Gypsy Wood Park — Attraction in Bontnewydd

I had a great time with my 9yo and my 11yo. There were enough variety of activities to where we could spend 3-4 hours there without getting bored. I imagine younger kids could have fun for even longer. I would have rated higher, but the staff was highly rude at the end of the day. Five minutes before closing time, I asked if I could make a quick purchase in the gift shop as my kids wanted something to remember the day. I was told that the gift shop was closed and we needed to get out now. Staff were standing next to all the doors which had already been locked. Only the exit was still open. It was quite intimidating! When we got into the car to go, my phone's clock read 4:58pm. If 5pm is closing time, then I'd expect at least the gift shop to be open until that time and not feel pushed out before then. Either that or let people know when coming in that we needed to be out before 5pm. I understand that some times a hard stop to the day is required, but I would have made sure to plan and leave us more time if I had known! It was a surprise as before then the staff were all very friendly! It was an upsetting end to an otherwise nice day out.

Benches were positioned around and we had no difficulty in finding a place to sit down. The playgrounds were clean and well-maintained. The park isn't dog-friendly, but there is a good reason for this due to farm animals and the types of activities present so no problem there. Just be aware before going.

The bathroom facilities were good, but I wished there was another toilet available nearer to the cafe. Still, the nearest toilet wasn't too far away (near the entrance) but some queuing was involved down a very awkward corridor.

So, overall, I recommend going here for a nice day out, but don't expect to be treated well at all on the way out if you leave...

We visited with our 3 year-old boy and his 10 year-old big sister, and there was plenty to keep both age groups busy for several hours. There's a gorgeous, multilayered outdoor model railway, some of which is controllable with buttons for the children. There's then a much larger train that pulls several coaches for families to ride on. During the summer this train runs continuously all day, but a sign said it only runs on the hour during the winter. One free ride is included with the very reasonable entry fee to the park, but after that they're £1.50 each. It only lasts 5 minutes but it's good fun for the kids.

Beyond that there are various animals to feed, trampolines, an outdoor play area, many leprechaun and fairy themed displays and things to play with, go-karts, a small indoor soft play area, a gift shop and various other bits and bobs. It's all very charming and the staff were pleasant enough.

My only complaint is the cafe, specifically the food itself. I order a ham and pineapple pizza, which looked great but the pineapple was off and tasted disgusting, and the rest of the pizza itself seemed to have been caked in pepper or something to disguise the taste. My partner ordered a baked potato which didn't fare much better. It had several roots protruding right out of it, which meant that not only had it been sitting around for ages but nobody had gone to the effort of cutting them off to hide that fact. The cucumber in the side salad also seemed to be off (see picture).

Overall, I would probably visit again if in the area but I'd definitely...

Absolutely loved it and highly recommend! We took our 16 month old today and there was plenty for him to do. Top things at his age were the mini train ride (£1 extra), looking at the model train village, playing on the playground and trampoline, looking at the farm animals, playing on the go karts and playing in the construction zone indoor play area. If there was still time in the day he'd have also enjoyed the sandpit and the play tractor toys/wheels, but we just didn't get chance as he was getting tired. We were there just over 3.5 hours and had a bite to eat at the cafe too. You could easily stay there all day and we'll definitely recommend to my brother's family of six who will be in the area at the end of this month! The price attracted us to the place initially, as it's well under a tenner and my god is it worth it! So much attention to detail with all the lovely extras (giant's chair, fairy doors, trees with faces etc.) We go to Anglesey to holiday often, so will head here regularly as our son grows and he'll be able to interact with some of the bigger/older activities such as the zip line, the nature walk, hook a duck, milk the cow and den building. Really impressed with the book in advance system as the owners clearly care about the customer experience, rather than making a tonne. Another reason why we'll be back!...