Rock & River Outdoor Pursuits
BEST FOR
Ages 5+
ENTRY
from £5.50
WHERE
Ormskirk
What it’s like
High ropes, kayaking and open water swimming on a lake near Ormskirk, with a mini course for the five to sevens.
This is a proper outdoor site, not a soft play with a climbing wall bolted on. The Big Ropes course is the headline act and it's not a spectator sport for the little ones, adults pay £26.50 to get stuck in themselves, or £5.50 to stand and watch. For age 5 to 7 there's a dedicated Mini Ropes session with a Low-Low Ropes course and a Mini Air Bag Jump, which is the sensible call if your kids aren't tall enough or brave enough for the big stuff yet.
Once you're done up top, the lake side is kayaking, paddleboarding, and open water swimming, with a mega paddle board that takes four people if you fancy going in as a group. Lake hire adds an hour for £10.50, and it's worth knowing this bit is self-supervised, there's no safety cover on the water, so everyone in the boat or on the board needs to actually be able to swim, not just be up for it.
Supervision ratios shift by age and it's a bit of a maths problem before you book. Five to seven year olds need one participating adult for every two kids on both ropes and lake, eight to elevens can have a non-participating adult at one to four for most things but High Ropes still wants a participating adult at one to two, and by 12 to 17 it loosens to one adult per six. Worth reading that twice before you turn up as a solo parent with three kids expecting to sit this one out.
The whole park only opens weekends, 8am to 8pm, and only April to October, so this isn't a rainy Tuesday half-term filler. There's a café on site plus a pizza truck for parties, and birthday parties can run on ropes, lake, or both if you want to make a full day of it.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- 5 to 11, with older teens well suited to the lake and Big Ropes too
- Parties
- Birthday parties for age 5+ with ropes courses, lake sessions, or both, plus food from The Cow Shed Café or pizza truck
- Big Ropes is £26.50 to actually take part, watching from the side is £5.50
- Mini Ropes with the Low-Low course and Air Bag Jump is the pick for 5-7 year olds
- Lake hire has no safety cover, so non-swimmers should sit this one out
- Season runs weekends only, April to October
- Sort your adult-to-child ratio out before you book, it changes by age and activity
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
£26.50 for a participating adult on Big Ropes, £5.50 if you're just watching. Mini Ropes for age 5-7 is £10.50, and adding an hour of lake hire is another £10.50.
What age can take part?
Five and up. Under-8s get the Mini Ropes and Mini Air Bag Jump rather than the full Big Ropes course.
Do we need to book?
There's no booking link listed, but with sessions and ratios this specific it's not really a turn-up-and-see kind of place.
When's it open?
Weekends only, 8am to 8pm, and only from April through October. It reopens for the season from 16th March 2026.
Is the lake supervised?
No, lake hire sessions are self-supervised with no safety cover on the water. Everyone taking part needs to be water confident before they get in.
How many adults do we need for the ropes course?
Depends on the age group. Five to sevens need one participating adult per two kids, eight to elevens need one participating adult per two on High Ropes specifically, and 12 to 17s only need one adult per six.
What's there for food?
There's a café on site, and parties can add food from the pizza truck as well.
Can you do a birthday party there?
From age 5 up, built around ropes, the lake, or both, with food from the café or pizza truck.
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