We have just got back from a fantastic few days at Sherwood Forest Centre Parcs. For the last few years we have been alternating between Sheerwood and Whinfel and whilst I love both places I definitely would recommend Sheerwood if you haven’t children under 5 as the pool area is much better for little ones here.
We went with family and were split across two lodges, we stayed in a 4 bed woodland lodge and we were really impressed with the space available. The lodge however did have open water quite close so whilst it was great for wildlife, it wasn’t great for the children playing outside.
We were there for 5 days and structured our days as follows and some top tips for visiting Center Parcs.
Day 1 at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest
We arrived early for about 11 o clock to make the most of the day after stopping at the McDonald’s before for an early lunch. We parked up at the large though check in was at 4 and and headed to the Subtropical Swimming paradise for a swim. We stayed in the pool for 3 hours before heading back to our lodge, unpacking and ordering takeaway Pizza for everyone to be delivered.
Image Credi: Center Parcs
Day 2 at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest
We headed over to the country club and we all enjoyed the family karting, it was great fun and something everyone could get involved in. The children played in the park and the maze and then we headed over to the nature centre to explore and see the wildlife. We watched a mother owl take care of her babies who had been born that morning!
We cycled back to the lodge (taking the long route home and getting lost a few times) and enjoyed sandwiches at the lodge. We then had a long cycle around the village to explore, the children enjoyed the playground and we all had a quick swim before returning to get ready for dinner out at Hucks. We love Hucks as the menu is extensive (think American diner) and there is an indoor playground so it’s a great crowd pleaser for everyone!
Day 3 at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest
We spent the full day at Jardin du Sport and had a ball. We had an early evening swim and went on a lot of the slides as it was quieter and no queue. I’d really recommend trying to plan one early evening swim to take advantage of the slower queues for the slides. Some of us got out earlier than others to return to the lodge where we had a BBQ for tea.
Day 4 at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest
A split in activities for the children where some did pottery painting and the others decorated cupcakes! We’d really recommend both activities but the cupcakes in particular we were impressed by and thought they were good value!
We bought lunch- sandwiches and warm pasties from the supermarket before heading to the beach to let the children explore and play- they also have a great play park here. We had Bella Italia takeaway for tea, the calzone was the star of the show!
Day 5 at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest
Home time. We packed up the car before driving it back to the car park and then stayed onsite till 7pm to make the most out of the day. We spent the morning swimming, then had sandwiches for lunch where we sat overlooking the lake. After that, the children enjoyed the playgrounds, the beach and exploring. We all headed to the pancake house for an early tea which was amazing and a centre parcs must! we headed home with two sleeping children all exhausted from a very intense few days but we already can’t wait to return
