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National Forest Adventure Farm: North Pole Adventure review

Blog· Christmas

28 Oct

I find the build up to Christmas Day such a magical time. Spotting the Christmas trees glistening in all the homes, fake snow, twinkling fairy lights… the nativity story.. the elves arriving in our household on December 1st, and the arrival of Father Christmas launching himself down the chimney. I love it all. I start thinking about our family Christmas days out in September, and always make sure we have a couple of really lovely events planned. When we were invited along to the the National Forest Adventure Farm to experience their North Pole Adventure…. Well I think I may have been more excited than the three mini me’s.

The National Adventure Farm

  • The National Adventure Farm
  • The North Pole Adventure review
  • Victorian village
  • Polar Bear under the Northern Lights
  • Meet Father Christmas at the North Pole Adventure

We visited the National Forest Adventure farm in the Summer for the Pirates of the Maize Maze and had such a wonderful time. The National Forest Adventure Farm is based in Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire and offers farm animals in abundance, and indoor and outdoor fun for all ages. Think tractor rides…JCB diggers…a barrell stampede…crazy golf and jumping pillows… there is something for everyone.

*Advertisement feature

The North Pole Adventure review

Let me take you on a journey……..

Mummy!!! look there is snow!!!

On arrival to the entrance of the North Pole Adventure, we were greeted by two very cheeky elves in a courtyard of beautiful Christmas trees…with a sprinkling of snow,  a penguin and a polar bear hiding under the branches. Tickets in hand and three very excited children, we headed to the reception desk to be greeted by another cheeky elf who gave the children their passports, and handed them a couple of special elf coins each. Then …the adventure began.

Victorian village

Walking through the snowy pathway we stopped at the Victorian village, a beautiful magical courtyard – home to the most delightful old-fashioned sweet shop. Here the children spent their elf coins on sweets and chocolate and a drink (the tea, coffee and mulled wine for the adults also went down a treat.) The wintry Victorian courtyard was enchanting, and the children loved the beautiful touches, the huge fairy door, the elf helpline and the window displays. There was a perfect little seat under the lantern to perch on while the littles ones took in the scenery and munched on their treats.

The first door led through to a craft room, with paper, colouring pens and an abundance of glitter, where the children were able to decorate a paper bauble whilst supervised by the adults and elves. My youngest preferred to eat the glitter…much more fun, he said.

Polar Bear under the Northern Lights

Moving on… the next secret door, led us to the post room, where the children helped to organise the post before heading to the ice cave, where we met the most handsome interactive polar bear I have ever had the pleasure to meet. The little ones sat quietly on the benches, listening to the Polar bear chat away. We soon had two very surprised faces when the polar bear mentioned all of the children’s names, and their favourite toy or interests. Our middle mini me – well she still can’t quite believe he knew she loved Max and Ruby 🙂 The ice cave is filled with sparkle, magic and twinkling glitter and the children picked up a little bottled magic from the Northern Lights to help Santa to fly on Christmas Eve……

We found Mrs Claus in her kitchen helping the children to decorate gingerbread men with Smarties and coloured icing, before moving on to the interactive elf school.

Meet Father Christmas at the North Pole Adventure

Who was behind that final door?  The big man himself with black boots and a red suit of course. The children couldn’t wait to meet Father Christmas and tell him how good they had been ALL most of the year before waving farewell and wishing him a safe journey visiting all the children of the world on Christmas Eve.

With sparking glitter dust from the North Pole, a gift from Santa, a gingerbread man and a decorated paper bauble, we headed home with three very tired and excited children, and some very magical memories.

I can honestly say that this was one of my favourite Christmas events that we have visited. The attention to detail was something else, and they had thought of everything to make this a wonderful and magical adventure. The North Pole Adventure is a magical Christmas event at the National Forest Adventure Farm, Staffordshire. For more information, prices and to book – head over to the National Adventure Farm online

Parking at the National Adventure Farm is free. Tickets to the event also includes admission to the Adventure Farm 10am – 6pm for the day of your visit.

Pin for Later

National Forest Adventure Farm: North Pole Adventure

*Disclosure: we were invited to review North Pole adventure in exchange for a review on the blog. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I love to hear what you think of my blog, do leave a comment. You can find us over on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

10 Comments

Previous Post: « Zoggs swimwear review and a summer of outdoor adventures
Next Post: Toniebox and Tonies review – An audio system for kids perfect for travel »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah Stockley says

    November 29, 2017 at 11:10 am

    Oh wow Katy. I LOVE this. It looks so gorgeous and magical. Sarah xx

    Reply
  2. Judy says

    November 29, 2017 at 8:44 pm

    This event captures the spirit of Christmas perfectly… every young child’s dream…. beautiful

    Reply
  3. Antonia says

    November 30, 2017 at 6:54 am

    Wow!!!! This looks so magical!!!! Would definitely love to go! X

    Reply
  4. Helena says

    December 4, 2017 at 6:13 pm

    It sounds like Staffordshire is the place to be this Christmas. I love the fact there’s so much to do and see. #bloggerpinparty

    Reply
  5. Louise says

    December 4, 2017 at 6:24 pm

    Lovely review Katy and great pics! It was such a magical experience! Really can’t wait to go back next year. It’s a shame we couldn’t meet up. Definitely in the new year xx

    Reply
  6. Lisa (Travel Loving Family) & Trips100 Editor says

    December 6, 2017 at 5:06 pm

    Fabulous experience for you all! It looks magical:) Your kids (and you!) look so excited x

    Reply
  7. Jemma says

    December 10, 2017 at 11:20 am

    Wow this looks so magical- lovely photos! #bloggerpinparty

    Reply
  8. Claire @ the ladybirds adventures says

    December 12, 2017 at 7:14 pm

    This does look like a magical experience. I’ll have to see how far from us this is. My kids would love it. Thanks for joining #bloggerpinparty

    Reply
  9. Alice | Letters to my Daughter says

    December 12, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    Looks absolutely beautiful! What a great family day out, and extra long lasting with the later glitter poop experience!!

    And congratulations because someone loved this post so much, they added it to the #BlogCrush linky! Feel free to collect your “I’ve been featured” blog badge 🙂

    Reply
  10. Judy b says

    November 5, 2019 at 7:15 am

    This venue captures the spirit of Christmas …
    Certainly worth a visit!!!

    Reply

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Vanlife • Camper Family • VWT5


Ad/ Oh the places we will go .......

I’m reall
Ad/ Oh the places we will go .......
 
I’m really hoping better days are coming for us all 🌈
 
Tonight I wanted to tell you about a wonderful campaign by @whsmithofficial and I’m honoured to have been asked to be a part of it. 

Their aim is to encourage people to try something new throughout 2021. @whsmithofficial have some wonderful products to help you plan your trips (products linked in stories).
 
I would really love you to join me on Friday at 6pm over on the @whsmithofficial account, chatting about why we love vanlife, our favourite road trips, and what vanlife means for us. Believe it or not before we purchased our camper, we had never camped before! 
 
If you have any questions for me, I would love you to send them my way via my stories and I will do my best to answer them on Friday. 
 
Look forward to seeing you over on the @whsmithofficial Instagram on Friday at 6pm! 

#bringiton2021 #vanlife #vanlifewithkids #vwt5


Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are y
Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are you all doing? How are you feeling about the announcements tomorrow?

I know so many are finding it all a bit ‘meh’ at the moment.

So this is a little Sunday reminder to keep doing what makes your soul a
smile, check in on each other often and look after yourselves..... and know that better days are coming 🌈🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 

(My usual Sunday campsite share will be a little late - I’ll post it tomorrow I promise - I’ve been painting the girls bedroom all weekend😆 )

🌈 💕

Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynn
Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynnfamily as part of her bongo convo series.

Did you catch it?

I think it is the first time I’ve ever chatted on a live, or chatted in front of a camera even 😆

Anyway I just wanted to say thank you  so much for all the messages and lovely comments after the live. I’ve had a few vanlife questions too so I will pop them in my stories for you.

Thank you  Jenny for inviting me to take part in your new live travel chat. Chatting about Van life and road trips .... It definitely made my soul smile :)

🏕Sunday share is back 🏕

My next campsite to
🏕Sunday share is back 🏕

My next campsite to share is a really lovely campsite in Llangollen. We were introduced to this lovely site by my beautiful friend @a_girl_on_the_crescent 

Abbey Farm Campsite

@abbeyfarmllangollen is a working farm set just outside the beautiful town of Llangollen in North Wales.

Suitable  for camping, touring caravans and motor homes and camping pods available.  There are three self-catering cottages to rent and also a static caravan site.

The camping fields are set next to the ruins of Valle Crusis Abbey, and what we loved the most - there is a small brook that runs across the bottom of the field that the kids absolutely loved.

Facilities

Hot showers/ toilets
Laundry room
Bistro/bar
Shop
Electric Hook Up
Dogs Welcome 

What we loved 💕

⭐️Family campsite 
⭐️The brook provided hours of fun
⭐️Picturesque Llangollen a walk away 
⭐️Beautiful location with lots of space and walks
⭐️An ideal base to explore North Wales 

Definitely one to bookmark 

🏡For now the message is to stay at home, but my Sunday share is to inspire and introduce you to new campsites for when the time is right xx


Camping with kids 🏕

I was going to share my ne
Camping with kids 🏕

I was going to share my next favourite campsite but thought I would mix it up a bit with a new topic. Campervan storage. So tell me... What is your favourite storage hack? 

As our Campervan conversion  isn’t quite fully finished we have had to be clever with storage. As a family of five in a T5 space is super tight! 

Our favourite hacks so far....

➡️ Using cushion covers / pillow cases to store items 

➡️ storage hooks on the back of the seats (I think I learned about this one from @daisy_thefamilycamper ) 

➡️ Using a pop up tent to store the large bulky items such as car seats and strollers etc 

➡️ Packing pods to organise the clothes!!! My absolutely favourite thing ever we have used them for years.

➡️ plastic storage bucket for the outside toys that we take to the beach (and can even double up as a baby/toddler bath 

 
 ➡️ Foldable items, folding table, folding scooters, folding chairs, the list goes on but helps with space 

➡️hamman towels. Absolutely wonderful. We were sent some towels to review a few years back and they are incredible. We haven’t looked back and we are fully converted. They don’t take up much space, dry really quickly, have multiple uses  and basically we just love them! 

🌈 I have linked my post in my stories - but would love to hear if you have any campervan storage ideas to share or add? 

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend whatever you have been up to ?


Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for
Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for the time when it is safe to travel again 😍🚐

 Sunnyside Croft Touring Site 

This is my next campsite to share... the beautiful Sunnyside Croft Touring Site - an award winning site located between the villages of Arisaig and Mallaig on the West Coast of the Scottish Highlands 

⭐️What we loved 🌈

Direct access to the most beautiful beach 
Family friendly, clean  and quiet 
Dogs allowed 
Eco friendly
Lovely touches - outside shower for wetsuits, infant and toddler washroom with a bath 
Pets allowed 

We loved staying here for two nights as part of our Scotland road trip with our beautiful friends. Mallaig is the nearest village  and we loved visiting Skye and Glenfinnan too. The campsite has direct access to the most spectacular beach - just a walk away along a dedicated path.  Definitely one to bookmark and a campsite we would definitely return to.

📸 Our first view of the beach from the campsite 
 
➡️ swipe for more photos of Arisaig and Mallaig

🌈 #stayathome and keep hoping for sunnier days☀️

#dreamingofvanlife #keepondreaming #arisaigbeach #scotlandphotography


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Ad/ Oh the places we will go ....... I’m reall Ad/ Oh the places we will go .......
 
I’m really hoping better days are coming for us all 🌈
 
Tonight I wanted to tell you about a wonderful campaign by @whsmithofficial and I’m honoured to have been asked to be a part of it. 

Their aim is to encourage people to try something new throughout 2021. @whsmithofficial have some wonderful products to help you plan your trips (products linked in stories).
 
I would really love you to join me on Friday at 6pm over on the @whsmithofficial account, chatting about why we love vanlife, our favourite road trips, and what vanlife means for us. Believe it or not before we purchased our camper, we had never camped before! 
 
If you have any questions for me, I would love you to send them my way via my stories and I will do my best to answer them on Friday. 
 
Look forward to seeing you over on the @whsmithofficial Instagram on Friday at 6pm! 

#bringiton2021 #vanlife #vanlifewithkids #vwt5
Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are y Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are you all doing? How are you feeling about the announcements tomorrow?

I know so many are finding it all a bit ‘meh’ at the moment.

So this is a little Sunday reminder to keep doing what makes your soul a
smile, check in on each other often and look after yourselves..... and know that better days are coming 🌈🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 

(My usual Sunday campsite share will be a little late - I’ll post it tomorrow I promise - I’ve been painting the girls bedroom all weekend😆 )

🌈 💕
Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynn Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynnfamily as part of her bongo convo series.

Did you catch it?

I think it is the first time I’ve ever chatted on a live, or chatted in front of a camera even 😆

Anyway I just wanted to say thank you  so much for all the messages and lovely comments after the live. I’ve had a few vanlife questions too so I will pop them in my stories for you.

Thank you  Jenny for inviting me to take part in your new live travel chat. Chatting about Van life and road trips .... It definitely made my soul smile :)
🏕Sunday share is back 🏕 My next campsite to 🏕Sunday share is back 🏕

My next campsite to share is a really lovely campsite in Llangollen. We were introduced to this lovely site by my beautiful friend @a_girl_on_the_crescent 

Abbey Farm Campsite

@abbeyfarmllangollen is a working farm set just outside the beautiful town of Llangollen in North Wales.

Suitable  for camping, touring caravans and motor homes and camping pods available.  There are three self-catering cottages to rent and also a static caravan site.

The camping fields are set next to the ruins of Valle Crusis Abbey, and what we loved the most - there is a small brook that runs across the bottom of the field that the kids absolutely loved.

Facilities

Hot showers/ toilets
Laundry room
Bistro/bar
Shop
Electric Hook Up
Dogs Welcome 

What we loved 💕

⭐️Family campsite 
⭐️The brook provided hours of fun
⭐️Picturesque Llangollen a walk away 
⭐️Beautiful location with lots of space and walks
⭐️An ideal base to explore North Wales 

Definitely one to bookmark 

🏡For now the message is to stay at home, but my Sunday share is to inspire and introduce you to new campsites for when the time is right xx
Camping with kids 🏕 I was going to share my ne Camping with kids 🏕

I was going to share my next favourite campsite but thought I would mix it up a bit with a new topic. Campervan storage. So tell me... What is your favourite storage hack? 

As our Campervan conversion  isn’t quite fully finished we have had to be clever with storage. As a family of five in a T5 space is super tight! 

Our favourite hacks so far....

➡️ Using cushion covers / pillow cases to store items 

➡️ storage hooks on the back of the seats (I think I learned about this one from @daisy_thefamilycamper ) 

➡️ Using a pop up tent to store the large bulky items such as car seats and strollers etc 

➡️ Packing pods to organise the clothes!!! My absolutely favourite thing ever we have used them for years.

➡️ plastic storage bucket for the outside toys that we take to the beach (and can even double up as a baby/toddler bath 

 
 ➡️ Foldable items, folding table, folding scooters, folding chairs, the list goes on but helps with space 

➡️hamman towels. Absolutely wonderful. We were sent some towels to review a few years back and they are incredible. We haven’t looked back and we are fully converted. They don’t take up much space, dry really quickly, have multiple uses  and basically we just love them! 

🌈 I have linked my post in my stories - but would love to hear if you have any campervan storage ideas to share or add? 

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend whatever you have been up to ?
Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for the time when it is safe to travel again 😍🚐

 Sunnyside Croft Touring Site 

This is my next campsite to share... the beautiful Sunnyside Croft Touring Site - an award winning site located between the villages of Arisaig and Mallaig on the West Coast of the Scottish Highlands 

⭐️What we loved 🌈

Direct access to the most beautiful beach 
Family friendly, clean  and quiet 
Dogs allowed 
Eco friendly
Lovely touches - outside shower for wetsuits, infant and toddler washroom with a bath 
Pets allowed 

We loved staying here for two nights as part of our Scotland road trip with our beautiful friends. Mallaig is the nearest village  and we loved visiting Skye and Glenfinnan too. The campsite has direct access to the most spectacular beach - just a walk away along a dedicated path.  Definitely one to bookmark and a campsite we would definitely return to.

📸 Our first view of the beach from the campsite 
 
➡️ swipe for more photos of Arisaig and Mallaig

🌈 #stayathome and keep hoping for sunnier days☀️

#dreamingofvanlife #keepondreaming #arisaigbeach #scotlandphotography
Happy Sunday!!! So I have decided on a Sunday fo Happy Sunday!!! 

So I have decided on a Sunday for the next few weeks I am going to do a little campsite share. Sharing our favourite campsites that we have stayed in our #t5camper over the last two or three years. I wanted to (hopefully) give you some inspiration for all those dreaming and planning for when we are able to hit the road in the future. 

My first campsite is @love2stay in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK. Set in 22 acres of grounds with touring and Glamping on-site. 

Love2stay is a beautiful resort and an absolute gem of a site. We have booked again for this year and have stayed more than once over the last two years.

Facilities

Love 2 Stay  has serviced pitches and a  glamping village. The toilet block is modern and clean.  There is so much to do on site you won’t want to venture far. 

➡️ swipe for pictures 

There is a natural swimming pool, restaurant and pizzeria, fitness suite and thermal bath, assault course, children’s adventure play zone, barefoot trails, mini and junior craft activities, cinedrome for movie nights, yoga and Pilates classes, paddle boarding and kayaking....... the list goes on 

What we loved 

⭐️So many activities on site for everyone 
⭐️restaurant/pizzeria on site 
⭐️Swimming pool 
⭐️Spa/gym on site 
⭐️Dogs allowed (with separate dog walking area and dog agility course )
⭐️Brilliant size serviced pitches
⭐️Glamping available 
⭐️Usually Open all year round (covid restriction dependent) 

Things to consider 
 
⭐️it gets booked up so book in advance 
⭐️No tents allowed 
⭐️No on-site grocery shop
⭐️it is the most expensive campsite we have ever stayed when you factor in all the additional activities that do -but it’s a wonderful experience and we absolutely love it here and it is a place that we will keep on returning to. 

Please do ask if you have any questions or if you have stayed here too? 

I’ll be back next Sunday with another gem !
Ad🌟Top Tip 🌟 Fairy lights dotted around a Ad🌟Top Tip 🌟

Fairy lights  dotted around a climbing frame
 
= A few more extra hours outside over the winter months 

Add in a flurry of snow ....

#1000hoursoutside 

#wickeyadventure #wickeyplaytime #lockdown3

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