Lose yourself in summer activity
GIANT MAZE WITH ROYAL THEME OPENS FOR SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
A SUMMER attraction in the county attraction has opened.
The giant Wistow Maze, which spans eight acres, has a royal theme for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year and has been designed in the shape of the Coronation Crown.
The maze will have a fun quiz trail hidden among its three miles of pathways, with high-level bridges and towers giving panoramic views across the countryside.
Visitors have to find 12 quiz boards on which there will be questions based on great innovations during the Queen’s 70-year reign.
There are other activities on offer, as well as the maze, with a number of games in the activity funyard.
This includes a mini maze (with hidden pictures) as well as six minute mazes, rope maze, hoopla, bean6pm. bag throwing, football shooting game, space-hopper track and sandpit.
There are also picnic benches in this area. Across the road from the maze is Wistow Rural Centre, which has a cafe, shops, an art gallery and a garden centre with model village.
The main attraction, though, is the huge maze.
Once the design is chosen, the pattern is designed by a specialist on computer software, and then the image is geo-referenced into a satellite-compatible format.
This enables the geotechnical engineers to walk the site with their Leica GPS 530 using differential GPS and a local base station.
The position of every path, curve and void in the maze design is accurately plotted across the whole field.
The GPS is accurate to within 10 centimetres, enabling more than 1,600 points to be plotted all over the field, from which painted lines are drawn to indicate the paths.
The maize and sunflower seed is drilled in early May and germinates within two weeks.
A specialist hand sprayer is then used (as well as some hand picking), when the crop is a few inches high to create the pathways, while the remaining crop is left to grow and form the maze.
Visitors are advised that the maze is created on an agricultural field and after rain the paths can get muddy, so appropriate footwear is advisable. With really bad weather the maze sometimes has to close, so it is worth checking the website or calling 07884 403 889 before leaving home.
Also, no dogs are allowed, except guide dogs, and children under 14 must be with an adult.
The maze will open daily from now until Sunday, September 4, and then open weekends only until Sunday, September 18.
Opening hours are 10am until The last admission is at 4.30pm.
The cost is £6.95 per child (13 and under) with under 2s free. Adult tickets cost £8.50 each, and a family ticket (two adults, two children) is £28. There is plenty of free parking.
Cards and cash are accepted, but no cheques.
Price includes the activity funyard and the giant maize maze. There is no need to book.