‘World’s strangest place’ is a UK adventure park that’s a cross between Alice and Wonderland and a David Bowie movie
A HUGE adventure park that first opened more than 30 years ago has been described as a cross between Alice and Wonderland and a David Bowie movie by visitors.
Located in Leyburn, North Yorkshire‘s Forbidden Corner was the brainchild of Colin Armstrong – a local businessman who wanted to bring his imagination to life.
After adding elements like hidden tunnels, quirky sculptures, and eccentric structures, Armstrong opened the private garden to the public in 1994.
Just over three decades later, the lesser-known adventure park has dubbed itself as the ‘strangest place in the world’.
While visitors have agreed with their sentiment in online reviews on TripAdvisor and Google, some have gone one step further.
Travel blogger Hannah from Get Lost with Hannah wrote: “I’ve had the pleasure of visiting The Forbidden Corner on numerous occasions and it still never fails to surprise me.
“This unique folly can only be described as stepping into a bizarre mash-up of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and the 1986 David Bowie movie ‘Labyrinth’.
“This baffling place is guaranteed to fill you with wonder at every turn.”
Stretching across four acres, Forbidden Corner is home to an unique labyrinth of tunnels and chambers.
Upon arrival, visitors are given a checklist of attractions to discover before making their way through a series of stone passageways.
And with no map provided, it’s pretty much essential for visitors to get ‘delightfully lost’ as they navigate dead ends and solve puzzles.
The adventure park is also filled with bizarre sculptures, quirky statues, fountains, and other eccentric features – think strange faces carved into walls and talking trees.
Other unusual buildings include towers, grottos and secret chambers and some even feature optical illusions.
Surrounded by the Yorkshire Dales, its landscaped gardens and countryside views are another feature in their own right.
Outside the quirky labyrinth of surprises, the Forbidden Corner is surrounded by the Yorkshire Dales.
Other onsite facilities include a Tower Fort where visitors can purchase food and drink like hot dogs and ice creams.
Visitors can also hire out wooden huts for birthday parties and special occasions.
There’s also a coffee shop and a gift shop onsite.
Forbidden Corner will reopen for the season on April 1, with the attraction opening from 12pm on weekdays and Saturdays.
Entry into the costs £18 for a full-paying adult and £16 for children aged between four to 15.
Meanwhile, kids under two go free.
The park gets good ratings from the public with an overall score of 4.5/5 from more than 3,500 reviews on TripAdvisor.
One person wrote: “An amazing place to visit, it’s an absolute must see. I wish there were more places like this, it’s so unique and such a nice distraction from normal life.”
Another added: “What a great day out. My family of seven went and loved it – great attention to detail and it was beautifully maintained.”
Five indoor adventure parks in the UK
WHEN you need to get the kids out of the house but the weather isn’t playing ball, an indoor theme park is the way to tire them out. Here are five spots to visit in the UK…
- Babylon Park, London
One of the only indoor theme parks in the UK, Camden’s Babylon Park even has an underground rollercoaster. Along with this there is a driving ride, drop rower, Ferris Wheel for small kids and a spinning musical ride. The Sun’s travel reporter, Hope Brotherton, visited last year – here’s her experience too. - Stockeld Park, Yorkshire
While Stockeld Park itself is an outdoor attraction, the Playhive is inside. Calling itself one of Europe’s largest indoor playgrounds, there are four themed worlds – space air, jungle and sea. - Woodlands Park, Devon
Even though Woodlands theme park is mainly outdoors, it is home to one of the biggest indoor adventure parks in the UK. Empire of the Sea Dragon Indoor Zone is set across five floors, and even has indoor thrill rides. - Play Factore, Manchester
The UK’s largest indoor entertainment attraction is Play Factore in Manchester. It has the largest play frame in the UK with huge spider nets, rollers and the UK’s tallest indoor standing slide and huge zip wire. - Adventure Inside, Essex
Labelled as the best indoor fun attraction in Southend, Adventure Inside is open 363 days a year. Along with a six-storey soft play zone, there are even four rides inside.
And the Netherlands is home to Europe’s largest playground.
We’ve even rounded up five of the best indoor attractions for when the weather turns.