One minute I’m racing down the M74 to Carlisle – the next I’m hurtling down an outdoor flume, going much faster than I really wanted to go. I’m not saying the flumes were the highlight of our long weekend at Center Parcs, but they came close.
We were there ostensibly for the wee ones, of course, to meet Santa and get into the spirit of Christmas. In November, Center Parcs villages transform into enchanting winter wonderlands with glistening lights, glittering decorations and Santa Claus himself in his woodland workshop.
And you don’t need to go all the way to Lapland to meet him. On the edge of the Lake District lies Whinfell Forest, near Penrith (254 miles from Aberdeen). The route is mostly easy motorway on roads that feel an awful lot smoother than they do around Aberdeen. We got there in under four hours, with only a few toilet stops along the way.
Check-in is extremely efficient, with a glass-covered drive-through entrance where you are welcomed and given the keys (wristbands) and directions to your accommodation. The wristbands are very handy as they let you into your lodge, as well as the lockers in the pool and spa.
You can arrive at the village from 10am but your accommodation is available at 3.30pm, when you are allowed to drive your car to your lodge to unload before returning it to the main car park. One great thing about Center Parcs is that it’s kept traffic free with this efficient system – a sign of things to come at this very slick operation.
SWIMMING PARADISE
Our three-night stay began with a mad dash to the swimming pool to make sure we didn’t miss our pre-booked Floaty Fun for Little People session. Well, I dashed, while daddy checked out the accommodation and unloaded the car. When I say swimming pool, this was no ordinary pool. It’s enticingly called a subtropical swimming paradise and is exactly that. Lovely and warm and spotlessly clean with trees, bridges, shallow and deep pools, slides for children, slides for adults, enclosed flumes, outdoor flumes… it’s as close to paradise as it can be in Britain. It’s all under a massive glass dome, so it doesn’t matter about the weather outside. There’s an outdoor pool too, which is great fun when it’s dark and cold, with steam rising off it.
On the first day there was a three-hour princess and pirate party for the little ones, and on the second day, a fun-packed three-hour elf workshop, where they were fully supervised by the expert team at the Time Out club – a safe place for under 7s where you need a unique password to collect them.
Push-bikes are a fun and essential way of getting to and from the main village. There are literally thousands to choose from, all shapes and sizes, and they can be hired from the cycle centre. Bikes with hooded trailers were a god-send for us as lugging three-year-olds through long forest trails does not a relaxing holiday make.
You are never short of things to do but fitting them all into a long weekend is tough, so our military-style itinerary proved a necessity. Everything runs like clockwork, but most activities are worth booking ahead so you can make the most of your precious time. A small sample of the many special festive activities includes: Design your own bauble; Teddy bears’ picnic; Jingle bell rock and roller-skating; Toy making workshop; Face painting; Hair braiding and body art, to name just a few.
Young children will enjoy a pony or carriage ride to Santa’s woodland workshop where they get to meet the man in red, receive a present and get a photo to take home.
TWINKLING LIGHTS
For teenagers, try aerial tree trekking “for adrenaline junkies”, indoor sports galore (including a golf simulator and climbing wall), pottery painting and 10-pin bowling. And don’t forget the Christmas panto; this year it’s Sleeping Beauty.
The ‘winter wonderland’ is a magical miniature village which must be seen at night to be fully appreciated. Twinkling lights, live reindeer and gorgeous little wooden displays are a delight for all ages.
For big ones, Aqua Sana is the award-winning spa where you can luxuriate for hours in a range of saunas and pools. There are loads of different spa experiences, from effervescent reflexology footbaths to inhaling the fragrances in the soothing Greek herbal bath, as well as intense therapies such as the bracing Japanese salt steam bath or the steamy Turkish hammam. After three hours, your skin will never feel the same again!
The holiday park is set in a massive area in the middle of Whinfell Forest, Cumbria, just a short distance from the Lake District national park. The woodlands are home to a red squirrel reserve, and if you put a few crumbs out on your patio and stay still long enough, you will be paid a visit.
Our Woodland Lodge was so well designed I could have moved in for good. It had a modern fully-equipped kitchen, open plan living and dining area, four comfy bedrooms, two bathrooms, full central heating as well as an enclosed log fire – and everything was spotless. Bed linen and towels were provided. We even had the luxury of a family grocery pack waiting for us, but the supermarket on site was well stocked, keeping us all fed and watered without having to spend too much. Having said that, there is a great range of restaurants on site including Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge, Huck’s, Lakeside Inn and a wonderful Indian called Rajinda Pradesh, where we enjoyed an authentic slap-up dinner.
A free firework display on our last night was a fantastic way to end our festive mini-break.