Feb 2023 Half Term Trip – Day 2 Robins Hood Wheelgate Theme Park

(For all the pictures shown in this post, you can simply click on them to enlarge)

We went to their other theme park called Twinlakes in Leicestershire last summer .

When did we visit:

We visited on a Thursday in mid February. It was raining in the early morning, but did not rain during the time we visited (lucky!). It was cloudy for the whole day. Temperature was between 7-12 oC. A bit chilly. The whole place was not crowded. We only needed to queue up occasionally for the rides. The indoor areas were not crowded too.

What age is it best for:

From toddlers to preteens. There are a variety of rides and play areas for all age. Grown ups are allowed to go on the rides with their kids for most of the rides. There are two indoor play areas specifically for under 5s only. One is called Cosmic Cuties (situated in Alien Galaxy Zone) , the other one is called Bedouins Minor Toddlers Play (situated in Land of Pharaohs Zone) .

How long we spent at the venue?

We arrived at 10am and left at 5pm.

What else are there to see or do?

• Robin Hood Water Park . Only open in the summer.
• Gift shop
• Escape Games (Additional charge applies)

Things that definitely worth to play or do:

Based on the ones we’ve tried, I would recommend:

• High Hazel Mini Mine Coaster (situated in Black Diamond Mining Zone) It’s a gentle rollercoaster suitable for young kids.
• Bumper boat (in Robin Hood zone) We love bumping into others. J especially loved the little jerk and water splashes caused by the bump.
• Pharaoh’s Funderdrome HUGE indoor play where grown ups can go too, with loads of obstacles.
• Major Oak Adventure Play (situated in the Black Diamond Mining Zone) Outdoor playground with lovely wooden play equipment. It is large enough for grown ups to play

Things that we did not visit/play:

We did not see the animals.

There are also a few rides we did not try because either they are for under 5s or J found them too “babyish” to go on.

Disappointments:

• The control buttons on the bumper boats were very stiff and hard to press.
• One of the karts that J tried on was very stiff to pedal.

Easy to navigate?

We found it easy as the layout was similar to Twinlakes that we went last summer. One thing to point out is that Wheelgate is smaller than Twinlakes.

In case of rain:

There are 2 indoor playrooms that you can go. One is called Land of the Pharaohs Zone , the other one is called Alien Galaxy Zone . There are various rides (e.g. Launch Tower) and activities (Sports pitch where you can kick football, or Crafts Corner where you can do some colourings etc) to do in there which cater all age groups. As I’ve already mentioned above (Things that definitely worth to play or do) and below the huge indoor play area in Land of the Pharaohs Zone is really fun. We spent a long time there.

You can also go to the restaurants or the gift shop.

How was the toilet?

Female toilets were at acceptable cleanliness.

How about the food?

We had lunch at Rendezvous Cafe in the Land of Pharaohs Zone at around 11:45pm. The cafe is small, with around 10 tables. There was no queue to order and pay. It was easy to find a table because it was still a bit early. Queue began to build up as we ate but still not long.

A reasonable range of food to choose from.

Price is on the expensive side given the quality of the food. I ordered a Hot Dog and it was just a plain hot dog sausage on a plain piece of bun without any butter or sauce.

Food is warm.

The cafe was at reasonable cleanliness.

Any extra charges once I’m there?

None except if you want to play the Escape Room Games.

Other things you need to know before you go:

Not really. If you and your kids are going to the Water Park in the summer then perhaps bring extra clothes to change.

Will I recommend it as a family attraction?

Now that we have been to Twinlakes and Robin Hood Wheelgate, 2 very similar theme parks, I have my heart over to Twinlakes more because it’s bigger and has more rides to cater a wider age range of kids. Wheelgate is still nice as a family attraction but just with fewer rides. These rides are more suitable for younger children (I’d sy under 6 or 7 years old), so I’ll probably not come again with J.

The indoor playroom in the Land of Pharaohs Zone is super fun, just like the one in Twinlakes. Some rides are a bit old.

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Here are some pictures of the day and descriptions.

First we tried out the Bumper Boats.

Then we went to the Hexo Maze . At first I was with J but soon he took off and ran away, leaving me behind trying to catch up. I then lost him but luckily saw Mr. B, so we went together and looking for the exit. Got lost. But finally found it! When we were out we saw J who was about to find a staff to report missing parents! haha!

There was a set of trampolines and bouncy castle.

Pretend shop in Worsop Vale Colliery Village :

There are some slides outside:

We spent at least 2 hours playing in the indoor play Pharaoh’s Funderdrome :

This is another place that I really like – Major Oak Adventure Play the outdoor adventure playground.

Caterpillar Chew Choo:

Jungle Critters:

Very challenging Crazy Golf:

Other things we tried:

Martians Mirror Maze – Small but quite fun

Mutant Master Buster – J used to hate these foam cannon ball shooting machines because they are very loud to him. I am glad he tried again this time, but he still complaint that they are too loud, and I don’t blame him. He did like aiming the targets and was very happy when he hit the targets. But what he really liked this time was the foam ball sucking machine where you collect the foam balls that other people shoot out and place them into this sucking machine, and it will direct the balls back up to the shooting machine. So you don’t need to physically carry the foam balls all the way back to your shooting machine (which is usually up a level).

Victorian Carousel – We all found it spinning quite fast!

Astra Glide Racing Slide – The slide was slow, most probably because it rained in the early morning so making the bag you sit in less slippery

Jumping pillow – J tried it in other places we visited before. But he still like it.

Kart – J was unlucky and rode on the very stiff one.

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For dinner, I booked a table at The Lion at Farnsfield . Many good reviews from Tripadvisor so I decided to give it a go. It’s also very close to Wheelgate.

Food was excellent. Really nice. The restaurant was very clean and felt comfortable. Friendly service.

You can see their sample menu here in their official website .

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🍕🥪☕️Meals: