Escot, Ottery St Mary

We visited Escot out of season, so I was pleased to see that everything was open as usual. To get your money's worth though it's best to visit on a dry day, as most of the attractions are outside. Most areas are accessible with a pushchair, although if you want to see everything you'll need to cover some rough ground. There is a wheelchair friendly route around the centre. We started in the maze, but didn't spend too long in there as there were bridges which were impossible with a pushchair, also I was anxious about becoming lost for hours with baby and toddler. I later read that it's possible to ask for a key so that you can use a special wheelchair route, so this might also be possible for pushchairs if you ask at the main kiosk. Our toddler loved the huge outdoor play area and the indoor play barn. The play barn had areas where you could sit, and vending machines for drinks and snacks. There was a wide variety of soft play equipment and ball pools for all ages. We had a fun morning with our little ones, but there is even more for older children, like letterboxing, swamp walks (seasonally, additional charge) and just general exploration of the forested areas. The highlight for me was the fantastic and terrifying drop slide, certainly not for toddlers but great for older children and adults! I did feel that perhaps the entrance fee was a little pricey, especially for out of season, but they do offer a season pass which would be great value if you lived locally. Having said that, it is comparable to other local attractions.

My friend and her daughter had been nearly 2 years ago in the rain so we were looking forward to seeing what Escot had to offer on a dry day! In 2009/2010 the attraction won silver in the 'small visitor attraction of the year' category so expectations were high. We arrived just after opening time so had the outdoor trampoline to ourselves to burn off a bit of toddler energy. We visited the otters and birds of prey before heading into the wooded area - swing, pirate ship, climbing equipment, sculptures, death slide, wooden train, and of course plenty of logs and branches to climb and hide behind. My friend and I spent a while chatting whilst watching the children and discussing why the animal petting area had been closed. Unfortunately some people had been dropping the rabbits and guinea pigs ON PURPOSE!!! Speechless! A shame for those families who are considerate and compasionate to animals. We moved on to the indoor play barn for another chat whilst the children had the best time! The only way we got them out was the promise of the maze. Unfortunately my toddler kept running off so we lost the thread of where we wanted to go and gave up, but enjoyed it all the same! We popped into the saxon village, the seahorse centre (small but interesting) and had a look at the new Red Squirrel enclosure. (the two Red Squirrels in the small cage looked like they'd had enough in there and wanted to get out into the huge new area....). Finally we had a very late lunch in the cafe - great selection of homemade meals, snacks and cakes, plus toys for the children to play with and outdoor seating with games to play too. If we lived closer I would definately invest in a multipass ticket as my son and I would only need to visit 3 times a year to make it worth it. There are also residential and day camps for older children - visit their website for more details.