DESTINATIONS


Make a splash


Stephanie Krahn puts the new Butlin’s


Bognor Regis pool development through its paces, with help from her four-year-old son


f travelweekly.co.uk


ast or slow?, asked the lifeguards, as we waited tentatively at the top of the Family Raft Ride, an enclosed flume that sends riders speeding along in family-sized inflatable rings big enough to fit Mummy, Daddy and our four-year-old son, Noah, with room to spare. “Fast,” said Noah and Daddy – I was outvoted – so the lifeguards gave us a spin and sent us on our way. We screamed as we sped past flashing lights, were plunged into darkness, snaked our way up the sides of the slide at every twist and turn, and only stopped when we were launched out at the bottom. The look of utter joy on Noah’s face was priceless. That look just about summed up our visit to the new £40 million Splash pool complex at Butlin’s Bognor Regis, which officially opened at the start of


this month. It’s hardly surprising Noah was so excited about having a go on some of the pool’s new rides and slides; after missing out on a few of the bigger rides on our last visit, he beamed when he realised he had reached the height requirements (90cm or one metre) for all but one this time. We flew down the Stick of Rock slide over and over – I barely had time to catch my breath at the bottom before he’d say: “I want to go again” – and only managed to tear ourselves away when we realised the wave machine was about to start and raced over to the ‘beach’ area. Then there were the Seaside Gardens rapids, another hit, themed with colourful umbrellas, flags and festoon lighting. The ride snakes around a course of nearly 100 metres, mainly outdoors, with slides 


BUTLIN’S | UK & IREND


23 MAY 2019


51


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76