Another week, another trip. This time we were off to Center Parcs, but not Longleat. We decided to try a different park to see what it is like and Woburn is by far the best in terms of being set up for arrival by public transportation. We got the train to London and connected here onto a train to Flitwick, all very easy actually. The station at Flitwick is a bit basic, for example, there is no lift which for the four ladies with prams looked like an absolute nightmare. From here Center Parcs run a shuttle bus that picks you up and drops you at reception which is where the perks really come into play. You can leave your luggage here, which means you can check in and use facilities (not the cabin) before 4 pm and then they drop the luggage off at your cabin later in the day. They also pick it up on departure day. I honestly wish all the parks offered this option.
As per usual we had pre-booked a few things for the week. We don’t like to book back-to-back activities though as this can be expensive and can be a bit stressful. You need a mixture of fun and relaxation. On the day we arrived, we had not pre-booked bikes but after walking around the site and the hills determined these might be a good idea so went to the cycle centre and got the last two electric bikes they had available. Our cabin was located at the top of what was probably the largest hill in the park so I was glad we secured the electric ones as there was no way I could pedal up there! We ate out at Amalfi which is an Italian restaurant for our first meal and then did some Ten Pin bowling. Such a fun night. We quickly realised that everything in this park was very close together, which for some would be great but I prefer the fact that Longleat is so large.
We started our second day at the Pancake House, because when at Center Parcs it has to be done right? We then did some pottery painting, this is one of my favourite things to do at the park but unlike the other times we have done this it was slightly stressful. They rigidly stuck to a time and it meant that my husband didn’t have enough time to finish his off. Previously we have been given longer, especially because it is never fully booked. We made the most of the sunshine and went out on an electric boat on the lake, this was such good fun. So easy to steer and drive which made the experience really relaxing. We had a little BBQ for tea at the cabin with some flavoured chicken we got from the shop inside Center Parcs and it was so good. Then to the pub quiz where we went from last position after the first round to finishing fourth by the end. Pretty pleased with that. From here we popped to the other pub and played a bit of pool before calling it a night. Thankfully nights end early here, it’s not a party place which I could not be more happy about.
Our third day started with some adventure golf, the course was okay. It was very basic and built on a hill so had an added risk of your ball just disappearing. I don’t think much of the Longleat courses either so there wasn’t much difference here between these two. This was the evening we booked the spa for so decided to just do some walking and eating for the rest of the day. We got the tastiest ice cream and headed off to the Nature Walk for a little wander. This was a lovely walk, I don’t really know why they don’t make it clearer on signs what this is but it is a tranquil little bit of woodland with a stream running through it. We saw so much wildlife on this little bit including two very cute deer. The spa was lovely but obviously, we didn’t take any photos. The only real issue I had was that the water seemed to irritate my skin, little did I know just how bad this was going to be. The outside pool was great, we sat in there until we were both prunes. I think though that the Longleat Aqua Sana spa is better overall if im honest. It felt like there was more to do in the Longleat one.
Our last full day quickly came around, we had lunch in Cafe Rouge which was disappointing. Well, the service was awful, we turned up and I think it took about 30 minutes before anyone took our order and then the food was slow with zero apology from the restaurant. We then booked an Encounter with the Owls, we have previously done the Falconry at Longleat so excited for a change of birds. The owls were amazing, they are so beautiful and we got to fly one to us which was an amazing experience. When we came out of there we discovered that the rapids which had previously been closed for our visit were now open so we made a quick change and went to the pool. This is where my arms started to get really bad. The rapids were great, I actually preferred these to the Longleat ones. You just sit on your bum and there are no giant humps to constantly get over, plus the water is pretty shallow all the way around. We went around the rapids a few times and also enjoyed the indoor lazy river which has rubber rings! (fun). But after about 30-40 minutes my arms were unbearably sore, they were bright red and raised and stinging badly so we had to call it time on the pool unfortunately. I managed to get some Sudocrem from the shop to calm it down but it took days to properly settle. We had our last meal out at Las Iguanas which had robot servers. This was so fun, I think I had previously read about these but totally forgot. I think I spent most of my meal just watching these little robots wheezing around the restaurant.
Before we knew it check-out day was upon us. We did some more exploring and walking around the park before getting the shuttle bus back. The journey home was not quite as smooth as the one there, unfortunately. We arrived in Paddington and discovered that there had been no train to Bristol for several hours, we tried to get on the first one out but it was so busy that not everyone could fit on. Luckily one of the train staff announced that there was another train leaving shortly and told us what platform it was from so we headed there and managed to get on and have a seat. It was so much quieter. I really felt for the people on that first train as it was rammed and a lot would have been left standing.
Once we were back in Bristol we did another first and went to the Everyman Cinema to watch Guardians of the Galaxy and it was so good. Also, that cinema is *chefs kiss*. I always thought it was mega expensive but it’s actually not much more than the one in Cabots but the service was fantastic. I love that someone greets you, that there are multiple opportunities to purchase food and that the seats are sofas. It feels like a really luxurious treat. Sunday was back to our friend’s new place in Bath as my husband had offered to sort out their electrics and sorted them out with lights in all the rooms.
