New Forest Aqua Park Review
New Forest Aqua Park
Hampshire
Reviewed by Louise Abbott
The Aqua Park is situated around a large lake in the beautiful New Forest in Hampshire. It was easy to get to with plenty of free parking.
For those not participating in the water sports there’s a grassy area with goal posts, there’s also a hot food van selling fast food and drinks.
There’s a good view of the Aqua Park from the reception area in the main building. In here you can also purchase drinks, snacks and ice creams and there are comfortable sofas or tables and chairs where you can relax after all the activity. It would have been nice if we didn’t have to run the gauntlet of smokers clustered around the entrance to the reception.
The activities in the park are one of the main reasons why people visit, and it all looks quite impressive. There is ‘wake boarding’, which for those that don’t know, is a bit like surf boarding, kayaking, a hot tub and the new attraction – the Wibit Sports Aqua Park.
On this occasion I brought my two daughters, Hollie (15) and Ysabel (10) to sample the attractions and we made our way down to the changing rooms next to the lake. Located more to the centre of the lake, away from the wake boards, the ‘Wibit’ is an area approx. 40 metres long where can be found various inflatable’s. There are 2 trampolines, slides, a climbing wall, a swing and different sized obstacles. From the shore it looks great and up close even better.
We quickly changed into wet suits, which are definitely needed for most of the year unless you are feeling very brave, as the water is cold. The changing rooms and general areas are clean and well kept. We had a safety talk before being walked down to the inflatables. On hand are friendly life guards which is very reassuring. It looked fun and exciting from a distance and it didn’t disappoint up close. We climbed, slipped, fell, and had a great time but it has to be said, it’s pretty hard going. By the end of the hour we were all exhausted.
Getting out of the water onto slippery inflatables is difficult and running around wearing a wet suit is tiring. It’s an activity best suited to older children, and not so old adults.
We enjoyed the ‘Wibit’ despite the cold and no doubt it would be great fun in the warm weather. It’s a nice way to spend an hour or two and the price was reasonable at £15.00 each for an hour on the equipment including wet suit hire.
Rating: 4/5
For more information or to make a booking visit www.newforestwaterpark.co.uk.
New Forest Water Park, Ringwood Road, Fordingbridge, Ringwood, Hampshire, SP6 2EY
