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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that there should NOT be a children's play area at every single bloody tourist attraction I go to?

136 replies

LittleBella · 18/04/2008 22:36

I mean, Leeds Castle - a beautiful, interesting castle with stunning grounds, peacocks, restaurant, land train, maze, grotto, craft room... isn't that enough? Isn't an effing CASTLE enough? And Wildwood - wolves, wild boar, badgers, loads of wild animals, craft stuff, trails - WHY do children need a play area? OK perhaps I am being very unreasonable, but I feel there's something philistine and vulgar about teaching kids that they have to have effing special playgrounds at every single attraction they go to. Why can they not be expected to just enjoy the fact that they're being taken for a day out and play around the grounds which have masses of space?

I almost feel like writing letters of complaint saying that the playgrounds spoilt my enjoyment of the venue. Am I a grumpy old curmudgeon? I suspect I am...

OP posts:
FYIAD · 19/04/2008 22:07

I agree

its a load of shite that there are swings everywhere

I like stourhead for this reason

mine BEG to do the middle class quiz on the way round as they have no Death Slide to tempt them

love it

lucyellensmum · 19/04/2008 22:57

Monkeyworld?? where is that? Is it in cornwall??

I adore the gorrillas at howletts, i can't drag myself away from them, especially the babies, i have a secret little fantasy that i can be a "keeper for a day" and hold one of the babies, they just bring out the mummy in me. (oh i am soooo pissed). That and the tigers. Interestingly, DD (just under 2 at the time), was as awestruck as i was with the gorrillas. They have just built an amazing new enclosure too - they have a childrens play area too but DD enraptured by the animals, just like her mum .

lucyellensmum · 19/04/2008 22:58

Spidermama, im not sure i remember any burgers in lord of the flies

Spidermama · 19/04/2008 23:10

What do you think Piggy was on then? Eh?

unknownrebelbang · 19/04/2008 23:22

Can't say I've thought about it a great deal tbh, but can't understand why they'd ruin a visit.

If you don't want your children to use them, then ignore it! (Sounds like it's quite easy to do so at Leeds Castle).

unknownrebelbang · 19/04/2008 23:26

And this post is completely tongue in cheek, but one might have been useful in St Petersburg a couple of years ago as we visited many fabulous places.

DS1 and DS3 were enthralled, but DS2 really had had quite enough at the end of two days' sightseeing, and a few minutes on a play area might have helped him to get through the two days a little better - one cannot run around the Hermitage and the like!

SlartyBartFast · 19/04/2008 23:28

monkey world, is in dorset

moondog · 19/04/2008 23:32

Bink. lol at 'siphoning off the element'
Expat, lol lol at 'Remember Glamis?'

I think every family has one of those (mine being Chartres cathedral 2003).

moondog · 19/04/2008 23:33

uNKONWN,THERE IS A FAB PARK ABOUT 5 MINS. from the HERMITAGE. SO FAB and relaxing in fact that i had a discreet snooze on a bench in the spring sun only to be woken by security guard on suspicion of being a agrant alcoholic.

southeastastra · 19/04/2008 23:34

we went to a historic house when we were little and my uncle put my cousin down the secret passage in garden, who needs play areas.

unknownrebelbang · 19/04/2008 23:36

lol Moondog I can well imagine.

Alas, we were being guided around, and my word we did as we were told by Ludmilla!

moondog · 19/04/2008 23:39

hehe!
We lived there for a few years so were confident enough to go solo!
Still a heavy experience!

unknownrebelbang · 19/04/2008 23:42

God it must be a fascinating place to live, alas we just did the touristy two days off a cruise (and were lucky that we organised it ourselves, rather than using the cruisetour).

moondog · 19/04/2008 23:45

Yes,it was great.We lived in Nizhny and Moscow for a few years and loved it. St. Pete's is fAB.

CrossnessMaureen · 20/04/2008 00:30

I must say I have never felt a day out was ruined, or even spoiled, by a playground.

The one at hever Castle was great, and I'm sure no more or less authentic than the jousting display choreographed to some Queen number blasted through the speakers....

Ellbell · 20/04/2008 01:24

No strong feelings re. playgrounds, but I do have to speak out in favour of DVD players in cars. They are a bloody life-saver. I drive (sans dh) from Yorkshire to West Cornwall (usually takes up to 8 hours... once memorably - in August - took much longer; so long, in fact, that I had to stop off overnight at my sister's in Taunton and continue on the next day) several times a year with the dds. It's boring. They could look out of the window, but the M1 is very much like the M42, which is not all that different from the M5. The A30 is marginally more interesting, but by that time we're all knackered and really just want to kill one another, not converse intelligently about the view! DD1 is sick if she reads or draws or whatever in the car (but fine with the DVD screen - I think because she's still looking up and in the direction of travel, rather than down at a book). I don't think it harms them to watch a few DVDs during the journey. Likewise, we drove to Italy over Easter... same story. They don't spend hours watching DVDs at any other time, and the screens don't go up in the car unless we're doing a journey of at least 3 hours or more. No... DVDs in cars are great!

CrossnessMaureen · 20/04/2008 01:31

For all our romping happily in bradgate park, we were impossible in the car beyond the first 8 miles.

branflake81 · 20/04/2008 08:58

Well as a child I remember being taken to a gazillion national trust properties. Yes, the houses were ok and the gardens were nice to walk around and I always had a scone in the teashop BUT I LOVED the playgrounds. Best bit for me. Don't think you can begrudge a child that.

bossykate · 20/04/2008 09:02

what a dreadful snob your mother sounds, bink. as do you for repeating the comment. how simply lovely for you all with drippy little milksop children who never need a jolly good run round.

yurt1 · 20/04/2008 09:02

There are 1001 things in the world that the removal of (does that make sense) would make life easier for us trying to deal with ds1. All letterboxes for starters. There would be a law that wouldn't allow people to sit in their car in the street, or leave car doors open whilst they unload. There would be no queues. etc etc etc.

But life's not like that.

If a playgroun at a tourist attraction causes your family a problem you have to find a way to deal with it- not try and get rid of every one!

AbbeyA · 20/04/2008 09:10

My DS are older now but I wish there had been DVD players for car journeys when they were small. I can't believe the people who say their DCs should look out of the window and enjoy the journey! I can remember as a DC the sheer boredom of long car journeys and driving my parents mad with the 'are we nearly there'comment every 10 minutes. I couldn't read in the car. With motor way travel every road looks the same. With our DSs we had to play all sorts of games or type out lists of things to look out for-a break with DVD player might have been nice!

ALMummy · 20/04/2008 09:22

Agree wholeheartedly bossykate.

tigermoth · 20/04/2008 09:36

So, what does the panel think of Groombridge Place? Should it revert back to the house and gardens with no Enchanted Forest for children and families?

Fullmoonfiend · 20/04/2008 09:58

oh Ellbell, totally with you on in-car DVDs after 4 years of driving from Yorks to Cornwall...

Fullmoonfiend · 20/04/2008 09:59

You can only play eye-spy or listen to Horrid Henry for so long before you get irrational urges to throw yourself out of a moving vehicle....