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During a family day out in Essex, we stepped into a world of dragons, knights, unicorns and woodland creatures at Wyvernwood, a magical adventure park bursting with imagination. Located just outside Colchester, this immersive storytelling park is designed to ignite the imaginations of visiting adventurers.
Location & contact Information
- Address: Wyvernwood, St. Osyth Road, Alresford, Colchester, Essex, CO7 8AP
- Phone: 01206 700675
- Email: captain@wyvernwood.co.uk
- Website: www.wyvernwood.co.uk
Access to Wyvernwood is via Tenpenny Hill on the B1027, with ample free parking available, including designated disabled bays and a separate coach parking zone.
Getting there
- By Car: Use postcode CO7 8AP for GPS navigation.
- By Train: The nearest station is Alresford, with connections to major towns in Essex and London. Wyvernwood offers a free shuttle service between the station and the park.
- By Bus: Routes from Colchester and Clacton stop at Brook Farm on Tenpenny Hill, near the park entrance.
- By Bicycle: Free bicycle parking is available on-site.
Prices
During school holidays, you can expect to pay around £18.49 for children and £17.49 for adults when you book online. Annual passes are available.
What is Wyvernwood?
Wyvernwood is an enchanted adventure park, rooted in storytelling, nature, and imaginative play. Designed as a mythical land with characters like The Captain, Princess Arabella, and Gurt the Goblin, it’s such a wonderful place for families.
To enter Wyvernwood, you first need to travel down the most beautiful walkway lined with huge trees, before you step through the magic portal. This was such a special way to start the day out, and it made us all excited for what was to come. One of the characters will greet you at the portal, and start your day off in such a magical way.
Wyvernwood is particularly popular with children aged 3–10, although older kids and even adults will find plenty to enjoy thanks to the immersive experience and attention to detail. The emphasis is on imagination so you can expect storytelling adventures, woodland trails, hands-on games, and lots of fantasy fun.
Let the games begin: The Kingdom Games at Wyvernwood
As we entered the enchanted realm, we were given a small green card with five quests to complete:
- The Captain’s Treasure Hunt
- Unicorn Hoops
- Golden Dragon Egg Shy
- Sword in the Stone
- Gurt’s Goblin Grooves
Each game is cleverly dotted around the park, encouraging kids to explore and get stuck into the fantasy world around them, without anything being too far apart. After successfully completing each of the 5 games, you are given a gold star for each one and if you’re lucky, some special treasure.
Some of the games were a bit trickier than others, namely the Sword in the Stone. This one Erin had to try to do a few times before she was able to find the gold sword on the first try. You can try as many times as you like though, it just means queuing up again.
There are various characters manning each of the games, from the King and Queen, to Merlin or The Caption. Each made their games so much fun and were fantastic with the kids (and grown ups).
We really liked that there was something to do, staying in theme with the whole of Wyvernwood. Erin loved trying each of the games and while none of them are too hard, there are things to make children try a bit, which was nice.
Exploring the magical kingdom
Wyvernwood isn’t your typical theme park, and we loved that. It’s slower-paced, rooted in nature, and all about imaginative play. The staff stay in character throughout the day, making the whole experience feel like stepping into a real-life storybook. As well as loving being able to collect her gold stars, Erin was amazed by the different play areas, castle-themed equipment and the huge jumping pillow.
During the day there are lots of different things going on, such as the opening ceremony, storytelling, meet and greets with Zephyr the dragon and Gurt (Lord of the Goblins) as well as a warrior workshop with Princess Arabella and a special wish ceremony with Tatiana. You’ll get a map and booklet with all of the times when you arrive so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on what’s going on.
Sadly, we visited on a VERY wet day. Although the day started out quite dry, the rain got really heavy in the afternoon. Everyone at Wyvernwood was amazing though, and kept things going as much as possible. Some activities were changed slightly, some were moved into a drier area and we were able to pick up our prize from the gift shop, rather than at the ‘Grand Prize Giving Ceremony’. Even though the rain changed our day, I couldn’t fault how it was handled. We do now want to visit again on a drier day though so we can experience all of the magic on offer.
Food and drink
There are a couple of undercover seating areas, which are perfect if you want to bring a picnic with you. Wyvernwood has quite a lot of space and green areas too so you won’t be spoiled for choice to find somewhere to sit.
Alternatively, you can grab some hot food or drinks, where there is also more seating. The cafe is outdoors, but there is some sheltered seating. Food options include pizza, hot dogs, southern fried chicken or children’s lunch boxes. While prices are reasonable, it would be nice to see some smaller hot snacks like potato wedges etc. as there are only cold options for children.
Final thoughts
If you’re visiting Essex with kids and are looking for something different, Wyvernwood is a must-visit. It’s such a good attraction for families with children, where you’ll experience great adventure and magical memories. Where else can you step into a magic portal to another world, meet a warrior princess, race around on dragon karts and have encounters with unicorns. The characters of Wyvernwood are what make this visitor attraction extra special, and is like no other in Essex.
More things to do in Essex
- Colchester Zoo
- Colchester Natural History Museum
- A magical day at Wyvernwood
