Haigh Woodland Park

Haigh Woodland Park, better known to most Wiganers as Haigh Hall, has long been a popular choice for a woodland walk, some fresh air, and its children play area. In recent years it has undergone a serious makeover, with a new look playground, and the addition of a high ropes course, adventure golf course, and foot golf course. Additionally, the courtyard which previously featured a cafe serving greasy chips, has now attracted several independent retailers, an excellent addition.

The play area has now reopened, with maximum capacity, and a play park marshall monitoring numbers. We'd already warned F that we would not be going on the play area on our visit; play areas just seem to be impossible places to social distance, never mind all the touchable surfaces. As we walked past, it was already at capacity, and the queue was extremely long. But in general, the investment in a new play area has certainly resulted in it becoming very popular, justifiably.

We've done the adventure golf previously, and I was impressed with how they'd tried to give it a vague Wigan theme. We are yet to try the foot golf, as F currently lacks the strength to have a proper go. In this new world we're navigating, pre-booking is now required for both. The high ropes course, whilst I'm sure appealing to some, doesn't look a patch on Go Ape (though is much cheaper), and is currently closed.

One longstanding and understandably popular attraction in Haigh Hall is the miniature railways, which are run by volunteers and travel along a lovely woodland route. They are usually only open weekends and school holidays, but that can vary. There is also a crazy golf course which is run by the Friends of Haigh. Both were closed during our Sunday visit today.

The Kitchen Courtyard, aside from containing the toilets, now houses several independent food and drink establishments. We got delicious takeaway sandwiches from All You Knead, and ice cream from Holdens. There is also a chocolate shop, a bar/brewery, a flower shop, and a couple of cafes.

Upstairs in the courtyard, there is a pottery painting gallery. We picked up several pieces, along with some paint and a brush, to takeaway today, and the owners were delightful. Plus they were an absolute bargain and will keep F entertained when the weather turns. As we spent over £10, we also got free car parking which was a nice bonus.

All in all, for a family day out, or even just a few hours of fresh air, Haigh Woodland Park is definitely still a strong choice.

http://www.haighwoodlandpark.co.uk/

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