Wheelgate Theme Park
Newark, Nottinghamshire
Reviewed by Louisa Nashir
Recently my family and I were invited to Robin Hoods Wheelgate Family Theme Park in Nottinghamshire and write a review based upon our experience as a family with a special needs child.
My 7 year old daughter Kate has speech problems and Autism meaning she often finds going somewhere new very daunting.
Any parent of a child will tell you how hard a day out can be but a child with additional needs means as a mum I need to plan, plan, plan and be aware of everything around us, it’s a lot of work but my daughter is worth every second.
We drove from Manchester and it took just under 2.5 hours, luckily both girls enjoy being in the car so the distance wasn’t an issue. As we got closer to Wheelgate we thought we would see some signposts but the only one we saw was the sign outside the park. Luckily we had a satnav as the park is right out in the sticks.
Once we had parked up in the spacious car park we made our way over to the admissions desk and the lady behind there was really polite and friendly. Another lady then gave me a site map and a what’s on guide which came in extremely useful.
We started off with a bite to eat as it was quite a chilly day and we all needed warming up. The food was delicious and well-priced and the drinks did the trick and warmed us all up nicely!
The park itself is lovely and extremely well presented and throughout our visit we didn’t see any litter at all! It is situated in 30 acres of countryside in Robin Hood country, near Sherwood Forest.
Throughout the day we went on each ride and were amazed at how well run each ride was, there were virtually no queues which was fab (even though it is the busy Easter holiday period)!
My daughter really enjoyed the rollercoaster so much so she went on it 3 times in a row and screamed until her voice was croaky.
We attempted the maze and got lost several times much to the girls amusement but we persevered and eventually found the centre hooray! Although we ended up lost again trying to find our way out!
The animal park was amazing and we all fell in love with the meerkats! All of the animals at Wheelgate are so well cared for with clean pens and tanks and the rabbits were very friendly, the girls really enjoyed feeling their soft fur.
One slight downside was the fact their wasn’t really as much for my 12 year old stepdaughter to do and she was a little disappointed but the animals more than made up for the lack of rides etc… for her age/height.
We popped into the indoor play areas and found these superb! The sheer amount of climbing frame really did take our breaths away and the two girls really enjoyed using it.
We stayed for around 4 hours and managed to visit and use every attraction in that time so the park really is good value for money.
Every member of staff we encountered today were friendly and all had smiles on their faces which was good to see.
We all enjoyed our visit today especially Kate. With indoor and outdoor areas there is always something to do whatever the weather.
Thank you Wheelgate!
Rating: 4.5/5
Tickets cost (Summer Day Ticket: 15th March – 2nd November 2014):
Adult/Child (108cm +) £13.49 per person
OAP £8.49 per person
Toddler (95-108cm) £7.99 per little person
Special Needs £11.35 per person (1 Carer Free)
Wheelchair User £8.49 per person (1 Carer Free)
Under 95cm Free
Wheelgate Annual Pass:
Adult/Child (108cm +) £42.99 per person
OAP/Special Needs/Toddler (95-108cm) £29 per person
For more information or to book tickets vist www.wheelgatepark.com.
Robin Hoods Wheelgate Park, White Post, Farnsfield, Newark, Notts, NG22 8HX
