Andrew Cartwright

The museum can be accessed both from the rear via the jubilee gardens and from the main street. It's been nicely put together, a few bits for the kids to do as well as a cafe, and some little shop units. We didn't spend ages on the occasions we visited, but it's free - so we went there twice during our time in the area.

We wasn't really expecting an observation wheel on our visit to Willen lake, but they have one! Catch it at dusk and it has lights on, which is nice. We did opt for a go - £20 for the family, so not the cheapest, but it was nice for the kids. No queue, in fact very quiet on our visit. I think we went round about 5 times...! (It's not super quick or anything!)

At the end of the summer holidays we decided to take a trip to the postal museum - the decision being mainly made around the fact that they have a train to ride...

When we got there we went to the museum entrance to then be told we needed to be at the railway entrance, it's only just across the road - and a quick check of our tickets and we was down some steps near the railway. The trains are quite small, as you can imagine they weren't originally designed for rides... we got put in a compartment together, it was a little tight, but not too bad. (I'd imagine if you had older kids you'd probably need more than one compartment!) Upon entry you pop any bags in a locked cabinet and, once on train they then make sure your compartment is secure. The trains are electric / battery and follow a little route round with a couple of stops to tell you about the history. It was a good little ride, and certainly a bit different. I was surprised my son (who loves trains), didn't rate it very highly - I guess he just didn't like how dark it was perhaps?

After the train, there are a few bits to look at before heading out of this building and back to the museum entrance. The museum lobby area has a cafe, gift shop and some toilets. There is a sort of children's trail that the kids can follow, and as they go round the museum there are a couple of bits that are interactive (create your own stamp for example). Kids found some of this interesting, but there was also a lot to read. I didn't realise there was so much history to even know about - but there was!

Whilst we had a nice time, and glad we went, I'm not sure the museum quite hit the mark with the little people. I think on some of the interactive bits there were things missing (even just paper to send messages on the air tube thing), that if fixed etc. would have made the experience better.

Great playground, plenty of room to run about - big slide and climbing area etc. There is also an area for the smaller children to play.

As a parent, there are a few benches - and it's a rather pleasant area!

Spent some time enjoying the festival that was going on, and decided to find somewhere to chill for some food - on initial glance we ignored this restaurant as it didn't look like it would be child friendly, but a quick confirmation that they had child menus (and that the kids were happy there was something they liked) and we were shown to a table. Kids wanted inside, and we had a nice table in a corner with lots of comfy cushions.

Food and drink ordered fairly quickly and it didn't take too long to come. Recommend the duck salad. It was very nice. In fact we all enjoyed our meals. The kids meals also came with a desert, which made them very happy! The service was very good, and happily disappeared to get the kids more ketchup when they needed it!

A nice place, wasn't overly expensive (especially for London), and if visiting the area again would certainly consider coming again.