Kids love a soft play centre, don’t they? They love inflatable parks too. If yours are anything like mine they may also love watching Ninja Warrior UK on the telly.
So what if I were to tell you that there are nineteen (yes, nineteen) Ninja Warrior UK Adventure Parks dotted around the UK?
I went with my two children and we had an absolute blast. They are suitable for kids of all ages, as well as adults, and make an affordable but exciting trip during a weekend or school holiday. Each session has a time limit of 2 hours, so you can’t spend the whole day there, but they are a fantastic activity to build your day around.
I’ll explain in more detail below.
What Can You Do There?
If you imagine a regular soft play centre with an inflatable park right next to it, now slap Ninja Warrior UK branding all over it and throw in a couple of Ninja Warrior assault courses, and you’ve pretty much got it.
The venues are suitable for people of all ages, but really, it’s the kids who will get the most out of it.
The soft play area is ideal for children 4 and under. They can use the inflatable too provided they are with an adult (who has paid for entry). Everyone can use the inflatable area. There are two different types of Ninja Run too, one for under 14s, and one for over 14s.
The Ninja Run has been designed to mimic the course you see on the show. It has the angled launch pads at the start, monkey bars, and all the bits to swing from and hang off. It even includes the wall at the end – although it’s a smaller version, don’t worry!
I imagine each venue will have its own minor differences, but they will all be designed in a similar way. From what I have seen of other venues it’s the inflatable areas that vary the most, but they can all be climbed on, jumped off, run through, etc.
We went to the Ninja Warrior Park in Guildford, and they also had a retro arcade gaming area and a cafe. The seating area was elevated giving a view of the whole venue, which was very useful when me and the wife wanted a coffee but the kids wanted to carry on Ninja-ing.
The nice thing about it, is you can do the whole Ninja Warrior thing, but you can also invent your own games. Hide and seek is always a winner at places like this, chase, races, challenges, etc.
Prices and Socks!
The number one rule for anyone visiting a Ninja Warrior UK Adventure Park: You have to wear their special socks!
These are non slip socks with rubber grips on them, so when your little ones (or you) are running around on the inflatables and jumping from one obstacle to another, you don’t slide around and hurt yourself.
The only thing that stings a bit is that these socks cost £2.95 a pair, and you have to buy them. Even if you have grip socks from some other similar venue, you can’t wear them.
I don’t want to get bogged down in the sock saga but that’s a bit cheeky if you ask me.
There are other merchandise items available too, such as gloves and a headband, but you don’t have to buy these. That said, the gloves are a good idea, and they do a glove and sock deal for around a fiver that makes it a bit cheaper.
Since it’s a physically demanding activity you will also have to sign a waiver before you are allowed in. It’s just to stop people suing the company, although if you were hurt due to a mistake of theirs such as faulty equipment you would still be able to do something about it.
To get in you have a few options:
- 1 Hour – £9.99
- 2 Hours – £15.99
- Evening Super Saver (1 hour, includes socks) – £8.50
- Retro Arcade 1 Hour Pass – £5.99
- Spectators go free
So the evening is obviously better value, but you are limited to an hour, otherwise, the two hour session is best value. In truth, 1 hour isn;t really enough time so you’re best off booking for 2.
They run deals too. We went during Easter and they had a seasonal promotion costing £10 per person for 2 hours.
Parties and Other Events
The Ninja Warrior guys really make the most of the space.
As well as running regular sessions, you can also book a kids party here which includes food and socks for all the guests. This is an obvious thing to do, but the Guildford venue runs lots of other special events, too. I assume it is the same for the other 18 venues.
What sort of thing am I talking about?
For example, they have had women only evenings, 18+ evenings, time trials (a bit more serious, just like the show), SEN sessions for kids with additional needs, POP Parties, £2 toddler takeover days, pyjama parties, and even the odd sleepover!
So even if you have already been, it’s worth following them on social media or joining their mailing list, because they may well run an event that has something extra going on.
