A UNIQUE woodland adventure park and a collection of eco-friendly holiday cabins are two exciting new Cheshire attractions launching next week.

From Monday, April 12 – when the latest Covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased – both family-friendly adventure park BeWILDerwood and Forest Holidays' Delamere Forest site can finally open to the public for the first time.

Set in 70 acres of woodland next to the historic Cholmondeley Castle, BeWILDerwood gives visitors the chance to try out giant treehouses, zip wires and slides, as well as a range of crafts and story-telling activities.

Also launching in the county is Forest Holidays' Delamere Forest site which is made up of stylish cabins, a shop, bar and eatery, and two natural playgrounds.

Tom Blofeld, creator of the parks and author of the magical book series that BeWILDerwood is based on said: “We can’t wait to open the wonky wooden gates and finally welcome the people of Cheshire and beyond.

"BeWILDerwood is all about being outdoors, getting back to nature, using your imagination and running wild!

“It’s the perfect place for families to spend quality time together and create memories as everyone plays at BeWILDerwood, even grown-ups! Our Twiggle Team have carefully put in place many safety measures, which have proved successful in the Norfolk site, making our outdoor woodland the perfect place for families to visit as the world reopens.”

Bruce McKendrick, CEO of Forest Holidays, said: “As normality resumes in the months ahead, we look forward to playing our role in helping the local economy to recover and grow.

"Our year-round occupancy will allow us to make a stable contribution, with our visitors expected to generate an estimated £2.4 million annually for the local economy.”

As well as the new tourist attractions, families are also expected to return to firm favourites such as Chester Zoo and Gulliver’s World Warrington.

New lockdown babies at Chester Zoo: Albert the giraffe, Nia Nia the okapi and Kasulu the eastern black rhino.

New lockdown babies at Chester Zoo: Albert the giraffe, Nia Nia the okapi and Kasulu the eastern black rhino.

Jamie Christon, CEO at Chester Zoo, said: “This has been, and continues to be, an incredibly challenging period for our charity zoo.

"Several months of closure meant that we were only able to welcome around half the number of visitors in 2020 that we’d usually expect to see, while we’ve had none so far in 2021 – a huge blow to our finances given that visitors make up 97 per cent of our income.

“In line with the government’s road map out of lockdown, it’s therefore a big relief that we’re able to reopen our 128-acre zoo on April 12, and hopefully we can now finally start to return to some financial stability. Crucially, however, we’ll need to stay open."

Among the continued safety measures introduced at Gulliver’s World in 2020 are temperature checks on arrival, mandatory advanced booking, contactless entry, social distancing measures and all guests aged three and above needing to wear face coverings on rides.

The park is also operating on a limited capacity to meet social distancing requirements.

Julie Dalton, managing director of Gulliver’s Theme Parks and Resorts, said: “We cannot wait to welcome back visitors to both the theme park and our self-contained accommodation here at Gulliver’s World.

“As a family business being unable to open our theme parks for much of 2020, it has been very difficult and we are now looking forward to having our customers back in our parks in a safe way as possible.

“We know from coming out of the first lockdown that people will be cautious in their approach to travel and visiting entertainment, but we also know that many are desperate for some normality and to enjoy family fun."

Gulliver’s World Warrington.

Gulliver’s World Warrington.

Nicola Said, commercial director at Marketing Cheshire, said: “As a country, we’ve all been counting down to each milestone of the roadmap out of lockdown, so to finally have 12th April within reach and be able to launch so many amazing new attractions for the region is fantastic.

“Not only are we looking forward to returning to those much-loved places we’ve all missed so much, but we now have a whole host of things to add to our lists.

“It’s vital that we all stick to the guidance of hands, face, space and fresh air; staying local; and minimising travel, so that the attractions and businesses we all love can remain open and flourish.”