Conkers, National Forest: A Family Day Out Guide

Conkers is one of the best family days out in the East Midlands, and it earns that reputation by giving you both an all-weather indoor centre and 120 acres of woodland, lakes and play outside. Set in the National Forest near Moira, it works whether you have a toddler who wants a splash park or a nine-year-old who wants to climb a treetop tower, and it pairs beautifully with a stay at a lake-view cottage near Market Harborough.

This guide pulls together what to expect, ticket prices in GBP, opening times, how long to stay and where to park. We have laid it out in the order you will actually use it on the day, so you can plan a smooth visit rather than working it out at the entrance. At the end you will find an honest note on where to stay nearby if you are making a short break of it.

We host The Loft, a lake-view cottage near Market Harborough, so families heading to Conkers often ask us how to make a full day of it. Here is everything we tell them.

What is Conkers in the National Forest?

Conkers is a 120-acre visitor attraction built right inside the National Forest, the ambitious project to plant millions of trees across a swathe of the Midlands. The site sits near Moira, on the boundary of Leicestershire and Derbyshire, a short hop from Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Swadlincote.

The clever part is the mix. You get an indoor Discovery Centre with more than 100 interactive exhibits, so a wet morning never ruins the day, and you get a large outdoor area with lakes, sculpture trails, an assault course and a splash park for warm afternoons. A miniature train links the two main hubs so nobody has to trudge between them. It is the kind of place that suits a range of ages in one ticket, which is rarer than it sounds.

Inside the Conkers Discovery Centre: rain-proof fun

The Discovery Centre is the indoor heart of Conkers and your insurance policy against British weather. It is split into four discovery zones with over 100 hands-on exhibits, so children learn about the forest without realising they are learning anything at all. The headline draw for younger visitors is the Enchanted Forest, an indoor adventure play area with a troll, bats and spiders to find as they climb and crawl.

There is also a simulated treetop walk, a moving bridge that takes you through the canopy, and an interactive forest floor that reacts as you move across it. Add a 4D cinema experience and you can easily lose an hour or two indoors before anyone notices it is raining outside. This is what makes Conkers a genuine all-weather day out rather than a fair-weather one.

The great outdoors: trails, treetops and the assault course

Outside is where Conkers really stretches its legs. Across the 120 acres there are 23 outdoor activities woven through maturing woodland, lakes and gardens. The list reads like a proper adventure park rather than a stroll in the park.

• A 450-metre barefoot walk that lets children feel their way across different natural textures.
• Sculpture trails and a wildflower glade for a gentler wander.
• An eighteen-stage activity and assault course to burn off energy.
• A sky viewing tower that rewards the climb with a treetop panorama over the forest.
• Lakeside paths and picnic spots dotted throughout the grounds.

The outdoor area is mostly accessible too, with the train and most trails described as wheelchair friendly, and if all that woodland leaves you wanting more there are plenty of walking and cycling routes near The Loft to explore on a quieter day. If you have a mix of walkers and a buggy in the group, you can still keep everyone together.

The Conkerchoo train and Conkers Cove splash park

Two features get the loudest cheers from children. The first is the Conkerchoo, a miniature train that shuttles between the Discovery Centre and the Waterside Centre. It saves tired legs and counts as a ride in its own right, so it pulls double duty on a long day.

The second is Conkers Cove, a splash park that comes alive on warm, sunny days with bubbling jets and water play, much of it powered by the children themselves as they pump and push. Pack swimwear, a towel and a change of clothes between roughly May and September and you will not regret it. On cooler days the splash park may be off, so it is worth checking before you build your day around it.

Conkers ticket prices and opening times in GBP

Conkers prices its tickets by season, so the same day out costs more in the school summer holidays than it does on a quiet winter weekday. Children aged under three go free across the board, and a family ticket for two adults and two children is the best value if it fits your group. The figures below are a guide. Always check the official Conkers website for the current rate before you travel, as prices are reviewed each year.

Ticket type	Low season (from)	Mid season (from)	High season (from)
Adult	£9.00	£9.90	£11.25
Child (3 to 15)	£9.00	£9.90	£11.25
Concession	£9.00	£9.90	£11.25
Family (2 adults, 2 children)	£36.00	£40.00	£48.00
Under 3	Free	Free	Free

Opening times are usually 10am to 5pm in the quieter months and 10am to 6pm at the height of summer. The site closes on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and on a handful of maintenance days, so it pays to check the calendar if you are visiting outside the main holidays. If you can buy online in advance, do, because it is normally cheaper than the gate price.

How long do you need at Conkers, and is it worth it?

Conkers recommends three hours or more, and we would agree that three to four hours is the sweet spot for most families. With younger children you can fill a morning indoors, break for lunch, then let them loose in the splash park or on the trails. Older children who want to tackle the full activity course will happily stretch it to most of a day.

Is it worth it? For families with primary-age children, yes. The combination of indoor and outdoor means you are not at the mercy of the forecast, and the price is reasonable for the size of the site. The honest trade-off is that very young toddlers and older teenagers get less out of it than the five-to-eleven crowd, who are squarely the target audience. If your group sits in that band, it is one of the most reliable day trips in the region, and it sits neatly alongside our wider list of things to do in Northamptonshire.

Parking, food and practical tips for your visit

Parking is free and plentiful, with roughly 300 spaces at the Discovery Centre and 100 at the Waterside Centre, so you rarely need to circle. The full postal address is Rawdon Road, Moira, near Ashby-de-la-Zouch, DE12 6GA, which is handy for the satnav.

• Food: there are cafes and catering points on site, plus outdoor picnic areas with lake views, so you can bring a packed lunch and keep costs down.
• Dogs: only assistance dogs are allowed, so leave the family pet at home for this one.
• Accessibility: both centres offer full disabled access, and mobility scooters can be hired with advance booking.
• Wet weather: the Discovery Centre means a rainy day still works, but bring wellies if you plan to explore the trails.
• Warm days: pack swimwear and a towel for Conkers Cove between late spring and early autumn.

If Conkers whets your appetite for more, the area is rich in family options. You could pair it with the National Space Centre in Leicester for a science-themed weekend, or save a few gentler ideas for the days you stay closer to base.

Where to stay near Conkers: The Loft

Conkers is about a 50-minute drive from The Loft, our luxury self-catering cottage on the private 14 Acres estate at Clipston, just 10 minutes from Market Harborough. That puts you within easy reach of the National Forest for the day while coming home each evening to somewhere genuinely restful. The Loft is a Victorian red-brick stable conversion with vaulted ceilings and panoramic windows, and its signature feature is a large dining balcony that looks straight out over a private lake.

It sleeps six plus two infants across two bedrooms, with two super-king beds that split to singles and a sofa bed, two bathrooms, air-conditioning, underfloor heating and a well-equipped family kitchen. There are cots, high chairs, a stair gate, toys and wellies ready for little ones, plus a gas BBQ on the balcony for after a day on the trails. At GBP 129 a night it is value-luxury rather than budget, and it makes a calm base for exploring the East Midlands. If you are travelling as a wider group, take a look at our guide to family cottage holidays in the UK for ideas on making the most of the space.

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