Flamingoland

Yesterday Daddy took the three year old and the five year old to Flamingoland for the day. As it's both half-term and Halloween this week there's a special offer for those going in costume, buy one get one free (£40 in 2018). The three year old is free anyway since he's limited to which rides he can enjoy. The offer made the trip within our budget as £40 a head would be over the odds for us (and most I'd wager).

First thing we headed straight for food since the weather was a bit dismal to start. The kids shared a pizza with chips and a bottle of water, £7.50 was great value especially when compared to the £5.50 Daddy's coffee and cake cost. Since it was Halloween week £2 for face painting seemed very acceptable.

Immediately after brunch we watched the pirates dancing and singing for the crowds (using the term loosely) which was a real treat for the five year old who has just been learning about pirates at her school.

Then to the rides and I am very impressed with the number and range on offer to short people, perhaps pricing should relate to height and not age? It's the last week before the rides close down for winter but the website suggests 5 kids rides are open weekends with the zoo at a heavily discounted rate. (£12 weekend and  £7.50 weekdays)

The five-year old went on the small mine train rollercoaster by herself and was mature beyond her years when doing this and also again later the airplane rollercoaster when her little brother was flagging a bit. One thing I would say is that it is challenging to be a lone parent with two this young at this park, probably not unique in this regard, especially when certain rides required 1 parent per child i.e. carousel and F1 racing (the latter being more understandable). Some kind of child parking system would really help here.

I was really impressed by how much the three-year old could do still, he loved the sky train, monorail, steam train, helicopters, planes and especially the F1 cars. The five-year old was in her element and I am definitely considering taking her on her own or with one of her friends in the future so she can fully experience the rides available.

As if the rides weren't enough, the zoo meant we easily filled the day and for most mortals this park is probably a two-day experience; the management are clearly attuned to this offering big reductions on two-day passes. We whisked around the zoo really but did get to watch the Sumatran Tigers being fed and that was simply breathtaking to be within feet of such a majestic animal. The talk was excellent too.

At the end of the afternoon after revisiting some of the kid's favourite rides (the attendants being very generous with how long each ride lasted as it was quiet) we headed to the soft play area and shared nuggets and chips for a fiver. Again this was cheap in comparison to the coffee and cake available next door, but everything seemed reasonable in balance considering how much you can spend at venues south of humber. Nothing was more surprising than the prices in the gift shop where you can genuinely get pocket money priced toys alongside more genuine gifts. We left with a die-cast  car pulling a plastic caravan, a stretchy smellovision banana and an 86 piece lego-compatible flamingo for a touch over a tenner.  That really takes some beating and only the Deep in Hull compares in my mind for venues of this scale.

The last surprise was to find out that a year's ticket including special events is £126 a head, £430 for 2 plus 2 or 1 plus 3 family combos. Being only 45 minutes away I am genuinely tempted by this as there's a lot of park and I can't see our two tiring of it too quickly.

In total the day cost less than £65 and with butties and no treats Could have easily been just the forty quid it cost us to get in. For some that's still a lot of money but in 2018 I struggle to think of a better value day out, whist bearing in mind it was heavily discounted.

The Farm Shop Wiggington

A short stop-off on the way home from Durham turned in to a relatively long stay, well over an hour in fact, most of which was spent playing in the sandpit, on the bouncy castle and on the fort, not to mention the numerous pedal cars / tractors; D was particularly taken by the Digger and the Wendy House in the sand pit, to the point where she didn't really eat any of her lunch box.Food was reasonably priced and Daddy enjoyed the brocolli and stilton Soup, whilst mummy had a savoury cheese sandwich, the children's lunch box was excellent value at around four pounds including sandwiches, potato bears, cornflake cake and chocolate milk; the milkshake being D's favourite so I won't begrudge her it if it gets drunk. She was so distracted by the playing which is free, that lunch was still being eaten when we got home some time later on.

There didn't appear to be a baby change anywhere, which was a bit of a pain when D and baby A needed changing; but beyond this it is an excellent little spot to take the kids for a long lunch, where you can eat outside in the sun, whilst they play.

I will give this place a four out of five overall, but for value it is very much a five.

Adventure Valley

Today we spent the day at Adventure Valley near Durham, whilst meeting with friends to catch up and let the kids run wild, burn off some energy. It's a little on the pricey side at nine pound per adult and child over 2, which is a little beyond the usual 3 and over stance and a bit annoying that they feel the need to charge for adults at all, if you want to charge 18 pounds per child, then do so, but don't try to make it seem better value by charging parents instead.Aside from this, it is pretty good value and would be more so if D was a  little older, say over 5, rather than pretending to be under 2 (what's a week after all?).

There is a range of outdoor activities that kids of all ages will enjoy, Daddy particularly enjoyed the ring slide, be aware you need to drag your ring back up the hill (no euphemism intended) afterwards; you go a lot faster if the track is wet. D enjoyed the indoor slide and the tractor ride, although Daddy may have traumatised her with the indoor helterskelter style slide, to which he lost the skin off his elbow and she became quite fearful of dark tunnels - with good reason as spinning down a tube very quickly might not be the best way to entertain a two year old, but at least she walked it off and didn't throw up, stating no likey!

For kids that don't need to nap, this is an excellent place to spend the whole day and ideally that would be a warmish summer day, rain might make it less enjoyable as most of the attractions are outdoors; the soft play (including the cafe) and the animal enclosures are covered though.The animals were entertaining and D did love feeding the goats and sheep, you can buy bags on the way in and petting the rabbits seemed to make her quite happy and was a big draw for the other kids in the place. There is a schedule for the different animal oriented activities handed to you on the way in, with something every half hour there is plenty to keep them occupied in this regard.

There are a few different coin-op rides inside and out, we rode on the little cars inside which was a pound for three laps and daddy realised that he could shed a few kilos in order to speed things up a little, on the plus side our ride lasted much longer than everybody else's. Parent's should be prepared to fork out more cash on some of the cool stuff, as most of it costs a bit extra.

There was only one thing that put a bit of a mar on the day and that was the inflexibility of the cafe staff when it came to our request to swap the children's meal drink for a bottle of water, which cost the same as the box of juice included, but was for some reason an unacceptable exchange; tap water was offered although given that I felt this was a reduction in value for the meal a second bottle was purchased. This is a bit of a theme, places don't seem familar with the existence of children who simply don't like juice of any kind - chocolate milk is an acceptable substitute in most establishments although it wasn't on the menu today. The food was ok and reasonably priced although a lot of parents seemed to elect to take picnics and sit outside with them, there is a lot of room for this, providing the weather is ok, it did seem to be pretty windy though being up on a hill and I would suspect that it often gets a stiff breeze up there. Still at least the kids won't overheat.

Parking is ample and free, so that is a big plus; finding the place is pretty simple as it is near the prison; what could possibly go wrong. Apparenty there is a 55 pound season pass, which makes the place a lot more affordable for those who live in the area. All in all, it is a great place to take the kids for the full day, it would be a bit better if everything was included in the entry fee, even if that was a little more and perhaps only charge a couple of pounds per parent too.

As an attraction it is probably a five out of five, but value is more three out of five.

Sewerby Park and Zoo

Sewerby Park is the gardens surrounding Sewerby Hall, a ten minute drive or an hours walk away from Bridlington town centre; the cliff top walk is highly recommended when the weather is nice and you can always call in to the Ship Inn for a relaxed drink or even pub food; there are other places to eat for example The Olde Forge has always been nice.

We visited on Mother's day this year, with Grandma Lynn in tow as a nice morning trip out; it is still out of season so the gardens can be accessed for free and parking was also free too, so this was always going to be a cheap and cheerful visit. The children's play area looked excellent although this time we didn't visit, also of note was the clocktower cafe, which has seen extensive renovations and a much improved menu; we left the buggy outside as there isn't really room for parking inside, which might also indicate the challenges wheelchairs might face - although there is ample seating ouside. D was particularly impressed by the exposed pendulum of the clock in the wall, which is also a first for me, given that it used to be hidden by the counter and walls.

We had our lunch, which was simply sandwiches and drinks, costing less than twenty pounds for the three adults and D; the food was good enough and the surroundings wonderful; there wasn't much to keep D distracted and she entertained herself by running amok and leading daddy the merry dance, but it wasn't too busy so not too much the bother.

The highlight was Sewerby Park Zoo, which isn't so much a zoo, but more a small animal park and aviary; it doesn't cost an awful lot to get in and we spent just short of an hour inside. Much of our time was devoted to the penguins, where you gain  a much more intimate experience than at the Deep, but D was also taken by some of the birds and in particular the parrots who were in good voice. The zoo is excellent for small children, but older ones might be bored quickly if they aren't particularly into animals.

There is lots to do beyond this, for example the gardens offer a lovely walk and there is a 9 hole golf course, not to metion the Hall itself, which is now a museum; the contents are interesting, but not necessarily to young children.

In season there is a sliding scale on price, but it covers access to the hall, gardens and zoo, never getting over twenty pounds for a family of four; but obviously the best value is just outside of season - Mother's day for example.                                                                              

The Deep

The Deep is one of, if not the best attraction in East Yorkshire and comparable on a national scale; the value is exceptional providing you visit more than once in a year and whilst that for some is the main selling point, for me it is the way it works on so many levels for different ages. D is now Two years old and has already visited several times, most recently with the whole family as a birthday treat; this time she lasted about 2 hours and that seems pretty standard for her at this time.  As they grow up the experience changes and obviously becomes more educational and interactive, D's cousins of 4 an 6 still love it here and get plenty out of it; I think I can see us coming here regularly until she turns maybe 9 or 10 and her younger brother A too.

The great thing about the deep is that you don't get that painful feeling in your pocket that you are being milked for all your worth, so we usually start our trip with brunch or coffee and cake at the very least; there is a smaller cafe about half way in near the picnic area and this tends to only open in summer or during significant holidays. Eating on the top deck can be quite enjoyable for the kids as there is a balcony overlooking the Humber and Hull, which is open whenever the weather allows.

We have the annual pass and there is no entry price to under 3's, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything of value for younger children as it might suggest; the sheer number of parents to be found near the fish tanks with young babies is testament to this. When D was younger she was fascinated by the wide array of colourful fish in the main display tank and the way they moved around, now she loves the Penguins the most and often rushes to the first viewing point. Crowds gather here on the busier days and it is recommended to get to the Deep before lunch, one tip for seeing the penguins is to move past the first viewing windows and catch them from the second vantage point, which allows you to see above and below the water; round the corner from this is a smaller window that often proves a great place to watch the penguins underwater and especially around feeding time.

The soft play area is also pretty good for kids of 4 / 5 and under, which is surrounded by some pretty interactive exhibits like the video wall for older kids; this pretty much marks the end of the main displays as you go through the underwater tunnel towards the glass elevator back to the top level, which is also a bit of a bottle neck, definitey do this once, but we usually go up by the stairs as this allows for more vantage points at each level.

In true museum tradition exit via the gift shop, but you might find yourself pleasantly surprised with prices as the cherubs ask you to dig deep one last time on the way out. There are items to suit all budgets, so it needn't be traumatic.

Parking is now only two pounds for four hours, so returning needn't be expensive; pack a coat as the deep is located in a bit of a wind-trap though and walking from the car can be a bit chilly. In terms of access on foot, you can walk through the old town from the train station and this would probably take twenty minutes with little ones in tow, but you might want to spend a full day by visiting either the East Riding museum or even Streetlife museum, which are both on the way (and free entry).

The star rating is very much a five out of five, but bear in mind it costs a bit to get in the first time after which the value just gets better and better.