2024 할로원 영국 북부 릴리도리 Lilidorei, England, Northumberland

 

 

 

With spooky season upon us, we were keen to visit somewhere with a Halloween theme.

Originally, we hoped that Alnwick Castle may have an event, but after looking online,

we discovered that The Castle is currently closed to the public for the Winter period.

This is when we found Lilidorei! Lilidorei is a magical play village with a fairytale like theme with immersive sounds,

and luckily for us, they were running a Halloween themed event,

aptly named Spookydorei.

Tickets to visit Spookydorei are £16.50 and it is free for children aged 2 years old and under.

 

 

We arrived at the entrance,

where we were greeted by members of staff who checked our tickets

and provided us with a trail card with fun activities to carry out (fantastic for children and competitive adults)

and we headed towards the entrance to the park. Before reaching the gate,

you can see a glimspe of the play structure and the fun that is come.

You first arrive at a large wooden door that looks like it was built for Giants,

and this is where the immersive soundscape can be heard. As we were looking at the gate,

heavy footsteps could be heard, before a troll like voice asked us what we were doing there.

We were all impressed, but I think younger children might find this a little scary.  

We were a little confused, as we were expecting to enter through the impressive gates,

however we were directed to a door past the gate which wasn’t very obvious if you don’t know where it is.

Once we found the entrance,

we followed a tunnel that made me feel like I was in an underground mine.

All the time, the immersive soundscape is playing and it really feels like you are stepping into a mystical village.

 

 

 

Walking into the park,

it really is an impressive structure! I hadn’t realised until I walked to the bottom

and looked up just how big it was! The structure itself, has six slides,

rope bridges and many things to explore! As it is designed for children,

it can be a bit tight in places for adults, but it was exciting exploring,

to make it to the top, and coming down the tallest slide!

Once we had explored the structure, we decided to explore the village through the creepy looking gates.

 

 

 

Along the trail through the village, there are spooky surprises around every twist and turn,

among the different clan houses. It really does feel like you are walking around a magical village.

Although, there is no one jumping out to scare you,

it feels like someone or something could pop out at any time as it is quite dark in some places.

The atmosphere is spooky thanks to the decorations,

soundscape and members of staff along the way who are happy to interact with a Halloween themed joke or activity.

 

 

 

What was interesting was as we entered the village,

the structure appeared to have changed colour to a menacing red colour

from the bright colours of when we were stood in front of it, was that a warning?

As we explored we came to an area that was sign posted as Storytime, with a large tree throne.

During the day, there is a story telling activity, where you can listen to a story teller,

but during the evening the activity was not running, but the empty seats and throne,

fitted with the spooky theme, as it looked as though it had been abandoned in a hurry.

 

 

 

 

I was most impressed by the Jail area along the trail,

as this is where we really felt like we the Halloween theme quite clearly.

As you approach the jail, you are greeted by scary sounds and it looks almost medieval with the spikes on the roof, cages and stocks,

it feels like a different place entirely and I imagine that younger children (and some adults!) may find this area it a little

frightening.

Overall, it was a fun experience, and it would be interesting to see how the park changes during the day

and different seasons especially Christmas. I would recommend for families looking for a playground

that is a bit different.