Four-acre woodland playground opens near Ipswich
A four-acre woodland adventure playground, described as the only one of its kind in the region, has opened in the grounds of Helmingham Estate near Ipswich.
Why it matters: Guildenacre is a permanent new family attraction for the Ipswich area, with four themed play areas, a zip line and a stay-as-long-as-you-like format giving parents a new option for days out over the summer.
The details: The playground officially opened on Saturday, 27 June. It was designed and created by CAP.CO (Creating Adventurous Places), specialists in hand-crafted adventure playgrounds, and built using estate materials as much as possible.
Its four zones are themed around an animal from the surrounding area. The playground includes tunnels, den buildings, a covered slide, rope ladders, a giant telescope, climbing walls and twin slides, among other structures.
Families reserve an arrival time but can stay as long as they like. Bark pathways link the four areas, and amenities include a refreshment kiosk, seating and toilets.
What they're saying: "Families can spend as long as they like at Guildenacre and are not restricted by time slots, you just need to reserve your arrival time," said Edward Tollemache, custodian of Helmingham and co-founder of Guildenacre with his wife Sophie.
"We want families to enjoy discovering the four themed play areas at their leisure, especially as each section offers a multitude of different play experiences and opportunities for children to create adventures and memories of their own."
He added: "We've chosen a wood-themed design to immerse and reconnect visitors with nature and have worked closely with CAP.CO to ensure Guildenacre has been sustainably built, using estate materials as much as possible."
The big picture: Guests can also use the updated Grade II listed Wades Barn, where a kitchen run by Suffolk deli group The Black Dog Deli serves refreshments alongside a retail space. A new car park is free for Guildenacre visitors and walkers.
Visitors also receive a 25% discount on Helmingham Hall Gardens, a 10-minute walk or two-minute drive away.
The bottom line: Guildenacre is open at weekends, then daily for the summer holidays from Saturday, 18 July until Monday, 31 August, before returning to weekend opening.
Don't forget: If you enjoy our content, please add Ipswich.co.uk as a "preferred source" on Google so you can easily find more of the content you value.
This article cost us ~£27 to produce
It's free for you to read thanks to the generous support of our partners. Please support us by supporting them.
Below the line