This past weekend we took our 2.5 year old daughter, Ada, on her first ever theme park experience, at Gulliver’s Land Milton Keynes.
We had such a wonderful time that I thought I would share our experience with you – despite the fact that I haven’t made a YouTube video in two years! (I know, I’m sorry – having a baby, battling postnatal depression and anxiety, then a pandemic hitting wasn’t exactly the most conducive situation for content creating)
We decided upon a visit to Gulliver’s World firstly because it was more affordable than somewhere like Alton Towers (which, of course, we would love to take Ada to in the future when she’s a bit older and will be able to enjoy a bigger majority of the rides there) and also because it looked very family friendly.
It certainly was! The park itself was so accomodating for young children, with a whole host of rides that children under 90cm tall could ride accompanied by an adult (and even more for children under 120cm too), as well as many different play areas, both outdoor and indoor (including four different soft plays, one of which was specifically for babies and toddlers).
Even if Ada hadn’t wanted to go on any rides as such – we were concerned she wouldn’t as the only experiences she’d had with carousels and shopping centre coin-powered ride ons had always resulted in upset – I feel she would have still had an amazing time purely in the play zones!
Luckily, even though in the past any mechanical rides had caused her to scream, on our day at Gulliver’s she was all about it, and went on every ride she could!
From the Crazy Barrels, to the Rio Bravo, Gulliver’s Travels to the Veteran Cars, Ada had a blast – and so did we!
It was so wonderful to watch our daughter have so much fun. Personally I still feel like I’m trying to “make up for lost time” from such a huge portion of her life spent in COVID lockdowns, or from my own postnatal anxiety causing me to hold back from many baby activities both before and after lockdown – So now when we do get out and about for fun activities, it brings me an even deeper sense of joy and gratitude than normal watching Ada having fun experiences.
For a smaller theme park, we were so impressed with what Gulliver’s had to offer for children of all ages. Some may consider the park to be a little dated and in need of a freshen up, but we were so pleased with what we got for the price we paid – Gulliver’s is truly a great choice for families on a budget.
We will definitely be returning! In fact, we’re considering buying the annual passes, which allow you to access their four theme parks across England – and with their flagship park in Warrington being just a short drive from where Dan’s family live, it would be perfect for us personally.
Back at Gulliver’s Adventurer’s Village, their on-site accomodation (they also have their Meadows Campsite if you don’t mind roughing it) where we stayed the night before our day at the theme park, we were again, really impressed.
Our little cabin (one of their Safari Lodges) had everything we needed, including a kitchenette where you could make your own basic meals, tea and coffee, and a wet room shower with very decent water pressure. We found it all made for a very comfortable stay.
We aren’t a fancy family so we found the accommodations perfect for our needs – but if you’re a 4 or 5 star hotel/resort type of family you might have a different take on things.
We really loved that there were playgrounds at the village too, so before we had even stepped foot in the theme park Ada was having so much fun sliding and climbing at the village.
I honestly can’t recommend staying at the Adventurer’s Village if you’re visiting Gulliver’s Land enough! We found it brilliant for a family stay and staying onsite made getting to the park in the morning so simple – no rushing around in a flap for us!
On site there was also a cafe where we grabbed a quick coffee to go before heading over to the theme park, and we also noted that there was the Raptor Restaurant – we didn’t get the chance to check that out as we arrived to the site late at night, but I imagine that would be helpful to families who want to grab a bite to eat on site.
There are also other pubs and restaurants nearby – we thoroughly enjoyed a delicious meal at a lovely place called Cross Keys after we visited the park, before we began the drive back to Bristol.
I must add that we were in fact meant to be at Gulliver’s earlier the evening before our day at the theme park, for one of their Dinosaur Sleepover events (Ada is dinosaur obsessed right now!), however on our drive there we were caught up in a closure of the M4 which lasted for 5.5 hours. We left Bristol at 12.45pm, and didn’t end up getting to Milton Keynes until 9.15pm!
We were, of course, so disappointed to miss that, but grateful to make it to the park at all, and so incredibly pleased that Ada had such a great time despite missing what was meant to be the highlight for her! (We’d bought our Gulliver’s Tickets and specifically the Dinosaur Sleepover tickets as her Christmas present).
But no bother really, as we said, we will definitely be heading back to Gulliver’s, and will be sure to make sure Ada gets some quality time in their dinosaur attractions in the future.
Thank you Gulliver’s for such a wonderful weekend!
Our tips for a trip to Gulliver’s Land:
- Take a packed lunch – there are places to get basic food inside the theme park, but as with any similar place, the prices are high, the lines are long, and the options limited. There are so many picnic tables dotted around the park where you can sit to eat, as well as a green space to roll out a picnic blanket up near The Whirlwind and Flying Texan Boots. In fact, take snacks everywhere – you never know when you might get stuck on a motorway for 5.5 hours – trust me, you’ll be grateful for those cookies and breadsticks (and in Dan’s case – since he wasn’t driving – beer)
- Don’t forget to stay sun safe and hydrated! There are lots of shaded or covered areas in the park, but of course a lot of it is out in the open too. Protect your little kiddos (and yourself) with suncream and hats, and make sure you always have your water bottles topped up.
- The park isn’t massive, but if you have a little one who isn’t up to walking around an entire day, definitely take a pushchair (Plus gives extra space to store snacks!). There are lots of places to park a pushchair whilst you go on the rides.
- If you’re staying at the Adventurer’s Village, choose the Beach Dens, Dino Dens or (some of the) Jungle Safari Lodges if you want to be close to the entry, restaurant, cafe etc, or choose others like the Pirate Lodges if you want to be a bit further away with a little less foot traffic.
- Again, if staying at the Adventurer’s Village, take full advantage of the kitchenette and bring your own basic meals to prepare to save yourself some money on eating out! We had a kettle and a microwave, and I’ve heard others had a two-burner hob as well. As I said above, there is a cafe and restaurant on site, and whilst we grabbed a coffee in the morning from the cafe, I can’t speak for the restaurant as it wasn’t opened when we got there late at night.