Visiting Play Factore, Manchester

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Disclosure - We were gifted tickets for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Last week we were invited to Play Factore to try out their Virtual Reality attraction.  Play Factore is located right underneath Chill Factore by the Trafford Centre and is part of the Beyond entertainment complex.

Play Factore is the UK's largest family entertainment centre, and boasts Europe's tallest standing indoor slide.  The first thing I really noticed about Play Factore was how they have used the space so well, with each activity in its own zone, and lots of seating for those not taking part right in the middle of the centre.  The activities are big enough for all ages to attempt, with most areas aimed at 5-16.  Adults will have no problems accompanying little ones and there is also a specific toddler zone too.

We headed firstly for the giant red slide. This involved finding our way up the climbing structure to reach the top corner, which was lots of fun with obstacles to climb over, slide under and dodge as you go higher and higher. You can see down below over the rest of the centre from the structure and Little J couldn't believe how high he had climbed.

The slide had a staff member at the top for safety instructions and we needed to fold our arms across out chest and head down. Big J went first and literally flew down the slide.  It didn't look too fast so I took Little J down next to me.  We discovered that looks can be deceiving!  We bounced over the bumps and Little J found it hard to keep his arms crossed with the speed we moved at!  The slide really is so fast and lots of fun, but not for the faint hearted.

Next it was onto the football area. This is a short climb up the structure and is a great area with two goals and netting all around so the balls can't go missing.  Football is always a hit with us and we spent a good amount of time playing.

Big J and I tried out the Virtual Reality game next.  You are in a small arena with two staff manning the area from the outside. You wear a backpack containing the tech needed to run the game, a headset and hold on to two handheld devices that act as your guns.  The staff set you up and two play at a time.  Finally your headphones go on and the screen loads up.  You have a short training exercise to complete which is really useful as it gets you used to the controls and how to move around quickly and then its onto the main game.

If you haven't tried VR before then you are in for a surprise.  Even if you have just tried the VR headsets that you can put your phone in, this is a different class. It's amazing too look all around you and be in another environment, and actually feel as though you need to be careful when walking across platforms in case you fall.  The game consists of three main sections, involving shooting down drones, moving up and down a hangar bay, and the final battle to destroy a reactor.  The game lasts around 7 minutes or so in total, however feels longer, and you do become immersed in the game as there are no distractions or anything else in your vision or hearing.  We both really enjoyed the experience and will be looking to try it out again on out next visit.

Little J wanted to go on the Go Kart area whilst we used the VR and this was fun as he could drive the kart himself around the track. It isn't fast and perfect for the littler ones.  Big J also got to sit on the back of the kart on his next go around.

We then took a short break for some food from the restaurant. Play Factore employ 5 chefs as they prepare and cook every single dish on site using the best locally sources ingredients. The pizza is cooked in a traditional stone bake oven, and this is impressive for a play area!  We really enjoyed out food and the selection of drinks is really good too, with a range of coffees, tea, soft drinks and Tango Ice Blast machines.

Finally for us it was more football and then onto Laser Tag. we had been having a great time on the other activities and had forgotten about laser tag until the end of our visit. The Laser Tag was great fun, with just a gun each needed. The guns are the weapons and also the part you need to hit on your opponent to score points.  The area to play in is perfect for the game as there are plenty of places to hide, duck down, and higher areas too to get some high ground.  The game lasts around 5 minutes.

There are other activities to do in Play Factore that we didn't check out this time such as the Arcade area, with a selection of arcade games to play and also the huge children's Zip Wire which sends children from one end of the building to the other, flying over the heads of people sat below in the centre!  This is available for ages of 6 -16 and is manned by a qualified team of zip line experts to ensure everyone is kept safe.

We really enjoyed out visit to Play Factore and its another centre that we will be certain to head back to in the future.

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John

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Salford Museum and Ordsall Hall

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Disclosure - We were invited to Ordsall Hall and The Salford Museum. We were gifted lunch and snacks however entry was free and we were not paid to create this post.

On Sunday we had a lovely day visiting Salford Museum and Ordsall Hall in Manchester. Usually I would do a little review of each place however they are only a 5-10 minutes drive from each other so you could easily do both on the same day and they are both free to enter and make a lovely day out.

We visited the Salford Museum first, this was due to the opening times of both. The museum building is quite pretty from the outside and reminded me of a library rather than a museum. There was parking at the front of the building however it is chargeable parking which cost us £2.50 for the time we were there.

We went to the reception desk first as we had never been before and the lady kindly told us a little bit about the museum, what to expect and she pointed out the toilets and the cafe.

The Salford Museum is home to Lark Hill Place. It was our favourite part of the Museum. Lark Hill Place is a re-creation of a typical Northern street during Victorian times.

Lark Hill Place was originally created in 1957 when many shops and houses in central Salford were being demolished to make way for new developments. Many of the shop fronts that are in Lark Hill Place today were saved and restored. The interiors have been furnished and are full of authentic objects, recreating the way they were used in Victorian times.

Visitors can explore the street and dress up in traditional Victorian costumes to really get in the spirit of things.

Little J loved dressing up and chose his own outfit.

After we looked through the shop windows and experienced what it felt like to walk down a Victorian Street, we finished at the sweet shop. There was a volunteer behind the counter handing out sweets to the children. There is no charge however you can make a donation. It was a lovely treat for little J and it was nice to see her weigh out the sweets. 

Once we had finished visiting Lark Hill Place we headed to the first floor to the art gallery. I enjoyed this part of the Museum however little J wasn't too interested and wanted to head back to the Victorian Street.

Once we had finished we headed to the cafe for some lunch before we headed to Ordsall Hall.

Like I said earlier Ordsall Hall is only 5-10 minutes away so perfect for enjoying both in the same day.

Ordsall Hall has had a long and interesting history with many different uses since it was first mentioned in records in 1177! Today, it is a welcoming and friendly historic house telling the story of the Hall and some of the people who made it their home.

The building looks very impressive but the location is quite strange as it is amongst a housing estate and is surrounded by a main road and while we were there lots of people passing by heading to the Manchester United game. 

The grounds are well kept  and lots of nice walkways to explore and things to see.

Before we began exploring the hall we were shown a 10 minute video which explains a little more about the Hall and also help you understand more about the building and it's history. It was a beautiful afternoon so little J just wanted to explore outside so John and I have said we would love to return to explore the hall more another day. Entry is free so would make a perfect day out for just the two of us. There is also another lovely cafe with delicious looking cakes.

We really enjoyed our visit to Salford Museum and Ordsall Hall. As both are free entry they make a really nice cheap day out.

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Michelle

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Days Out | A Trip On Mersey Ferries

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Disclosure - We were gifted tickets on the River Cruise Explorer for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own.

On Sunday we braved the cold weather and took a trip on Mersey Ferries. As a family we have been going on the ferry for years and it's one of our favourite days out. When I was younger you would board the ferry and take a round trip with amazing views of Liverpool and also The Wirral. Now there is so much more to do than just a ferry ride. You can enjoy a River Explorer Cruise which includes attractions at Seacombe and Woodside.

As we live in Liverpool we boarded the ferry at the Pier Head. Our tickets were already booked so we headed to the collection desk which is just inside the terminal building. Boarding for the ferry begins ten minutes before the departure time. From the Pier Head, departures are on the hour.

It was really cold on board the ferry but there are seating areas indoors with lovely views and the smell of fresh coffee coming from the onboard cafe.

Our ferry time was 11am and we had a packed lunch so we ate it as we sailed over to Seacombe, the first stop on our River Explorer Cruise. The journey from Pier Head to Seacombe is 20 minutes.

At Seacombe there are three attractions. Spaceport, Play Port and Cafe Cross The Mersey.

Spaceport is a minutes walk away from Seacombe Terminal and you can purchase a ferry and spaceport combined ticket online which can save you a few pounds. We have been to Spaceport in the past and we were looking forward to Sci-Fi Icons which is a collection of Star Wars Memorabilia on display. We all love Star Wars so it was a bonus that the collection was available to see when we visited.

Upon arrival the receptionist kindly informed us that the Space Dome Theatre Show was about to begin. We headed past the 'space' attractions on the ground floor to the rear of Spaceport to enter the theatre. The theatre was in the shape of a dome and when sitting we were slightly reclined so we could view the ceiling. The show was 25 minutes long and all about space and planets. it was narrated by Rupert Grint and we all really enjoyed it. It did get us all thinking whether we are alone in this galaxy or are there aliens out there?

Once the show was over we headed to the Explorer 1 Space Ride. You are sat in  a Simulator watching the TV screen in front as you are zoomed through space on what looks like a rollercoaster as the seats move from side to side. It was lots of fun and we all really enjoyed it.

We headed upstairs after the ride to view the Star Wars section. There were so many costumes, props and memorabilia to view. All the costumes looked so realistic. Little J and I played a game of 'guess the character?' and ' does he have a gun or a lightsaber?' He got every question right, he does like his Star Wars.

John was interested in all the old toys and can remember having some of them when he was little. If only he still had some of them, they are collectors items now and worth a small fortune.

Although learning about Space and seeing the Star Wars Collection was fun, little J liked the interactive games the most. We all played a quiz and i was shocked by how many he got right, I'm sure most were guesses but who knows he may be a Space whizz.

In total we spent just under 2 hours in Spaceport, which included the 25 minute dome show and 4 minute ride. I suppose you can take as little or as much time as you like but keep an eye on your watch as the ferry leaves at twenty past the hour so if you just miss it you will have an hour wait.

Play Port and Cafe Cross The Mersey are located in the Seacombe terminal building. The cafe offers a wide variety of food and drink and there was plenty of seating available. Play Port is an indoor children's play area and it is not included in the price of your ticket. It is currently £3.20 Mon-Fri and £3.95 at Weekends, Bank Holidays and School Holidays. Although little J wanted to go and have a play it was very busy so it maybe popular with locals.

Next stop on our ferry trip was Woodside and the U Boat Story. When we collected our tickets we were told that the U Boat Story was included in the standard River Explorer Cruise price however it was closed. We were disappointed as there was no mention of this on the Mersey Ferry website and I had visited the site before we left to check the ferry was running despite the cold weather. The U Boat experience was closed due to ice so they cannot open it to visitors.

We had no reason to leave the ferry at Woodside so we stayed on and made our way back to the Pier Head. The boys played word games using a pen and pad little J had purchased in the Spaceport shop.

We had a lovely day on the ferry and Spaceport. It was a shame U Boat Story was closed but hopefully we will be able to visit it another time.

The River Explorer Cruise is a 50 minute round trip excluding any time you spend at the attractions. You can purchase your tickets online which saves money and they have to be booked before midnight the day before you plan to visit.

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Michelle

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Disney On Ice, Dream Big

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Disclosure - We were gifted Disney on Ice tickets for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Last week we headed to Manchester to the Manchester Arena to see Disney On Ice Dream Big. We have seen Disney On Ice many times over the years but each show is completely different and we couldn't wait to see what magic was in store for us this time.

When we first arranged the tickets I wasn't sure whether little J would want to see this show or not. I have seen many trailers and adverts and it is all about the princesses but we decided to book him a ticket too and I am so glad we did. He was mesmerised from start to finish.

Our seats were rink side so we were so close to the characters and you could feel the cold breeze from the ice as they whizzed past. I would definitely recommend rink side as it made our whole experience so much more magical.

Mickey and Minnie introduced the show and continued to pop out after every segment to introduce the next princess.

Aladdin opened the show as he weaved in and out of the market stands on the ice stealing bread to eat for him and Abu only to be caught. Luckily Princess Jasmine was close by and saved Aladdin from a gloomy fate.

Watching Aladdin and Jasmine dance around the ice to A Whole New World was beautiful and was one of my personal highlights of the show.

Next up was the tale of Beauty and the Beast. Little J likes the songs from the film and I caught him a few times singing along.

Belle danced around the ice with Lumiere but unfortunately there was no sign of the Beast or Gaston.

My favourite moment was watching Rapunzel dance with Flynn to 'I See The Light'. Tangled is my favourite Disney movie ever and Rapunzel is my favourite princess so this was a special moment for me.

Moana caused a buzz in the air as most of the little ones got all excited as she skated on to the ice. Moana was probably the strongest skater we had seen so far as we watched her dance around to 'How  Far I'll Go'

It was nice to see demigod Maui make an appearance too.

We had seen The Little Mermaid on ice before but it's so colourful and the songs are great that it felt like the first time we had seen it. 

There was a 20 minute interval and the seating areas where soon flooded with staff selling popcorn, ice creams and candy floss. An actual merchandise stand was quickly erected just behind us for people to grab any souvenirs.

The one thing that I feel lets Disney On Ice down is the costs of the snacks and the merchandise. We have bought stuff in the past but now I just refuse. £22 for a spinning wand or £30 for a princess teddy. It's so costly especially when you are buying for 2 or 3 children.

We actually took our own light up toy that we bought in Florida last year and little J was just as happy waving that in the air. We did let him choose a snack in the interval. He wanted an ice cream which was £3 and John chose popcorn which was very over priced at £8.

The second half saw a very brief visit from Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and then it was on to Frozen.

We have seen the Frozen part of the show a few times now and I guess because its so popular they want to include it in every new production. I love this part of the show it lasts about 20/25 minutes and it will have you singing along guaranteed.

Anna and Elsa do more skating than all of the other Princesses and Characters and they really do put on a performance and it's the perfect ending to a wonderful show.

I would highly recommend Disney On Ice to any fans of Disney as the whole production is so magical and children and adults of all ages will enjoy it. For me personally this was the best Disney On Ice. We definitely got to see more characters than we have before.

There are usually a few opportunities to see a Disney on Ice show throughout the year as it tours arenas up and down the country. Keep checking Disney on Ice for up to date information.

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Michelle

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What To Expect On The Gruffalo Orienteering Trail

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A few weeks ago I was reading another blog and noticed that The Gruffalo Trail was at Delamere Forest. I was so excited because I knew little J would love hunting through the woods in search for the Gruffalo. It's been one of his favourite books for a few years now and last year he even had a Gruffalo birthday party. So last weekend we headed to Delamere Forest in search for the Gruffalo.

If you have been to Delamere before you will know that there are quite a few car parks, however we decided to head straight to the Forest Centre car park as we wanted to buy a map of the Gruffalo trail. 

The Forest Centre car park is situated by cafe, toilets, bicycle hire and the starting point to all trails. It is a sharable car park with an all day charge of £6. You can pay less if you are only staying for a hour or two.

Once we were parked we headed to the shop to purchase our map which was £1.50. The starting point is just outside by the picnic benches. There are 12 points to follow on the trail so once we had a quick toilet stop we were ready to go. I would recommend going to the toilet beforehand as once on the trail there are no toilets available. It is approx one and a half miles however it does seem longer especially if you venture off track and go exploring in the woods and den building. 

The trail is accessible for all ages and abilities however it was very muddy and I did see people struggling with prams at some points throughout the trail. 

We wandered in to the woods a few times firstly to do den building although there was a den already built so after playing in it for a little while we knocked it down. We found big logs and sticks and had lightsaber fights with them.

There is a point at the beginning of the trail were you walk over a bridge. The bridge is over the railway tracks although we didn't get to see a train unfortunately. As you go along the trail there are 12 sign posts to look out for - this lets you know you are going the right way. They have questions on and if you have bought the map you can answer them in the activity booklet.

We got almost half way before we stopped to have a snack. It was the first time we had seen a bench so took the opportunity to have a quick drink and a cake that I had brought with us. 

We went in to the woods a few more times looking for leaves and pine cones. Little J loves exploring and getting muddy. 

Shortly after we had got back on to the path we saw a crowd gathered ahead so we assumed the Gruffalo was close by, we were right.

When we got to the Gruffalo little J was so excited. He was huge and looked like the real thing. 

After we had posed for a photo we noticed just behind the Gruffalo there was another den. Was a this were the Gruffalo sleeps at night? We went down to have a look and little J climbed inside. 

The Gruffalo isn't actually at the end of the trail there are still 3 more sign posts to look for until you come to the official end of the trail.

It took us about one and half hours to complete the trail although like I said earlier we did go off the trail quite a bit so I suppose the time it takes depends on whether you stick to the trail or not. 

When we headed back to to the Forest Centre we were going to stop for a hot drink in the cafe however the queue was huge. In fact every time we have visited Delamere the queue in the cafe has been large. We brought our own lunch so decided to give it a miss. 

We will definitely be back to Delamere Forest again for more Gruffalo adventures after April 1st 2017 when the Gruffalo Spotters Trail begins.

You can also now take part in the Highway Rat activity trail, check out Captain Bobcat's Highway Rat Adventure.  Have Kids Will travel also did the Fforest Fawr Sculpture trail which looks fun, check it out.

Michelle

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