We were lucky enough to be invited to the opening night of ‘Pirates of the Pavilion’ in Weymouth and it will certainly be a night to remember.  My husband was unable to come with us so I took my nearly 3 year old son and his nanny.  Myself and my mum hadn’t seen a Panto since I was a child and it was a first for my son Sam.  I was a little nervous that my son wouldn’t be able to sit still long enough but I carefully planned a fun filled afternoon followed by him zonked out in the car for a long nap so he was energised at the Pavilion and sooo excited!

The Weymouth Pavilion itself is a lovely theatre and all of the staff are very friendly and helpful (thank you to the lovely steward who had my son giggling away during the interval).  You can buy some great merchandise and a programme from the foyer plus any drinks and snacks you need for the show.  There is also baby change facilities in the foyer and booster seats in the theatre for small children if required.

Whilst waiting for the show to begin I kicked myself for not dressing Sam up as I watched all of these cute little pirates coming in with their families.  When the show started I couldn’t help watching my son as he sat there in complete and utter amazement.  It didn’t take him long to get the hang of the boos and cheers and myself and my mum were giggling away when he enthusiastically joined in without prompting.  There is a lot of audience participation which all of us loved and I couldn’t help but reminisce about Panto’s I’d seen as a child and how happy they’d made me feel. 

The humorous cast are very talented and Seadog Billy had us all in stitches.  The story continues on from last year and now Morgiana knows the treasure is on the Saucy Sally ship she wants it back!  Now I obviously can’t tell you any details without ruining it and I’m itching to write about one certain scene which literally had my mum and I crying but it would be a complete spoiler alert so I’ll stay shtum and just say you’ll be laughing pretty much nonstop.   

The show was much longer than I was expecting but we certainly weren’t bored.  My darling toddler did get a little fidgety in the second half but we only needed to take him out briefly once and considering he suffers from severe ants in his pants I’m actually quite surprised how long he did stay sitting for.  You could tell all of the children were enjoying it and I loved listening to the odd child heckling when Billy did something silly.

So if you live near Weymouth or are planning a holiday near here soon then I recommend you get your tickets quick because it really is a great family Panto and you won’t want to miss it!

For more information and tickets, please visit the Weymouth Pavilion.

I bought a voucher online for the Blue Pool which gave us admission and a cream tea for 2 which was almost half price and a great deal.  We visited on a super sunny day in June and had such a lovely time, it almost felt like we were on holiday for the day.

After paying you will see there is a stand by the plants stall and this is where you can pick up some trail forms.  Before we even had a chance to look around my son fell and scraped his knee and a lovely man passing us said he had the first aid box and within minutes he was cleaned up and presented with a huge magic plaster which instantly put a big smile on his face.

The view from the tea rooms is spectacular and we quickly settled down for our lovely cream teas.  I noticed they had quite a variety of sandwiches, pasties and specials on offer and everything was very reasonably priced.  

After our delicious cream tea with homemade scones we went to find the Red Route which we had been advised was suitable for my elderly Auntie and the pushchair as it had no steps.  I visited the Blue Pool years ago and followed the Green Route and had no idea that there actually was another route which took you right around the top of the pool and also around a small pond with ducks.

The trail form we picked up invited us to find and count lots of things in the trees like model squirrels, coins and even an owl and woodpecker.  There were also lots of cute fairy doors at some of the tree stumps and my son never tired of knocking on them (even though we told him we had to be quiet so we didn't wake the fairies).

After a good hour or so we found the play park and then to our surprise we found another 2 hidden very nearby.  My boy loved the big slide, but beware it does get very hot in the sun. 

While we were sitting in the park I saw a sign which said ‘Corfe Castle Viewpoint’ so I climbed the steps and had good old giggle at the top.  You can see Corfe Castle however I would advise you take a magnifying glass with you!  (I should also apologise to any walkers who saw a woman running around frantically trying to find a bush and then suddenly whipping her trousers down - I had a HUGE ant run up my leg haha).

We spent over 2 hours hours walking around the Blue Pool and playing in the park so when we got back we visited the gift shop and had a look at the Wareham Bears which we all adored.

Just before leaving we took our forms to the Tea Rooms to receive our son’s certificate and bought a souvenir fridge magnet in the gift shop plus a well deserved ice lolly. 

GOOD TO KNOW:

There is a lovely picnic spot around by the small pond however we also passed several benches around the pool and park.

Don’t forget the baby wipes, there’s lots for little ones to touch and feel and I was glad I had some for snack time.

Don’t be afraid to take a pushchair, the ground was no problem and should you wish to pop down the steps for a photo I’m sure it would be safe.

The toilets are found by the gift shop and there are baby change facilities in the disabled toilets.

Children under 16 are free if accompanied by an adult.*

There is a small museum located to the side of the tea rooms which shows the early history of clay mining in the area.

Thank You to everyone at the Blue Pool for a wonderful day, it truly is worth every penny and a real hidden gem.

For more information on location, opening times and special events, please visit The Blue Pool. 

*Please note, details are correct at the time of writing in June 2015.