We love discovering places to have new adventures as a family and even if we have visited somewhere previously, the next time we visit, our experience will probably be different. We have visited Pensthorpe Natural Park near Fakenham before but this would be our first visit with both Elsa and Cleo.
So is Pensthorpe good for young children?
Pensthorpe is located around 45 minutes from Norwich and King’s Lynn and close to Fakenham. Pensthorpe is a nature reserve so there is plenty to see and there are some lovely walking trails with some that are suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. With Pensthorpe being mostly outdoors, the weather makes a huge difference to your day and it is best to go on a dry day but while we visited, it did rain. It didn’t make that much difference but thankfully the sun did come out after a little while.
For children, there is so much to do! On the main trail, there is a stamp trail where you can collect a badge at the end. This encourages children to explore more of the reserve and really get involved with nature. Pensthorpe has a lot of birds and wildlife. Over 500 different species have been recorded so wildlife spotting is another great activity for children as well as feeding the birds with feed that can be purchased for £1 from the gift shop.
There are 7 hides around the reserve too so if bird watching or photography is your thing then that is covered too. As well as woodland and wetland, there are also the impressive indoor and outdoor play areas. The play areas once again encourage and inspire outdoor exploration. The play areas are very impressive and children can play for hours both inside and outside.
The play areas were Elsa and Cleo’s favourite part of the day (other the flamingos). We booked our hour and a half in Hootz House indoor play area, they do this so it doesn’t get too busy with it being the summer holidays. Hootz House includes everything you would expect to find in an indoor play area but it is all nature themed. There is something for babies up to older children so the whole family is catered for. The outdoor play area is amazing, there are slides, high ropes and Pensthorpe even have their own stream for children to play in on warmer days. Children really are spoilt for choice when it comes to activities and places to play at Pensthorpe.
We took a picnic but there is a café and there are places to grab a bite to eat but I would recommend taking your own picnic so you can sit on one of the benches around the reserve and enjoy the views and wildlife.
You can find out more over on the Pensthorpe website
*Disclaimer – We were kindly gifted tickets to Pensthorpe in exchange for a review*
The Coastal Mummy 