Forbidden Corner

Today we had arranged to have one of Tom's friends' Luca for the day.  Luca is a year older than Tom but in the same class at school in the afternoon.  The two have always got on and have become good friends this year being in the same class. They have the same disposition and both like sports - although Luca is mega good at sports (he is the youngest person to ever complete the 3 peaks challenge which he did at 7!)

Lovely people

Anyway, his Grandma dropped him off at 11 and we headed over to Hawes for lunch in the greasy spoon (they both ordered burgers which were MASSIVE) and neither could finish.  We then headed over to The Forbidden Corner.  Now this is a place we have been meaning to visit for ages.  It is a strange place in that there is very little info about it, and you have to book in advance, meaning you can't just rock up.  We know people who have been there and have enjoyed it, but couldn't really find much out about it.

We had tickets for 2pm and got there just before then.  We arrived, were given a leaflet with things to spot and were told to go and find them.  Very strange.  I was expecting to walk around the grounds of an Estate and to find follies here and there.  Oh no, basically some mad person has created this most amazing garden.  It isn't big, but they have packed lots into it.  First of all you enter the garden through this tower in the shape of a mouth.  As you walk through, it burbs at you and the epiglottis wiggles.  Next thing we saw was a fountain of a little boy with his willy out.  As you walk past, he sprinkles you!  Oh, I see this garden has a sense of humour...

Under the giant dog

We saw a turret in the corner of the garden, so headed over to it to get a view.  (Oh have I mentioned that Luca and Tom were running everywhere - so we were having to run with them as the whole garden was a maze of paths)  We got to the top and enjoyed the view.  We then saw a staircase going down.  We decided to go down it.  We thought it would deposit us back at the foot of the turret.  Oh no!  We went down, and down, and down, and down.  The narrow winding staircase turned into a wide staircase covered in red carpet.  We then found ourselves in a maze of passageways.  Oh, the guy who developed this really was a joker.  We found a passageway of humans through the ages (starting at neanderthal man and ending with a man in a spacesuit), there were false doors, doors with skeletons behind them.  Rotating floors, fountains, a mouse hole that Tom and Luca could fit though with no problem but that Matt and I had to squeeze through (and many adults who couldn't!).  It was amazing.  Think Famous Five secret passages and x 100.  There was also a more formal maze which Luca and Tom raced through with me and Matt at full pelt behind them - living in fear of loosing them (once you loose them here you will never find them again!)  The theme seemed to be macabre, but that didn't worry the boys.  We found a mouse pub, serpents, coffins full of dead things (quite realistic), loads of things.  Oh and water was a big feature - there were waterfalls, fountains, random jets everywhere.  Tom normally would avoid these, but with Luca around, he was braver, and the two ended up soaked and laughing!  Poor Matt spent the day stuffing his camera down his coat to keep it dry!  Note to selves, next time we go, take my camera!!!!

It was unlike anywhere I have ever been before, but great fun.  Unfortunately after we had been there an hour and a half, Tom started crying, complaining of a sharp pain and clutching his heart.  We thought he had a stitch from all the running, so sat down for a rest, but it didn't seem to work and he was quite miserable.  He didn't run again and wanted to leave.  Luca, being the lovely boy that he is, didn't complain and looked after him - he didn't run either, showing compassion for Tom.  Even after a good 40 minutes and an ice cream, Tom was still very miserable and still clutching his heart, so we gave up and drove back home.

End of a smashing day

Once back at home, Tom was better but still holding himself, so we put a ban on football.  Not a problem, the boys made a huge den in the bathroom.  They had tea, and then we spent a while playing hide and seek until Luca's Grandma came to pick him up (his Mum is a teacher in Lancashire and is back at work).

A great day out, shame about Tom's injury.  We think that he must have sprained a muscle somehow, or he had the longest stitch in history.  He went to sleep without any trouble and woke up in the morning feeling 100% - phew, but a rubbish way to end a good day out!!!!

I definitely want to go back, but think we should give it a couple of years so we forget where all the secret passages are - think they were building more as well.