CONKERS — Attraction in North West Leicestershire

I was not happy with the service and experience that I received on the 22nd of December 2023.

Originally I booked the tickets for the 21st for me my partner and baby. However due to the bad weather conditions this had to be changed for the following day for 5pm. Which we understand and was grateful that we could be rebooked in.

Up on arrival it was not clear where to go as there were no signs or directions given by staff so we had to ask another visitor as there was no staff present . Upon arrival of the train we had to wait for the next one as we missed one due to not knowing where to go.

Once getting to the other side again it was not clear no signs and we had to just follow and guess where to go. We got our drinks and the ginger bread for our daughter. Which tasted like a dogs biscuit and to be frank I don’t think a dog would even have it. The service was slow and the staff seemed incompetent.

When we finally realised where the queue was for the wonder land walk we had to wait 20mins before getting through. When we asked what the held up, was we was informed that they don’t know. So staff are not even aware or know what they were doing and what was going on.

The walk was small very few lights and very disappointing only to be met with a huge queue. We waited 1 hour and 30mins to be able to see Santa and no other way out other than this. This took us past our planned time and past our time slot. I had to breast feed in the queue and had a very niggly baby as we planned the trip to ensure we saw Santa before her niggly time.

When we finally got to the front ready to see Santa, an elf decided to jump out and scare my 8month old making her cry and awkwardly laughed about it, no apology was given. In turn this ruined time with Santa as she wouldn’t settle down and ruined our 1st time as a family and parents of seeing Santa, which should have been a magical moment for us all.

The only positive was the toy and Santa was a lovely bloke who also tried his best to condone our daughter so we could try and capture a good photo for our memories.

Overall the experience was awful, I think the elf traumatised my daughter and ruined her 1st experience with Santa. The event was poorly ran, with staff that was under pressure not informed on what was going on . Me and my family will not come back to an event like this and I think it has put us off future events with you. The best part was leaving to go home. Sent...

Yes this place could do with a bit of TLC in areas and a few upgrades but for the price you pay factored with there being plenty to do for the kids - it’s great! I was put off a bit before my 1st visit from reading reviews on here but I ended up signing up for a family annual pass before I left. Go twice more and you’ve saved money already. I have a 5 year old and a 1 year old. They both love it here. The ‘splash park’ is more a playground with a few sprinklers but my youngest loved running around them and putting his hands in the water. Other kids seemed to love it too especially the younger ones. There are a few other playgrounds there including an adventure one which looked great fun and also a decent sized one which you catch the train to (where there is also a small soft play). Both my kids loved the barefoot walk and going through the fairy maze. There are high rope and low rope activities available too on holidays and weekends. My 5 year old loved the low ropes. The instructors were amazing and patient with her and my niece and made it enjoyable for them. It was £5 extra (which some on here moan about - but it helps keep the base rate down as low as it is and enables those who really want to do it to be able to). I think it’s catered for kids up to the age of 12. Someone said here there’s nothing for under 8s here - dunno what planet they’re on. Like I said for the money you pay and for the enjoyment the kids have - this is why I’ve given 5*.

Improvements needed:

The indoor interactive area has definitely seen out its life now and needs updating. It’s a big area but most exhibits are broken. They should get rid of these areas and just extend the soft play there. They could make it from 100% recycled materials to maintain the theme/values. This would surely attract more people so would be profitable for CONKERS.

The sensory walk is rubbish. Old battered bird boxes with broken flaps on the front that you put your hand in to feel things such as a rope, broom brush. It’s very underwhelming and they’re too high for kids to properly reach. The couple of times I’ve been here I’ve not seen people use this.

The Swans - We went on the swan pedalos too which was ok but vastly overpriced at £10. Should be £5 max. More people would do it then.

But the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. If you’re unsure just try it as it’s a cheap...

'Its OK' We visited at the end of October '19 after much rain and fully expected it to be wet & muddy, but after such good reviews and plenty of preparation on our part, didnt plan on letting this spoil our day! As per other reviews, the young girl on reception really didnt seem to have a care in the world, & that included us. She really didnt seam to want to be there at all & mumbled vague & useless instructions on how to enter the park . . . Maybe it shouldn't have, but it did set the mood for the day. When we did find our way in we had a good walk around and really enjoyed the outdoors and the activities and interactive 'games', but was disappointed to see some broken activities and missing signs and displays. All of it was nothing a very little time & money invested wouldn't quickly put right, but it was very noticable. We started early and from the beginning the amount of litter everywhere was surprising & disappointing. It certainly wasn't from that day. Whilst I appreciate there shouldn't be any left anyway, there always will be and it should be a planned grequent removal activity. Conkers do need to address this problem.

We took the little train to the play park. The train drivers were a happier bunch & were friendly & helpful. Our Grandkids thought the play park was the best bit and it's certainly well worth a visit. Although it's getting towards the end of the season, it would have been nice to have had the kiosk open, given it was half term week. A wet & cold parent with a coffee is a far happier wet & cold parent!

We ate in the cafe, which was OK, but the menue was limited & didnt have much in the way of healthy options. Given the weather conditions everyone was understandably crammed inside & there wasn't much room for anyone. Again this could be better thought out with an expandable seating area. The cafe staff were friendly & helpful & kept it going the best they could. The indoor interactive displays and activities were all working, fun and informative& the Grands enjoyed them alot. My final moan is that the exit is forced through the gift shop. Not an uncommon ploy by any means, but it does mean kids leave disappointed. All in all, its OK. There is more there than the average woodland park, although not much more than the better organised parks such as Foss Meadows. I certainly wouldn't like to go on a busy...