*This venue is reopening on October 3rd 2022. Please note the times and prices mentioned in this review are from 2019 – they may change when the venue reopens.
We were invited to review Salt Hill Activity Centre in Slough (*Press Visit). It opened in Summer 2018, located in Salt Hill Park in Central Slough. You can walk to it from the town centre in 10 minutes, and it’s by the Bath Road with its bus routes – great for parents who don’t drive. There is a free car park for drivers though. If you are a local parent like me, you most probably have been to the soft play. But did you know you can also do trampolining, bowling, high ropes and caving? It really is an all-in-one centre, and I remember when the plans for this centre were put to the public, people had doubts about how it would all fit. Well I can tell you, it all fits and works well together. We tried out the trampolining and bowling, with a bit of soft play in between.
Trampolining
We went to the parent and toddler session, which is available every day between 10am and 12pm. You book an hour slot, but if you have just older children, you can book a slot at the other times (see the times at the end of this post). You can wear your own trampolining socks from other centres, but if you don’t own any, you can purchase them from reception for £2. The Everyone Active branded ones are red, if you’re interested!
The trampolining area here is locked when not in use, so when we came for our session, it was opened up, with lights and music switched on – you almost feel like a VIP having your own private session. After watching a short briefing video, we were let in to put our socks on and start jumping. There are about 11 squares (including 2 double length ones), and 6 on the wall to bounce off.
The other side has an area filled with red foam blocks, a climbing rope net, swinging things, battle beams. The kids enjoyed diving in here. It’s not too deep, don’t worry.
In the far corner was this trampolining game that I thoroughly enjoyed. When you press the button, different lights switch on and you have to jump to hit the lit-up button, and get as many done in 2 minutes.
There is a very intimate feel to trampolining here – obviously it is smaller than the other place in Slough that is dedicated to just trampolining. But it is cheaper here – a parent and toddler session costs £6, with additional parents/siblings at £4 each. At normal sessions, over 5s are £6, adults £7.50.
The other plus point is that you don’t have to drive to be able to get here – the location is definitely a win. The negative is, due to the smaller size, you do feel like you are being closely watched, with the staff member is literally watching you with hawk eyes. The second one of the toddlers dared to jump on the same trampoline as their siblings, the staff member was there with a very authoritative tone telling them off. It is hard to explain to toddlers about the one square, one jumper rule – but possibly a gentler tone is needed for this younger age. Or the parents need to be asked to explain it to their toddlers. Lily said she wanted to leave and go to the soft play just half-an-hour in, as it definitely made the children feel uncomfortable and less free.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom though, Lily also said the trampolining was her favourite activity of the day – look at this happy face.
Would I do this activity again? If I was meeting friends who do not drive, then yes I would.
Soft Play
Lily LOVES this soft play. We have been many times since the centre opened last year. It is new and clean, brightly coloured, lots of chairs for parents, a separate baby soft play area. The slides are amazing. I am sure you will have been here if you are a local. If not, why not?! Go, go go, I totally recommend it! It is £3.50 for under 5s and £5 for over 5s. And if you have booked another activity, you can add soft play for just £2.
Caving (This is no longer available in 2022)
We were shown the caving entrance and exit but didn’t actually do it – the boys want to though. It is not for anyone who is claustrobic though!
This activity is about crawling through tunnels, with the light coming from your helmet. There’s a chamber inside that you can stand up in and and a ball pit. It’s for age 5+ and your child will go with an instructor – parents don’t have to do it. Unless you want to! The cost is £10 for adults and £8.50 for children age 5+. This activity is open at weekends only.
High Ropes
I didn’t take a photo, but basically above the cafe seating area is a platform with loads of nets and ropes to climb, and then you jump off the platform on to the ground. Not for anyone who is scared of heights, but I bet there are some thrill seekers out there! It costs £7.50 for an adult and £6 for a child (I think 5+ again).
Bowling
I’ve saved the best for last – the bowling! I was curious as to how it would look, seeing as this place used to have a massive bowling alley before it was taken over by Everyone Active. I was pleasantly surprised, the room looks bright and it fits 6 lanes. It’s in a separate room next to the cafe and the trampolining section.
You don’t need to wear specific bowling shoes, just your own flat shoes are fine. We gave our names at reception so our names were already on the screen. The order you give the names is the order you will play – bear that in mind!
There were lots of different sized bowling balls available – though the kids went by favourite colour rather than weight!
We also used this bowling aid for the children, so they didn’t have to swing the ball, they could simply push it.
At reception you can also ask for the bumper bars to be up for the kids – save them getting upset when the balls go in the gutter!
As you can see in the below photo, it’s a bright, colourful space. It did feel a bit crowded when the neighbouring lanes were filled, but the people next to us were friendly. I also saw one group having chips. There is a menu of food on one of the screens. But the cafe only had one member of staff – when I went to order she said there was a 40 minute wait for hot food as she was on her own. So I left it. Perhaps the cafe needs to get some more staff in at lunch hours.
All in all, we really enjoyed the bowling, and with 10 rounds in each game, you get plenty of chances to bowl. Cost is £6.50 for an adult and £5.50 for a child. A second game costs £4.
We were so impressed with how much is packed into one activity centre, it really makes for a great day out. I have also been to a Soft Play birthday party here, and the party room was so nice and clean as it’s new. They provide the food – it’s definitely a good birthday party venue option.
Thank you to Everyone Active for inviting us. If you haven’t been to Salt Hill Activity Centre, hopefully this will give you a taste. I think it is well worth giving this place a visit – the question is, which activity would you choose… trampolining, soft play, caving, high ropes or bowling?
Sabrina x
Address: Salt Hill Park, Bath Rd, Slough, SL1 3SS
Tel: 01753 969720
Website: Everyoneactive.com
Facebook: @eaSaltHill
2022 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 (term-time as of 3rd Oct 2022)
Monday – Thursday 10am – 7pm
Friday 10am – 10pm
Saturday 9am – 10pm
Sunday 9am – 7pm
2019 Opening Hours:
Cafe
Monday – Sunday: 11:00-18:00
Ten Pin Bowling
Monday – Thursday: 10:00-21:00
Friday & Saturday: 10:00-23:00
Sunday: 10:00-21:00
Caving
Saturday & Sunday: 10:30-12:30 & 15:00-17:00
High Ropes
Monday & Wednesday: 17:30-19:30
Tuesday & Thursday: 16:00-18:00
Friday: 15:30-18:30
Saturday & Sunday: 11:30-18:00
Trampoline Park
Monday: 10:00-12:00 (parent & toddler), 16:00-18:00
Tuesday: 10:00-12:00 (parent & toddler)
Wednesday:10:00-12:00 (parent & toddler), 16:00-18:00
Thursday: 10:00-12:00 (parent & toddler)
Friday: 10:00-12:00 (parent & toddler), 16:00-18:00
Saturday & Sunday: 09:45-12:00 (parent & toddler), 12:00-16:45
Soft Play
Monday – Sunday: 09:00-19:00
PIN IT
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James had his 7th Birthday caving party today and loved it. Party Room clean as ever. I would definitely recommend. (And I definitely did not go caving!)
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Thank you for sharing! That is great to hear.
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