A new Ninja Warrior UK Adventure Park has just opened in Bristol and the TV presenters say that it’s even bigger and better than the one in Cardiff. It's based on the hit ITV series but unlike on the show, you’re not going to get soaked if you fall.
It opened this week at the Cribbs Causeway Retail Park, advertising a range of activities on offer to suit all ages and abilities - so we went to try it out for ourselves. The Bristol site is split into four parts. Firstly there’s a small soft play area which is strictly for children under three years old, then there is Mount Saskuke, a huge inflatable which you can climb up and slide down.
But the two main sections are the obstacle courses replicating those on the TV show and a huge inflatable area. For the inflatables adults and children are required to wear the Ninja Warrior UK branded socks which are sold at the reception for £2.50 a pair.
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A standard one-hour session is £13.50 for adults and children aged four and above, while two-hour bookings cost £18.50 per person. For the majority of adults an hour slot should be more than enough to get you sweaty and out of breath.
But my kids, being full of energy, were not ready to leave after one hour and took a bit of persuading after we heard a muffled voice on the loudspeaker ask those wearing blue wristbands to leave.
For arrival, you're asked to get there thirty minutes before your session start time which does seem unnecessary and makes the kids a little restless and impatient, but it gives you enough time to buy their merchandise before you begin your ninja training. They give you all a short safety talk, prior to your session and provide free lockers to store your belongings while using the equipment.
Probably the most fun to be had is in the huge inflatables area which is more challenging than a standard kids' soft play area. My eight year old daughter challenged me to a race through the inflatable obstacle course and I ended up falling over so many times that I can’t remember who won.
Then there are the inflatable Gladiator podiums where you can knock off your opponent with an inflatable pugil stick. When I got up there I felt like I was going to lose my balance before even being pushed but in the end my opponent was unable to knock me off and a crowd of impatient children began to gather around us.
Given that I was up against an eight-year-old, I decided to jump and fake my own defeat. As I did, I found myself trapped for a second in a gap between the inflatables.
There are a few of those little gaps to look out for and although it’s still a soft landing, it may cause some children to panic. Luckily there are plenty of staff around who support the children and manage some of the popular spots where the children tend to gather.
There was a member of staff managing the third and final warped wall which seemed to have a constant group of kids gathered around it. Although this was the tallest in the Bristol site, most of the older children could easily make it to the top.
The obstacle courses that resembled those on the TV show had sections that children and many adults would struggle to complete. I took one look at some of the sections and realised that they would be tricky especially for those who don’t have the advantage of being at least five feet eight inches.
The combination of balancing, hanging and climbing was exhausting and just as effective as a standard workout in the gym but a lot more fun. It took me a while to get over the initial embarrassment of making a fool out of myself but when I did have a go, I felt a lot less self-conscious.
If I do ever go back there I think I will make an effort to try some of the more challenging activities that I didn’t even attempt. As a parent I have been to similar places with my children but the difference is that some of the activities are designed for adults, allowing you to be a participant rather than just a spectator.
In fact there were groups of adults who had gone for their own enjoyment and didn’t have any children with them. Given we were there on the opening day we saw some of the Ninja Warrior Champions trying the equipment as well as the TV presenters, Ben Shephard and Chris Kamara who were also there for the day but refrained from any physical activity.
However for parents who don’t want to participate, they can enter for free as a spectator. The Bristol venue also has a restaurant on the top floor and the food is what you would expect but they also serve alcoholic drinks.
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