This blog article was written in December 2024 shortly after visiting a few times. Any session information/costs/facilities available may change. Please check directly before visiting. Any opinions are my own and this article has been fully written by myself with some feedback from my party.
LOCATION;
📍 2 Standard Way, Northallerton, DL6 2XH
On first impressions when arriving, the castle kingdom style of the soft-play looked very exciting and appealing to a variety of ages.
BABY AND TODDLER SECTION;
There’s a decent toddler section (for under 5s) which is a bit more challenging than some toddler frames we have discovered. It’s great for those toddlers who want to be like their bigger siblings and are a bit more adventurous and independent.
On the lower level there is a foam padded jigsaw in the floor, mini trampolines, foam pillars to push through, sensory activity boards , a spin me disc and wobbly seat.
Then on the top frame there’s some fabric criss cross flooring to crawl/walk along with monkey bars above and foam cushions to jump on. There’s some pillars to push, a swing ball and a clear tunnel to crawl through and look out to the seating area. There’s also a good sized duo wavy slide that has a bit of speed to it but not too crazy. To get to the top section, different styles of steps are offered for different abilities. They had a slope style with padded steps close together, as well as larger steps that you need to climb up to reach.
Leo (2) spent a good amount of time in the toddler section and didn’t seem to get bored or want to go into the bigger section all the time, I would say he enjoyed it just as much. He really seemed to like the mini trampolines and slide the most, but he also spent a bit of time trying the activity panels on the walls. My nephew Harvey (3) also really enjoyed the slide too and that he could get to it very easily himself. He did go in the junior play area quite a bit too though with his older cousin Kam.
My niece, Sophia (5) also managed to get up to the top section of the toddler section with a bit of support from her mum pushing her legs up. She has cerebral palsy restricting her forward leg movements so upper sections of play frames aren’t always possible on her own depending on the style of them. So it was good to see they had the two different ways to climb.
Sophia really enjoyed this toddler play area. I think her favourite parts were the mini trampolines and sensory activity boards. Although she is 5 she is usually quite restricted with what she can play with. Older play frames can be too challenging sometimes and toddler play frames can get a bit boring for her. So because it wasn’t too daunting to climb she was more motivated to climb to the top a couple of times too once she realised she could do it without very little help, as she likes to try to be independent.
There’s also a baby section with a foam animal to sit on, foam building blocks, crazy mirror, sensory wall light and sensory floor mats. It is only small so I think it’s more somewhere you would bring a baby if you have older siblings to entertain too rather than solely for them. It could be nice to combine with a baby session held in their activity room.
JUNIOR PLAY SECTION;
On our second visit I took my older son, Kam (8) and his friend James (8). The junior play section was pretty big, with so many different obstacles and play features. It’s deceiving from the outside, it’s much bigger than you initially realise.
On the lower level there were padded boulders in the ground with monkey bars above, rope ladders to climb along, a bucking bronco to manually push back and forth. And a football pitch which they both loved as they do like a kick about.
Again the junior play section had a variety of fun ways to get up to the higher level for different abilities. At the top there were different tunnels to crawl in, spinning pillars to squeeze yourself through, criss cross fabric floors and clear panel flooring to crawl across, crazy mirrors, spiky padded boulders to try swinging from, as well as padded blocks to jump across too! The older boys spent lots of time running around playing tag too. And with all the obstacles they didn’t seem to get bored and it made it more challenging to get each other.
Then there was a fast but fun wavy multi lane slide down to the bottom. All of the kids enjoyed this and us adults had a go too. It was really fast though so just be careful with little ones if you take them on it, make sure you are holding them. It’s well padded at the bottom they just might fly back if not sitting right.
Leo managed to play in all of the junior part too with very little help from me and his nana (just supervision following him of course). He loved this freedom of being able to climb to the top on his own as a lot of junior play areas have steps with huge gaps for him.
The junior section is suitable for under 12s and I would say this is about right.
One thing that stood it for us adults is how clean the soft-play overall was. You can usually tell when you come out and how dirty or dusty your trousers are. My sister spent a lot of time on her knees in the toddler area with Sophia but she commented on her clean jeans after. The table we were sat at was clean too and didn’t feel sticky like they sometimes can at children’s venues
FOOD AND DRINK;
There was a decent menu for food including light bites and main meals including hot and cold choices and a good selection for kids too. They have won awards for their food so this is reassuring in itself!
There were vegan and vegetarian options labelled on the menu and gluten free options on request. Some of the options on request when I asked include gluten free bread rolls and oat milk. Quite a few of their meal items are naturally gluten free too such as their fries. They have a separate fried dedicated to gluten free too if you let them know.
Leo had macaroni cheese off the kids menuand I got a sausage sandwich along with a cup of tea for our lunches. Then on our second visit, me and Kam got sausage sandwiches and James got tomato and herb pasta with garlic bread. They were all decent portion sizes, although I think the kids menu portions are maybe better for up to age 6, as James’ pasta portion didn’t seem very big. This might vary with different options though as Leo seemed to have a lot of macaroni cheese, so it might be worth asking when ordering.
There was a sweet counter with some tasty looking treats. There were a couple of vegan and gluten free choices too..The boys got one before we left as they had burnt off a lot of energy, I managed to resist! Harvey and Sophia shared a vegan chocolate cake slice, it looked yummy and they finished it in no time!
It was great to see that there was smaller baby/toddler cutlery and cups available to use for little ones. You could help yourself to these along with sauce sachets and serviettes. I much prefer this option to having to queue and ask if you forget or if not provided.
ACCESSIBILITY;
The overall building and access through the entrance to the seating area and play frame is all fully wheelchair accessible. There are disabled bays right outside the entrance. The tables are well laid out with space between them to manoeuvre a wheelchair easily. My sister managed fine with Sophia’s mobility wheelchair. It was quiet on our mid week visit, but I think there are enough tables and space for it to still not feel too overcrowded and difficult to move around even when to full capacity.
COST AND BOOKING;
General sessions-
Babies under 1 |£1.50
1-4 years | £6.50
5 years plus | £7.50
It is recommended to prebook as it can get busy at times. Prebook HERE
OTHER SESSIONS/EVENTS;
They do an afterschool session Tuesday-Friday for £8 which includes a kids meal!🍕
They also offer various baby and toddler sessions from external activity providers which are held in their party room. I previously visited a session held by Phonics with Robot Reg and it was fab! Read about it HERE
They also hold various events during holidays such as character visits/laser nights etc and they usually include soft play, extra entertainment and food. They have a Grinch and Cindy Lou Event coming up on Sunday 8th December 2024, which you can book HERE
They also offer various party packages including laser tag parties. You can view the packages HERE
PARKING AND GETTING HERE;
There is plenty of parking around the building with disabled bays outside the entrance. There is a large sign to direct you to the building from Standard Way so it should be easy enough to find. I found it easier to spot when it was on my left. If you are coming through the centre over the train track way it’ll be on your left.
There isn’t any direct public transport links due to it’s location. The nearest main bus stop with links from Darlington is The Buck Inn on Northallerton High Street which is around a 20 minute walk away.
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This blog has been produced by Charlotte Walcott (Business Owner of Family Fun Darlo Mum)
A bit about me- Mum to 2 boys, Kamron-8 and Leo-2, and stepmum to Damon- 15. Sharing family days out ideas, family venues and events in Darlington, County Durham, Teesside and Yorkshire.
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