We Might Be Giants: LEGOLAND Windsor
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a child in possession of LEGO must be in search of more LEGO. So a day out at a theme park filled with the bloody stuff can’t really fail, can it? It was with this in mind that I took the day off work, strapped my three-year-old daughter in the car, and drove the short drive down the M4 to the Windsor theme park last Friday.
LEGOLAND®Windsor is home to more than 80 million LEGO bricks, almost 60 interactive rides, shows and workshops, and is set in 150 acres of Berkshire parkland.
You enter at the top of a steep hill, from which you can view the entire park below, as well as the majestic Windsor Castle just a mile away. From the second we set foot inside my girl was squealing with delight as she spotted statue after statue built entirely from LEGO. From bobbing headed dragons to a wobbling one-man band, within seconds you help but gasp at the intricacies of these beautiful creations.
New for 2018 are iconic landmarks from across the globe including the 47,000 brick Taj Mahal and the 204,000 brick Sydney Opera House. Miniland has been at the heart of the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort since it opened in 1996. Now with twelve countries made from over 40 million bricks, allowing guests to stroll from the UK to Australia in under five minutes, it is bigger and better than ever.
The time spent (700 hours for Beijing’s Forbidden City) and amounts of bricks used (44,000 perfectly matched ‘Yoda Green’ ones for New york’s Statue of Liberty) means each exhibit reflects its original version perfectly, in miniature form. We gasped and oohed and aahed at the working windmill, chugging train, and sailing boats. And giggled our hearts out as a real life duck circumnavigated the miniature rivers with expert speed.
But while Miniland is wowing, there’s so much more to find in the park that after 20 mins of roaming like giants we swiftly moved on.
DUPLO Land is an area designed for toddlers, so perfect for us. There is a mini (I mean mini) train, flying helicopters, and the enchanting Fairy Tale Brook boat ride. An enchanting ride allowing passengers to drift past famous fairytale figures including Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Little Red Riding Hood to name but a few. So enchanting, in fact, that the girl insisted on enjoying it five times in a row. Five times. I was getting seasick.
Following our extended cruise we caught a show at the DUPLO city theatre then she had a play in the playground and a splash in the splash zone while I had a well earned sit down on dry land. We then headed down the hill to the Driving School, wandered through Heartlake City and past an all singing all dancing pirate show, and back up the hill. There were plenty of rides for her age – particular favourites were the Fire Academy and Laser Quest. There’s also a ride for toddlers upwards called Knight’s Quest, which is a cross between a carousel and a mini rollercoaster. Be warned, it’s faster than you think. She loved it, I was wobbling all over the place by the time we escaped!
Having entered the park at 10am we still had so many attractions left on our list when they began encouraging people out soon after 5pm (this is later in peak summer months). If you live near enough it’s definitely worth considering an annual pass so you can come back time and again, it could easily take three trips to see everything you want, especially if you allow for a sit down at lunchtime.
LEGOLAND exceeded all our expectations and was a fantastically fun day out, and being outside of the school holidays it wasn’t too busy and queues weren’t too long. If you’re visiting outside of term time you can book queue jumping Q-Bot tickets which give you a choice of options from a reserved time to almost instant access. Annoying for everyone else but well worth it for you!
Be warned, this is not a cheap day out, even with kids under 3 going free. You’re looking at £37 upwards per ticket booked in advance, at least £10 more if you pay on the day, and then there’s all the extras. A balloon will set you back £7, facepainting £9, and lunch can easily reach £50 for a family of four. My advice – take a picnic and plenty of bottles of water which you can refill at the fountains dotted around. Cash machines charge you £.150 to withdraw money too, so make sure you have plenty of that on you too for the inevitable draw of the fairground games like Hook A Duck (£5 for three ducks) et al.
But despite the excessive tourist taxes LEGOLAND is ultimately a family friendly and fantastic destination for all kids this summer, be you three or 83.
- For more information on facilities or to book tickets in advance, go to www.legoland.co.uk
