Mummy Diaries | A day out at Gulliver’s Land

You know when you’ve been somewhere before, but just don’t remember it at all? That’s exactly how I felt when I took Alfie to Gulliver’s Land at the weekend. We met up with his friend and her mum and had a really lovely day.

We booked our tickets for 10:30am, when the park opens. Arriving at 10:15, there was already a queue at the entrance, so we joined it. As soon as the gates were open, we weren’t waiting long. There were temperature checks on arrival, and masks are expected to be worn by anyone aged 3 or older. I personally don’t think that’s right, and children that young shouldn’t be forced to wear one. I wore mine, but everyone else had an exempt wristband. They’re available for children and adults, and no questions asked, or proof required. You can also buy masks at the entrance.

Now that Alfie is over 90cm, he also constitutes as a ‘child’. The price for him was £19 online in advance, the same as the adult price. If on-the-day admissions were being allowed, that price would be a very steep £25 per person – so well worth booking for a decent saving. I couldn’t believe the cost, especially as there were so many rides he still couldn’t go on, even with adult supervision.

There’s so much to do and see, although at the moment, there are certain areas still not open. A lot of that is obviously indoors. Each area has its own name and theme. These include:

• Main Street 
• JCB Zone 
• Lilliput Land 
• Lilliput Castle 
• Discovery Bay 
• Adventure Land 
• Western World

I couldn’t believe how much fun Alfie had – but also how brave he was on some of the rides. He loved them. There was also a special appearance from Bing and Flop, which they loved. This is going on twice a day throughout May – we went for the 11:15 slot and I was surprised to see no queue for photos, or many people even gathering around for it. As far as characters go, these were very realistic. Alfie loved having his photo taken and talking to them.

Enjoy the ride

So which rides did we go on?

Well we started off tame with a lap on the Veteran Cars, before a spin on the Giant Teacups. It was then time for a ride on the rapids, with the Jungle River ride. There was no way we were going on the log flume, as the weather wasn’t the warmest, and there were unexpected showers of rain throughout the day!

In fact, the heavens opened just as we went on the Rio Bravo train, and after the first lap, as there was no-one else waiting to go on, we stayed and did another lap, and another – until after about five turns, a queue had formed, we had to get off and finally brave the elements.

We sheltered in the JCB zone, although the digger Alfie chose wasn’t working. We decided to stop and have our picnic lunch instead. I also bought some fries and a latte (approx. £5). And then in no particular order, because I’ve totally forgot, we did the Twist & Joust rollercoaster. Each cart seats four, two back-to-back, and the carts also spin, which is just crazy. But Alfie laughed all the way around and had the biggest smile. He also loved the Flying Carpet, which just goes around in a clockwise direction, rising and dropping, before changing direction. It also leaves you hanging at the top for a while, but the kids totally didn’t mind.

But next coffee…

If you’re stopping for refreshments, make sure you go to the Costa shack. The other outlets selling coffee aren’t as nice. But we stopped for a coffee and sit in the sunshine, while the kids played in the park. There’s also the Junior Cowboy Town which has a row of shops, and a saloon which can be played in. Alfie loved the saloon, opening the doors before running upstairs and appearing at the top. Laps of that meant minutes of fun – and it could have easily been hours – but he was asking to go back on the slide.

Instead, we went on the Giant Boot ride. Sadly, they were only going around, rather than up and down as well. And we ended our visit with a go on the Hot Air Balloons. Not the best idea after necking a coffee. I ended up feeling a bit nauseous and dizzy. As the kids were also getting tired, we called it a day. But by this point, we had been there for just over four hours and the second admission had been let in – and it showed.

There were queues for everything, and it was generally a lot busier. While there was still so much we had yet to see and lots of rides we didn’t – and couldn’t – go on, we will definitely have to return. For a smaller theme park and Alfie’s age (well, let’s say 3-7-year-old bracket), it’s decent. There’s also a farm and dinosaur park, separate from the main park, so maybe we’ll have to do that next time instead.

So much fun, and after the year we’ve had, it was definitely much needed! Have you been to Gulliver’s Land or one of the sister theme parks?

Love, Lucy xx