (Escot Park (Devon))

Member Name: soutram

Product:	Escot Park (Devon)
Date:	15/06/09 (102 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of outdoor activities for children

Disadvantages: Some not so nice toilets

I have lived near Escot park all of my life and I am ashamed to say that I had never been until recently. I was invited to go here during half term, five of us went (two adults, three children) and I have to say what a great day out we had here, I was pleasantly surprised.

I always thought it was just a posh house with nice garden (national trust type thing) and I could not have been more wrong, its a country park for families to enjoy.

There is loads to do here, you have a maze to complete (yes we got well and truly lost in this one), there are animals to see and learn about, they have fish in the Aquatic Centre (to look at and buy), they have a pets corner (and even a pet hotel for when you go on holiday), you can look at the various birds of prey they have (they also do a daily show where you can watch the birds flying and learn a bit more about them) and when you walk around the park you see pigs, peacocks, red squirrels, otters etc etc.

As you walk around the park you come across various play areas for the kids, you have the indoor play barn which has a big padded climbing area in it with ball pools etc, then as you venture further into the forest you have a assault course and swings, then you come across a drop slide (which has been built out of the estate timber) and a little further on you have another outside play area with rope climbs, a pirate ship and various swings.

To get to all of the play areas you walk through the woodland, which in itself is very pleasant, they have lovely trees and plants to look at and there are loads of wild life living in them which the kids loved looking at.

They also do letterboxing here, we didn't have a go at this but I think next time we head there we will. Its another great way to entertain the children, you get given various clues which lead you to rubber stamps and a ink pad, once you have found the stamp you use it on the card they have given you and when you have them all you take it back to the kiosk and get a certificate. The clues take you round the whole park so it's a great way to see everything.

Admission prices for Escot are £6.95 for a adult, family of two adults & two children £24, dogs 50p, children under 3 free. If you think you may end up visiting here a few times a year its probably worth getting a year pass, for two adults & two children is £52, you only need to visit three times to make this pay for itself. These passes also give you discounts in the shops etc.

A slight downside to the park though is some of the toilets, they are what they call eco toilets (basically a hole in the ground with a plank of wood over it and a toilet seat attached), as you can imagine these are not that pleasant to use, there are a couple of these around the park, the children didn't care but I found it much better to walk to the normal toilets near the entrance.

They have there own website www.escot-devon.co.uk, this tells you about all the activities they have here and have maps etc so you know how to get to it.

Summary: Excellent day out, adults can sit and relax whilst there children run round and wear themselves out