Recently my girls were lucky enough to have a
Monday inset day and we used this as the perfect opportunity to visit Knockhatch without it being too busy. I would say that Knockhatch Adventure Park is a perfect (and really reasonably priced) day out if your child is aged
between about 2 - 12 years. My twins are just about to turn 11 and they’re on
the cusp of being a bit big for some of the attractions.
As we were visiting with many friends with kids
of varying ages it worked well as they were able to help the little ones in the
Pirates Cove splash area and on things like the soft play and Quadapillar ride
without feeling too big. I have to admit to being really pleasantly surprised
by the whole park. We had briefly visited about five years ago and not been
that impressed but this visit was enough to make us want to go back a good few
times before the girls really outgrow it.
High Season, Term Time
We visited on an Orange day, which is high
season but within term time, so everything was open but we had timed sessions
for them all and there was at least three or four sessions (spread throughout
the day) for each activity/attraction in the day so you could do most
everything. I have to be honest though, we found it hard to fit everything in
during the five hours we were there. We were given a leaflet with the times as
we arrived so it was easy to be able to plan.
What attractions did we enjoy?
We started our day in the new Lost World
Playbarn, this was beautifully cool on a very hot day and consisted of an enclosed high ropes course and some mega slides, ranging in thrill factor from
a gentle wave slide that you ride in a hessian sack through to a complete drop
slide, that one of my daughters fell in love with! Adults were also welcomed
onto the slides and this was very good for those with younger children. The
barn also has loads of dinosaurs around it and whilst these were of no interest
to my big girls, I think younger ones would love them. There was also tons of
bench seating for a rest or your picnic and also a take-away food kiosk with
drinks, ice creams, sandwiches and cakes.
The jumping pillows outside are loads of fun but
make sure you have socks for a hot day as you’ll scold your feet otherwise.
There is one for both smaller and bigger kids/ adults.
Pirates Cove is a fairly small splash play area
but it is very well done and especially great for those aged about 1-8 years
with a mini climbing frame and slide in the water. There is an area with AstroTurf
for the parents to rest and wait but be warned, bring a waterproof backed
blanket or risk a very wet bum if you sit down! We got a space easily as it was
a quiet day but on a weekend, my friend told me there is rarely any adult space
there.
As the girls were already in their swimsuits and
wet we headed off to the Wave Runner slide, which is a 32ft water slide. You can get a bit wet but many people were doing it in their clothes and managing to just get a splash. This was a massive hit with the girls and we went back later as well.
Next we hopped in the Runaway Train Simulator and this was an education for us all as we've never been in a simulator before. Luckily it was pretty tame and we all enjoyed the experience of sitting in the mine train and charging along the track.
The Quadapillar ride was next (you can see it in the photo above) and this was fun, but probably much more exciting for the younger kids. You also get incredibly dusty if it is has been dry, so be warned.
Following on from the quadapillar we took a walk around the circular farm/ animal trail and saw pigs, deer, an ostrich, ponies, goats and llamas. Then we wandered back through the wallaby walk through and into the Froggies soft play to cool off from the sun.
Then lastly they ended up out on a rowboat with a friend of mine (she's much braver than I, I was a tad nervous) and this was a real treat as they haven't done it before. Take a look at the short video below to see more of the activities they got up to.
The attractions we didn't even get around to enjoying!
- My girls felt they were a bit big for the chair'o'plane so they didn't have a go on that
- Adventure playground with zip wires and duel (older kids)
- Chestnut wood play are and sandpit (smaller kids)
- Enchanted Forest mini golf
- Watch the outdoor owl display
- Visit the owl sanctuary
- Watch the other animal encounters shows
- Tommy Tractors Play Barn (for smaller kids)
- Go karts *
- Bungee trampolines *
- Climbing wall *
- Mini Quads *
There is an additional charge for the items with a * but I thought they were really good value, with the bungee trampoline being £3 and the climbing wall, just £2
Food and Drink
There was loads of space (both covered and uncovered) for having a picnic and I also saw a number of places to buy food if you didn't fancy bringing your own. The burger place seemed really cheap in comparison to other days out venues with a regular classic burger starting at just £3 and a tea of 12oz coke for just £1.20.
Some of the places were not open on a quieter day like the one we went on, but you could till buy food in Froggies of play area and there was loads of tables and chairs in there. We took a picnic but just bought me a hot drink and the kids some ice creams and they were really reasonably priced too. We paid £1 for Callipo lollies.
We didn't try them but I'd like to next time we go back, as we discovered they make fresh hot waffles in the canon area and they are a favourite for my family.
Essential Information
- The cost depends on the time of year. Peak time £9.59 per person (over 2 years) when you book online (that's a 20% discount) and you can book family tickets that make it a little cheaper too.
- Address: Hailsham Bypass, Hailsham. BN27 3GD. (use this postcode for your Sat Nav)
- Telephone Number: 01323 442051
- Website and online booking: https://www.knockhatch.com/
- You can check out reviews of Knockhatch over here.
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