'Wonderfully rustic' new play experience opens deep in the woodlands at Coombe Abbey

A ‘wonderfully rustic’ new play area will open deep in the woodlands at Coombe Abbey.

Coventry City Council has invested in the new attraction, which will be situated close to the hugely successful Go Ape and will offer a brand-new fun and engaging area for kids to play, which will be based on a period of Coombe’s history.

The new play area is part of a wider investment of £650,000 by Coventry City Council into attractions at Coombe.

It will be managed by No Ordinary Hospitality Management (NOHM), which operates Coombe Abbey Hotel and The Avenue at Coombe, as well as other destinations including St Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry city centre.

Emma Cosgrove, Coombe Abbey Park and Visitor Experience Manager, said: “We hope the play area will help to stir the imagination of children as well as offering plenty of ways to slide, climb and run around.”

It is being created by the team at Creating Adventurous Places (CAP.Co) and is inspired by the natural setting, particularly Smite Brook, which sits adjacent to the play site.

It is described as a ‘wonderfully rustic play experience’ deep in the woodlands at Coombe, with a wide variety of adventure play features incorporated into the play structures, including various bridges, walkways, ramps and tunnels as well as being able to clamber high amongst the tree tops on the upper level of the canopy spire, or whizz back to ground on the spiralling tube slide or the accessible-to-all companion slide.

Simon Egan, Project Development Manager at CAP.Co, said: “Working with the team at Coombe to deliver both the Visitor Centre play area and now the new play facility - deep within the park itself, has been such a rewarding experience for all at CAP.Co.

“As always, it is being delivered in such a collaborative manner with all involved, it is incredible to see yet another opportunity for families to play outdoors together in such a fantastic Capability Brown designed landscape - it is why we do what we do.”

Toddlers have their own mini-adventure to enjoy and accompanying adults or caregivers can enjoy a tasty treat and hot drink from a newly-built cafe, which is located within the woodland playground.

It is the latest in a long line of added attractions at Coombe Abbey, including The Avenue which is home to The Sundae Club, a 1950s style dessert diner, Flowers at Coombe, The Abbey Artisan Market and the Café in the Park.

Councillor Abdul Salam Khan, Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council, said: “Coombe Abbey Park is a fantastic outdoor venue and we are delighted to be investing in another attraction at Coombe Abbey.

“We have worked extremely hard with a range of partners to bring this new play area forward and it means there is even more to see and do for visitors to Coombe.”

Tickets for the new attraction will be £3.95 and will be available to be booked online or at the Avenue. The new facility will complement the newly refurbished play area at the Visitor Centre, and the Climbing Forest which will remain open and free to play.