Another aborted day out

[HearMeSnore]

Feeling really fed up. Last week we had to abandon a day out at a theme park for DD's birthday because it was so hot and crowded we were all having a miserable time. After only three rides, when faced with 80 minute queues to get on anything at all, DD was quite despondent and just wanted to go home. We left, took her to a quiet country park with a decent play area on the way home and promised to make it up to her with another day out soon.

Bank Holiday arrives. Nice and sunny - I have the bright idea to take her to a local-ish wildlife attraction. It was bound to be busy, but it has lots of shade and is very spread out. We've been before in the summer holidays and it was fine. So we gave it a go. Parked in the "overflow car park" (a field 15 mins walk away, which didn't bode well), then queued for 20 mins to get in. DH wanted to give up and find somewhere else to go at this point, but in my wisdom I said no, it'll be fine once we get in.

It wasn't fine. It was bedlam. The first thing we saw was a row of stinking portaloos with a queue of about 20 people. Clearly the proper toilets in the cafe were not up to the job. Then we saw the throng of people in the cafe courtyard and picnic area and my heart sank. Our plan was to have our picnic first, then ditch the bags and stroll round the wildlife bit. We found a small patch of shade on the floor in the middle of the crowd to eat our picnic, were plagued by wasps, and watched with a sense of doom as more and more people poured into the entrance gate. There were huge queues for the toilets, cafe and ice cream kiosk. There was even a long queue to get through the gate to the wildlife enclosure.

After lunch, we gave DD the option to stand and wait for a turn to get through the gate, or go home. She was hot, fed up and generally peeved by the whole experience so chose to go home. She's now sprawled in the nice, cool, living room with the windows open, playing on her console. DH is sprawled on the bed with a fan on, reading his book. I'm in the garden under the shade with a G&T, wishing we'd just done this in the first place. We'd all have been happier.

I know, I'm a mug. Never again. Sunny bank holidays in future will be spent in the back garden. If pressed, I will stretch to somebody else's back garden.

Wonkybanana you're absolutely right. That was part of the reason we decided to jump ship after the picnic. It was clear we weren't going to have a good time and our being there was only adding to an already over-crowded environment.

I suppose I'm just stunned at the difference between a sunny day in July a couple of years ago and today. Obviously we expected it to be busy because it's a bank holiday...hence taking our own food to avoid the cafe and parking miles away instead of trying to fight for a space in the proper car park. We were prepared for a crowd, we just weren't expecting the Glastonbury Festival. Most people I've mentioned it to have never heard of this place.

Ah well. You live and learn.

We once went to a safari park on cup final day. It was deserted

actuallyquitesmall that is brilliant! I'm totally stealing that idea.

Lots of people saying go earlier, I find that an alternative is the other end of the day. Plan a leisurely morning, lunch in a quiet pub on the way if such a thing exists then get to the activity for the last 2-3 hours before it closes. So maybe arrive at 3pm for a place that closes at 6pm. You miss the lunch rush and the pressure to find a good picnic spots, people begin to go home by then, especially the early birds and the last hour is usually cooler and blissfully quiet.....this pretty much always works out well for us.

My DC are older teens now, so do their own thing, but have had it drilled into them that we get up and out to beat the crowds.
So I wasn’t surprised when DC1 arrived home from a festival at 6.30 this morning having caught the first train of the day, to avoid queuing at the station with the masses.

Cup Final and similar are a godsend if you don't like football. Last year when England got to the semi-final of the football World Cup, we were due to drive home from our holiday. We set off 15 minutes before 'kick off' and the roads were deserted - knocked an hour and a half off our normal journey time .

We've not ventured far either. The dcs have been feeling a bit under the weather today and it has been hot - we were going to pop out somewhere for a coffee but this didn't happen either.

Op re lego land I was reading today how awful it was.

Think it was the mail, lady and her family queued ages for log flume which broke down. So they got pass for dragon ride half hour queue, only for the ride to break down!! They were stuck for 40 on this heat. Took ages to park as well.

I don't bother now op when we know it will be busy. How old is your dd?

One place I went to over this bank holiday which wasn't busy and was magical was efteling theme park in holland.
They have usually gone back to school, we stayed Friday to Monday in Bosrijk. Wondeful place. Maybe save up and go there!! 3 hours drive from calais.

DD is 8. Haven't really thought about theme parks outside the UK before, but it might be the way to go if school terms are different. We'll see what complications Brexit brings and take it from there.

Can definitely recommend going to Legoland Denmark. We were there one May half term when Legoland Windsor was in total chaos. We stayed on the log flume and went around about four times nonstop!

The best way to handle attractions on bank holidays is to go early, do something else in the early afternoon and then come back in the late afternoon when everyone else leaving! 😂 (But personally, I'd stay far way!)