Last night I said to Tyler,  “Tomorrow when you wake up, we’re going to the beach!” “YES Beach!” He hadn’t forgotten in the morning, getting his buckets and spades and digger trucks ready. We set off to the Berkshire town of Maidenhead, me wearing my Hawaiian Lei to get in the mood. It’s roughly a 10/15 minute drive from Slough. Today was the launch of the Maidenhead Beach at Norden Farm, which is on Altwood Road – quite freakily off the road where I used to work at Mattel 7 years ago. Now that journey was a trip down memory lane!

The centre is clearly signposted from the road and there’s a free car park at the centre. We saw the beach immediately as we drove in, the boy was very excited, “We’re here!”

There was a large sandpit area and decor in the style of Hawaiian Elvis. It was so colourful, even on this grey Tuesday morning, and there was Hawaiian Elvis music playing too. We had a great time building sandcastles.

There was outdoor seating as well as indoor seating inside the cafe, where parents/carers were having nice, warm cuppas. As it was nearing Tyler’s lunchtime around 12.30pm, we ordered some chunky chips for £3.50, which arrived very promptly. We sat inside, with a view of the beach. There were plenty of childrens’ books on the windowsills, which was great to keep him entertained.

After lunch, Tyler had a run around the place, and I took more photos – I just love how they had decorated the place, everything tropical and Hawaiian looking, even around the cafe, with coloured lighting and floral lei decorations. There was a shark/surfboard area for posing on – although Tyler really believed it was a shark and wouldn’t go near it! There was a cute Tiki Hut, faux grass, and large art prints of beach scenes and Hawaiian Elvis.

We will definitely be back on a sunny day –  it is running through to the end of August and is free of charge. I found it so relaxing and Tyler really believed he was at the seaside – thumbs up all round!

If you fancy a visit, here’s their details, plus activities that are running:

Address: Norden Farm, Altwood Road, Maidenhead, SL6 4PF
Twitter: @nordenfarm
Facebook: facebook.com/nordenfarmcentreforthearts

Beach opening hours: Tues – Sun 10am – 4pm until 30th August
Beach Craft Sessions: Tues – Fri 11am – £5
Storytelling: Tues – Sat 1.15pm / 3pm – £2

For more great places to visit in Berkshire, visit themummystylist.com/slough

Disclaimer: These are my own honest opinions, thoughts and photos from our visit to Norden Farm.