4. Glorious Sussex Day Out: Aldingbourne Country Centre

A Day Out at the Aldingbourne Country Centre

Visiting for a holiday in Southampton, Hampshire or Sussex? Do you have children who need to burn off some steam and are looking for a wholesome family day out? I would recommend the Aldingbourne Country Centre. By visiting this fabulously peaceful location in West Sussex, not only are you having a great day out, you are also contributing to a local charity; The Aldingbourne Trust.

 

The Aldingbourne Trust was established in 1978 and helps provide opportunities for adults with autism and learning disabilities to live meaningful and fulfilled lives and positively contribute to their local community. It currently supports over 1500 people living with learning disabilities and autism and has helped obtain 1357 jobs through its Supported Employment Team. It helps run various social enterprises that assist with life skills, employment, and unique experiences for the individuals they serve. So, by visiting whilst on your holiday in Southampton, you are giving back as well as gaining from a marvellous day of adventures.

 

We visited recently with our children, aged 9,6,4,2, and our newest addition, at only 2 weeks old. We had had a quiet 2 weeks after our new baby was born and wanted the children to enjoy some fun before heading back to school after the Easter holidays. We also took their grandparents, so we could enjoy some family-time.

 

Arrival was easy, there was a large car park with plenty of room, and as we went on a Monday when many schools were back, it was fairly quiet. Entry was easy; we bought tickets at the main centre, and collected wrist bands to wear during our stay, as well as a map of the manageable park.

The main centre was modern and fresh, with a tunnel slide that ran from the upper level with the café, to the ground floor with the shop, tastefully decked out with toy farm animals, locally made art products, and food stuffs. This slide proved to be immensely popular and meant the kids could burn off energy running back up and down the stairs to ride the slide for the hundredth time, whilst we had a coffee and fed the baby.Shorten with AI

 

Once caffeineated (not the kids of course), we continued out to the farm section of the centre, saying hello to the donkeys, alpaca, pigs and goats, the latter of which you are permitted to enter their pen and stroll around to say ‘hello’ to the animals. Although we didn’t partake, there was also the opporuninty to feed the alpaca, and cuddle the guinea-pigs, on a schedule. This had to be pre-booked however, at a nearby kiosk and carried an extra charge.

 

Next up we tackled the maze, which was great fun, leading to a modest central wooden fort, where we could get a greater view of our countryside surrounding. We broke for lunch at this point, and were really impressed with the homemade offerings. We had a delicious homemade mushroom soup with crusty bread and the toasties were also of fantastic quality. The children had a little lunchbox from the café, complete with sandwich, yoghurt, crisps, drink and a Freddo- much to their delight.

 

Once refuelled we let the kids have a play on the outdoor play area; a wooden train structure, which was great for exploring and running about in, especially for the younger children. We then tackled the mini-golf, which was kitted out with soft balls rather than traditional golf balls, which added a challenge, but meant the whole family could have a go with ease. Our toddler tried her best, but preferred the nearby mini-tractor course under a conservatory awning nearby.

The outdoor area was great for role play for all our children, and they had a marvellous time outdoors in the sunshine, as the rain held off. By the way, on the subject of rain, if it does rain during your visit, you get free entry again up to 7 days from the issue date, which is a splendid gesture.

 

We strolled now a little further on to the woods, where a ‘Woodland Walk’ was on offer. We followed the path past a quaint pond and into a section of wood with numerous outdoor pieces of wooden equipment, from balance beams to climbing frames. We all had a go and the children loved challenging themselves.

 

One last burst of energy took us back to the water and sand play area, where the children concocted ‘afternoon tea’ in the play area, before heading inside the nearby building and the large soft-play to eek out that last bit of enjoyment from the day. We headed home…but first another quick pit-stop at the tunnel-slide, a favourite for all my children!

 

Well worth a visit!

Check out the Aldingbourne Country Centre for more information on visiting!

The Aldingbourne Country Centre is around 1 hour from Southampton. If you are on holiday in Southampton, Hampshire, or Sussex, consider taking a trip.

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