Conor Powerenjoyed his trip to Legoland as much as his children did
I'VE LOVED LEGO since as far back as I can remember - since about the age of four, in other words - and I'm glad to report that this love of the limitless fun of the plastic brick is also present in my children.
Arriving at Legoland in Windsor, near London, in England, feels like a privileged experience. Initially, there is no sign of the theme park as your car crawls along the driveway - speed limits are very low in Legoland - and for a horrible moment I began to wonder if I had misread the sign from the main road and turned into some millionaire's stately home instead.
Then from the shrubbery lining the avenue emerged the first child-sized Lego character, built to give the impression of a Lego man struggling to carry the letter L. This was swiftly followed by another lugging a huge E, another carrying a G, then an O, another L, and so on. The mood in the back of the car improved dramatically, and a huge cheer went up from the three boys.
Only after you go through the turnstiles do you start to get an impression of the size of the site. Formerly Windsor Safari Park, the site was bought by Lego in 1992. It enjoys a spectacular position overlooking a vast sweep of English countryside, with Windsor Castle visible in the background.
The main Lego shop (though not the only one in Legoland) is in the broad entrance plaza. You'll find all manner of Lego products, including computer games, Lego character costumes, Lego sets, keyrings, watches, pens, pencils and Lego pick-and-mix.
A few damp clouds appeared to have followed us over from Ireland, so, putting a temporary veto on all other purchases until the end of our trip, we invested in some bright-yellow plastic Legoland ponchos as protection against the Legoland rain.
Over the whole jurisdiction of Legoland - which, ignoring the starting plaza, is subdivided into nine lesser "lands" - most of the attractions and rides are aimed at the active imaginations of children in the four-to-10 age bracket, but they are fun enough and imaginative enough to charm the likes of young teenagers as well. Almost all the adults seemed to love it, too. It lacks the cheesiness that we tend to associate with Americana and is truly charming.
On top of that this multicoloured land has a few thrill rides that make the older kids feel that it isn't just for little ones and that make the adults feel they are getting their money's worth.
Being seasoned theme-park visitors, we decided to hit the most popular attractions early in the day, to minimise overall queuing time. We took the train on a short and pleasant trip from the starting plaza down among all the attractions. The train's styling gives you the distinct impression of being inside a toy Lego train, whisking you away on a journey of the imagination, and the child in you begins to emerge as you chug along, smiling.
Possibly the most popular attraction is the Driving School. There are two age-classified centres of tuition for those of a young age and short attention-span. After a three-minute crash course involving the basic rules of driving on the left, signalling and negotiating junctions and roundabouts, the fourto eight-year-olds are set driving electric Lego Fiat vehicles around a contained environment at wheelchair speed. Our seven-year-old, unlike many of his English counterparts, diligently ignored what the instructor had told him about the fundamentals and was expressing himself freely on the Legoland freeway. He seemed as surprised as anyone when he was awarded his Legoland licence without so much as a retest.
The younger ones will also get a mighty kick out of the Duploland area. It's full of gentle and highly colourful rides, such as Chopper Squadron, Playtown and the Duplo train - a huge version of the one that children the world over have played with.
A wide variety of restaurants and eateries are dotted around Legoland, all of them well serviced and, while not cheap, not so expensive as to disturb the gentle family ethos of Legoland. We brought a packed lunch. Many people go for this option, and the park has plenty of picnic areas.
There are shows all over the land, too, many of which are worth seeing in their own right. They're on at regular intervals throughout the day; the times are printed on the park guide that you're given when you buy your entry ticket. The Duplo Theatre is a covered outdoor amphitheatre showing youngsters' classics, such as Jack and the Beanstalk and The Pied Piper of Hamelin.
The Imagination Theatre shows cinematic screenings such as Lego Racers 4D, and there's a spectacular Johnny Thunder live-action show in Lego City Harbour four or five times a day.
As you make your way back up the hill to the main entrance, don't miss the Imagination Centre, with its Build and Test workshop. For many visitors, including myself, it is the highlight of the day. Ever constructed a cool or crazy car from Lego and wondered just how fast it could go? Here you get the chance to put your engineering skills to the scientific test, with dedicated racing tracks and electronic timers. There is also a Creation Store, where children have free creative rein in an area with access to a seemingly infinite number of Lego bricks.
Miniland is a large area re-creating scenes and buildings from Europe and the US. More than 40 million pieces went into the creative models in this section alone. The London part includes favourites such as Wembley Stadium, Leicester Square and Buckingham Palace, as well as some modern landmarks, such as the "Gherkin" building, Canary Wharf and the London Eye.
Leaving Legoland is a bit like awakening from a pleasant childhood dream. Sure, you're a bit lighter in the pocket, but it's as satisfactory a family day out as you could imagine.
According to the owners, almost 91 per cent of all visitors to Legoland in 2007 rated their overall day as good to excellent. As far as our own family was concerned it was 100 per cent satisfaction.
• Conor Power and family travelled to the UK as guests of Irish Ferries
Go there
• Irish Ferries (www.irish ferries.com) sails from Rosslare to Pembroke and from Dublin to Holyhead.
• Stenaline (www.stena line.com) sails from Rosslare to Fishguardand from Dublin and Dún Laoghaire to Holyhead.
• Aer Lingus (www.aer lingus.com) flies from Dublin to London Heathrow and London Gatwick, from Cork to Heathrow and from Belfast to Heathrow.
• Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies from Dublin, Cork and Shannon to Gatwick; from Cork, Shannon, Kerry and Knock to London Luton; and from Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Shannon, Kerry and Knock to London Stansted.
• Aer Arann (www.aerarann.com) flies from Galway and Waterford to London Luton.
• CityJet (www.cityjet.com) flies from Dublin and Belfast to London City.
• British Airways (www. britishairways.com) flies from Dublin to London City and London Gatwick.
How to find Legoland and where to stay
How to get there
The best way to visit Legoland is by car. The park is three kilometres from central Windsor. It is clearly signposted. Full directions from www.legoland.co.uk.
A shuttle bus runs from Windsor Eton Central
and Windsor Eton Riverside train stations. Goldentours.co.uk and Greenline.co.uk operate coaches from central London. Entry costs £35 (€44) for adults and £26 (€33) for concessions. A two-day pass will save you a little money, as will booking online.
Where to stay
The Harte Garter Hotel. High Street, Windsor, 00-44- 844-6008731, www.folio hotels.com/harteandgarter. An atmospheric, recently refurbished hotel opposite Windsor Castle.
Crowne Plaza Heathrow Airport. Stockley Road, Heathrow, 00-44-8700- 4009140, www.ichotels group.com. Excellent family facilities near Legoland - which offers a room and a day at the park for £169 (€212). See www.legoland.co.uk