What To Expect At Shrek's Adventure, London

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Even though we have been Merlin Pass holders for as long as I can remember and visited all their attractions, Shrek's Adventure is one we just haven't visited. There was no reason as such it just never made it on to our 'to do' list when visiting the capital and after our recent visit I am sad we haven't experienced it before because it is such a fun attraction. 

What To Expect At Shrek's Adventure, Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7PB

It is a brilliantly bonkers, interactive and immersive walkthrough experience, where the whole family can journey through Far Far Away as the stars of the show.

See, hear, touch and smell the adventure by exploring 10 fairytale themed live shows, from a magical 4D flying bus experience, interacting with various famous characters including Princess Fiona and Donkey to collecting the special ingredients that you will need in order to find Shrek and make it home safely.

Once inside there are lots of photo opportunities before you start your adventure to Far, Far, Away but once you start there are no cameras allowed which I loved as I was able to experience it without reaching for my camera every couple of minutes.

We had no idea what to expect but now that we have visited I would say it is very much like The Dungeons experiences were you move through the attraction and come face to face with characters. 

You move through the attraction in a small group of maybe 20-30 people including children. You stay with your group throughout. 

There is some audience participation but only a small amount and I guess you could hide behind other visitors if you don't want to get picked. 

There is lots to see and some surprises along the way. It's a fun attraction for all the family and I don't think you need to be a fan of Shrek either to enjoy it.

Anything Else?

Shrek Adventure, London is a Merlin Entertainments attraction which allows you to access using your pass however there are exclusion dates so always check the passholder website before visiting. 

There are a wide range of tickets available which include standard, anytime and multi attractions. Standard tickets are from £24 if booked online which is recommended to avoid disappointment and also to save money. To book the best ticket package for you I would recommend visiting the website to view what is available. 

Timed slots are every 15 minutes. 

The attraction can take anywhere from 70 to 90 minutes. 

There are opportunities to meet characters and also have photographs taken. There is an option to buy single photographs or to purchase a travel book with all photographs in. This is available just before the exit. 

To exit the attraction you do have to walk through the shop with opportunities to purchase Shrek branded merchandise. 

We really enjoyed Shrek's Adventure and would definitely visit again. You can find out more information by visiting Shrek's Adventure. If you visit before the 4th September 2022 you can also meet Puss in Boots. 

Are you planning a visit to Shrek's Adventure? Leave us a comment below and let us know.  

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Michelle

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Visiting Gripped, London

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Disclosure - We we invited to Gripped for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Gripped is a new attraction based in Hounslow. Gripped is designed to thrill you with its line up of exciting Aerial activities. Each activity can be booked separately or as a bundle to help save money and can be combined with a visit to its neighbour, Hobbledown Heath. 

What To Expect At Gripped London, Hounslow, TW14 0HH

Zip, slide, jump or climb... prepare for the thrill of a lifetime! Whether you are 4 or 84, Gripped London have a range of aerial adventures guaranteed to get your adrenaline pumping. Choose from High Ropes, Zip Lines, NetPark, Speed Slides, Power Fan Descender and Bag Jump.

We chose to complete three activities. The High Ropes, Dual Line Zip Trek and the Net Adventure Park.  

On arrival at Gripped you will be given coloured wristbands for each of the activities you book and the booked time will be written on each wristband. 

The Net Adventure Park was a good activity to start with to get our adrenaline pumping. You are allowed 45 minutes from your start time to get climbing, bouncing and sliding, although the staff member did say we could stay a little longer if we wanted. I think this will depend on how busy the net park is. 

We really enjoyed this experience as we hadn’t really done anything like this before, you could climb up, bounce on the individual areas, fight with huge bouncy balls up high and slide back to the ground in special net slides that where really fun to use.  We also played a game of hide and seek, although the net park isn’t huge it was big enough to hide in and chase each other round. 

If the Net Park isn't for you then there are benches and tables surrounding so you can watch from below. 

The other available Gripped activities are located further inside Hobbledown Heath and are accessible through their own entrance. Upon arrival you show your wristband for your chosen activity and a member of staff will take you to the safety briefing area for that activity. 

The Dual Line Zip Trek was a highlight for us. Before we began we were told a little about the course. The course is a mixture go zip lines and high rope obstacles and you are able to go at your own pace. If you are happy you are then moved to an area to be equipped with everything you need to proceed. You will be fitted with a harness and helmet and then shown to the training area. Here you will complete a trainer course first to check you can move your harness around and connect and disconnect to the zips correctly which is really thorough. Our trainer asked little J to do the course again before she would let him proceed. She wanted to make sure he was confident and the second time around he was able to do it with ease so was able to go on the main course. 

There is one course to complete which we thought was the perfect length. The obstacles consist of rope bridges, wooden bridges and nets and all require good concentration to get across. These are separated by zip lines of varying length. 

The course took us about an hour and a half but could be done quicker by those more experienced. We loved the fact that once you are on the course it’s up to you to get around. Help would be there if really needed but the freedom to get around on your own was really refreshing. We did not feel pressured to get around quickly and it was brilliant for confidence building for Little J. 

We had a break before heading onto the high ropes adventure. There are two difficulties to pick from and we chose the easier of the two. This adventure was similar to the zip trekking experience without the zip wires. Instead you have more challenging obstacles high among the trees. There are rope bridges, swinging ropes, challenging bridges with large gaps between each step and much more to work through. Little J loved the experience and was quicker through this one as he had practiced the movement of the harness on the zip trek. 

Overall he preferred the zip trek as he really enjoyed the zip wire sections. 

The other activities available looked really good too and we have already promised little J that we will be back to try them out.

Each activity has it's own minimum age and other requirements so I would advise to check out Gripped website for more information. 

Have you heard of Gripped London or are you planning a visit? Leave us a comment below and let us know.  

For more fun you can head to Hobbledown Heath which is the perfect outdoor adventure play area for the kids. Read our review of Hobbledown Heath for further information. 

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- If you enjoyed this post leave us a comment.

-  Like us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and follow us on our adventures.

- If you have visited any of the attractions mentioned in this post share photos with us on our socials. 

- If this post has helped you in anyway you can Buy Us A Virtual Coffee to say thanks.

- If you would like to work with us please visit on Work With Us page for more details

Michelle

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Win a £20 Life:Style Fashion and Beauty Gift Card

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Can anyone else feel the Autumn breeze especially in the late afternoon? I do love Autumn and I cannot wait to pack up my Summer clothes and start updating my Autumn wardrobe. I love how my wardrobe changes from bright colours such as yellow and pinks to lots of orange and brown. I have a few items from last year but I think I will have to pick up some more as soon as they start to pop up in the shops.

If you are like me and you need to update your Autumn wardrobe then I can help get you started with my latest giveaway. I have a £20 Life:Style gift card to giveaway to one of my readers and followers. 

The Life:Style card to shop at over 25+ shops including some of the high street favourites such as

Primark

Asos

John Lewis

Boohoo

Clarks

H&M

New Look

Zalando

Feel Unique

H Samuel

The Body Shop

M&S

River Island

Lavish

Footlocker

Plus more

To be in with the chance to winning all you need to do is complete the entry form below and pop back throughout the day for bonus chances to enter.

The giveaway is open to UK residents only and you must be a follower of Playdays and Runways on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to enter. The giveaway will close on the 10th September and the winner will be contacted within 3 working days. 

Win £20 Lifestyle Fashion and Beauty Gift Card

Michelle

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Staying At The Hilton Garden Inn, Heathrow

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Disclosure - We received a complimentary stay. The ideas, thoughts, opinions and photographs in this 

post are own. 

We like to travel down South a few times a year to visit the capital but also to make use of our Merlin Passes and visit the attractions in and around London. We sometimes struggle when booking a hotel as very few will meet our budget and needs. The Hilton Garden Inn, Heathrow managed to tick all our boxes and we enjoyed a 3 night jam packed stay.

What To Expect When Staying At The Hilton Garden Inn, Hounslow, TW6 2SQ

The first thing you think of when staying close to the airport is the noise level especially at a busy airport such as Heathrow. We didn't hear any noise from planes at all once inside the hotel room and we could see the busy runway from the window. 

We stayed in a queen room with sofa which was more than big enough for 2 adults and 2 children. We were originally travelling as 3 adults and 1 child, but changed at the last minute. If we did visit as 3 adults and 1 child then the two double bed family room wouldn't have been suitable as the second double bed is a sofa bed. 

The room was equipped with a mini fridge, tea making facilities, hairdryer, iron and ironing board. 

We ate breakfast at the hotel in Jack's bar which was served until 10am and was self service. The range of breakfast was the best we have seen at a hotel. You can choose from a selection of cereals, porridge, bakery items such as pain au chocolate and croissants and cooked breakfast. There was an omelette station with omelettes made fresh with toppings of your choice and a waffle maker which was extremely popular each morning. 

As we were using the hotel as a base for visiting London and surrounding attractions we did not have dinner at the hotel although the restaurant did look popular with guests. 

As the hotel is close to the airport it does have a large departures board in reception and a hotel to airport transfer is available for your convenience. 

Parking at the hotel is chargeable at £15 per 24hours. 

The hotel boasts that is caters for children with a bespoke Family Experience for travellers below the age of 12. Children enjoy a Kids Welcome and a dedicated Kids Breakfast experience. Enjoy family meals by selecting dishes from the Kids Menu. The hotel has a range of kids amenities available upon request. 

The location of the hotel was perfect for us with Hatton Cross station just a five minute walk away which was ideal for us to travel to London in less than a hour. Hobbledown Heath was a 10 minute drive and Merlin Attractions Thorpe Park and Legoland less than 30 minutes away and Chessington just 40 minutes. A perfect base for exploring local attractions. 

I think when you check out of a hotel and you think about your stay and you ask yourself would you stay there again, our answer would be yes. It had everything we needed and it was the ideal location for us to reach all our destinations. We loved watching the planes come in and out too, especially at night. 

Do you have plans to stay at The Hilton Garden Inn? Leave us a comment below and let us know.  

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- If you enjoyed this post leave us a comment.

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- If you have visited any of the attractions mentioned in this post share photos with us on our socials. 

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Michelle

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Hobbledown Heath, London

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Disclosure - We we invited to Hobbledown Heath for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

We love exploring new places and we were very excited when we were invited to try out the new outdoor adventure park, Hobbledown Heath. It only took one look at the website to know that this was something special and something we would love as a family. We have visited something very similar in the North West called The Ice Cream Farm however Hobbledown Heath completely blew us away and exceeded our expectations. 

What To Expect At Hobbledown Heath, Hounslow, TW14 0HH

Hobbledown Heath invites you to explore four themed villages that are set in acres of beautiful woodland and meadow. You can climb towers, crawl through tunnels, and step inside one of the largest indoor play arenas in London. If you still have energy after all the exploring you can come face-to-face with goats, meerkats, capybara, highland cows, and many other exotic and traditional farm animals.

When we booked we chose to arrive at 10am. We were then allowed to spend 4 hours inside Hobbledown Heath . We took a photograph of the map and we were encouraged to download the app. 

The first thing we noticed once heading inside was how spacious it was. It felt empty although there were quite a lot of children and adults inside. At times it felt like there was just us which was great. 

As described there are four themed villages which are wooden play frames with a variety of slides, sand, water, rope ladders and steps. 

They are all spread out and each one did feel different to the previous. Each wooden frame can be as challenging or easy as you like as there are a variety of ways to climb up and come down. 

There are jumping pillows which are great for jumping fun. A few were filled with water which looked like so much fun. 

Anything Else?

Opening Times

Peak (Weekends and School Holidays):

Opening: 9am / Closing: 6pm

Off-peak (Monday - Friday during term time):

Opening: 9.30am / Closing: 5.30pm

At the time of this post admission is £18 per person with under 2's free of charge. 

All the frames, paths, and areas felt safe, clean and well maintained. The villages are all made from wood with wood chipping or sand at the base. 

There is one kiosk half way round Hobbledown Heath called Hobnosh Snack Shack selling a variety of hot and cold drinks and snacks. There are also toilets next door too. 

There are plenty of benches and places to rest throughout with tables which is great if you have brought a picnic or you want to watch as the children play. Each area seemed to have plenty.

Bring a reusable water bottle as there are free water refill stations.

As well as the outdoor area there is also an indoor play area which is absolutely huge and has everything from nets, way slides, tube slides, interactive games and sensory area. It boasts that it is the largest indoor play area in London and after visiting I don't doubt it. 

There are plenty of tables inside and you can also purchase food and drinks inside. There are toilets inside the indoor play area.

Another attraction at Hobbledown Heath is a selection of animals. We really enjoyed watching the Reindeer and Rabbits. The animal area is quite spaced out and it looks like they are still developing so there could be more added to this area in the future. 

Once inside there are no chargeable attractions except for Gripped activities. Gripped London is the perfect outdoor adventure for thrill seekers and includes a High Ropes course, Zip Trek, Bag Jumps and more. For more information you can visit Gripped London for further information. 

Have you heard of Hobbledown Heath or are you planning a visit? Leave us a comment below and let us know.  

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- If you enjoyed this post leave us a comment.

-  Like us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and follow us on our adventures.

- If you have visited any of the attractions mentioned in this post share photos with us on our socials. 

- If this post has helped you in anyway you can Buy Us A Virtual Coffee to say thanks.

- If you would like to work with us please visit on Work With Us page for more details

Michelle

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