A NEW adventure playground will open in the grounds of a historic country house in Leeds next month.
The new Adventure Playscape at Harewood House will open on April 4, just before the start of the Easter holidays.
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Designed by TouchWood Play, the team behind other unique UK playgrounds like those in the Eden Project, the new Leeds-based adventure play area will boast several features.
Computer-generated images of the playground show features like climbing towers, bridges, slides, lookout points and hideouts.s.
There will also be a mixture of crawl tunnels, pulleys, swings and a zipline.
The playground will be built using natural materials to make sure it blends into its woodland setting.
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Located in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Harewood House is one of the ten Treasures Houses of England with others including Blenheim Palace, Chatsworth House, Hatfield House and Leeds Castle.
The new adventure playscape marks the first phase of ambitious plans to add extra facilities for visitors, including a new visitor centre with a cafe and retail space.
Spanning more than 4,000 acres, the Harewood House Estate already has a range of attractions, such as 140 acres of walking trails, exhibitions and events.
Harewood House itself is filled with exquisite interiors, with art exhibitions routinely held to showcase its impressive collection of paintings.
There are several garden areas to visit in its grounds, such as the Terraced Gardens, which offer stunning views over its lake.
Other gardens include the Walled Garden (home to vibrant flowers), the Himalayan Garden with its exotic plants and the Archery Border.
There’s also a lake where visitors can go on ferry trips for a small fee.
Harewood House has been praised by visitors on TripAdvisor with a 4/5 star rating from nearly 2,000 reviews.
One person added: “A beautiful house full of treasures, fabulous paintings and decor.”
Another added: “Such a beautiful house, it was so interesting to walk around and the gardens are beautiful.”
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A third wrote: “This was a first-class experience from the grounds and the amazing house to the staff and the catering. It was excellent value too.”
Day tickets to Harewood House cost £20.95 for a full-paying adult and £9.95 for kids.
Rachel Crewes, CEO of Harewood House Trust, said: “Play is at the heart of the Harewood experience, with tens of thousands of families every year feeling the benefit of adventure and exploration in our stunning green spaces, or a creative indoors activity inspired by our amazing heritage.
“We are so happy to be opening our new Adventure Playscape, knowing that it will bring joy to our Members, visitors and supporters for many years to come.”
Five indoor adventure parks in the UK
WHEN you need to get the kids out of the house but the weather isn’t playing ball, an indoor theme park is the way to tire them out. Here are five spots to visit in the UK…
- Babylon Park, London
One of the only indoor theme parks in the UK, Camden’s Babylon Park even has an underground rollercoaster. Along with this there is a driving ride, drop rower, Ferris Wheel for small kids and a spinning musical ride. The Sun’s travel reporter, Hope Brotherton, visited last year – here’s her experience too. - Stockeld Park, Yorkshire
While Stockeld Park itself is an outdoor attraction, the Playhive is inside. Calling itself one of Europe’s largest indoor playgrounds, there are four themed worlds – space air, jungle and sea. - Woodlands Park, Devon
Even though Woodlands theme park is mainly outdoors, it is home to one of the biggest indoor adventure parks in the UK. Empire of the Sea Dragon Indoor Zone is set across five floors, and even has indoor thrill rides. - Play Factore, Manchester
The UK’s largest indoor entertainment attraction is Play Factore in Manchester. It has the largest play frame in the UK with huge spider nets, rollers and the UK’s tallest indoor standing slide and huge zip wire. - Adventure Inside, Essex
Labelled as the best indoor fun attraction in Southend, Adventure Inside is open 363 days a year. Along with a six-storey soft play zone, there are even four rides inside.
And the Netherlands is home to Europe’s largest playground.
We’ve even rounded up five of the best indoor attractions for when the weather turns.
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