Located just south of Sherwood Forest, about 80 minute drive from Leeds, Wheelgate Park is an ideal day out for primary school aged children.
Wheelgate Park is completely child friendly, especially for those who don’t like big rides. There are various size/age restrictions for the rides, but not a single ride can be classed as scary!
Wheelgate Park is quite traditional in its rides and activiries, but they include:
– Rollercoaster
– Slides
– Trampolines and bouncy pillows
– Carousel
– Climbing play areas
– Mazes
– Water bumper boats (adult required)
There is also ample free parking on site, so you don’t need to worry about additional costs.
Wheelgate Park also has a number of different areas to explore:
Under 5’s area
This is an area just for the younger children and includes a (really small) rollercoaster, pedal bikes, bouncy castle and a few other rides.
It is really nice to have an area just for the smaller ones and the rides are just perfect for them to go on, on their own.
Indoor Play areas
There are 3 indoor play areas at Wheelgate Park. The first one is a traditional soft play area with a separate under 5’s section. This soft play is pretty big and you can easily lose your children in there for an hour or so!! They will be tired afterwards!
The other indoor play area is a bit different. It can only be described as a an area full of sponge balls and air guns to shoot them at people! For those who have been to Cbeebiesland at Alton Towers, it is like Justin’s House. This is on the upstairs of the second indoor play area whilst on the ground floor is another under 5 area. There is also an indoor football area and a couple of different rides.
The final indoor play is hidden in the Pizza/Pasta restaurant (that doesn’t seem to sell pizza or pasta!). This is just for under 5’s and is quite small, but as it is hidden away, it is a good chill out area.
Wet Play
This is only open in the warmer months and as the water isn’t heated, there is good reason!! When open and busy, you book an hour slot to enjoy the slides and splash area.
It is best to get changed into swimming outfits a few minutes before your time starts so you don’t lose valuable time. For some reason, children don’t feel the cold, but for adults, the water was a bit too cold!!
An hour is long enough and make sure you bring enough big towels to dry the children off. You can go back to the car during the day so a top tip is to leave your swimming stuff in the car and collect it just before going for wet play.
Depending on weather, it is best to go for a later session so that you don’t have damp children for the rest of the day!
Animals
Towards the top end of Wheelgate Park is the animal section. Here are small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs and reptiles. There is also an enclosure with some farmyard animals.
Check out the schedule when you enter the park as they do animal handling sessions during the day.
Also, on weekends and school holidays, unicorns magically appear and can be ridden for an additional fee.
Food and Drink
The refreshments offering is unlikely to win any awards, but it is traditional theme park food. Serving times are slow, especially at peak times, so plan accordingly!! They are allergy aware which is excellent, but it can cause moments of slight confusion!!
Wheelgate Park Planning tips
Aim to get to Wheelgate Park at opening time. You can do everything in the day but you’re best to get there early, as the kids will not want to leave!!
You can also bring your own food and drink so you can have a picnic in the park. As you can go back to your car during the day, leave your food in the car to save you from carrying it around!
If you book online the day before (or earlier), you tend to get a discount as well!
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