Gulliver's World Theme Park

Gulliver's World markets itself as a theme park aimed at families with younger children but you end up struggling to see who this actually appeals to.

Opening in 1989, Gulliver's World in Warrington is a theme park that looks its age. Even on a wet Saturday in August, there is little to brighten up your day as the park is a mix of old, weirdly shaped animal statues, damaged and weathered slightly animatronic dinosaurs and old rides rejected from a traveling fun fair.

There are only a few rides that seem to be actually built for the park including the 'Antelope', an old fashioned wooden coaster, the Alpine Log Flume, Apache Falls and smaller rides like Adventure Canyon, Dino Safari Tours and Gully's Express Railroad. The rest of the rides all seem to be old rides from traveling fun fairs, with rides like Desperado Drop, Overdrive, Tree Top Swings, Dodgems, Horses Carousel, Pirates Cove, Pirate Ship, The Wriggler and Grand Prix Racers (which banged my 8 year-old son around so much in his seat that he had bruises all over his back and was very upset for the rest of the visit), looking old and dated.

The list of problems doesn't stop there. The toilets, while clean, had a distinct smell of urine, even when visiting just after the park opened. The surroundings and gardens were unkept and in need of maintenance. Draft drinks and bottles were over priced and while most of the staff were very pleasant, there were some who definitely gave the impression that they didn't want to be there.

The one shining light, and the reason for a second star was the staff at the hotel. As part of package, we were given a three course evening meal at the Gulliver's Hotel, which was very nice and while the staff were a little overwhelmed by the amount of people that received this offer and the service suffered from delays but they were very apologetic and were professional throughout.

Gulliver's World is a great concept but it feels like that concept hasn't changed since the park opened. The Park is in desperate need of an update, meaning you might want to think again when you are looking for a family friendly place to visit.