Life as a SEN mum

We recently visited Statfold for their Halloween event. I actually booked last year, but after having to cancel I needed to make sure I didn’t allow the money to go to waste and decided to book this year. There were some differences to what we were expecting last year, but I still feel like there was plenty to do. That being said, there were a few things we had issues with.

Cost

Certainly not one of the cheapest days out. But it seems that train rides definitely don’t come cheap. There is plenty included in the entrance cost and you can pay extra for soft play, roller disco, pumpkin picking and VR ride. The prices vary quite substantially year on year, with this year costing less for 4 of us than I’d paid for the 3 of us last year.

Things to do

There are 2 steam trains which you can have unlimited rides on. Jump on the 2ft train for a “spooky” train ride. This train ride will take you essentially round in a circle. Playing Halloween songs throughout the ride while you spot the skeletons along the route. It’s most definitely not necessarily what I was expecting, whilst it is aimed at kids of all ages I did maybe expect a little more theming on the train with some decorations etc. You can also jump on the Mease Valley Light Railway down to the woodland walk where you can help Witch Wendy to finish her potion. You can then either choose to get back on the train or take a tractor ride round to the pumpkin patch.

There is a small pumpkin patch. At a cost of £2.50 a pumpkin, there are actually some really good sized pumpkins to pick from so it is certainly worth adding this on to your booking. You can either take them home or head to the carving station.

There are a couple of rides, a vintage style swing ride, suitable for smaller children which is free of charge. Although be warned it apparently has. habit of not working and “needing a rest” which is exactly what happened to us, Charlotte was seated, and it failed to start, meaning having to convince her to get off and do something else. There was also a “spooky” VR ride, this costs £3 a person or £8 for a family ticket. Be warned that this is completely child friendly, not scary at all, but the VR headsets are enormous and don’t tighten so they do have to be held in place which was a bit of a problem. We also had several issues with this ride. When we first headed to it they were having technical difficulties which seemed to take a while to sort out. Then when queuing again there was a family trying to pay at the ride when the attendants card machine went down. I know these things are unavoidable at times, but the fact everything seemed to be failing and we were constantly having to move Charlotte from one thing to another, you could see her getting increasingly agitated and in all honesty increasingly bored.

At various points through the afternoon there is also the Monster Mash stage show. Word of warning, it’s definitely aimed at young kids, and they definitely aren’t going to be getting jobs at a holiday park anytime soon as their performance skills were a little off. But you have to give them points for effort and being willing to get out there and sing even if they aren’t exactly naturals. In my honest opinion though I’d give the show a miss, even the smaller kids seemed bored, and Charlotte who usually loves that sort of thing was bored senseless.

One of the things I was personally looking forward to was the trick or treat trail. I’ve done similar events in the past with James, so actually had quite high hopes. But honestly it definitely lacked something. The idea behind the trail is that kids will help fairytale characters to find ingredients for a potion to defeat the witch that has put a curse on Statfold. In return they’ll get there sweet treat, they get given a bag on entry, at which point it makes you think they’ll probably get quite a few treats. It turns out this isn’t the case, there are 3 different characters and they got a total of 4 sweets. I realise that possibly sounds a bit greedy, but given the area for the trail is quite large and we felt like we were walking a long way between characters they could have added more to the trail. And, as I’ve said, we have done similar activities before where I wish they’d have given us bags because the amount of sweets was probably verging on the excessive side.

There is also soft play on site which is an additional cost and needs to be pre-booked. I didn’t book because I didn’t want to commit to a time slot, but from what I could see it did look like a decent soft play area. If you have older kids there is also a roller disco, which again is an extra cost and needs to be pre-booked. Again I can’t review this as we didn’t book.

Included in your admission is also a 9 hole mini golf course. Who doesn’t love mini golf? The theming is brilliant, and the holes are done in a way that can challenge all abilities but isn’t overly tricky for younger players. The fact this is included in the cost is a huge bonus if you have kids like mine who seem to just like to do their own thing and you find mini golf a little on the stressful side. In all honesty this was probably the best part of the day.

If you’re feeling brave you can also have a go at handling various animals. We went in for the snake handling, but they also had spiders and other “creepy critters” at various points throughout the day.

Overview

It’s rare I struggle to find somewhere worth recommending. Even when it maybe isn’t suitable for our family I can generally say that yes it’s worth a visit for others. But, and I honestly hate having to write this, but I’d personally save your money and avoid Halloween at Statfold. It is a shame, because I’ve heard good things about some of their other events, but this one was so lacklustre that it’s put us off going back. It has potential that’s for sure, and we still managed to enjoy a nice family day out, but I really can’t recommend to others.