Lilidorei, the Alnwick Garden, Northumberland

Lilidorei, the Alnwick Garden, Northumberland

Lilidorei, the Alnwick Garden, Northumberland


The much-anticipated Lilidorei is now open! We couldn’t wait to get booked in, 12 years in the making it’s great to see this family attraction in Northumberland in full swing.


We took our two-and-a-half-year-old and granted, she was one of the smallest on the impressively high structure but that only seemed to bother us more than it bothered her!

Emily was soon eagerly exploring the tiny little houses that doubled up as entrances to the vast play structure, once inside we had to squeeze through the vertical openings and delve into the world of imagination.

It has to be said, the height of the structure with its wobbly rope bridges and swaying turrets isn’t for the feint hearted but we didn’t have time to think about that in keeping up with our smallest member. It was clear that some of the adults were enjoying it just as much as the kids. You really could get lost in the structure with its winding tunnels, uphill, downhill, through tight gaps and over bridges not forgetting the impressive slides for the quickest of exits, which Emily loved!

Twisting, tubes of speed, ranging from short slides to the big one! We didn’t take Emily on the biggest slide; I think we’ll wait until she’s just a little bit older, the access is pretty narrow and I wouldn’t fancy the climb down if she decided she didn’t want to tackle the slide! However, it would have been rude not to test it out for the sake of being able to review the attraction! (We said the adults enjoyed it as much as the kids!)

I’m glad there were minimal windows when heading up the winding, narrow climb to the biggest slide, it didn’t disappoint! A speedy exit off the attraction, but a few seconds in the tube where you began to realise that it was quite a long way down. An in-costume attendant was at the top giving a 6 second count down to check the slide was clear before the next person got on.

I think our only small disappointment was the small community of fantasy houses. Peering through the windows these looked great and lived up to the fantasy, but peering through the window is all you can do, it would be great to be able to see into them to bring the fantasy to life.

The central green area makes for a great picnic spot for any adults that are happy to sit and enjoy something to eat and drink while their kids play.

We’d definitely recommend a visit and if you’re planning ahead to the summer holidays then ensure you book here to secure your adventure!