My husband and I nobly sacrificed our Saturday last weekend to babysit our two nieces, and decided to aim for the aunty and uncle of the Year Award and take them somewhere a little cooler than just to the local park: Gulliver’s World in Warrington.
I guess the great thing about having nieces is that you can swan in, selflessly take them off their parent’s hands for a while, spend a small fortune spoiling them over the course of the day and not really have to worry about turning them into spoilt, greedy little people in the future, or worry that splurging one day will mean starving for the rest of the month. Kids are bloody expensive!
Location
Gulliver’s World is located in Warrington, a town close to Manchester.
By Car
Enter WA5 9YZ into your SatNav.
If you are on the M62, exit at Junctions 8 or 9 and follow the brown signs to our door.
If you are approaching on the M6, exit at Junction 22 and follow the directions to Warrington.
Free parking is available on arrival.
By Train
Take a train to either Warrington Central or Warrington Bank Quay stations.
From Central station to the left and just around the corner is Warrington Bus Station where you can catch bus numbers 18 or 17C to the top of the road. From there it’s a five minute walk to our entrance.
From Bank Quay Station walk into the centre of Warrington to the bus station and then as above.
You can also get a taxi from outside the station.
By Bike
Cycle lanes are available on Cromwell Ave, the main access road into Gulliver’s World.
The Height Restrictions
One great thing about Gulliver’s World is that it is specially designed with a younger audience in mind (2-12 in this case), so you don’t need to worry so much about whether you’ll get there, pay a fortune to get in and then find your kids can’t go on anything because they’re too short. You have to pay for children 90cm and above, but it does mean they can go on loads of things, but may still need to be accompanied by an adult.
Gulliver’s World Prices
The best piece of advice I can give is to book online. If you pay on the gate when you arrive it’s £29 per person, adult or child, but it’s £23 per person if you book online at least 2 days in advance. It’s not a massive saving, but for a family of 4 it’s money saved towards ice cream and drinks!
I tend to pack a picnic whenever I head to anywhere that has a captive audience when it comes to food; why have high standards is you don’t have competition, right? Although, admittedly, I am also cheap and I don’t like paying high prices.
There is a good variety of food at Gulliver’s World, although it’s mostly, as you’d expect, fast food options; burgers, pizza and fish and chips! They do offer salad, healthy options and meals for vegetarians as well though. The prices are about what you’d expect at a theme park – expect to pay about £5-10 and up per person for a meal.
The biggest scandal of the day price-wise was my husband’s ridiculous purchase at the balloon stand on our way out. Obviously this was strategically placed by the exit to attract the attention of kids, but at £3.50 a pop (haha!) they’re the biggest trap – one we definitely wouldn’t have fallen for had I not stupidly chosen to nip to the toilet, leaving my husband defenceless against the pleas of the girls!
The Rides
Very impressive! There’s a good selection of small rides for younger children, but plenty arounf as well to keep my 9 and 10 year old nieces more than happy.
The park contains main of the traditional rides – classic pirate ship, log flume, carousel, haunted house, dodgems – but my fave is still the spinning tea cups – great as you’re able to spin yourself!
There have been a couple of additions to the park of late, one being the introduction of a spinning ride that tilts as you spin – a favourite with my nieces.
The wooden Antelope rollercoaster is always one of the most popular in the park, but I loved the Wild Mine ride; you don’t half get whipped around the corners at some speed – probably not great if you’ve ever suffered neck injuries or have a fear of whiplash!
Is it a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down for Gulliver’s World?
A definite THUMBS UP from everyone in our party!
If you’re looking for a one-off, extraordinarily special day during the summer hols or half term, Gulliver’s World won’t disappoint you or your family. This is one of the most fun theme parks I’ve been in England. My daughter and nieces loved it, I loved it and my husband, despite being the victim of daylight robbery committed by a cheeky balloon seller, loved it too.
I’m definitely going to look into their Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas packages for special days over the next few months.
For more recommendations for things to do nearby check out my Liverpool travel tips.
