There's no shortage of fun places to take the kids during the Easter Holidays in the North East.
Raby Castle, a round trip of at least 80 miles from Newcastle, is probably a little further than we'd usually go for a day out with my partner's younger brothers, aged eleven and eight, but the opportunity to try out a new adventure playground proved too good to turn down. The Plotters' Forest is the first part of the Rising to open, a development which includes a new café, events space and visitor hub.
First up, it looks absolutely stunning. Located in the castle's Christmas tree plantation, a light wooden turret topped by a weather vane peeks out over the forest, while getting close up unveils what looks like a drawbridge taking you into the Plotters' Forest itself - there's a feeling that you've stepped out of County Durham and into Scandinavia.
Read more: County Durham museum named one of best railway-themed family holidays in England
Follow the zig-zagging path up the hill and you'll find there's a sensory element too, as you're bombarded by the aroma of pine trees. As well as having their refreshing scent in your nose, the needles will brush against you on some of the overhead walkways, a testament to the fact that as few trees as possible were cut down to complete the playground.
At the very top, you'll find a toddlers' play area, alongside a café and toilets which will open up alongside the playground on Good Friday. But of course, it's in the middle where all the exciting stuff is.
The elevated walkways give lovely views out over the deer park and the castle, and there are a few nice extra touches to keep kids entertained, with the highlight being the tallest tower, which once climbed, rewards you with a zippy slide.
Both of our kids were impressed, with eleven year old Kameron said: "5 out of 5, the best bit was the slide," while eight year old Kallum said: "I loved the slide and the fireman's pole. Can I go back on the slide now?" My partner and I were especially pleased he'd enjoyed the fireman's pole, having spent a good ten minutes trying to coax him down it.
In the interests of providing a fair and accurate review, I also tried as much of the playground as I could and can confirm the slide is very fast and a lot of fun. We did spot a couple of issues overall though.
One is the Raby Run. A shortcut between the two main walkways, kids can go up or down on a combination of rope steps and a narrow wooden walkway.
Red and green arrowed boxes at the bottom of this can be moved around, and when I asked a member of staff which way kids are meant to go, they said it was 'designed to create mischief.' But some parts of this run aren't wide enough for two kids to pass - and it worries me that it will create a little more than just mischief.
We all know that kids aren't the most reasonable when they're enjoying themselves in an adventure playground, and it's not inconceivable to imagine someone getting pushed out of the way by a particularly exuberant child if neither one will back down when halfway up or down the run. Also, after becoming more used to following one-way systems in our lives during the past couple of years, having something which is deliberately confusing makes me think less confident kids will not have a great time on that particular part.
Maybe that's just me. But the other issue is how crowded this could be at a busy time.
What's in the adventure playground is great fun, and it's very pretty. There are plenty of side shows to stop you on your way such as a xylophone hidden in one of the castle turrets, a pop your head through photo opportunity, and a matching pairs game.
But there isn't loads to do when it comes to big thrills. Outside of the toddler area, there's just one slide (which you can only get to by climbing an enclosed rope staircase and can take time) and the fireman's pole.
We visited before it was fully open to the public and our two had to wait to climb the rope ladder when it was relatively quiet - you can probably only fit four or five average children in safely and comfortably to climb up to what I'd guess is the main attraction. Tickets are being sold with timeslots, so hopefully that will be enough to control the numbers - but the operator has to get that right from the start in my view.
Despite those niggles, we enjoyed the Plotters' Forest overall and spent a good hour and a half there. Once the café is open, parents will be able to relax there while their kids play too, though younger kids may be best supervised.
What's your favourite day out with the kids in the North East? Let us know in the comments below!
There weren't quite tears when we left for lunch by the castle, but the youngest was especially disappointed he'd not get another go on the slide!
After working up an appetite in the playground, we stopped off at the Yurt Café, which serves a selection of sandwiches, pastries and drinks, with veggie and vegan options available. I got a home made sausage roll which was £3.50 - it was tasty, while kids' hot chocolates at £2.50 with cream and marshmallows proved popular too.
Our ticket to the Plotters' Forest included entry into Raby Castle's deer park, which for me, was the highlight of the day. The castle, which sits by a small lake, is spectacular, and the deer park is good for a nice long walk in the open air.
We got just close enough to the deer so as not to scare them, but other visitors got closer, with the deer clearly used to being approached and not too fazed by it. One thing that the kids (nor me and my partner) won't forget is two of the deer rearing up on their hind legs opposite each other and looking mightily impressive and intimidating.
Back on the main path around the deer park, the Easter Egg trail covers enough ground to get good views of the castle's surroundings and kept the kids entertained for at least half an hour. Though both were expecting an Easter Egg, rather than a fun-size pack of Haribo Starmix as their prize for completing it!
All in all, Raby Castle is a good day out for families, with our kids just as excited watching young deer running across the hillside and swans strutting across the walkway as they were doing the Easter Egg trail. And of course, they weren't really bothered about the issues I picked up on at the Plotters' Forest.
Tickets to the Plotters' Forest and Deer Park are £8 per adult and £7.50 for children aged 4 - 15 years, or you can pick up a family ticket for two adults and three children for £29. To have the castle included, it's £13 per adults, £10 per child and £45 for families.
For more information visit Raby Castle's website.
