When you get to Butlins there is something magical about the fact you can go on pretty much anything for free. Knowing that the fairground, tots fairground and soft plays are all included means you end up getting so dizzy from spinning around you don't know where you are facing!

When we came in September, Max was just a bit too small to go on any of the outdoor rides apart from the carousel. So this year he was ready and raring to go, having grown those few centimetres that set him just over the 0.9m for the majority of things! I am a wimp. I hate anything that gives you an adrenaline rush and the carousel was plenty exhilarating for me. So whilst the boys went wild on the fairground I sat and decided what we would do for the rest of the day. 

When the weather turned sour we headed indoors for fun on the tots fairground. Again this is included in your price and perfect for those mini adrenaline junkies. Max loved jumping on these rides on his own whilst we watched on. It was perfect inbetween shows at the Skyline Pavilion as he's not got the greatest attention span. It did get really busy but the guys running the rides were great with making sure kids went to the right parents and queues were formed correctly. 

Alongside all the fun fair rides there are many activities such as football classes and other activity session. Most of the activities are aimed at the older kids so we took Max to one session of football. Not holding out much hope for him as he prefers to run with the ball (American Football) he actually did surprisingly well and copied most of the tasks. The guy running it did an amazing job at capturing the attention of loads of kids and the dad's had a great time making sure that the kid's did as they were told (whilst showing off!). 

There is also an abundance of play area's for the kids. Inside the Skyline there are two soft plays. One for the toddlers and another for kids over a metre. This was manned by an attendant who made sure no kids ran away and they were the right height to go in there. 

Outside there is a small sand and water area near the Shoreline Hotel. We only ventured there once as it felt quite out of the way and fairly busy all the time. There is a bigger wooden play area outside the Beachcomber pub which has a small gate for entry and loads of slides and levels for the children to explore whilst you are sat enjoying a drink or two.