What a place!
I didn’t know much about Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden before we were invited to pop along for a review, but it is a lovely, relaxing place to go (even if you have to take the kids – ha!).
(Click on each picture for the full image)
The Fairhaven website describes it as “130 acres of cultivated, wild and natural plantings, a haven for wildlife enthusiasts. Nearly 4 miles of woodland pathways to explore and encourage the child within.” Various pathways with bits of boardwalk and bridges make up the woodland and right in the middle of it all is a chance to go on a boat trip! Due to the Teeny One being due for a nap we didn’t go on the boat trip this time, but it’s on our to-do list when we return and I’ve heard it is a nice thing to do from other parents.
Mini Mumbler was in her element at Fairhaven and we kept having to get her to slow down and wait for us as she wanted to run off and explore everywhere (hence all the pics of the back of her) – she loved it! We were given a ‘Things to Spot’ sheet and pencil so we could tick off the things we found, a great touch for little ones.
There is definitely something relaxing about being outdoors and we all loved roaming about the gardens and looking at the wide variety of plants and trees. They even have a ‘King Oak’ tree that is supposed to be around 950 years old – how amazing is that?
They have a cafe/tearoom where they serve light lunches and homemade specials, and their self-proclaimed specialty is homemade scones, which I didn’t get to try on this visit but maybe I should switch from hot chocolate reviews to cream tea reviews in Summer? (Who’s with me?)
There are toilets at the cafe and a portacabin half-way round the gardens. We visited the ones in the portacabin in the woods and the running water wasn’t working at the time and it didn’t have baby changing facilities, so you might want to take some hand gel and a portable changing mat if you have a baby in tow!
Ideally we would have spent longer here and explored everywhere properly but with nap restrictions, and Mini Mumbler’s newly found intense fear of bugs landing on her, we were forced to cut the trip slightly short. We thought it was a lovely place to while away a few hours and get outdoors though, and would recommend it to other parents as a great place to take the Mini Mumblers. The only thing I can think of that would improve it, would be if they had a play area in the grassy area outside the cafe!
Enter our competition to win an annual family pass! (Closing date 25th June 2018)
We were invited to visit Fairhaven for free in exchange for an honest review. Mumbler reviews are always honest and always will be.
