Mummy Diaries | Plenty of fun at Riverside Hub

It's been a while since I posted a day out and this one was fantastic! I’d heard so many good things about the Riverside Hub but never been – mainly because it's roughly a 40-minute drive from ours, in Northampton. But Alfie met his friend there for a playdate and OMG, I can't believe we've not been sooner… It definitely won't be long before our next visit.

We booked our tickets online, and while at first, they may seem pricey at £15 for children and £7.50 for adults, you get a 2.5-hour session and almost everything is included... I say almost because we paid £2 for a couple of golf balls for the mini golf. You do get to keep the balls afterwards and I'll just have to remember to bring them with me next time. And when you see the facilities and the amount there is to do, to keep children of all ages entertained, the admission is 100% worth it.

I would recommend booking car parking online too. It’s also £1, and while the car park is small and the spaces are tight to get in and out of, there isn’t too much parking in the surrounding area, and we just saw people parking all over the grass verges (and even on the roundabout!).

So, as well as the crazy golf, there's also a huge soft play with a separate area for under 5s, some really cool sensory rooms, a role play village, go karts, laser quest, a vintage-style merry go round, and climbing walls... I told you there’s so much going on!

While we were waiting for Alfie’s friend to arrive, we went straight to the role play village. Alfie walked in and out of each shop, before he decided to pretend to be a shop keeper. He put on a white coat and started selling food. He probably did that for about 5 minutes, before losing interest, and I have to say maybe it's better suited to younger children.

The boys spent most of the time in the soft play, which is massive, and I definitely got the fear when I couldn't see Alfie… it didn’t help that there were so many children in red jumpers too. The play area is set over 4 levels and has football, basketball, slides and so much more. Who can blame them for not wanting to leave when there's so much fun to be had?

We eventually managed to get them down for a quick lunch break and the cafe menu is pretty extensive with plenty of treats on offer including slushes, ice cream, homemade cakes and even a small pick n mix counter. The children’s meals are so reasonably priced at £3.95 (which is the cost for a hot meal or cold meal deal). Alfie had chicken goujons, chips and baked beans, with veg sticks – washed down with a mixed slushie. I ordered the BBQ chicken panini (basically hunter’s chicken) with a side of chips, although there were jacket potatoes and pizza all on the menu. The adult menu is priced well too, with meals varying between £5.85 and £8.50.

The boys went back to the soft play before we played a round of crazy golf. You have to get balls from the main entrance (which as I mentioned are £1 per ball), while the golf clubs are at the entrance to the course itself. I was surprised to see the course held Alfie’s attention the whole time, but we had loads of fun. After that we went to the disco sensory rooms, which were just fabulous – think bright lights, music, and a dance floor!

With time running out, we only had time for a quick go on the go karts before our allocated slot was up. As we exited, one of the members of staff gave Alfie an I <3 Hub wristband and then went and got him a small gift (as his friend received one too) – a rubbery, stretchy monkey toy. He’s now part of the Hub Club, which means he can choose a present on his next – and every – visit.

We had such a good time at the Riverside Hub and can't wait to return to try all the things we didn’t get round to doing: the laser tag, climbing walls and carousel.

Love, Lucy xx