A brand new £2.5 million playground at Butlin's in Skegness has officially opened this week and it’s gone down a treat with visitors.
The Skypark opened on April 3 and families are already loving it. The new park is designed to cater for children with additional needs. Butlin's said it is designed specifically so children of all abilities can play together.
Mum of two and editor of Nottinghamshire Live and Lincolnshire Live, Natalie Fahy, visited the brand new park. As per Lincolnshire Live, Natalie casts her eye over what she described as the 'ultimate playground by the sea'. This is what she thought...
Should the TV licence be scrapped? Have your say here
I’ve been to a fair few playgrounds and parks in my time. I’ve seen some terrible ones with broken bits, and grimaced through swings and slides in the rain, wind, sun and snow.
So I reckon I’m a bit of an expert when it comes to whether my kids will like a playground or not and I was more than happy to check out the new fully inclusive playground in Skegness: Skypark.
Full disclaimer at the outset of this review, my family are all huge Butlin’s fans. So we’d already be two steps ahead of the local council park in that respect. My kids weren’t with me when I took a tour around Skypark, but a park for me has to be about a bit of comfort for the parents too (we deserve it!). And Skypark has that in spades.
The park is centred around three huge towers which are all connected with bridges of different kinds, and slides down to the bottom. The tallest tower is 14 metres and there’s a sea view at the top. There’s also a ten-metre slide which lights up as you scoot down.
So far, so good and if your kids are anything like mine, they’ll be happy running up and down and around those towers for hours. Skypark is still very new and there weren’t many spaces for parents to sit, but I’m told benches will be installed very soon. The floor is incredibly soft if you do need to perch before those benches go in you'd be comfy - in fact I saw some kids running around in their socks.
The best thing about Skypark is how it’s a park for any kid, no matter what their age, ability or comfort with heights, noises or speed. If you’re parent to a thrillseeker, they can do the slides and towers. If your little ones are more into sounds and lights, they can check out the purple tower. Traditionalist? Then the swings and roundabouts are there for you. Fancy squeezing in some brain training? Your kids can have a go at some of maths games with lights on the park.
There’s a fully accessible and wheelchair-friendly ramp and slide, as well as a trampoline that can easily be accessed from a wheelchair - something I've not seen anywhere else.
What about if you need some of that all-important time out? Well you’re very much in luck, and for me this has always been what’s quite special about Butlin’s. You can sit back for a while, safe in the knowledge your kids are having fun, will be totally occupied and safe with it.
Just to the side of the playground area, there’s a brand new cafe and bar with outside seating, heating and a retractable roof. I can imagine this is going to be packed on the summer evenings, particularly as the park is open until 10pm. With all the light features, it’ll be like a really family-friendly disco by the time the sun starts going down.
Like many of the attractions at Butlin’s, Skypark is included in the price. You could easily spend a day there, with the amount to do and the cafe attached. I'll certainly be bringing my two boys back, while I put my feet up with a cold glass of something.
READ NEXT:
