If you are struggling to plan where to take your baby this summer- don’t fret- I am compiling a list of places that are baby friendly so you can make the most of those first few months with your little one.
The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction
Today’s recommendation is The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction in Bowness. If you are lucky enough to live near the Lake District- this is worth making the trip for. Although the attraction only takes you about an hour to make your way around- it is in the centre of Bowness so you can go shopping, grab a bite to eat, walk along the lake side, feed the ducks, get an ice cream or even take a boat ride along the lake with Windermere Lake Cruises to make a full day out of it.
The attraction costs just £7.95 per adult and is free for your baby if they are under two, so it’s not an expensive activity if you are working to a budget.
It begins with a short show about the inspiration behind the Beatrix Potter books. The theatre is only small, and the large, brightly coloured images of the book covers and pages are the perfect gateway to the rest of the exhibition. The video is long enough to keep your baby engaged but not too long that they start to get distracted.
Once this is over you enter the rest of the attraction, which can only be described as like walking through a woodland in the heart of the Lakes. Trees hang overhead, interspersed with the well-known characters from the books, climbing, flying or perching about the branches. The walls are lined with ‘slate’ to give the impression of enjoying a typical day out in this part of the world.
The models to your side are all at children/pram height, so your baby won’t miss out on anything as you walk around. There is something to hold their attention at all angles. The miniature scenes nestled into the walls bring the pages of the books to life and help to immerse you in their world.
It is pram accessible, however the floors are windy, so you just need to be courteous to other visitors as you are making your way along the paths if you want to stop and look at something more closely or take a picture.
The one thing I would say is- if you are carrying your baby around- watch their head as the walkway ceiling is low and uneven and there is a risk of a bump if you're not careful.
About half-way round the attraction is a garden to look around so you can enjoy some time outdoors to admire all the beautiful flowers, vegetable patches and models that adorn this section of the experience. You can take the pram along the top of the garden, however to access the bottom section, there are steps, so you may need to break up at this point while one of you takes the baby down the steps while the other minds the pram.
The lighting has been carefully chosen to showcase the iconic scenes from the books and so the attraction maintains the quaintness and quirkiness of the landscape and the characters from the beloved collection.
There is an opportunity to take a family picture with your baby at the end- where you can choose your favourite background to make a keepsake of the day. There are however many other photo opportunities around the tour so be sure to take your camera or phone along with you. You can even have a photo with a life-sized model of Beatrix herself!
Then there is the gift shop! It’s almost impossible to leave without some memento of your day out as there is a huge range of souvenirs with either the traditional or updated Peter Rabbit characters on them. This also includes baby merchandise too.
There are baby changing facilities just outside the café if you need to change your little one before you leave.
The café offers lunches, afternoon teas and light bites as well as refreshments and they have baby chairs if yours is old enough to sit in one. This is the ideal place to look at the photos you’ve recently taken and reminisce over the attraction itself.
Overall, The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction is a wonderful place to take your baby. Even if they aren’t old enough to appreciate the stories just yet, there are plenty of things for them to look at, smell, hear and touch to stimulate their senses.
The weather was glorious when we visited, however this would be the perfect place to take some shelter from the rain if the weather isn’t on your side when you go.
Thank you to The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction for the opportunity to review.
MORE: Baby friendly days out in the Lake District: Windermere Lake Cruises
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