The Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal rustic woodland play area is one of the most extensive we have ever built, stretching out through the forest and capable of accommodating large volumes of children. There was an existing woodland play area when we started to build ours, but The National Trust, who manage the property, wanted a complete update. We took out the older equipment and massively expanded the play area, also installing seating and picnic benches so that tired legs can be rested, lunches can be eaten, and the play area can be enjoyed for greater lengths of time.
The new woodland play area now fits around the trees and offers children the chance to explore and roam in a safe environment. Rustically themed and made largely from UK grown sweet chestnut, the play area fits in naturally and compliments its surroundings.
A Miniature Replica
Whilst the whole play area is follows a natural, rustic theme, we did incorporate a simple, miniature replica piece of play apparatus that was representative of Fountains Abbey, as you can see below.
Take A Look Around
There is so much play equipment in this play area that it is hard to show it all in a series of images, but the play area incorporates a huge number of pieces of play equipment and seating including the following:
- Zip Line
- Climb post
- Slide pole
- Slide
- Interactive barriers (with games)
- Wobble bridge
- Swing ball skittle knockdown
- Stick building area
- Ladders
- Log climbs
- Rope climbs
- Rope bridges
- Picnic Benches
- Split log benches
- Swings
- Basket swing
- Climb net
- Arch bridge
- Accessible roundabout
- Various, connected play towers
- See saw
- Ball run
- Musical chimes
What Do The National Trust And Visitors Think?
Upon completion of the project, we received the following, positive testimonial from The National Trust.
“Providing great experiences and giving our visitors reasons to return is at the heart of everything we do. We wanted to create a woodland play area that would encourage imaginative and creative play, a space that provided opportunities for children to experience risk and challenge, and one that allowed children of a range of ages and abilities to play together. Flights of Fantasy designed a play area that has delighted our family visitors and resulted in the busiest August we have ever seen. Their bespoke design used natural materials sympathetic to the surroundings of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal and responded to the challenges outlined in our brief. We have received lots of lovely feedback since the play area opened last month.”
We are proud of our play area and delighted that it managed to immediately boost visitor numbers, demonstrating the value of a well though out play area.
Whilst we don’t often have the pleasure of spending time in our play areas and talking to visitors, we are able to pick up feedback from public sites such as Tripadvisor. The following reviews have been taken from TripAdvisor after we installed the play at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal:
- ‘We enjoyed it that much that just 2 days later we are visiting again. The children’s play area is just fantastic – it’s the best play area we have ever taken the children to – lots of climbing frames, ball games, swings and zip line, so something for all ages.’ Lauren H
- ‘Fantastic adventure play area. The recently opened adventure play area is worth the entrance money alone, numerous climbing, exercise wooden frames to explore and play on, build your own den and much much more, a must for the kids. Great addition to a fantastic historical sight.’ sammyc
- ‘A fantastic play area!! […] I used to come to this place years ago with my children. If I was doing so now, I’d have the added advantage of a fabulous adventure park.’ Rossi G
- ‘The new children’s play area is lovely and quirky – beautifully hand carved, it was the perfect ending to the perfect day for all.’ Nina B
- ‘If you have children you will have to drag them away from the play area!!’ Serenity985
- ‘The Play area is not to be missed.’ Richard 564
- ‘it is fantastic , a great investment, entertained our 3 grandchildren for ages, as well as parents’ yogini2
Comments such as these make us incredibly proud of what we do and serve as a strong reminder that our mission to create interactive, educational, and attractive play areas is appreciated.
Designing Your Play Area
Please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us to discuss your own project. We are only too happy to walk you through the design process and make something that you can be proud of. You can also take a look at our other outdoor play areas, seating and picnic areas, and replica landmarks to give you some more ideas.
For pricing information, please refer to our pricing page, or get in contact with us to make an enquiry and discuss a potential project.