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Yesterday we went to enjoy a day at Conkers, a woodland adventure park set in the heart of the National Forest. We were a bit worried as it had been raining all week and the forecast didn’t look good. Luckily, it was a lovely day, a bit overcast but warm and no rain.
I decided to only take my eldest and one of the twins. They love being outdoors and exploring and wouldn’t mind getting muddy. We had some planned activities in the morning so we could get to sample all the things Conkers had to offer. First off we started with orienteering. We had to find the clues hidden around the park and put the letters together to make a word. Then use the map to find our next activity. 
way. This was a great way to see the site. There are over 120 acres of stunning woodland and lakes. It really is beautiful. We found secluded lakes and mazes as well as obstacle courses for adults and teenagers.
Of course, we had to stop and jump in a few puddles along the way.
When we had found all the clues we met up at the Bush Craft site. We were given some equipment and told we had an hour to make a shelter and build a fire.
We found a nice spot and made our shelter between two trees. The girls loved it and wanted to stay the night.
After that we laid our fire. We found four large logs to keep the fire safe. 
Then we found lots of small stickers to use as kindling. We set some larger pieces of wood as a base across the bottom. Then we used some cotton wool to make the fire catch. Molly was really excited to use her flint and steel which she was given as a birthday present after our last camping trip. She proudly told everyone who would listen that she had her own one.
The ground was very damp with all the rain and we had a few problems getting started. Luckily the kindly Conkers rangers were on hand to help and gave us a few dry logs to get us started.
Soon we had a roaring fire ready to toast our marshmallows on.
So how would we rate our survival instincts? We as long as there is an abundance of marshmallow trees and freshly cut, dry wood then we’d be fine!
After that was a real challenge – the Barefoot walk. Apparently it is good for you to walk barefoot across a variety of surfaces. There were mud, clay and various sizes of stones.
I’m not sure how much good this did, but it was fun.
Everyone ended up very muddy!
Once we were cleaned up we headed for a delicious lunch at the waterside Centre. This is a lovely venue for corporate events and parties. I would definitely consider bringing the school here for a trip. There is a wide variety of activities on offer for schools, including outward bound activities, crafts and nature.
The rest of the day was left for us to explore on our own. We headed straight for the free craft organised by the rangers. 
The girls made a cute collage frog to remember their day. 
We spent a good hour in the amazing adventure playground. It is a really well-designed area with lots to do for all ages and handy benches for the adults.
There is a little train which runs from one side of the site to the other. This is a great way to travel.
It also gave Charlotte chance to empty her boots for the hundredth time that day. I’m not sure what was wrong with them but she ended up with something in her boots every five minutes.
The girls really enjoyed their day and loved riding on the little train.
We finished with watching a Pirate show in the Discovery Centre. It was a fun end to the day and left the girls with big smiles on their faces.
We really loved our trip to Conkers and will definitely be returning. I enjoyed it far more than an expensive day at a theme park. A ticket for a family of four is only £36 and if you look now there is even a Groupon deal meaning you can get it at half price. I found treats and merchandise really reasonable in the shop. There are a couple of cafes and an ice cream stand but other than that you don’t have lots of kiosks everywhere so the children don’t pester for lots of things. For me, this was the perfect Summer day out: adventure and family fun in the fresh air in beautiful surroundings. What more could you ask for?
Disclaimer: We were invited to a special event for bloggers for the purposes of this review.
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