Play @ Lower Drayton Farm

What it’s like

A four-storey soft play frame with racing slides indoors, plus rabbits, goats and pedal tractors outside.

The soft play frame is the headline act here, four storeys of it with Astro-racing slides down one side and a gravity drop slide for the ones who've done everything else twice. There's a helix wormhole slide too, and a treetop traverse climbing box if your seven-year-old fancies himself as a bit of a ninja, which brings us neatly to the llama ninja run outside. Under-1s get their own Piglets' Play Pen away from the bigger kids, so a baby and a boisterous five-year-old can both be happy at once without anyone getting flattened.

Once they've had enough of the frame, or you have, there's a working farm side to wander round. Rabbits and guinea pigs to pet, goats, pigs and cattle to look at, and trailer rides if you fancy sitting down for a bit. Pedal tractors and a role play village keep the outdoor bit going, and picking your own vegetables is a nice, slightly unexpected touch for a soft play venue.

Pricing shifts about depending on when you go, which takes a minute to get your head round. Term-time weekdays are the cheapest at £10.95 booked online, weekends nudge up to £12.95, and school holidays are £15.50, with the gate price always a couple of pounds more than booking ahead. There's also a half-day rate and a cut-price Friday afterschool session from 3pm if you just want a couple of hours rather than committing to the whole day. Given the site reckons on a whole day out, the online saving is worth having.

Food-wise there's Honeypots Café doing hot and cold meals with farm and Staffordshire produce, and they can do gluten-free and vegan if you flag it when ordering. You can bring a picnic too, which is handy if you've got a fussy toddler who won't touch anything on a café menu. Wheelchair access includes a lift up to the play frame and accessible paths around the farm, and one carer gets in free with the right documentation.

Facilities

Need to know

Best for

0 to 11 or so; teens might find the farm side a bit tame

Booking

Advance online bookings available with flexible date changes

How long to allow

A whole day. Food, drinks and items reasonably priced once in

Food

Honeypots Café with hot and cold food, drinks and cakes using farm and Staffordshire produce

Picnics

Welcome in designated picnic areas

Wheelchairs

Lift access to first floor playframe, accessible walkways and paths

Getting there by bus or train

Trains to Penkridge. Local bus service

Parties

From £25 per child, minimum 5 term-time weekdays or 10 weekends/holidays

• Term time it's only open Mondays, Fridays and weekends, not the whole week
• Booking online is a few pounds cheaper than paying at the gate every time
• The Friday afterschool session from 3pm is the cut-price option if you don't want a full day
• Party rooms are upstairs but there's lift access, so buggies and wheelchairs aren't stuck downstairs
• You can pick your own vegetables on site, which isn't something you'd expect at a soft play

Plan your visit

Featured in 2 Huddlepin lists

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