Relentlessly Purple

Wicksteed Park kindly invited us to visit on Thursday for a family day out. We were given member wristbands and a Clip N Climb session in exchange for an honest review. It took us just over 2 hours from Grays to Kettering due to an accident but the park was really easy to find.

Wicksteed Park

Wicksteed Park is an amusement park that opened in 1921, located in Kettering, Northamptonshire. The park was founded by Charles Wicksteed, the son of a Unitarian minister of the same name and his wife Jane Lupton.

Charles Wicksteed has left behind a legacy enabling children to play and explore nature in his park for free. There are beautiful gardens, a lake, animals and so much more to offer family days out for any budget.

Prices

This beautiful 147 acre park is free to enter with a completely free playground, open all year round. You can purchase individual ride tickets at the park that last up to 7 days or a wristband from an outlet or online for a discounted price. You can also buy wristbands for activities such as Clip N Climb and the Zipwire.

Things To Do

There is so much to do at Wicksteed Park from family picnics enjoying the beautiful scenery, playing in the playground and the 30 rides and activities.

There is also a campsite so you can stay overnight, something we will be going back to do when it is a little cooler! We happened to arrive in the middle of a heatwave so whilst we tried to cover as much of the park as we could, with regular water and rest stops we still have more to go back and do.

It didn’t take the girls long to check out the cute Meerkats when we arrived. There is a tunnel system allowing you to pop your head up in a bubble for an upclose look. The girls loved this and we had to promise Izzy we would go back again before we left (and we did!).

Alongside the Meerkats are goats, there are also some Alpacas we saw whilst riding on the train. We will try to find them next time! There is also a big bird aviary which the girls really enjoyed.

Narrow Gauge Railway

There is a beautiful narrow gauge railway which runs around the lake giving you a stunning view of most of the park. The train runs regularly and takes just a few minutes to go all the way around the lake.

If the train stopped at the bottom of the park (near the alpacas) that would have been fantastic. We got to see the Zip–line, Archery, Boats on the lake and the Thrill area with even more rides than the arena before arriving back at the gorgeous train station.

Food & Drink

We had packed a few bottles of water to take with us on the day knowing that the temperatures were expected to be very high. We still needed to top up and buy more drinks whilst we were there though and were pleased to find they weren’t too over priced. Fruit shoots were just £1.40 each and drinks like 7up were around £1.80. There are several places you can buy food and drink around the park too.

Of course we had to stop for ice cream on such a hot day too and the girls had quite a selection to choose from. Izzy tried the raspberry ripple and Eva had bubblegum, they didn’t take long to disappear!

Mini Landrovers

Having cooled back down we headed over to the mini Landrover area so the girls could try driving them around the course. The girls really enjoyed this.

Tree Top Walk

The tree top walk is quite fun and a little challenging. Eva flew through the walk really enjoying herself. Izzy is a little afraid of heights lately so she became tearful but managed to keep going until the end and was then really proud of herself!

Clip N Climb

After a few hours of fun we headed to Clip N climb where we were booked in for a 10 minute briefing before we began. We all listened to the instructions and got harnessed up. Don’t worry, I was tempted but decided my back wasn’t up to climbing!

Eva didn’t take long to get the hang of climbing up and flying back down from the top of different courses. Izzy was again quite fearful of climbing up and falling back down but the staff were fantastic and encouraged her to at least go up a few rungs on a ladder whilst they held it still.

We spent almost a full hour at Clip N Climb watching Eva and the Mr climb up and fly back down and it was so much fun. Eva’s confidence just kept on growing, so much so that she was a little overwhelmed afterwards but so proud of herself. She tried most of the climbing walls, the stairway to heaven and we paid an extra £2 for her to try the Leap of faith which she really enjoyed!

After the Clip N Climb session, we had one last wander around the park to see if we could spot the alpacas before heading to the gift shop to treat the girls. Of course, we remembered to stop back at the Meerkats for Izzy before we all stumbled to the car feeling absolutely exhausted but happy after such a lovely day.

Overall Opinion

As a family, we are all in agreement that Wicksteed Park is fantastic for families. There really is so much to do and we didn’t even manage to cover half of the rides or activities due to the heat. We found the park is beautifully clean and well kept throughout. There are not only plenty of toilets but also changing facilities in the men‘s toilet, something we absolutely needed not too long ago because of my back!

If Wicksteed Park was a little closer we would definitely make it our go-to place this summer. Instead, we are aiming to return at the end of summer when it is a little cooler to camp so we can experience everything Wicksteed Park has to offer. The cleanliness, helpful staff and sheer amount to do as a family makes it an ideal place for all the family.