Imaginations Run Wilder Than Ever at Lakeland Visitor Attraction

The Lakeland Maze Farm Park is channelling its inner Einstein, giving more meaning to some of the great physicist’s words than ever, thanks to new features and elements to a day’s visit.

Einstein once said, “Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere” and the farm park, based near Kendal, has taken this on board.  It has created various ways in which kids can indulge in role play, known to boost creativity and imagination, to complement the logical process required to escape the main maize maze or the mini maze.

The maze itself has become a scene of role play for many years, however, with kids often imagining themselves as Harry Potter, in the maze scenes from the ‘Goblet of Fire’.  As the 8-acre main maze is this year shaped like a steam train, no doubt some children will imagine they are entering the Hogwart’s Express.  

Beyond that, however, they can imagine themselves a firefighter by climbing aboard a real fire engine and taking to the driving seat.  They can also operate a digger and become a construction worker.  By taking advantage of the opportunity to groom the ponies and donkeys, at 2.30pm each day, they can live life as a stable hand.  Building empathy is a skill they can learn when meeting the farm animals in Meet the Pet sessions, at which they can suddenly transform themselves into vets.

This year, however, there is also the hugely popular Water Wars feature, at which children – and adults too - fire water-filled balloons at another battle station, just as if defending a castle and trying to score points against the enemy.  Five water balloons are included with admission and extras can be purchased, for a small charge.

Kids can then build on the sense of being a castle invader, by heading to the climbing wall, one of the indoor, wet-weather features.

When they take to the giant 150-foot slide, seated in a circular ring, many children imagine themselves an action hero like James Bond, or the younger Alex Rider, escaping from a nemesis at the top of the slide.  On the go-karts, they transform themselves into a Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton.

“We love to hear and see children taking an activity and creating their own fantasy around it, or getting into character and becoming a certain type of worker,” says Lakeland Maze Farm Park owner, Graham Wadsworth. 

 “It’s incredible what storytelling they can create in their own minds and that’s all great for their imagination, language development and social and emotional skills.  Add to this the caring and empathy that they can show, when handling and grooming the animals, and there are a huge number of benefits that kids can accrue from their fun day out, without even realising it when they are lost in the moment.”

At this working farm, children can also get a handle on what it is like to be a farmer, particularly when taking the daily trailer and tractor ride at 1.30pm, when life on the farm is explained and children get to see more of the farm animals.

“We love to share our world with our visitors,” says Graham Wadsworth, “and have tried to expand on activities such as animal-feeding in recent years, by offering sunflower picking, whereby kids can choose their own sunflower and take it home, for just a small charge.  It’s a hands-on way of communicating the growing cycle at the heart of farming.”

The Lakeland Maze Farm Park’s maze is open right through to October 29 this year, giving much opportunity for children’s imaginations to run wild but maze logic to also apply.  The farm park only is then open weekends to December 17.  Best-priced admission is via an online ticket, bought in advance at www.lakelandmaze.co.uk                                   

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Editors notes

The Lakeland Maze Farm Park is located at the gateway to the Lake District, in the village of Sedgwick near Kendal, just a few minutes drive from the M6 junction 32. Since opening in 2004, it has twice been awarded the Maze of the Year title, for its annual maize maze - spread over 8 acres and cut into 8-foot-high maize - and its min-maze. However, the park is much more than just the mazes, with animal petting, feeding and demonstrations, a daily tractor and trailer ride, Air Bouncer pillows, wooden panel maze, Water Wars water battle attraction, a 150-foot Super Mega Slice n Ride slide, karts, climbing wall, bouncy castle, indoor play area, outdoor ball game area, coin-operated quad bikes, vintage tractors and much more. Families can bring picnics and enjoy those indoors or outdoors.