The sun always shines at Westport House

Tags

family activities, family days out, holiday, ireland, staycation, Westport, Westport House

We are just back from our favourite place in Ireland…Westport. It is such a great stay-cation destination, especially for families. There is just so much to do – beaches? Check. Cinema? Check. Selection of interesting shops and restaurants? Check. Swimming pool? It’s there. Playgrounds, indoor soft play, scenic drives, cycle routes, yoga classes, magic shows, toy shops…sorry I could go on and on about the wonders of this small but perfectly formed tow

But the cherry on this cake? Its our home from home, Westport House.

You might remember from some earlier posts that we have been lucky enough to visit this gorgeous historic home several times. We’ve enjoyed summer outings in the grounds and even got to visit Santa at Christmas! But this year, with our little man not so little any longer, and raring to go on the Pirate Adventure Park rides, it was time to visit again and enjoy even more of the delights on offer.

At the moment, Westport House are offering a second day free with a family ticket, and

the kids were beyond excited when they realised we had two days of fun ahead of us. Our visit began with a casual tour around the beautiful interior of the house. We grabbed a coffee (for the grown ups, of course) in the cellar cafe and ambled around the various exhibits and room displays. The kids particularly enjoyed Grace O’Malley’s spooky dungeon and the nostalgic child’s nursery, while my husband and I marvelled at the amazing marble staircase and elegant, original furnishings of this stunning historic home.

We were absolutely blessed with good weather, which made our time even more enjoyable – so we headed off to the Westport House Express train for a jaunt around the grounds. The driver even allowed our little man to sound the horn and bell – this was probably the most exciting moment of his life! This delightful little train incorporates sneaky glimpses of the Pirate Adventure Park as it traces its track alongside the beautiful lake, with an absolutely majestic view of Croagh Patrick in the distance.

Then of course we raced (well the kids did) round to the Adventure Park, where there was fun to be had for all ages, from those who prefer the gentle bounce of the bouncy castle, to the thrilling fun of the Log Flume and the Pirate Queen Swinging Ship. We never had to queue for long and the staff were so helpful, so the kids had several visits to each ride and spent almost 45 minutes on the Inflatable Obstacle Course. After that it was some exercise for Mum and Dad, while we ventured out on the Swan Pedalos, enjoying the lake and the views of the house – cue a minor but rather hilarious tantrum when my son realised his legs weren’t long enough to reach the pedals!

Our next destination was lunch and the Go Karts. The picnic area makes use of the old stable buildings, we enjoyed our picnic lunch (egg and onion ‘sarnies’ courtesy of Nana) and the kids squealed with delight while they raced around in their little Go Karts (thankfully the pedals were close enough for my son this time!) Then it was time for the Cannonball Run. OMG. I think I might save up and install one of these in my back garden. It kept them entertained for AGES and we had lots of promises to come back tomorrow  – sometimes old fashioned fun really is the best.

From 4pm Westport House offers Pony Rides (for an extra fee) and of course we had to give it a try. I have to say, it was one of the highlights of the day for all of us. The sunshine, the laughter and the excitement at meeting the two ponies, Dori and Molly, all combined to make it a perfect end to the day – topped off by ANOTHER pony ride, on the Vintage Carousel this time. Finally, we spent some time playing footdarts and enjoying the outdoor play area. Safe to say we were all gloriously exhausted.

Day two of course, offered just as many treats. Again, we enjoyed the Pirate Adventure Park, the Westport Express and the Pedalos, with the addition of some fun in the sand pit and also revisiting the Bouncy Castle Assault Course, Cannonball Run and the Go Karts. One part that I really enjoyed was the Fairy Walk, just around past the house along the river. The glorious weather really added to the experience, but what I liked about it was that it was pram friendly and not too long, so the kids enjoyed spotting the little fairy doors but didn’t get too tired before the end. Daddy even managed to sneak ahead and hide some ‘Leprechaun Gold’ at the fairy doors for our two to find.

Our two days at Westport House were absolutely magical as always and the kids are still raving about it – I’m sure that we will be back again to visit this unique and unforgettable place.

 

Complimentary Tickets were provided by Westport House for our visit. All opinions are my own.

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Adventures at Westport House

Tags

County Mayo, Pirate Adventure Park, Westport, Westport House

We’re just home from our wonderful holiday down in Westport, County Mayo. There’s so much to see and do in this lively town, and I’m looking forward to sharing more of our adventures in another few blog posts soon.

The adults may have been looking forward to those usual holiday delights; a cheeky glass of wine, maybe a spot of sunshine, the odd pub lunch, and of course, the great escape from housework! But the kids, well, Amelia in particular, only had one thought in mind; Westport House and Pirate Adventure Park! Arrrr (yes, I’m trying to sound like a pirate!)

What a fantastic day we all had! For starters, the sun shone. All day. Gloriously. It just made the whole experience even better, as we weren’t battling the usual ‘Irish weather’ which can be so unforgiving. The Adventure park was a stone’s throw from our accommodation, so we walked in, but there is lots of car parking if we had been coming from further afield, and it is easily accessible if you’re finding it hard to walk, or need assistance. The helpful crew at the checkpoints and queues were fantastic at directing people to an appropriate car park or relevant staff member. Really friendly service which was a sign of things to come throughout the day.

This was the first real ‘outing’ we’d done with Amelia, because up until now, apart from the zoo and the occasional ride at a funfair, she hadn’t been old enough to participate and appreciate an experience like this. But boy, had she done her homework – she knew she wanted to have a go on the swan boats, the little train and the log flume…she had spent HOURS watching this video on the Westport House website, which really gave her a feel for the fun she would have when we went. Because of this, the rides and the various aspects of the park were so familiar to all of us.

After getting our bearings with a useful map and lots of signposts, we headed straight to the swans. I think the G man was more excited than Amelia was about getting a chance to go in one! The queue was fairly big, but it moved really quickly and there were lots of staff to help ‘less flexible’ (ahem) folk like me in and out of the swan boat without totally disgracing myself! We loved the swans, we felt safe and were able to take our time at pedalling around the lake – which was great for me as it was the most exercize I’d done since….well let’s not get into that.

Next up – the big enchilada in Amelia’s opinion – the Pirate Adventure Park. You could hear the squeals of delight even before you saw the place. Up and round a little pathway nestled in the trees and bushes of the grounds of Westport House – a great selection of rides and activities for kids – and grown ups! I realised all too late that I’m not a massive fan of rollercoasters after I’d already gotten on the Pirate’s Plunge Log Flume with Amelia and the G Man…let’s just say my screams turned a few heads when we came splashing down into the water. I’ve never seen Amelia so excited – she instantly wanted to go on again. Which we did. I’d like to think my screams were mildly more restrained the second time though. One tip…bring towels!! Thankfully it was sunny so we dried off quickly, and there are some helpful hairdryers in the toilets down at the main reception, but towels would have been handy! There’s also a bouncy castle (very organised, fair system of letting kids on and off and only allowing the right amount of kids on at a time – I was very impressed by that) and there’s a sandpit for little ones as well as some hot and cold food options and drinks for everyone.

The place has so much to offer for all ages. Zipwire, archery, zorbing; as well as an indoor soft play area, go karts, cannonball run (30 foot slide), table tennis, playpark, not to mention the more historical aspects of the main house – I could actually go on forever. You could quite happily have a holiday in Westport every year until your kids were finished school, and there would always be something for them to enjoy. I really would recommend it to anyone.

As we left, Amelia enjoyed a ride on Arthur North’s 19th century carousel and helter skelter, and as we watched her enjoying the carousel, we could smell the delicious pizza being cooked at Gracy’s bar. We will definitely have to try one out the next time we go, and Amelia was too little for the pirate ship so we will have to make that the first ‘port of call’ next year!

This was our first real holiday with an element of adventure, now that she is old enough to understand the excitement and fun of a holiday; and I can’t thank the staff at Westport House enough for helping to make it just that little bit more magical for all of us.