After previously enjoying ours stays at Center Parcs at Sherwood Forest in 2024 and Elveden Forest in 2025, we decided to try out Center Parcs in Woburn Forest for a short break during the 2026 Easter holidays.
Wanting to try a different location to the ones we’d already been to, Center Parcs Woburn Forest made sense as it was on the way to Kent, where we were planning to visit family. It’s also in an area of the country we haven’t been to that much, so there was potential for some exploring.
Opening in 2014, Woburn Forest is the latest Center Parcs site to open in the UK. It’s located near the towns of Flitwick and Ampthill and close to Milton Keynes and the M1 motorway.
With Milton Keynes being so close, we decided to do similar to what we did when we stayed at Elveden Forest and arrange to spend a night in the city the day before, so we could get on site early in the morning and make the most of the first day.
This also gave me opportunity to explore the city’s Redways, a network of walking and cycling routes. Something I’ve been wanting to do for some time. You can read all about that in my last post, Riding the Redways of Milton Keynes.
Arriving at Center Parcs
Once through check-in by about 11am, we parked up and unloaded the bikes. We then set off to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise to check it out, before grabbing a late lunch at the Sports Café. Following a wander after lunch, it was 3pm and time to get into our lodge.
Initial impressions of the Woburn Forest site is that it felt quite fresh and new, being just over ten years old. It also felt a fair bit smaller than the other sites we’ve stayed at, as well as being quite hilly.
The main central area around the Village, Sports Plaza and boating lake are fairly flat and located at the bottom of the site. The lodges are then located on the hills around there, progressively rising the further away you get. This is something to consider if you’re not great with hills or have accessibility issues.
Our lodge was Maple 941, which is one of the ones furthest away and highest up, at the top of a fairly steep hill, then up some steps. While I don’t mind riding up the odd hill, the rest of the family were less keen! They ended up walking rather than riding quite a few times, given they’d often be walking up the hill anyway.
Prices for staying at Woburn Forest were a bit cheaper than the other sites we’ve stayed at, which meant we could upgrade to a slightly better lodge, which came with three bedrooms and a sauna, a nice luxury to have.
I only actually got to use the sauna once myself during our trip. The rest of the family were in the far more than me. This wasn’t a big surprise, given how popular the sauna was when we stayed in Helsinki in 2023.
Activities
This time, we were well prepared in terms of booking all of the activities we wanted ahead of the trip and able to arrange our itinerary as we wanted. Previously, during our first stay at Sherwood Forest, we struggled to book any activities, as we’d left it too late.
Subtropical Swimming Paradise
At Center Parcs, the Subtropical Swimming Paradise acts a centrepiece to the activities, especially with it being the only free activity on site. With a range of things to do for all ages, any stay usually involves multiple trips there.
Inside every Subtropical Swimming Paradise is a range of water slides, wild water rapids, lazy river and wave pool, as well pools and play areas for smaller kids.
The Subtropical Swimming Paradise at Woburn Forest feels very modern and new, unsurprising given the site opened just 12 years ago. While it’s more modern than the other sites we’ve stayed at, it feels a fair amount smaller, with fewer facilities.
The main things we noticed were the smaller wave pool and outdoor pools and the lack of whirlpools and flumes. Two of our group were particularly disappointed by the lack of whirlpools, as they’d usually spend quite a while in them.
What’s there is good and we enjoyed the various slides, as well as the outdoor wild water rapids. It never felt too busy and the temperature inside was about right. I can’t say the same about outside, but you can’t blame Center Parcs for the weather.
Aerial Adventure
As you might guess from the name, the Aerial Adventure is an activity where you make your way up through the trees, attached to a guide rope with a harness. Moving between trees requires you to tackle different methods of getting across, some more difficult than others. Once you reach the top, you’re rewarded with a zip wire ride across the boating lake.
My partner and our youngest had a go at the Aerial Adventure when we stayed at Elveden Forest. I’m not particularly great with heights, so I went for a bike ride instead. This time, in an attempt to not let my fear of heights hold me back, I decided to give it a go.
The whole family were actually due to take part, but our eldest had to pull out, following a skateboarding related accident that left him with an injured wrist and wouldn’t have been able to do it.
I was a little apprehensive building up to the day, but I was putting it to the back of my mind. Though going through getting fitted up with the harness and receiving the safety briefing, I was largely fine. It was only when I had to step out the first time, crossing over to the first tree that I had a little wobble, both literally and metaphorically.
Making our way up, some of the crossings were a little challenging, but manageable. I had hoped to take some pictures or get some video footage as we made our way up, but that was strictly forbidden. Having gone round, I can understand why.
Once we reached the top, our youngest and I stepped out on the zip wire, where I needed to force myself a little to take the leap. But once I was off and flying through the air, it was lots of fun. It’s good to scare yourself every now and again.
Pool
Who doesn’t like a game of pool? My kids when they’re losing it would seem! I always enjoy a game, especially if it’s accompanied by a beer, which is definitely an option in the Sports Café.
We ended up there a couple of times playing pool. Firstly American Pool, which has a slightly bigger table and pockets. Then English/British pool, with smaller tables that are like what you’d typically see in a pub (though I’ve not seen many pool tables in pubs recently).
While pool is fairly popular there, they do have quite a few tables, so we didn’t have any trouble booking one. Pool playing is definitely a life skill and one that I’ve attempted to pass on!
Badminton
Badminton is another popular activity at Center Parcs and there’s a bunch of courts in the Sports Hall you can book. Rackets and shuttles are included in bookings, which was useful as we didn’t have any with us.
Like with pool, I played many a game of badminton in formative years, so of course I was keen to share my knowledge and skills, however badly it’d be received!
We ended up playing twice, initially with all four of us, and then returning later in the week with just our eldest and myself, while our youngest did climbing, which our eldest wasn’t able to do, due to the skateboarding injury.
Interactive Darts
It’s been quite a while since I last played darts. Outside of my school days, I remember it being a popular activity in our campus bar at university many years ago. I can’t claim to ever being very good at it and probably have an aversion after receiving a dart in my head as a child, sitting too close to the dartboard when my brothers were playing.
Interactive Darts was new to us, but I know it’s quite popular in those activity type bars that have appeared across Manchester, particularly popular for work nights out.
Initially starting with traditional darts, we then worked through some of the other games on offer. Some were definitely better than others, and it was clear some were aimed at younger kids, who were maybe lucky to hit the board.
We came away with everyone having enjoyed it, which doesn’t happen that often. Plus there was opportunity to enjoy a beer, brought to you with table service. But with this being Center Parcs, it ain’t particularly cheap!
Ten pin bowling
Ten pin bowling is something we’ve done each time we’ve stayed at Center Parcs. I have to say my proficiency varies massively each time I play and this was definitely one of my less than great days.
I’m sure everyone’s familiar with ten pin bowling, so there’s not much to say about it. The only thing of note is that when we turned up for our game, there was no staff around, which ended up eating into our time, which we weren’t best pleased about.
Cycling
If you were to ask anyone about Center Parcs, one of the things they’re likely to know about is that everyone cycles there. With it being a traffic-free environment, where everything is in walking or cycling distance, I’ve previously joked that it’s a fantastic example of a 15-minute city.
While that’s definitely true of Center Parcs as a whole, I would say the hills at Woburn Forest and the relative smallness of the site make cycling a little less attractive an option. There were still plenty of people riding, though it felt less than what we’d seen at the other sites we’ve been to. There were still lots of kids cycling, but I’d say not so many adults.
As you’d expect, I spent a lot of time riding around the site and I quite enjoyed the hills, but as I said, the others not so much.
While it can be fun riding around the site, I’m always keen to explore further. This worked out particularly well at Sherwood Forest, where it’s possible to access the forest nearby via a very quiet road. It was less successful at Elveden Forest, with a busy A road and no trails nearby.
I’m pleased to say Woburn Forest has access to some decent trails directly from the access road into the site, making them straightforward and safe to access. While I accessed the trails by myself, it would have been doable with the family, and probably for families with older kids.
I ended up doing a couple of rides offsite while we were there. One was a short ride around Woburn Forest, the other was a longer ride to Bletchley, south west of Milton Keynes. I’ll be covering these rides in future posts.
Running
While at Woburn Forest, I was five weeks into Couch to 5K, which meant I would be doing some running there during our trip. Center Parcs turned out to be quite a good environment to run, in the same way it’s good for walking and cycling. I saw lots of other people running there too.
The smooth paths and lack of motor vehicles mean there’s lots of available space to run. The only issue was the hills, which were more of challenge for someone running for the first time. The central areas were flatter and a bit easier to run, but also tended to be busier, which brought its own challenges.
Outside of the main roads and paths, there’s forest trails, following the perimeter of the site. While these can be used for walking and cycling, I found them pretty good for running along.
Food and Drink
Having stayed at Center Parcs previously and knowing what to expect from the food and drink options on offer, we were prepared to cook a few meals during our stay, with a few selective meals out.
While there are quite a few different places to eat, they tend to be a little bland and chainy, like you’re in a shopping mall, as well as not being particularly cheap. Though there are some exceptions to this.
On the first day, we ate at the Sports Café for lunch, largely because we didn’t have access to our lodge yet. The food there is typical for what you’d expect in a sports bar type place. We opted for sandwiches that were fine, if a little expensive.
In the evening, we ate at Huck’s largely because we couldn’t be bothered cooking, after having unloaded everything into the lodge and done our shopping. The food in Huck’s is reasonable, but not particularly amazing. We had the issue that they’d ran out of a few things on the menu, which limited our options.
Our favourite place to eat on site is definitely the pancake house, which we ended up going to a couple of times. They have a really good selection of sweet and savoury pancakes, which the option of getting them on waffles or omelettes, if you’d prefer. The location overlooking the boating lake is quite pleasant, if you’re fortunate with the weather.
During our stay, we also grabbed a few coffees at Starbucks, which wouldn’t have been our first choice given other options. But again, they have quite a good location with seating outside the Sports Plaza, near the boating lake.
The main thing if you are planning to eat and drink out at Center Parcs is be prepared for it to cost you. Another useful tip, if you’re planning to toast marshmallows on the fire in your lodge, consider picking up the wood and marshmallows from outside, as they’re significantly cheaper.
While on the subject of money saving, if you’re a coffee drinker and want to use the Tassimo machine in the lodge, pick up the pods before you arrive too. These are expensive in the shop on site and they don’t stock any other kind of coffee, except instant.
Changeover day
I find changeover day interesting at Center Parcs (that makes me sound incredibly dull, I know). First of all, after having enjoyed living traffic-free during the trip, the site suddenly becomes a sea of SUVs (yes, it seems nearly every car there is a big SUV).
Also, despite all these drivers spending the previous days walking or cycling, they immediately revert to type, driving too fast, blocking the path by parking wherever they like and generally acting entitled. This is while there’s still lots of kids playing out and riding bikes.
Another interesting feature of changeover day are all the staff that appear on custom Center Parcs bikes to clean and prepare the lodges. Many of the bikes have baskets attached to carry equipment, while some are towing trailers to do the same.
It’s great seeing all the red bikes appear from nowhere, showing just how well suited they are for work purposes, getting around the site. Makes you think how many other jobs could be done on bike, given the right infrastructure to make it safe and convenient.
As with our previous trips, we enjoyed our stay at Center Parcs Woburn Forest. It’s always great spending time in a relaxed, traffic-free environment and we really enjoyed the activities. I also liked the cycling outside of Center Parcs, but more on that to come.
More Center Parcs posts
Further posts from our trips to Center Parcs
Dom Cycling 