The Circus of Horrors

Hi everyone,

With the fantastic news that shows are coming back, we're happy to let you know of one just for the PARENTS. From the organisation behind the fantastic Circus Extreme, comes the Circus of Horrors and better yet we're able to bring you a fantastic discount code which will get you £5 off. Just use the promo code FearFive. The show takes place in the Rainton Arena, Houghton-Le-Spring, DH4 5PH on the 22nd May for one night only before moving on to other areas. Below is some more information on the show itself and the website yo book:

https://raintonarena.co.uk/events/the-circus-of-horrors/

The Revamped & Rockin show will be an immersive celebration of it’s astounding 25 years. It will include an amazing amalgamation of acts, driven by a rock n roll sound scape, a show that will have you sat on the edge of your seat when not falling off it with laughter.

The almighty cast that stormed into the finals of Britain’s Got Talent is now a West End & World Wide Hit and will take you on a rock n’ roller coaster ride of Unbelievable, Bizarre & Beautiful acts.

It is a circus like no other and a show you simply can’t afford to miss.

Whether a Rock fan or theatre goer The Circus of Horrors has something for everyone.

Edinburgh Zoo

 Hi Everyone,

We wanted to let you know what a lovely day we had at Edinburgh Zoo on Saturday. The weather wasn't the warmest but it is Scotland, so we were prepared. It had been about seven years since our last visit so we were all excited to go.

Firstly, the staff are all very friendly.  The keepers were more than happy to chat about the animals and give some very interesting insights into their behaviours, habbit and history which was a lovely touch.

We enjoyed so many highlights on our visit. Watching the panadas was amazing, they both looked so happy and it was a joy to see them happily munching away. The penguins were also fantastic. We were lucky enough to see many of them nesting. We were able to spot eggs and newly hatched chicks being fed by their parents as well. Absolutely wonderful to see all of this up close.

We were very fortunate to see all the animals on our visit including lions, tigers, zebras, sun bears, monkeys and chimps to name a few. With how the zoo is currently set up you do feel very close to all the animals and the monkeys especially seemed to enjoy watching us as much as we enjoyed watching them. We had heard previously that it's hard to view the animals at the zoo but we had no problems.

The zoo also has a number of play areas, lots of picnic tables, cafes, toilets and most importantly for our girls a very good sized gift shop. One thing to note is the zoo is situated on a very steep site but they do have a bus to take you to the top if the walk is a bit too much.

We would say, allow a full day for your visit.  We were there from 10:30am until 5pm. We did go back to visit the pandas for a second time and found that by about 3pm the zoo felt practically empty so we could enjoy having the enclosures to ourselves. The girls also had the play equipment to themselves which was a bonus.

We would definitely recommend a visit and we are looking forward to going again.

Stockeld Park

 Hi Everyone,

We visited Stockeld Park yesterday and what a day we picked to go! It rained non-stop, ALL DAY but despite the weather we still had such a good time.

We had never visited the park before so we were a bit unsure of what to expect. We were hoping it would be worth the price of £48 for a family of 4 and we can tell you we were not disappointed. There is so much to do you could easily spend a full day there.

They have a maze, inflatable slide, go karts, play areas, an enchanted forest, cafe, kiosks, gift shop and shows.

We headed straight to the maze which was grea. It's set out in such a way to bamboozle you. There are covid restrictions in place it which makes you go round a one way route so the maze wasn't too taxing. That being said we did see a couple of families who got lost and we're kindly rescued by staff members. We are excited to try the maze when all the routes are fully open as we think it will be amazing post Covid restrictions. There are some amazing surprises within and a wonderful lookout tower which really made it extra fun.

Next to the maze there is a farm themed play area with lots of wooden tractors and vehicles to climb on which was very popular.

Another popular attraction was the go karts, they had single rider and double rider options. Kids and grown ups had a brilliant time on these. 

The best part of the park though is the enchanted forest. It is absolutely massive with lots of different areas to explore. Some areas are more suited to smaller children and others are for bigger kids but most seemed to be a good mix of both. As you go through the forest there are lots of sound affects and interactive elements which really enhanced the experience. The forest on a whole is beautiful and so well maintained. It would have been lovely to sit and watch the children play but the rain had other ideas unfortunately. So we did move through each element faster than we would have liked. We don't want to go into much detail so as not to spoil it. It was really magical seeing all the wonderful elements they had included.

The end of the forest trail ends near the (under construction) indoor softplay centre which is advertised as one of the largest in Europe. Stockeld Park also seem to be developing another outdoor play area. It's nice to see that they are trying to improve and already great place to visit.

Before heading home we stopped to see the bubble show which was really amazing. The volume and size of the bubbles that were being produced was fantastic and the kids loved it. Despite the weather they put on a lovely show for the kids.

We obviously had to have a browse of the gift shop. The prices are pretty reasonable and they had a nice selection of toys and gifts. 

The park has a free car park, lots of room, tables for picnics and very clean toilet facilities. Although it is a fully outdoor site we would still recommend booking even if the weather is a bit iffy as we had a really fun day with the worst weather possible. Just make sure you have good shoes/wellies and pack some spare outfits. We did think that a rainy day voucher would be a nice touch so you could get a bit of a discount on a second visit. As if it had of been even slightly dryer we would have stayed alot longer.

Ouseburn Farm

 Hi Everyone,

Ouseburn Farm is a wonderful little city farm set in the heart of the stunning Ouseburn Valley. We have visited the farm lots over the years and it always brings a smile to our faces. There are plenty of animals to feed and see and in normal times they host lots of wonderful events.

At the moment you can visit the farm by booking a free ticket here ticket booking this is to ensure the farm can follow the social distancing guidelines. Tickets do book quickly especially on weekends. The farm is free to visit but donations are greatly received.

You can add to your visit my popping into Seven Stories which is next door. Currently the book shop is open with special characters making an appearance to add to the fun.

There is lots of seating around Ouseburn Valley so perfect if you wanted to enjoy a picnic, and a walk along the river is a must. The valley is easy to reach by car, bus or metro or by taking a lovely walk along the river to the Newcastle Quayside which is our favourite way to get there.

Broom House Farm

 Hi Everyone,

We visited Broom House Farm and there Forest Adventure at the weekend. It had been a few years since our last visit so we were very excited to go back.

The Forest Adventure consists of lots of different woodland challenges, climbing frames, zip wires, slides and a fabulous buggy track just to name a few. There are also various trails around the forest from fairy spotting to animals and plants facts. When you a complete a trail the children get a little prize which we thought was a nice touch. The Forest Adventure is ideal for a variety of ages but we would say children 12 and under would get the most enjoyment out of it.

The farm itself is quite small but beautifully kept. There are goats, chickens, pigs, cows, ducks and turkeys. There is no charge to visit the farm on this fabulous location so it really is an added bonus. There was lots of baby animals on our visit which were just adorable and we were rather taken with the goats and their kids.

Broom House Farm has a very nice cafe which is reasonably priced. We saw alot of people eating sausage sandwiches which smelt lovely, as we have a coeliac daughter we unfortunately couldn't partake but did notice that they had a gluten free cake on the menu so could provide a nice for a treat after lunch. There are lots of seating options outside the cafe for food bought from there with a separate picnic area across the far side of the car park for those who bring their own. It did feel a shame that we couldn't eat in the main field as that hosts lots of play equipment and hay bales to play on but it wasn't an issue. This seating option could be ideal if you have little ones who are easily distracted while eating.

Booking for the Forest Adventure opens on a THURSDAY for that weekend and cost £5.95 per person (free car park) which we think is a very good price for a full day out.  You can book tickets here Broom House Farm

Tynemouth Park

Hi Everyone,

We visited  Tynemouth Park  and had an absolutely amazing time. We arrived at around 9:40am and booked straight in for the 10am  jungle wipeout session. The session is only £5 for an hour playing on the huge inflatables. It is very well set out with each family having their own table and the children can have as many turns on the inflatables as they like. There are two big slides, a obstacle run and a large 4 years and under bouncy castle. Our girls played for the full hour and with the reduced capacity they were able to have lots of turns.

Next we headed along to the pirates maze, which is £2 per person and you can pay £1 for a treasure map which enables you to collect stamps to swap for chocolate coins at the end. We thought the maze was brilliant, it was our first time trying it out and we were really surprised at just how many things are in it. From obstacles to pirate actors. The actors are very good and the kids loved them. They really made the maze extra special. 

Next we headed along to play a game of Lost World Adventure  golf. This cost £15 for a family of 4. There was a short wait to allow for social distancing but only around 5 minutes. We do love coming to this golf course.  It has lots of different elements which are great fun for kids and adults too.  The staging and Dino sounds are really cool.

There is a cafe offering lots of seaside goodies, with ample outdoor seating and toilets too. The park has a lovely lake and a very well equipped play park, definitely enough to keep you busy for a full day if you so wish.

Road to the North Pole

 Hi Everyone,

This Christmas, Road to the North Pole is coming to Newcastle Arena. It is a fully immersive 90 minute experience filled with all things Christmas related. There are currently plenty of tickets available and prices starting at £24.50 for early bird admission.

"Road to the North Pole is a premium Christmas attraction located in Central Newcastle. It combines high quality theatrical performances, costumes and state of the art scenery with spectacular storytelling to create the most magical, immersive, walkthrough Christmas experience the North East has to offer. You and your family must work​ together to help save Christmas from Jack Frost. You will get the chance to meet some of your favourite Christmas characters, play lots of exciting games and even make some take home crafts all topped off with a very personal meeting with the REAL Santa where they will receive their very own Christmas gift." (Info from Road to the North Pole)

Full details about this event can be found here Road to the North Pole