Insider tips to get the most out of your first trip to our villages

Our break is a “

revelation. We should live at Center Parcs”

WORDS: Robyn Wilder PHOTOS: Joseph Branston

Rediscovering cycling, taking a first dip in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise, learning about the delights of The Pancake House… it’s all part of the joy of being a Center Parcs newbie. We follow the Wilder-Heritage Family as they venture into the forest

Daddy, we’re going to stay in a FOREST HOUSE and we might see a SQUIRREL and there is a SPECIAL TRAIN and I am going to ride on a SLUGWAY!” “Segway,” I correct Herbie, who is excitedly wordvomiting on his father, who’s just come in from work. “And you’re not riding on a Segway this time; you’re too little, I’m afraid.”

We are all off for three nights to Longleat Forest – me, my husband, Stuart, and our two small sons: Herbie, aged five; and Ned, who’s two. The boys and I have been watching Center Parcs video diaries on YouTube all afternoon, which has apparently whipped them up into a state of mania.

And, while Ned is stomping around shouting “BOWLING! BOWLING!’ and Herbie has already named the duck and squirrel we’re apparently definitely going to meet outside our lodge (Duck and Super-Squirrel), I’m on the Center Parcs website, registering our details so we don’t have to check in when we get there, and prebooking our meals out and activities online.

I’ve booked this break partly to banish the ghost of Horrible Family Holidays Past. I don’t know if it’s just our family, or this is generally what happens when you have two children under five, but every time we’ve tried to go away as a family, disaster has struck. “

“We spend the afternoon larking about in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise – everyone shrieks in delight as we bob around the lazy river” – the best part – the wraparound windows surrounding us with dappled sunlight and birdsong. Testing the water It’s only after we depart by cycle for this morning’s activity – pedalo adventures on the Watersports Lake that lies at the other end of the village – that I realise how unfi t and unused to cycling I am. The last time I rode a cycle I got startled by a bee and fell o (true story), and now I keep having to get o and walk the cycle uphill so often that I quickly lose sight of Stu with the children in the trailer – and get hopelessly lost.

But weirdly, I don’t mind. Perhaps it’s all the fresh air in my lungs, or the spacious way the roads and pavements are laid out so nothing feels crowded, but I really feel as though I’m away from the stresses of everyday life. I’m happy to wend my way down to the lake – fi nding my speed and my bearings, taking a few wrong turns but knowing I’ll

get there eventually. And when I do, the pedalo ride is just fi nishing. Stuart and the children are tumbling onto the jetty, laughing uproariously – they’ve been round the lake three times, apparently, having challenged every other boat to a race. After careering through the maze of playgrounds that circle the lake, we head to The Pancake House for lunch – again, I fall behind with my slow cycling, but in doing so I briefl y meet a friendly doe nibbling at something on the roadside, and she doesn’t even shy away when I say hello. We spend the afternoon larking about in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise – the children aren’t quite big enough for the water slides, but everyone shrieks in delight as

we bob around the lazy river and roll about in the wave pool. Stuart and I wind everyone down in the warmth of the outdoor pool as the sun sets, then we tumble the children – who’ve fallen asleep in the trailer – straight Get social Whatever activity you’re doing at Center Parcs, we’d love to see your photos. Share them and tag #MYCP There was the time our buggy was detained at Customs en route to France because it ‘tested positive for explosives’, which still mystifi es us to this day. There was the ‘familyfriendly’ beach house where, instead of doing anything fun like rock-pooling, we spent the weekend physically restraining the children from leaping o the back step because of the deep concealed lagoon just beyond it.

Without mentioning the sixth-fl oor apartment with no functioning lift, or the 17-hour fl ight with a wriggly baby on my lap, I’ve been rapidly coming to the conclusion that you can either go on holiday with small children, or you can enjoy yourself.

I’m really hoping Center Parcs can prove me wrong. “MUMMY! We got you a child’s cycle because YOU’RE SHORT!” Herbie comes crashing joyfully through the undergrowth on a balance cycle, followed by Stuart who’s steering what I assume is my cycle alongside his own, for all the world looking like a cowboy bringing home a riderless horse, while Ned sits primly in a trailer behind him. Forest adventurers After arriving at Center Parcs in what felt like the middle of the night, thanks to the silent, dark forest all around us – but was only 8pm – everyone sprang awake early on Saturday morning to explore our very lovely ‘forest house’, including the fully equipped kitchen, outdoor sauna and larking about in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise – everyone shrieks in delight as we bob to see your photos. Share them and tag #MYCP on Saturday morning to explore our very lovely ‘forest house’, including the fully equipped kitchen, outdoor sauna and Above: the family are entranced by the birds of prey on the Baby Owls activity. Below: Ned has fun in the forest

From left: Robyn and her boys soak up the nature of the woodlands and spot wildlife on the Watersports Lake

INSIDER TIPS FOR YOUR BREAK Be sure to use these on your break – and when you return

1Want to roll out of bed and into the Subtropical Swimming Paradise? If the location of your accommodation is important to you, you can choose a particular lodge when you book.

2Ramp up the excitement in advance! You can book cycles, activities, events and restaurants up to six months before you arrive. Because places are limited, no one will be disappointed at missing out on an activity.

3If your booking includes 10 or more adults, our personal event planner can help with organising your activity and restaurant bookings. They can even arrange special sessions just for your group, including Paintballing, Tree Trekking and more. Get in touch with our Contact Centre for more information on 08448 266 200.

4Why wait to check in when you arrive? Register the details of your party before you get here to speed up the check-in process. Simply visit centerparcs.co.uk/my-account/ sign-in.html and log in using

your booking number and party details. Less time spent checking in means more time in the pool!

5Celebrating during your stay? You could pre-order one of our gifts to surprise that special person, whether it’s for a birthday, anniversary or honeymoon.

6If you have any special dietary requirements, including allergies, bring them to the attention of the restaurant before placing your order so we can do our best to serve your needs.

7From meals and snacks to dips and drinks, we’ve got it covered at the ParcMarket. If you spend more than £40 we’ll deliver your food for free, and will even put perishables into your fridge so you don’t need to wait in.

ROBYN’S FIVE VILLAGE MUST-DOS

1 Even if you haven’t ridden in a long time, hire a bike…

2 … and a trailer. Herbie and Ned loved snoozing in ours

3 Eat at The Pancake House – there’s a yummy reason it’s a Center Parcs institution!

4 Try something new – with hundreds of activities, there’s something for everyone

5 Have a disco in the bath! Executive Lodges come with their very own jacuzzi baths

Left: the family are already counting the reasons to book a return break to Center Parcs

into bed, and do the rarest of rare things on a family holiday: enjoy a restful evening together – with a beer, a takeaway from the extensive Dining In menu, and a movie. It’s a revelation. We should live at Center Parcs.

The next day, it’s our first activity, chosen by Herbie and Ned. They were so excited about Baby Owls – right up until the keeper introduces the owls in all their big-eyed feathery reality, and then they become wary. However, they’re soon won over as Stuart and I let the beautiful birds land on our gloved hands.

Running free We spend most of Sunday following the children’s lead as they mooch through the forest. We pursue them as they romp around the nature trails where, I suspect, they learn nothing about tadpole life cycles, but do act out an intensely imaginative saga involving The Hulk and several Jedi Knights.

We meander down to the lakeside beach, hitting every playground on the way down, and then, on the other side of the lake, walk through the forest, climbing the twistiest looking trees and pretending to be wolves.

The boys sleep in the cycle trailer in the afternoon, so Stuart and I take the opportunity to go for a relaxing ride around the village, only heading back to the lodge when the sun starts to go down and the tree-lights began to click on. After a home-cooked dinner, much fun is had in the ‘disco bath’ – turning the internal bath lights on while running the jacuzzi function – and, after the children go to bed, Stuart and I enjoy our last evening at Center Parcs. Family holidays with small children aren’t an impossibility, we decide – marvelling at the idiocy of all our misguided previous excursions to unsuitable apartments and death-trap holiday lets, when all this time Center Parcs has existed. I am amazed at how relaxed and at peace I feel here, and we vow to return.

We should also get cycles once we get home, we tell each other, and trailers, and get around that way. We haven’t, of course, because life has got in the way – but that’s fine, because it just gives us another reason to return to Center Parcs. As though we needed one!

BOOK IT Book activities at your village’s Booking Desk, call the booking line on 03448 266 200, or log into your online account: centerparcs.co.uk/activities Visit your village’s Cycle Centre and our staff will make sure you get exactly the right cycles. We also stock a range of accessories, such as helmets, to buy or hire, as well as cycle route maps.