On a warm August Sunday, we decided to go on a Jurassic experience at Roarr! Dinosaur adventure in Lenwade, Norfolk. This was our first time visiting but as keen dinosaur enthusiasts we thought it would be the perfect family day out!
We arrived and walked past a towering Tyrannosaurus rex and into the main part of the park which is a huge open expanse of wooden play equipment, all very well kept and the ideal activity to entice the children.
After a quick play, we decided to get straight to the main attraction, the dinosaur trail. Nestled in a dense hillside woodland, is a trail through the trees where, around every corner, lurks a life size dinosaur. From the obvious characters, the Stegosaurus and the Triceratops to the lesser known dinosaur species, this trail is a great educational experience for the whole family. Each dinosaur model is accompanied by a detailed signpost telling the reader about the dinosaur and how it may have lived. Alongside the dinosaurs are signposts pointing out plants and animals that can be seen within the woodland and importantly, a short piece about the conservation status of each species.
The end of this trail leads out onto another open space where fish and chips and ice creams can be purchased for a quick refreshment break. Next was the small animal farm which included an array of unusual chickens, reptiles, runner ducks, pigs and goats. Plenty to keep little animal lovers happy and excited as we continued on our adventure.
We carried on back up the hill and into the ‘Neanderthal Trail’ which was a variety of prehistoric scenes including a huge woolly mammoth and finishing with an artistic reconstruction of a Neanderthal village.
Back at the top of the hill, we spotted the word ‘fossil’ which of course piqued our interest and we wandered over to explore what it could be. We found two large sandpits which contained replica ammonite, Plesiosaur and Archaeopteryx fossils for children to excavate in a fun palaeontological role play. We ended our exciting day with a trip to the parks most welcoming feature on a warm day, the splash park. The kids donned their swimming costumes and heading in to spend half an hour splashing and running amongst the fountains of cool water, all dinosaur-themed of course.
This truly is a day out for the whole family. Aside from the abundance of play spaces and child directed activities, the park offers a rich array of woodland and plant species to explore. A quick mention about the Covid-19 procedures in place, hand sanitizer is available at stations around the park, the one way system works excellently and the whole park is limited to pre-booked ticketed guests only. We felt very secure and we were able to keep a sensible distance from other families with no problems at all. All round, Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure was a fantastic day out for the family, fun, educational and a great Sunday treat.
