Lego Interior Design Projects, For This Rainy Bank Holiday

​Home services marketplace Plentific.com has been exploring how Lego can be used for home decoration and furniture creation.

​Established in 1949, Lego has gone from strength to strength, becoming one of the world’s most well-known brands. With Lego construction sets, blockbuster films, theme parks and now a growing community of artists and designers, Lego has established itself as much more than a mere child’s toy.

Photograph: Gilg Frick

​When it comes to home decor, many homeowners like to think outside the box, exploring some rather unusual and creative ideas. Lego is a versatile and dynamic design tool which can be used to create some amazing home additions. With quirky property designs emerging as a new trend, Lego decor has been seen popping up in more and more homes, adding colour and unique style to properties.

​Spokesperson for Plentific, Stephen Jury, commented: “People are always looking for new and exciting ways to revamp their homes, and Lego has provided just the tool for homeowners to design their own unique decorations around the house. With hundreds of different colours and shapes, carrying out decoration work using Lego bricks provides unlimited options and ensures each design is customised to the homeowners taste.

​"There are plenty of designs out there from creative individuals who have pushed the boundaries of what these bricks can be used for. Here are a few examples we love:"

Photograph: Lisbet Spörndly

Add a splash of colour to your kitchen with this bright utensils pot. Ideal for storing your salad servers, spatula, ladles and whisks, this Lego pot is guaranteed to liven up any kitchen. By experimenting with Lego brick sizes and colours, it’s possible to produce a truly bespoke kitchen accessory to display in pride of place in your home.

photograph: MOnkiStuff

This Lego kitchen splashback is a great way to inject colour to the room in a fun and unique way. The use of different size bricks means adding little details such as functioning windows and doors is easy, and due to the structure of the bricks, keeping features like wall sockets exposed for that all important coffee maker is simple. You could take this one step further by designing a food themed pattern to decorate your walls, or even use the basic idea to add a touch of colour to your living room by running a line of Lego bricks along the skirting board.

Photograph: SeanKeney.com

A Lego lamp is great addition to any home. The sleek style is clean and crisp, with the use of solid colour proving how diverse Lego home accessories can be. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could experiment with your own shape designs and size to suit your preferences and create a talking point within any room. 

Photograph: oneartsymama.com

Feeling under the weather? Cheer yourself up with this brightly coloured Lego tissue box. If you build the cover around an original box, leaving out the base, you can slip this over a new box when it runs out. No need for any deconstruction when re-stocking your tissues.

Of course, it would be easy to take it one step further: instead of enclosing the top, leave it open, add a few more layers, and hey presto! You’ll have a completely new design fit for all those lovely spring flowers, ideal for freshening up your home.

(Post is not sponsored)  

WIN a Scooby Doo Stretch Armstrong! Plus Our Stretch-Off Vlog

Here is a blast from the past! Stretch Armstrong is back and stretchier than ever. We tested out mini Stretch and Fetch from  Character Toys to see who was the most flexible.

It was a lot of fun tying Stretch in knots and watching him magically return to his original shape. Watch our vlog below to see him in action.

These new releases are the 7" size, and are priced around £12. There is also the big size available, I wonder if Original or Small Stretch is more stretchy? Maybe we will leave that for a future vlog on the Smix Brix channel.

The whole range is available at Smyths Toys, but we also have one to give away.

Want to win your own stretchy toy to experiment with? You can win a Stretch Scooby Doo by entering below. 

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Family Friendly London #1- The London Duck Tours

First of all, all these London posts are horrifically overdue. I'm talking a year overdue. We visited London for the first time together in Easter 2016, so that's why Smix looks younger in the photos. 

All my photos were stuck on my old iPhone 4, and I've finally got the first visit transferred to my iPad Pro to actually be able to share them. Then I've to try to get August 2015's visit moved over too! 

Anyway, the reason I wanted to blog was to share with you the things we got up to on our visit. A family friendly guide to a break in London, what's worth spending money on and what's a rip off? Will your child even be interested in the event or tour you've booked? If it's the  London Duck Tours, then the answer is yes- they'll love it.

I had been to London a handful of times over the years, but this was Smix's first time there, so I thought starting with a tour to see the sights would be handy.  

We got our train from Gatwick airport into London, then to Waterloo, the nearest station to the Duck Tours terminal. It's on the road beside the London Eye, so if you just leave the station and walk towards the Eye, which you can't miss, you'll find the Duck Tours.

They advise booking online, which means you will definitely get a tour on the day of your visit, however if you want to try last minute you can always purchase a ticket at the depot. Prices are adult £27, child £19 or family £79. The tour isn't recommended for under-3s, but at the same time there was no reason I saw that a sleeping baby couldn't come on board, and it's up to yourself to decide that sort of thing. Luggage and prams are stowed at the depot for you to collect on your return.

Your duck tour lasts about 75 minutes, with 30 minutes on the river. You have a driver and a tour guide. Our tour guide was very jolly & joked with us during the tour. 

You'll get to see many of the best tourist sights, including Westminster, Big Ben, Trafalger Square and The Ritz. Smix was excited because the guide pointed out a location from the Paddington movie.

Then it's time to hit the water. This is the exciting part. You approach the muddy, brown water beside the huge MI5 & MI6 buildings and splash! 

You drive slowly through the water past the huge MI5 building. If you are a major James Bond fan, there is a special Bond themed tour you can take with them too. 

You won't get wet, but if you are wary you can zip close the windows beside your seats. You can get some amazing photos of the sights from the river, that you wouldn't be able to photograph otherwise. 

The tour concludes with a sneaky peek at Buckingham Palace from the side. 

So is the tour worth going on? If you have kids aged six and up, it's a total yes. You cover many of the big tourist spots that a regular bus tour would hit, but you have the added novelty of taking to the river. The tour guides are funny, engaging and make the trip educational for all. 

I would definitely recommend Duck Tours, and I would most likely go again if Smix wanted to give it a whirl around river next time we visit too. 

The Schadenfreude Maintée- My 5 Favourite Documentaries About Failed Movie Making

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I tweet a lot about what I'm watching. My favourite genres of tv shows are documentaries, or reality tv, so two absolute opposites. I love long, detailed, complicated documentaries, which I'll follow up with 45 minutes of watching Megan McKenna stick her bottom lip out like a spoilt child (I flipping love Megan McKenna).

I currently have Netflix again for a spell, as they are showing the new ninth season of 'RuPaul's Drag Race', airing the new episodes on Saturday mornings (it airs on Friday nights in the US), so I've rewatched 'Making a Murderer' and some other documentaries on there. I may well do a post about the best documentaries they have to offer, but my list today has films from them, some I've found hosted free online, and some you have to buy or rent from Amazon to catch.

I can't recall how I stumbled upon the 'failed movie making' genre, but I gathered a nice little selection of documentaries showcasing what can go wrong in Hollywood, from budget spirals to actor meltdowns to attacks of extreme narcissism which demolishes a fledgling career before it gets started.

1. 'The Death of Superman Lives. What Happened?'

This documentary is just so much fun. Tall tales that will make you laugh from Kevin Smith and Tim Burton about their failed superhero movie project. I don't like superhero movies, but loved every minute of this documentary.

 Free in all it's glory here.

2. 'Lost in La Mancha.'

Whilst liking 'Brazil', I'm not a huge Terry Gilliam fan otherwise, but I enjoyed this look into his failings to bring 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote' to the screen. He and Johnny Depp battle weather, fighter jets & the lead not being able to sit down on a horse, amongst other set backs.

 Watch it on YouTube

3. 'The Sweat Box.'

This is a really hard to find, never actually released documentary, that legend says Disney tried to get banned. After the success of 'The Lion King', Disney started to put together a feature length cartoon set in Peru, with a prince and the pauper style storyline. Sting was brought on board to do the music, and so his wife picked up and camera and started documenting the process in the footage we see as the film 'The Sweat Box'.

The movie begins as being called 'The Kingdom of the Sun', but 31 minutes in you start to see why Disney never wanted this behind the scenes film to see the light of day. Bosses screen the work so far and basically hate 90% of it. Characters, storylines and songs are scrapped. The chief writer looks like he's going to cry around 40 minutes.

The film ends up being what was released as 'The Emperor's New Groove', you know, the Disney film that's no-one's favourite.

 Watch it for free here.

4. 'Lost Soul. The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr Moreau.'

In the late 90s, young, hip, indie director Richard Stanley wrote a script and was given the reigns of Dr Moreau to be his first big break in Hollywood. The concept art and ideas that are talked about in the first 20 minutes of this documentary about how it all went wrong, look really cool, and I would have loved to see the finished movie, had Stanley taken it that far.

Unfortunately things unravel as Stanley doesn't have the authority to stand up to bully lead actor Val Kilmer, and he breaks under the pressure of the studio's demands & the bad luck of poor weather on location.

Already a train wreck (but such a fun one to watch), the real fun starts when Marlon Brando arrives on set about two thirds into the documentary, and begins to mess with the stand in director by changing the script and suggesting ideas. I've never actually seen the finished 'Island of Dr. Moreau' that was released, but it's worth going into this documentary knowing the movie that was made has been named one of the worst films ever seen on screen.

Catch it on Netflix. 

5. 'Overnight.'

'Overnight' is pure schadenfreude from beginning to end. Immensely unlikeable oik Troy Duffy is an ordinary guy, who happens to bump into movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who likes his Irish gangster script 'The Boondock Saints'. Harvey buys the script, bringing Duffy on to direct, but also says he will sign his band for albums, and buy a bar for he & Duffy to split and run. Troy's band is made up of his long suffering friends, and brother.

Troy Duffy goes on to completely alienate and infuriate all friends, family and well wishers over the next couple of years. His arrogance and actions will amaze you. He is king of the pr**ks. He wastes the opportunity of a lifetime for himself and his friends, by being stubborn, rude and at times repulsive.

You will enjoy finding out how many albums they sold at the end.

I couldn't find a free version, but it's worth renting and streaming on Amazon video, trust me.

So if you are loving this genre there are a few more documentaries I can suggest, some I have seen, some I haven't. 

'Hearts of Darkness', a study of the perils of producing 'Apocalypse Now'  is one of the most famous troubled making-of documentaries, watch it for free here. There's also 'Burden of Dreams' a documentary about the famous documentarian Werner Herzog. 

If you want something more lighthearted,   'Doomed!' visits the lovingly pathetic 90s' Fantastic Four reboot attempt, which looks incredibly dated beside our new franchises of Superheroes of all descriptions.

I haven't seen 'Jodorowsky's Dune', but having neither read or watched the original Dune, it's not on my to view list, but it might be your kind of thing- free copy here.

Finally two films about the trials of aspiring filmmakers, 'American Movie' and 'Kingdom Come'. I haven't seen either of these, so if you do give them a spin, let me know what you think. 

May Day in Holywood, Home of Ireland's Last Remaining Maypole.

Holywood is a small town about fifteen minutes drive from our house. We lived there the first two years of Smix's life. It's a very wealthy area, and the town reflects that. Lots of independent boutiques, indie toy shops, cafes, delis, it's a great afternoon out. 

Holywood is also home to Ireland's last remaining all year round Maypole. Other villages might make a pole to dance with ribbons round for the May Bank Holiday, but Holywood has one there in place all year round. So a few years ago they decided to make the celebrations a bigger deal, and now on the Monday Bank Holiday the streets get closed off for pedestrians only and from 10am to 4pm there are stalls for charities with buns, Bric a brac, tombolas galore, and another street becomes a food fair. Sweets, crisp sticks, burgers, paella, fancy hot dogs, etc. 

We learnt from earlier years that getting parked can be tricky. So instead we drove and parked for free at the Transport Museum in Cultra. From the car park it's a ten minute walk to Cultra station, and a four minute train journey to Holywood.  

We got there about 11am and already the town was bustling. We shopped the junk & second hand stalls & I bought a little wooden music box house for £1.

By noon it was getting difficult to walk up and down the streets as it was becoming so busy, so we strolled down towards the seafront and began our walk back toward Cultra. 

The weather was perfect, so sunny and bright but not too hot.  A note for other families, the playground at Seahill seems to be closed at the moment for refurbishment. If you do go down to the seafront however, there was an ice cream van there today.

This is the yacht club where my parents had their wedding reception. 

Magical little dream house. 

Back by Cultra station there was a Maypole illustration. It took us about an hour to walk back via the coast. 

Win a Fidget Spinner! What Is a Fidget Spinner? Why Are Schools Banning Them? Where Can You Buy One in Northern Ireland?

Until yesterday I hadn't heard of fidget spinners. Then last night Smix thrust eBay under my nose with one of these odd looking thingies listed that looks more like something for fixing a bike or engine than a toy.  

Fidget spinners seem to be the latest craze, like loom bands or Coca-cola yo-yos, good luck avoiding them the next couple of months.  They are weighted spinners that are designed to be played with to help you concentrate. They are especially great for those with ADHD as an aid to focus. As their name would imply, they are just good fun to fiddle with. The only way to really show you what they do is to show you one in action. 

The craze seems to have started with Youtubers picking them up and doing tricks, or using things like hairdryers to experiment as to how fast they can get them to spin. One Youtuber even knocked out a tooth with one.

That, and the distraction of them in class has led some schools to ban them already. So there is debate whether they would help everyone focus, or prove too distracting for some kids. 

If you haven't had the pleading for one yet, you will. You can be prepared and order off AliExpress for a pound or two, but remember you will have a few weeks to wait before it arrives. eBay has them too and you can try searching for a UK based seller there. 

If you live in Northern Ireland, fidget spinners have been spotted in Stewart Millars, and I got one this afternoon in Cotters, beside the main post office in Bangor. As of 3rd May they have lots in stock, regular, camo-print and also LIGHT UP!

I've also had a tip off Centra in Wellington Place in Belfast has them. The Spar on the Comber Road in Dundonald is another stockist. The Candy Box in Milisle.

If you have any other tip offs of locations you've spotted them for sale in Northern Ireland, please let me know on Twitter, I'm @rudedoodle (link at top of webpage). 

So good luck with your spinner quest! I guess I have to admit I am too old and really can't see the attraction, but I remember the hysteria of Coke yo-yos, so I can empathise with that! 

UPDATE: I am giving away the white fidget spinner we bought on eBay before we managed to get one in a shop locally. It will be brand new and not played with. Open to everyone, UK to worldwide! 

If you've missed closing time, watch my site for a competition to win one of the new Stretch Armstrong toys, coming this weekend. 

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M&S Spirit of Summer 2017 is In Store Now- 20% Off Meals, Deli & Salad Offers, Plus a Summer Meal Deal for £7

Spirit of Summer has arrived in store at  Marks & Spencer and there are a selection of offers to take advantage of to try the new dishes and meals.

The first is the £7 Summer Meal for Two. It's a main, a side and a salad, for two to share. There are chicken, fish and meat options, but I really found myself fancying the vegetarian offers. I chose the tomato & mozzarella stuffed peppers, above, but there were also very tasty looking stuffed aubergines. It was tricky to choose, which became the theme or selecting items for this blog post. There is a lot of fab new products on the shelves in the Spirit of Summer 2017 range, dishes and ingredients I haven't seen in supermarkets before even, so choosing is tricky, due to wanting to try everything at once!

After oven cooking and trying the mozzarella stuffed peppers, I HIGHLY recommend them. The pesto drizzle was heavenly. I'll be buying them again. 

So it's handy to be able to choose from the deli 3 for £7 deal, and the new Spirit of Summer deli dishes are included. There are also summer meat selections in the 3 for £10 offer and I had to try the new calamari with pomegranate dressing. 

The new summer deli items are from all over the world so there are a lot of exotic tastes to try. Last summer season the ranges seemed fixed in the Americas for flavours, but Spirit of Summer 2017 is all new, and already I'm loving the variety this year a lot more. 

Another deal you can take advantage of right now is 20% off a wide range of the summer meals and desserts. This includes much of the range that doesn't fall under the deli or meat deals. For example the lamb flatbread was only £2.40 with the offer, which is a bargain for a fancy pizza for one. 

The new desserts I haven't investigated too much yet, but there are cakes, cupcakes and fridge desserts in the 20% off deal. The Valencian Orange & Almond cupcakes are a delight. I'm fond of anything with almond, and the flavours balance each other nicely. Perfect for afternoon tea.

Finally, the small square salads are 2 for £4 and there are a good half dozen new dishes to choose from. The feta, tomato and morello cherry salad was a must try for me. The green courgette salad was fresh and light and would make a great side for an early BBQ.

Let me know what Spirit of Summer treats you've tried this week, @rudedoodle on Twitter. 

Tayto Park- Ireland's Newest Theme Park- A Visiting Guide, Hints & Tips

I remember when my family used to take holidays to Orlando. We loved the theme parks so much, and for the months before a trip my mother would get guide books out of the library, then into the 2000s visit websites with tips and hints for families visiting.

Things like which rides to visit when for the shortest queue time, which park was busiest on a certain day. Mum would compile a notebook of all these time saving facts, and it made our visits more efficient and I guess then more relaxing and fun.

The websites with hints and tips on visiting a certain park would be posted by families who were experts at visiting the attraction. Usually a family who lived locally and took advantage of a yearly pass to the park, or someone who visited a few times a year & knew all there was to know about Universal, Disney etc. 

So my blog today hopes to give you a few of these in-the-know things to be aware of before you visit, but disclaimer- this is based off Smix & I visiting one mid-week, Easter time day, not even an Easter Bank Holiday. It was also fairly quiet due to it being drizzly. With that in mind, here is my guide to visiting the new Tayto Theme Park, with a nine year old child. Whilst Tayto gave us admission in return for sharing our experience, I paid for everything else, travel, food, souvenirs etc. 

Tayto Park is just north of Dublin. It's 100 miles from Bangor, and takes about the same length of time as it takes to drive to Dublin. 

The website  has directions for you, coming from wherever you live, and we just put 'Kilbrew' into a Sat Nav and got their very easily. You drive the Dublin motorway until the Mary McAleese bridge, then exit just after passing over it. Coming off it you'll need to pay a €1.90 toll, so if you don't have Euros on you, stop at the Applegreen's services just off the road after Dundalk, to lift some money. Coming home again you will again need to pay the €1.90 toll, so be prepared.

(When it comes to money in the park, you can pay by card, but if you want to use cash be aware there is only one ATM, just in front of you as you come through the entrance.) 

Once you are off the main motorway it's about a 20 minute drive on country roads, which were quite quiet the day we visited. You'll see sign posts for Tayto Park once you get closer. 

There are a set of impressive Tayto gates to drive through, and you will follow through to the big car park, where staff will guide you to your space. This is done professionally and like big theme parks they have a little train to shuttle you to the park entrance should your car be parked far from it. Oh, and parking is free.

Take note of what aisle you are parked in! We got so excited when we parked that I didn't, and then we had trouble remembering where we were. You'll spy the huge wooden roller coaster when you park so it's easy to get distracted! 

TICKETS- Worth visiting the park site to decide what way you are going to do your visit, as there are options. Park entrance is €15. This includes all areas of the park, both the theme park and zoo, but there is an upgrade for many of the rides. For the rides you can buy tokens, or pay €28 online, or €30 on the day as your park entrance, rather than €15, and you get a wristband giving you access to everything, including unlimited rides. Kids and babies under the age of 3 get in absolutely FREE, and the park is pram & wheelchair friendly.

Playgrounds are included in the €15 pass

So it's best to investigate the full list of rides to see which rides your family might want to go on, the site handily has a height restriction guide too. You can work out whether a €15 ticket with tokens, or a €28 wristband ticket is better value for your family.

 Should you all opt for the €15 entry, you still have access to the whole park including the theme park, zoo & factory visit, Ice Age and Dinosaurs Alive attractions, riding on the steam train and playing on any of the playgrounds around the park.

If you pre-book online, you can't cancel your tickets should you wake up and it be terrible weather, however if you want to change the day of visit you can do so, as long as it's 24 hours or more before your scheduled visit. 

You can also ride the steam train on a €15 entrance ticket

Once you have passed through the entrance terminal, you can choose where in the park to start your day. The rides are located in two pockets, left and right on the map, with the 100+ zoo animal part being forward and to the back of the park map.

We chose to head straight to the right, to the adventure zone section that has the huge wooden roller coaster, and a number of exciting rides. 

Everyone has a camera on their phone these days, but it's worth saying that there are a lot of great photo opportunities. The park has many unusual sculptures and fun attractions to take a snap with. You can also pose for and purchase professional green screen family portraits, at a number of kiosks throughout the park, so that's another thing to think about, if you want a family photo to remember your grand day out, but don't want to carry a phone or camera all day.

The right part of the theme park map which we started in is called Eagle Sky Adventure Zone. The big rides such as The Cú Chulainn Coaster require wristband for entry, or tokens to pay for your ride. The park map will tell you how many tokens each ride costs and you purchase tokens from kiosks scattered throughout the park, for €1 each. 

The queues for the rides are structured, so there's no pushing or cutting in, however there isn't any set dressing or theme for queues, like an American theme park might have. As the day was a little drizzly, we didn't have any queues longer than ten minutes wait the whole day. 

The first ride we went on was the Windstar, which had hang gliders you control by pushing up or down on the bar, whilst spinning around. 

We also loved the 5D cinema experience. Moving seats, bubbles, 3D dinosaurs and a lot of fun. 

The park has two 'Vortex Tunnels', one of which is located beside the Windstar. You can go through them with just the standard €15 park ticket. It's an optical illusion of a spinning tunnel which makes you feel like the ground is moving, but it's completely static so if you feel dizzy just close your eyes and keep walking forward holding on to the railings. 

Other rides in the Eagle Sky section were more white knuckle, and I was pleased Smix isn't a thrill seeker as The Rotator, Power Surge, Air Race and Endeavor looked terrifying to me! 

The Eagle Sky Zone also has a huge ride under construction, which should be open this summer 2017. Viking Voyage is set to be an exciting water ride, and it looks great already. 

Eagle Sky has a number of dare devil climbing activities, all accessed with either your wristband or by buying tokens. The Extreme Climbing Wall is the biggest I've seen, but is usually only open at the weekends in Spring, but all week once July & August come around. Summer opening also applies to the massive Tayto Twister Slide. 

There's also a Sky Walk Aerial Course, which is a clip and climb attraction. Many of these have certain height requirements, but everything can be checked ahead of your visit in the park FAQ section.

The next section we visited was right at the furthest left of the map, the working Tayto factory, which has a tour. We passed through the Eagle Nest adventure area which has open playgrounds and water fun areas, as well as a spiral mound and mini hedge maze which are open to all visitors, but more on those later.

We've taken the Tandragee Tayto factory tour, which is done in groups where you actually go on the factory floor, in your hairnet & hygienic gloves, but for the Southern Tayto factory things are a little more removed, but fun none the less. 

Your visit isn't staffed, you walk through at your own pace, and the story of manufacturing is told by videos and projected light effects on the corridor of each stage of production. This was pretty clever, and the kids took to it more readily than a list of facts read out to them. 

From your vantage points you can watch the crisps travel from seasoning to bagging, to boxing to warehouse. There are snazzy robotic arms working away stacking boxes which kids will love watching. 

You can view the factory floor and each stage of production via viewing bays, again really good for kids and I think the factory was one of my favourite parts of the day actually. 

At the end of the tour there is a little fun discovery room with some tablet games and W5 style science activities. 

Back in the park and we were hungry. As you come back from the factory tour you'll come across the huge Lodge Restaurant pavilion.

Its a lot like an American theme park restaurant, with choices like hot food, soup or sandwiches, or ice cream. Nearby is a smaller, outdoor but sheltered pizza cafe, with family deals or pizza by the slice. 

There are coffee docks and little shops scattered throughout the park offering refreshments at decent prices, so you won't ever have to trek far for a drink or snack. 

I'm also pleased to announce a lot of bathrooms spotted around the park, no panic treks halfway back to the start of the map if someone needs the toilet.

The must have snack for us however, was at the concession beside the start of the zoo section, beside the meerkats. At The Twisted Chip you can purchase 'the world's longest chip' a tasty crisp on a stick for €3, seasoned with either cheese & onion, salt & vinegar, or sour cream. You can also get a sausage on a stick or chicken wings. 

You aren't allowed to feed the animals, but you could tell the meerkats were well aware how tasty the chips were. They would follow you along the glass if you had one! 

So we took the mid point in the afternoon to explore the zoo section. It's more like Dublin Zoo than Belfast Zoo, and thankfully flat and easily walked around. They have over 100 animals including a petting zoo and tigers.

Next we took a walk through the Ice Age & Dinosaur Alive attractions. These are open air and accessible for all visitors. You walk round through the animatronic displays at your own pace. 

The last section we had to visit was back over towards the left of the park, the second theme park ride section called The Eagle Nest Zone. 

While the Eagle Sky Zone is home to the fast thrill rides, the Eagle Nest Zone has a selection of gentle, fun rides for the smaller children.  

Queue times are posted, and again we didn't wait too long for anything. There is the calm Ferris wheel, spinning tea cup ride called Honey Pot Bears, and the gentle Leap Frogs. There was also a Pony ride which looked like a race round a track, but it was closed the day we visited.

The Rocking Tug is fun for all ages, and the Shot Tower is suitable for younger kids who are thrill seekers. There's another, smaller climbing wall and Air Jumpers, plus a classic carousel. It's also the home of the steam train which is open to all visitors without needing tokens or a wrist band.

Again there are concession stands with ice cream, drinks and candy floss, should you need a snack. You could also bring your own picnic into the park if you fancy, and every section of the park has los of seating, including sheltered areas for the drizzly Irish summer weather!

The Eagle Nest Zone has a couple of attractions which don't need a wrist band or tokens. There is a little fun water area, which must only be turned on on dry days. There's also a hedge maze and a spiral climbing hill which has a good view of the park from the summit. As well as the huge, main playground, there are smaller playgrounds dotted throughout the park.

There are plenty of souvenir shops, including a huge one at the entrance/exit, and prices aren't too bad. We bought a little snow globe and some stationary for Smix to take back to school.

You also get a free packet of crisps on your exit of the park! 

So, is the park worth the trip & price? We say yes. We had a lovely day out. There was so much to do and see, and it's a proper theme park so you get the value of your ticket price. We would definitely go again, maybe during the summer, or again next Spring when even more rides are open. The park is open all year round, but not every day during off peak season, so make sure you visit the official website before you plan your own visit. It has opening hours and info about which rides operate all year round, or only for summer season.

Let me know what you think if you've made the journey to Tayto Park- @rudedoodle on Twitter.