Play Café (Google Maps Link) is one of the newer indoor play areas in the province catering for all ages of younger kids. The toddler area is quote good and most importantly for me, visibility is probably better here than in most. It can be a bit busy but some of the highlights of the place include that it’s only £4.50 for allegedly unlimited time (I’d like to test that someday) and its open from 10am-7pm Mon-Sat and Sun 1pm-6pm.

The café part does hot and cold food and there are separate party rooms as well. There are dodgems there as well though we didn’t try them out. There weren’t a lot of staff to be seen, to be honest, but then the visibility kind of made up for that.

Parking is a little haphazard and it does feel a little cramped when trying to move between some of the tables but it’s a nice enough place.

WOW Overview

Cost per child: £4.50

The kids loved it, right from the tiny toddler to the wise-beyond-his-years 7 year old. I was a little more reserved because of the parking and also because it ‘felt’ cramped. After the party crowds dispersed into their party rooms, it was a lot more comfortable.

Who What When Where Why

An introduction for enquiring minds which can engage the old as well as the young.

Several Floors of Fun
The first thing to realise with W5 is that you have several floors to enjoy. The ground floor has the shop and some “scientific curiosities” such as fog machines and bubble machines (so you can see the difference between pumping bubbles through water, oil, glycerine).

Going up one floor brings you to an open area with more scientific toys (cranes, wind machines, a tug of war pulley) which the kids will thoroughly enjoy. We’ve been there several times and my two liked nothing better than beating me in tug’o'war. Playing with the wind tunnels and air pipes (pipes which blow air which can balance balls) also went down a storm.

Next we find the children’s play area. inside there’s a mock castle, a play-cafe, a play-shop, a house (which needs constructed from foam bricks, complete with crane), a car, a music recording studio, a water play area and an area with sand, a train set and dolls house. This room alone will keep the kids busy and stimulated for hours and it can be difficult to tear them away to look at other things.

The top floor has more science toys which are definitely aimed at the adult/young adult audience. If you time your visit right you’ll also be present for some of the demos they run - we encountered the interesting properties of “slime” (made from cornflower, water and green food colouring). None of the science is dumbed down in any way - it is however, made accessible through instructions and “learn through play”.

The cafe inside W5 has very limited options, not much more than tea, biccies and crisps so if you want something a little more wholesome you’ll have to exit and go to the Odyssey proper - where you have much more options - a Tapas bar, a Chinese restaurant, an Indian restaurant, a Pizza diner, an “American” diner and a sandwich bar. Having tried them all at some point I can recommend most of them (my only gripe being with the American diner). Inside the same complex is an amusements arcade, a couple of bars and nightclubs and a multi-screen cinema as well as an IMAX theatre. Though this review only covers W5, you can easily begin to see how this could be an entire day out for the family especially as the entire centre is enclosed, perfect for the Northern Ireland climate!

The staff in W5 are, without exception, enthusiastic and friendly, especially when performing demos. W5 represents the closest thing we have to a science museum in Northern Ireland and I feel deserves our patronage. While you’re there, make sure to take in the views from the windows as it presents some of the best views over Belfast, the cranes, Titanic Quarter and the mouth of the Lagan available.

Parking is the only problem and seems quite expensive though there is plenty of it. Look out for the pre-pay option which will save you a small fortune should you intend to make it a day trip!

WOW Overview

Kids Say:
5 year old: I like the house best. I like the play shop best too.
3 year old: II like the trains!

Stress Level: 2 (It’s all indoors and though you might lose sight of the kids, they can’t go far.)
Fun Level: 4 (Every kids will have his or her favourite bit. The important thing is to keep everyone occupied.)
Cost Level: 3 (Café and entrance fee certainly add up. But otherwise it seems reasonable and you could, in theory, spend the day there.)

Trekking in the Zoo

Quite easy to find even though I have a terrible sense of direction and don’t know the area at all. Recommend you follow the signs for the M2 and once on it, it well sign-posted and there is a sign for the turn off that takes you to the zoo. Really easy to find from there.

We went on a freezing cold early February day so didn’t expect to have any problems parking. We didn’t. The car park is really big and there were one of only three other cars there. In the height of summer, it can fill up and the zoo runs open days and other events.

We took two children with us – one two and a half the other nearly three. All children under four are admitted free which was good news as an adult is £6.30 off-season. I think you can buy a family ticket if you have kids over four with you which I’m sure will work out cheaper.

There are free maps of the zoo to guide you around and there is also a recommended route that is clearly sign-posted. We ditched the map and decided to follow the recommended route. We saw nearly all of the animals which is unusual judging from previous visits. We normally go in the summer which means the majority of animals are trying to find shade. It was not as pleasant as walking around in the sun, it was good to see (nearly) all the animals. It was very clean and tidy and I was happy enough to let both kids run around on their own. As it was off-season we had the place practically to ourselves which proved so was much easier to keep an eye on them.

Quite a trek to the top and I wasn’t sure if the kids legs would last it! I wasn’t keen on attempting to carry either of them! I suppose you could bring a buggy but I decided to chance it with them; carrying on by foot – and they did :).

Top tip: Be sure to visit the brown bears. If you stand close to the glass they come right up to see you.

There is a café that is open all year round. There is also a ‘zoouvenir’ shop. But don’t bother unless you want to fork out for cuddly toys (triple what you would pay in a shop).

All in all an excellent way of tiring them out! Both slept solid for nearly two hours afterwards!

wow Guest Overview

Stress Level 0 (providing you avoid the shop. :()

Fun Level 4 (both kids talked about it for ages after)

Cost Level 2 (At a cost of £12.60 for all four (which isn’t bad) for a couple of hours entertainment and two hours peace and quiet :))

Old McDonald had a Farm

This farm is located between Bangor and Newtownards. Heading along the dual carriage-way its on the left if coming from Bangor – opposite the Somme Heritage Centre.

We visited on a weekday and it was easy enough to park. I would say on a busy Saturday in the summer it could be like wacky races in the car park (which isn’t really very big). Maybe they have additional parking somewhere – if they did I didn’t see it!

Price for adults is £3.70 and £3.00 for kids over three. You can also buy feed for the animals which I think was about 30p per cup. There are loads of chickens running around so the kids loved feeding them. Depending on kids age of your kids, it may be a better idea to hold chicken feed yourself (mine insisted on pouring it all out then wanting another cup).

There is a great selection of animals. Everything from birds to horses. The whole farm is really well set up and very clean. My sister was with me who is a huge animal lover and even she didn’t disapprove of the conditions! The kids got to feed a lamb with a bottle and the staff were all great with the kids. They offer rides on a little Shetland pony (which I think) was £1, both kids really enjoyed it.

One point to note with smaller kids; mine were able to climb easily into the animal pens, I looked round to find him standing beside an alpaca. He is just two and at his size, he easily fitted between bars. Something to watch!

There are loads of places to play. Huge playground and an indoor play area filled with tractors, sand etc. It was a battle for me to get the kids out of this room.

We also had something to eat in the café which was lovely and reasonably priced. The shop sells ‘farm’ type toys, books and a variety of food. You have to walk through the shop to get in and out so you will probably end up having to buy something. Even this was reasonably priced. I bought a book and a small model tractor which I think came to around £3.00.

wow Guest Overview

We had a great day at the Ark open Farm. Loads to do and see, with very friendly helpful staff. I was impressed that although they could probably have charged a lot more for cups of feed, (every child will want a cup or 5) they didn’t. On most days out I find I end up paying above the odds for something – refreshingly not at the Ark.

Stress Level 0 (although see above about parking in summer, could get a bit tricky)

Fun Level 5 (Everyone had a great time, kids loved getting up close to animals)

Cost Level 1 (Its not free but really good value)

Three Intrepid Explorers

Deciding where to go…

It’s mid-term and rather than hiding at home for a long weekend we decided to get out there and do something! A pin was placed in a map and Co. Down came up trumps. In between Ballynahinch and Newcastle to be precise. We found a lovely self-catering cottage called Drumgooland Mill Cottages. A super little find to be honest. The cottage sleeps two adults and up to three kids but as there was only me and the two kids it was perfect. An open fire, a large kitchen, with a dishwasher and a very friendly old dog that would visit every morning.

We settled in Friday evening and planned our first adventure.

Saturday 17th February

Downpatrick

10am: We headed to the historic town of Downpatrick and went straight to the Tourist Information Centre based in the Saint Patrick Centre. There are plenty of cheap and free car parks in the centre of Downpatrick and the whole town is really well signposted. After looking around and picking up some leaflets I was pointed at a few places of interest including Newcastle and the Down County Museum (which turned out to be closed until 1pm on Saturdays). We ended up walking around the Cathedral to see St Patrick’s Grave. The kids were keen to go into the church itself. It was beautiful and the kids really enjoyed it actually.

Lunch time loomed so we headed to the Rock City Diner which was around the corner from The St Patrick Centre on Market Street. The kids spotted it as we drove in because there is a huge hot dog outside squirting tomato sauce on his head.

It was a glorious day so we decided to leave the Museums and the history to another day. We headed for a beach We stumbled across Tyrella Beach which was glorious. The sun was out, sand castles were made and sand dunes climbed. Lots of fun.

The day was still young, all of us covered in sand but still rearing to go. Delamont Country Park was the next stop. This was decided because of the Adventure Playground and the Miniature Railway. After ice cream, train rides, swings, slides and a 1.2 km (3/4 mile) walk with views to die for, we headed back to the car.

Kids only just managed tea before they fell into bed exhausted. I was not far behind them to be honest

Sunday 18th February

Castlewellan

Sunday morning was slightly slower than Saturday to start. We left the cottage around 10.45 and we headed for Castlewellan Forest Park. We had heard tell there was a maze which was open all year round. We were in that maze for an hour and a half. I have never laughed so much. The kids had a blast.

We had a quick lunch, nothing special to be honest with you, but we did stop off at The Coffee Stop on the main street in Castlewellan to grab an ice cream and a bun before we ventured off to the Horse Trekking at Mountpleasant Riding Centre.

My boy was so wound up and excited at the prospect of going riding I thought it was going to be a nightmare. He proved to be a bit of a mini John Wayne. Absolutely loved it. My girl was a bit more cautious but that is her nature. I enjoyed it too. It was a well run and relaxed trek.

Home for an early tea and a much-needed bath!

Monday 19th February

Rainy Day Activities

It was raining cats and dogs Monday morning. The kids had wanted to go horse trekking again as they enjoyed it so much the day before. I thought better of it as it was much too cold and wet. We headed back to Downpatrick to visit the Down County Museum. It was enjoyable and the kids were able to get involved in the exhibitions. The boy loved the dungeons, of course. We had lunch at the Museum café on site.

Next stop the Down Patrick Leisure Centre for a swim. Two pools, one for the children and one for the grown-ups. Kids loved it.

All back in the car. Home, unpacked and kids fed. Cup of tea to the rumbling tones of my washing machine working away in the background. I am exhausted. We had fun but it was busy, busy, busy.

The kids want to go again next week … Eeek

A Maze Us!

We headed for Castlewellan Forest Park as we had heard they have a maze. We have not been very successful in finding one that is open out of season! Both the Carnfunnock maze and the Seaford Butterfly Park maze have been closed when we visited.

There is an entry fee to park your car here all year round. Admission prices are on the gate. We were charged £4.00 to park the car.

We headed for the Maze and entered from the main car park entrance. Both kids set off at speed, zig-zagging to and fro. We saw a wooden bridge and headed in that direction. I have a sneaking suspicion that there could be water fountains to add to the excitement in the summer.

Having wandered around for a while (passing the same blinking tree time and time again!!), the 5 year old decided he was going to go it alone. We headed back to wait on the wooden bridge, count to 10 and follow him. Oh my goodness, how we laughed! We followed a little stick which he was holding up, just visible, over the hedges. He was so quick, it took us ages to find him. We tried to reach the middle to ring the bell but after eighty minutes of trudging we decided to try to find the entrance we started at. Eventually we found it. There is a bridge that takes you to the middle so we went to investigate and joy of joys we found the bell.

This is the newest addition to the Forest Park and was funded as a Peace and Reconciliation project. This is the largest and longest hedge maze in the world (apparently) and covers 1 hectare and 3.5 kms of path. I can assure we did more then 3.5 kms of walking. The view from the middle is stunning (even though we had to cheat to get there!)

After a good five minutes of ringing the bell, we decided to head for some lunch.

The café was closed at the Forest Park but they allowed you to return to the car park if you retain your receipt. I am assuming this will still be the case in high season.

We did not get to see the lake or any of the other attractions at the park as we had just totally run out of time. You would really need to spend the whole day there to see it all. Remember the maze alone will take you a good hour or more! This park covers 460 hectares and includes walks, lakes, a garden and arboretum, a castle, an ice house, a standing stone and more! You really do need to pack a picnic and your hiking boots to see all of it. Next time we are in the area we will devote a whole day to Castlewellan Forest Park.

Kids Say:
6 year old: I liked the maze and I liked my brother running around and us following the stick. It did take a long time and got very tiring.
5 year old: I loved running over the rocks and around the maze. I was very good at finding things

Stress Level: 1 (I have marked this a stress level one because we did get lost! I think the children were getting a bit tired after the amount of time spent in there. To be honest with my sense of direction it probably did not help matters)

Fun Level 4 (It was good fun. Lots of laughs)

Cost Level 3 (I am giving this particular visit a three because we were there for just over 1.5 hours and it cost us £4.00 to park. I think if we had a whole day there it would have received a better score!)

Park Life - Delamont Country Park

After running up and down sand dunes for a good hour the kids wanted to find a playground. To be honest the sand dunes hds actually dried us off a bit. Dry sand is easier to shift than wet sand.

Delamont Country Park is situated about 5 minutes from Downpatrick near Killyleagh in Strangford Lough Nature Reserve and is very well sign-posted. There is a charge for entry to the park for cars and buses in high season. First thing we spotted was the Miniature Railway. I hoped it was running and it was:) A small charge is made, £2.50 for adults and £1.50 for kids, though I did not really need to ride it with them; my kids are probably old enough to ride alone. The track is mostly visible from the café area. The train went round a portion of the park and passed the Adventure play area. That was obviously our next stop. The kids enjoyed the ride and as we were the only ones on the train, they were able to sit at the front.

We headed to the playground which is very impressive. It is separated into 4 sections and gives you plenty of room to sit and picnic. It is huge and well spaced out. There is a younger childrens section but to be honest it all looked safe and well maintained (and I know a three year old that would give it all a good go). It was very muddy in places when we were there but it is out of season, it all added to the fun. Not that it mattered to us. The playground kept them busy for a good while though it had been a long day and I could see the kids slowing down.

We stopped for ice cream and a much-needed coffee at the little café onsite. The train driver was covering the café and the train so had to keep popping off for a quick spin on Freddy the Train. It was quite funny to watch but he was in good sprits and no-one seemed to mind waiting at either place.

I let the kids choose a walk, trying to direct them to the shorter of the five trails on offer. I don’t think I would have been able to cope with a 7 km hike after the exertions of the day The Garden walk was picked, which is only 1.2 kms and very do-able we thought. So, following the red markers we headed up the hill and came across the Strangford Stone.

An impressive structure which was put in place in 1995. A group of local people decided to fulfill an ancient tradition and bring one thousand young people together to celebrate the start of a new millennium. They erected this stone by pulling up the one-thousand-centimetre-high Strangford Stone by hand. This, they hoped, as the peace process was gaining momentum, to involve young people from all backgrounds in Northern Ireland and creat a lasting testament to a shared future. I must admit it is impressive! There is a very detailed description of how they acheived this and full list of names of everyone who helped. I think it would have been very moving to see it happen.

Moving on we headed along the red path to the bird hide. The first thing that hit me was the view. Strangford Lough is stunning. A highlight for my son was a little tractor heading over the water! (I’m still not sure if it was actually driving from one island to another or if there was a bridge close to the surface but it looked like a cool trick!) The bird hide was well laid out and we spent a good while in there looking for a heron or two. Binoculars in tow (from the Downpatrick Cathedral!!) Suddenly we saw them in the trees straight in front of us. They were sitting in their nests. It was good to see (and the binoculars did help!).

Just after the hide, we spotted a sign for a lookout tower. Decision made and off we went! The lookout had an impressive view out towards the Lough but it was not very easy for the kids to see. Too high for them to see over and I wasn’t really happy for them to stand on the wall. This detour actually gave us a short cut back to the car park and Ithink we were all secretly pleased to cut the walk short.

WOW Overview

Kids Say
6 year old: We did a lot of walking today. The park was good fun and there was a big scary slide. When you went down it it was not as fast as you thought it would be. I liked the bird house and looking at the Herons.
6 year old: I liked the train and the ice creams. There is a tractor that can drive on water here.

Stress Level: 0 (It was a super place and very relaxed. Out of season admittedly but still a good place for the kids to let off steam.)

Fun Level: 4 (The kids really enjoyed themselves. Lots to keep them amused)

Cost Level: 1 The train and the refreshments were reasonable, although there will be a cost for entry for cars and buses in season)

Back in the car and off home for the day..

Tyrella Beach: A little slice of paradise in Co Down

We stumbled across this beach on the way to Newcastle though I think everyone raised in Northern Ireland has been to or heard of Tyrella Beach. Tyrella was sign-posted off the A2. I noticed the brown tourism sign saying Tyrella Beach was only five miles and the kids seemed very keen. We headed that way as it was a pleaant countryside drive and easy to find.

There is a charge, I believe, in high season to park but there was no-one on duty when we arrived. The car park was open so we parked and headed off, all excited. It was glorious day with the sun shining which was unexpected for mid-February. It was still a bit chilly, being winter and all that, but we made sandcastles with bridges and stones and flags and sticks and seaweed. It was Carrick Castle according to the kids. My 5 year old was very impressed that the man (John de Courcy) who built Carrick castle also played a big part in building Downpatrick Cathedral (He says: He must have been a very very busy man!).

We walked along the beach and collected shells and stones and general treasures. It is a really nice place. Beautiful and peaceful. We came across a path which lead to the dunes. That opened a whole new world. Up and down sand mountains, in and out of dunes. A good hour was used up marching around the dunes. We came across a picnic area which was a bit disappointing. The tables were burnt and there was a lot of broken bottles lying around. I would like to think that this will change when the beach is patrolled in season. It will be interesting in to see it in high season. I hear it can be very busy!

But apart from that it was a good place to go and let off steam. A good fun trip.

Kids say:
6 year old: I liked collecting shells and helping with the sand castle. The sand dunes were really really good fun and it was good that I led us the way back through the car.
5 year old: The sand castle was the best one I have made. I liked jumping in the sea with my boots on.

Stress Level 0 (A good clean beach. There was some rubbish around but not really stressfull rubbish.. If this is possible.

Fun Level 5 (Good fun, lots of laughing and playing together)

Cost Level 0 (I am not sure of the costs when this beach is in-season. I will try to get that information)