Paultons Park and Peppa Pig World

Yesterday we went to visit Paultons Park, with Peppa Pig World being the main attraction. We picked a good day to visit - term time, mid week and on a day which started drizzly but brightened up later.

We aimed to arrive just as the park opened at 10.30am, and actually arrived before this. So we were pleased to discover that although 10.30am was when the rides started, the park was actually already open. This meant that we could make the most of the day with a look around and visit to the play areas before the rides started.

We followed the other buggies and headed first to Peppa Pig World, which although not a huge area contains a surprisingly large number of attractions.

All the rides here are low capacity and slow loading, so we were glad that it was a quiet day. There is a good selection of Peppa Pig themed rides, and the area is beautifully landscaped. There are also walk through areas like Peppa Pig's House and Madame Gazelle's School House, with lots of models around, like Peppa's Camper Van.

It wasn't long before Harry spotted the Trekking Tractors, so we headed over for the first of several rides. The tractor drives through vegetable patches where they are growing real vegetables, no plastic theming here.

The Digger Ride was another hit, with Harry happy to ride on his own.

We were delighted to discover that all the coin operated style machines were actually free, which we thought was a nice touch!

There was even a quiet area in George's Spaceship Play Zone for Mia to stretch her legs after being crammed into the carrier or pushchair all day.

We had a brilliant day, and left feeling that there was plenty for our baby and toddler to do, with many more attractions that we didn't even have time for. Although we were mainly visiting for Peppa Pig World, many of the older attractions were also very suitable and enjoyable. We paid £40 for two adults. Children under 1 metre tall are free, but toddlers over that height will need to be paid which can be quite expensive for a little one.

I've put together a bit of information based on our experiences for any other families with young children planning a visit to the park.

Facilities for babies and toddlers:

• All the toilets have baby change facilities. All toilets are fitted with a pull down toddler seat.
• There is a feeding room available and also plenty of benches for discreet breastfeeding, including undercover, and inside at George's Spaceship Playzone.
• Many of the indoor and outdoor play areas are suitable for babies and small toddlers. George's Spaceship Playzone has areas for ages 0-2, ages 2-5, as well as a larger area suitable for all ages. Adults can accompany children onto the equipment.
• Mr Potato's Playground has a lot of outdoor play equipment which is very suitable for smaller toddlers as it is low to the ground and you can supervise them easily. There are also slides which little ones can climb up to easily.
• Pushchairs need to be left outside most rides, so take a separate carry on bag for valuables.
• You can take babies on most of the rides in Peppa Pig World.
• The Flying Frog Rollercoaster is designed for little ones and doesn't have a height restriction (although not suitable for children under 12 months). It's a good introduction to rollercoasters for little ones, although still quite intense!
• The Digger Ride is for children only, but adults can wait in the queue with children, settle them into their seats, and wait on the platform during the ride.
• There are lots of areas in the park where you can get away from the crowds for some quiet time, or a walk about with the pushchair.

Tips:

• Coin operated style machines in the park are actually free, just press the button inside
• Arrive early and plan to stay later as there are still attractions to enjoy in the park when the rides are shut.
• The Muddy Puddles outdoor water play area can make children very wet, so take spare clothes.
• You need to wear socks in George's Spaceship Playzone, so take your own or else you'll have to buy Peppa Pig ones from the shop.
• There are plenty of benches and areas to eat picnics.
• George's Dinosaur Adventure is the only ride in Peppa Pig World with a height restriction of 90cm and above, which is strictly enforced for safety reasons.
• If you're visiting for Peppa Pig World, don't discount the other attractions in the park as there are lots of other rides and attractions suitable for smaller children.
• Although the opening hours of the park have been extended since Peppa Pig World opened in April 2011, the park can get very busy, especially in school holidays and at weekends.
• It is expensive to visit. A season ticket is good value if you plan to visit more than four times in a year, and it is cheaper if you buy while in the park and upgrade your day ticket. It is slightly cheaper to buy tickets online before your visit, but the saving is small as you still have to pay £1 booking fee.
• The Peppa Pig shop sells everything that you can imagine with Peppa Pig and friends on it.