Top Tips For Visiting BeWILDerwood Cheshire
Planning a family day out at BeWILDerwood Cheshire? From booking tickets and finding the best time to arrive to parking, food, toilets and what to wear, there are a few things worth knowing before you go.
We’ve visited BeWILDerwood Cheshire and put together our top tips for visiting BeWILDerwood Cheshire to help you make the most of your day, whether you’re visiting with toddlers, younger children or older kids.
There is a lot to see and do, so a little planning before you arrive can make your visit even easier. Here are the things we think you need to know before heading off for a day of woodland adventure.
1. Booking Tickets Before You Go
Although you can buy tickets on the gate, they are subject to availability so it is recommended to book tickets to BeWILDerwood before you go on their website.
The ticket price for BeWilderwood Cheshire depends on the size of your wild ones divided as follows:
- Born To BeWILD – Under 92 cm
- Almost WILD – 92 cm to 105 cm
- BeWILD – Over 105 cm
- Still WILD – Over 65 years
The price also depends on the day that you visit.
Carers and wheelchair users can enter free.
2. Getting to BeWILDerwood Cheshire and Parking
BeWILDerwood is located near Whitchurch in Cheshire which is around an hour’s drive from Manchester. We found it by typing in BeWILDerwood Cheshire into Google Maps and the BeWILDerwood website recommends using SY13 4JF.
On arrival, there is a large free car park with car park attendants on hand to direct you to the best spot.
You can also travel to BeWILDerwood by Train from Manchester Piccadilly to Whitchurch station which takes around an hour. The station is a 10-minute drive from BeWILDerwood and is serviced by local taxi companies.
3. What Time Should You Go to BeWILDerwood?
BeWILDerwood opens at 10.00 am and tickets are valid for the whole day, with no timed entry.
We arrived at the car park just before 10.00 am and there was a small queue to get in. Friends who arrived around 10 minutes later found the queue considerably longer, so if you want to be there for opening, we’d recommend arriving a little before 10.00 am.
4. What Should You Wear for Your Visit?
BeWILDerwood is set in woodland, so expect the kids (and yourself) to get a bit grubby during the day.
We’d recommend clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty, along with comfortable footwear suitable for climbing and exploring. Long sleeves and trousers are also a good idea, particularly for some of the slides and woodland activities.
5. Arriving at BeWILDerwood Cheshire
The entrance is only a short walk from the car park and staff are on hand to direct you. Just before you enter, you’ll find male and female toilets, which are handy after a journey.
We recommend having your tickets ready on your phone to make getting through the entrance as easy as possible.
When you check in, you’ll receive a coloured wristband based on the child’s height, along with a park map and activity quest sheet for the kids to complete.
6. Getting Around BeWILDerwood
There is lots to see and do at BeWILDerwood and, when you first look at the map, finding your way around can seem a little daunting. However, the walkways are easy to follow and there are plenty of signs to help you navigate.
Keep hold of your map as it will help you decide where to head next and make sure you don’t miss anything. If you do misplace it, don’t worry as there are also large maps around the park, including near the picnic areas.
7. Buggies and Pushchairs
BeWILDerwood is pushchair and buggy friendly, although there are some inclines and bumpy sections to navigate. There are also spaces where you can leave your pushchair when the kids are playing on the equipment.
8. Toilet Facilities
As mentioned you will find handy toilets at the entrance to BeWILDerwood. Inside you will find more near The Cosy Cabin and The Munch Bar.
Although we didn’t need to use them we there are changing facilities.
9. Food and Drink at BeWILDerwood Cheshire
There are food and drink outlets around BeWILDerwood, including The Cosy Cabin and The Munch Bar, which are located on opposite sides of the park.
Opening of the food outlets can vary, so it’s worth checking what’s available on the day of your visit. On our recent visit, The Cosy Cabin wasn’t open.
Food options available at BeWILDerwood include pizza, gyros, burgers, hot dogs, baked potatoes, loaded fries, sausage rolls and sandwiches, along with hot and cold drinks and sweet treats.
If you’d rather bring your own food, you’re also welcome to take a picnic, with plenty of places around the park to sit and eat.
Ice cream is also available, including Snugburys options, making it an essential stop for many families!
10. Picnics and Picnic Benches
Picnics are allowed and if you don’t want to carry your cooler bag around, BeWILDerwood allow you to return to the car with your wristband.
You will find plenty of great quality picnic benches around both The Cosy Cabin and The Munch Bar along with enough space to lay out picnic blankets if the benches are full.
11. What Age is BeWILDerwood Best For?
BeWILDerwood is aimed at children from around 2 to 12 years old, although older children and adults can also enjoy many of the attractions.
Older children and teenagers who enjoy big slides, climbing, zip wires and adventure activities should still find plenty to keep them entertained.
For younger children, there are separate areas including Toddlewood-on-the-Hill and Tiptoe Valley, with mini treehouses, things to climb, toddler swings and smaller zip wires.
If you’re visiting with children of different ages, don’t assume the older ones will simply be tagging along. There is plenty of adventure for them too.
12. Watch Out for the Mazes
There are two mazes at BeWILDerwood – the Mish Mash Maze and the Sky Maze.
Both are more challenging than they might initially appear, so keep younger children close by, particularly if they are likely to run ahead.
The walkways twist and turn quickly, making it easy for little ones to disappear from sight, so we’d recommend keeping an eye on them rather than assuming you’ll be able to see them throughout.
13. Complete the Activity Sheet
On entry, you’ll be given an activity sheet where the kids can search for hidden letters around the park. Once they’ve found them all, they can solve the anagram.
It’s a great way to encourage children to explore the different areas of BeWILDerwood and gives them something else to look out for as they make their way around.
Once completed, the kids can collect a BeWILDerwood badge.
14. Don’t Forget About the Crafts and Shows
BeWILDerwood features a craft area at the Big Hat as well as shows at the Storytelling Stage. You can find the times and details of the shows on the information board after you enter and outside the Storytelling Stage.
On our recent visit, we made little owls at the Big Hat craft area and also enjoyed the face painting, which is now included in the ticket price.
We didn’t manage to catch the shows as there was simply so much else to do, so if these are on your must-do list, we’d recommend checking the times when you arrive and planning your day around them.
15. Make Sure You Have A Go
You don’t need to just watch the kids have fun as all the main play areas are adult-friendly. We had a good go on most equipment and are glad that we did – although we did tire quicker than kids, but that is what coffee breaks are for right?
16. How Long Can You Stay at BeWILDerwood?
There is more than enough fun to fill a full day, in fact, we didn’t leave until closing at 5.00 pm and even then the kids were not ready to leave.
We did spot families with younger kids leaving around 2.00 to 3.00 pm and the park got quieter as the day went on.
17. How Busy Was BeWILDerwood Cheshire?
Although there were plenty of visitors they were spread out it didn’t feel overcrowded or unsafe.
There were queues at the slides and zip wires but these went down quickly and the kids didn’t moan once about having to wait.
18. The Gift Shop
The Bizarre Bazaar Gift Shop is located at the entrance/exit and was reasonably priced. It features an array of BeWILDerwood Cheshire branded items such as T-shirts , cups and size soft toys.
They also have lots of pocket money toys such as pens, pencils, crystals and more starting at 99p.
19. Read the BeWILDerwood Books Before You Go
The BeWILDerwood parks are based on a series of children’s books by Tom Blofeld, featuring the inhabitants of the magical BeWILDerwood woods.
You don’t need to have read the books before visiting – we hadn’t and it didn’t affect our day – but if your children enjoy the characters and stories, reading them beforehand could add another layer to the experience.
If you’d like to discover the BeWILDerwood books before your visit, you can find them here: BeWILDerwood Books.
If you fancy reading the Bewilderwood books before your visit you can purchase them here >>> BeWILDerwood Books
Read >>> Review of BeWILDerwood Cheshire
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