An adventure playground in the New Forest

Remember when you were a kid, adventure playgrounds were the best thing ever? Everywhere you went --parks, tourist attractions -- were judged on the quality of their playground. A slide and a couple of swings just wouldn't cut it. Zip wires were a particular favourite. If I remember rightly, Hever Castle did a sterling job on the adventure playground front.

So when New Forest Wildlife Park revealed itself to have a spectacular playground, The Boy and I jumped at the chance. In our defence, the sign said "For adults and children aged 6 and over." It was practically a gold plated invite. We had an hour to kill, waiting for the lynx talk to start. Rude not to, really.

For a glorious half hour, we climbed, scrambled and swung like our lives depended on it. As I've said before, camping really lowers your inhibitions.