Julia Donaldson’s classic children’s tale is brought brilliantly to life at Chessington World of Adventures
Six rooms at Chessington’s Safari Hotel have also been transformed so kids can nap with the monster himself
HE may have terrible tusks and terrible claws . . .
But there were just screams of delight when my kids were among the first to try the new Gruffalo ride at Chessington World Of Adventures.
The Gruffalo — Julia Donaldson’s tale of a brave little brown mouse’s encounters with a hungry fox, snake, owl and, “oh no!”, a gruffalo — has become a modern children’s classic.
The book about the fictional beast — half grizzly bear, half buffalo — has inspired theatre shows, films and more.
Now it is brought to life brilliantly at Chessington.
There’s even a chance to nap with the monster himself at Chessington’s Safari Hotel, where six rooms have been transformed.
But first the Gruffalo River Ride Adventure, tested by my Gruffalo experts Willow, five, Heidi, eight and Rosita, ten.
The attraction replaces the much-loved, though frankly bonkers, Professor Burp’s Bubbleworks. The space retains the indoor flowing river but has been transformed with hi-tech models, laser animation and fantastically realistic scenes that weave you through The Gruffalo story as you wind down the lazy river in circular bobbing boats.
It is tremendous fun, with great attention to detail and brings the deep, dark wood alive with fantastic models, scenes, music, and sounds and special effects.
The Gruffalo himself is more sinister than in the book, and the darkness did worry some young toddlers.
But my three girls and I loved it — especially sailing through Gruffalo Crumble at the end.
The ride leads straight into a new Gruffalo gift shop and my three could happily have spent the rest of the day in there.
Guests this season will also get a chance to have a meet-and-greet with the monster himself in the Gruffalo Arena, as well as watch the film adaptation of the book.
In The Gruffalo Bites food area, kids will love the chance to tuck into Gruffalo Crumble — a treat of frozen yoghurt covered with chocolate sauce, Oreo and chocolate pieces.
Over in Chessington’s Safari Hotel, the rooms given the Gruffalo treatment have drawn from the rich themes in the books and thrown it all in to create a “deep, dark, wood”.
They are terrific, with the children’s bunk bed covered in leaves and logs and a little brown mouse watching over them. A huge Gruffalo head looms over the double bed in a fun, if not slightly disturbing, way.
Booking the room as a package is the best way to get value out of it, with a night’s stay also including two day park tickets, early access and a decent hot breakfast.
Prices are not cheap, though. It will set you back around £550 for two adults and two children to stay in a Gruffalo room. Packages for non-Gruffalo themed rooms start at around £260.
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Expect both the ride and rooms to be hugely popular. As with any new attraction, queues will be long — for the first few months, on busy days, expect to wait from 70 minutes to two hours for rides.
For parents with toddlers, I would recommend visiting on a weekday, while most kids are in school, and make sure you get there early for the best chance to avoid a long queue.
Our visit was also made slightly more exciting — for the kids at least — when rides broke down.
We were surprised to find ourselves dangling, suspended or just stuck on eight rides throughout the day.
But as this was the very start of the new season, I am sure these small technical glitches will soon be ironed out.
- For more information and how to book, go to