Greenwood Forest Park is one of our favourite places to go as a family. There is so much to cater for any age child.

As an adult I am more than happy pottering about this park I love how green it is and being out in the fresh air. Some parks are just too built up and slightly overwhelming.

But when at Greenwood Forest Park you do have a pleasant stroll around woodland as you gradually do the attractions. Plus all that fresh air helps my boys sleep better at night, which is always a winner! The beautiful carved wooden animals dotted around the Park are also very popular with children.

We went on Tuesday and had a magical day. The boys enjoyed archery, eldest managed to hit the target and youngest managed to look adorable. I managed to get out of having a go as the queue was building and I would have probably shot myself in the foot!

There was a well-equipped toddler village for the 0-3’s, we were blessed with good weather but if it is raining its great to shelter here and you can relax and know your children are happily occupied.

Okay I admit it we sneaked the four year old in for review purposes – don’t tell them 😉

The Enchanted WoodBarn caters for older children. So again whatever the weather you can be guaranteed a lot of fun in Greenwood Forest Park. Plus, you are located right next to the cafe so can make the most of the lovely food whilst your children enjoy the play equipment.

Hubbie was particularly fond of the barefoot trail, which was a lovely sensory experience for all of us. We walked across water, sand, stones, wood chippings and hay to name a few. Hubbie said at the end his feet have not felt this soft in ages! So a trip to Greenwood Forest Park is cheaper than getting your feet done at a Spa!

There is just so much to see and do:

Lots Of Fun On The Slides

The boys enjoyed shouting “WHEEEEEE” on the green run slides

We sailed on a boat, hubbie definitely needs more practice with his oar! Luckily we had no people behind us!

Furry Friends

We admired the cute bunnies and youngest blew them lots of kisses!

We pedalled like crazy on the moon karts and burnt off our chocolate bar pudding!

Time To Bounce

The boys enjoyed bouncing around on the giant jumper (hopefully it might mean they stop using our bed as a trampoline for a little while!)

The boys also managed to drive tractors and not run over my toes…

The staff were all friendly and helpful and really made us feel welcome. It costs £75 (2024 prices) for a family of four at the height of the season as long as you buy your ticket 3 days in advance. But we feel it really is worth every penny! In the school holidays there is daily entertainment too in the Forest Theatre. We have seen a pirate before, he had a snake and eldest was impressed when mummy was dragged on stage as a volunteer! I thought I was going to have a glass of water tipped on my head but with a little magic I luckily left dry!

In 2016 four years after this post was published Greenwood Forest Park also added the SolarSplash attraction. You can read more about that below.

Solar Splash

Greenwood Forest Park has always been a wonderful day out for our family but it’s gone and got even more exciting with the opening of their fantastic SolarSplash attraction, so called because it is powered by the sun. I must admit I am impressed that Greenwood Forest Park always develop their park thinking about sustainability.

In this ride you speed down chutes or the tube in a little inflatable boat, it’s quite thrilling and well worth climbing the 60+ steps for another go! Children over three are welcome to ride with an adult and over eight’s can tackle the ride of their own. The descent is quite fast, apparently reaching speeds of 25 miles an hour! Youngest wanted me to close my eyes on the way down, but then I felt I was going even faster again…

The staff operating the ride were very pleasant. They helped children at the bottom who were struggling to load the boats back onto the device that returns the boats to the top of the ride. Fortunately you don’t have to carry your dingy up the stairs like you do with the trays for the Great Green Run.

SolarSplash

The ride itself is a lot of fun and as a parent who wants to tire out her children it helps your children burn off lots of energy. You have to climb back up lots of steps to rejoin the queue for another turn. We were lucky with queues we never waited long to hurtle back down the slides. The boys at the top were very efficient, managing which side people wanted. You can either queue for the orange slides or the yellow covered one. My boys were a little reluctant of the yellow one at first. However, once we had made our maiden journey down it all was well and they wanted another go straight away.

We never really got wet either which was a relief. Fortunately, the dingy seems to keep you quite dry! It was a warm day on our visit but Wales being Wales you can never rely on the weather. Therefore, it’s good they factored that in to the design of the ride, because whatever the weather children will want to try out the thrilling new ride.

Well done Greenwood Forest Park SolarSplash gets a big thumbs up from all of us!

Greenwood Forest Park Easter Eggstravaganza

Greenwood Forest Park have lots of events on during the year. The events change all the time and they really do think of everything! Magicians, Owls, maypole dancing… you need to keep going back to Greenwood Forest Park so you do not miss out!

We have never been to one of the featured events at the park, we have enjoyed many a pleasant visit though. This time was even better, having said that each visit has been quite special for all of us. It is a lovely place to visit, so lush and green with plenty of space for children to roam, without everyone feeling penned in a small area. However Greenwood Forest Park Easter Eggstravaganza meant there was even more to do than usual.

A giant bunny was hopping around the park, giving out high fives, cuddles and stopping for many a photo opportunity with delighted children. I cannot imagine what it must be like decked out in costume. But the bunny seemed an amicable character, in good spirits at all times…

We tried some new additions to the Park too; the donkey rides went down well. They are a complete bargain for £1.50 each in my opinion. It is the first time youngest held on his own, without me following him behind panicking he might fall off!

We did the Easter Egg hunt; walking round the park following the clues was great fun. It was a cold morning, but we soon warmed up!

The Enchanted WoodBarn

Afterwards we had to test out the new soft play area. The Enchanted WoodBarn, had plenty to keep my two occupied, whilst the welcoming (and nice and toasty!) seated area in the Café was a huge perk for us worn out parents.

Magic Show

We watched an entertaining magic show. Eldest was excited to be a magician’s assistant and was awarded with a balloon sword for his efforts!

It is great to see Greenwood Forest Park put so much thought and effort into continually improving the park. My boys were begging to come back the very next day!

The Greenwood Forest Easter Eggstravaganza is still on until Sunday 14th April, with live shows daily, Easter crafts, donkey rides and the Yellow Chick Trail during that period. So well worth a visit, I will definitely be keeping an eye on other events planned for the season on the Greenwood Forest Park website.