Review of Paultons Park + Peppa Pig World

If you read the post I wroteabout Ethans 2nd birthday - you'll know that we visited (for the second time) Paultons Park (home of Peppa Pig World). I mentioned in the same post that I was going to write up a review of Paultons Park and so here it finally is.. I've tried to cover the main things that I know about the park, without making this post too long, but if you have any questions please just ask and I'll try my best to answer them! :)(Ethan, Adam, bump and I at Paultons Park last month)

location + ridesPaultons Park is located in the village of Ower, in Hampshire. The theme park has 60 rides and attractions set over 140 acres of land and also features a collection of around 80 species of birds and animals. Being that there are so many rides, I think it's actually really hard to fit them all in in just one day - especially if you have kids with you! There are rides suitable for all the family, you've got your thrill rides, the family rides and then children's rides. These are clearly marked out here on their website, so you can plan which rides you'd like to visit before you've even arrived. peppa pig worldPeppa Pig World is included in the price of all entry tickets, so there's no extra fee to pay. There are 7 fun Peppa-themed park rides as well as George's Spaceship indoor soft playzone (which caters amazingly well to children all ages), Muddy Puddle's outdoor water splash park, Peppa Pig's house, Mr Potato's outdoor adventure playground, Peppa's toy shop (gift shop) and also the opportunity to meet Peppa and George themselves!Everything I've mentioned is included and there are no extra charges. Quite honestly, we find that the Peppa Pig World section of Paultons Park keeps us busy the entire day and leaves little opportunity for the rest of the park and I suppose that is a credit to how much effort has been put into making Peppa Pig World so magical for children. Both times we've been - it's just been one exciting, insanely fun thing to do after another within Peppa Pig World - Ethan just doesn't stop smiling all day long. If you want to make sure you fit the entire park in (both Paultons Park and Peppa Pig World) and especially if you have younger children, then I'd advise perhaps making a two day thing of your visit and staying somewhere local. You can find local hotels etc here and Paultons have an offer on which gets you entry on the second day completely free when you buy a hotel and ticket package.. see more info herethe new mini zone: critter creekNew for 2015, Critter Creek is where you can discover all kinds of creatures transported back to Critter Creek by Professor Blast. There's the Cat-O-Pillar rollercoaster (which Ethan was a little too young for) - see below..There's also the Expedition Express train (below) and lastly there is a real life bug emporium - Beastie Burrow, which houses fascinating and unusual insects, fish and lizards. The zone is as it says.. mini, but well worth a visit. Ethan loved looking around the Beastie Burrow (particularly the fish), even if I wasn't so keen myself - being that I have a slight fear of bugs! Critter Creek is located very close to Peppa Pig World within the park, so it's definitely worth having a stop by if you're heading that way. food and drinkPaultons Park offer a range of healthy meals and snacks via their adults and children's menus, including fresh salads, fruit and vegetable bolognese and soup but they also sell things like burgers and chips etc. They can also cater to food allergies, intolerance's or any other requests. We've eaten previously at the Wildwoods family restaurant (which is right next to the main entrance) and though there was a mix up with our meals (we were served chicken nuggets rather than vegetable nuggets!!! Which we very luckily didn't bite in to!), this was sorted out very quickly and we did enjoy our food. You can find more information about where to eat and drink at Paultons heretop tips

• When you enter the park, pick up one of the 'lost child contact' stickers and place it on your childs back where he/she can't reach it.
• At the beginning of your day, head towards the rides at the back of the park first as the closest rides tend to be more popular straight away. 
• During school holidays head for Peppa Pig World straight away or towards the end of the day to reduce your waiting times in the queues. 
• Check the chalk board at the School House in Peppa Pig World to see when Peppa and George will make their appearances that day. 
• Pushchairs and strollers are not allowed in the queues - so keep a separate bag at the ready with your valuables in. Alternatively you can hire a locker whilst you're there. 
• Remember to take socks for everyone who wants to go in the soft play area. 
• And also don't forget swimming costumes and towels for the little ones for the Water Kingdom and the Muddle Puddles splash park (for when they're open)! 

Our overall experienceWe absolutely love Paultons Park and find that it's very worth traveling the couple of hours it takes us to get there for, which is why we've been twice now. Adam and I have already said to each other that we're likely to go back next year and probably the following years after that, as it's somewhere that is just absolutely magical for children (especially Peppa fans!) and of course there's lots of magic to be had for parents when watching your children have so much fun! I highly recommend Paultons Park and as I said - we will absolutely be going back ourselves!And finally purely because it makes me laugh so much, here's a picture of Adam and Ethan going down the big slide in the indoor play zone within the Peppa Pig World section of the park ... ...who do you think was more scared? Haha! ;)  FACEBOOK  | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM