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Aldingbourne Country Centre
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Aldingbourne Country Centre

See all things to do
See all things to do
Aldingbourne Country Centre
4
194 reviews
#21 of 50 things to do in Chichester
Farms
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10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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About
The Aldingbourne Country Centre offers a great day out for families to play, seasonal summer camping for families to stay, a state of the art conference centre for people to meet and a welcoming café where everyone can eat. From the farm, to woodland walk - fun activities for children including a maze, ride-on tractors, wooden train, soft play areas, sand & water play area and enchanted castle in addition to a range of exciting and popular events throughout the year and - the Country Centre has something for everyone. Our award winning Quarry Building, a stunning environment with high tech conference facilities has fantastic views over the outdoor activity centre and a full-scale slide if people want to take the quick route down to the gift shop, where you can sit inside or out whilst you can enjoy a light bite, a homemade lunch, or just a slice of cake, all freshly prepared using the best local ingredients and served by a friendly team including those supported by the trust.
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
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Best nearby
Restaurants
29 within 3 miles
Aldingbourne Country Centre - Cafe'
11
0.1 mi$ • British • Healthy
The Old Stables
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Midpines Cafe
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0.9 miQuick Bites • Cafe • Mediterranean • European
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Cassons Restaurant
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The Anglesey Arms
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The Wilkes Head
91
1.4 mi$$ - $$$ • Bar • International • British
The Cockpit Cafe
61
1.6 mi$ • Cafe • British
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
194 reviews
Excellent
113
Very good
48
Average
11
Poor
8
Terrible
14
Francesca
Bristol, UK2 contributions
Wonderful afternoon tea
Sep 2021 • Friends
I go here a lot with my little boy and we love it for a day out. I saw last time I was there that they did Afternoon Tea, so we went on a quiet Thursday afternoon for a colleague's retirement lunch. It was absolutely perfect, beautifully laid out with old china sets. The food was gorgeous, many of us commented that it was the best afternoon tea we have ever had, lovely sandwiches, homemade scones and 4 different types of cake! As a Coeliac the gluten free options of afternoon tea can be poor compared to the normal selection but this was by far the best I have ever had. For each of the normal sandwich, scone and cakes I had my own gluten free version. I cannot recommend enough and a bargain at just under £20pp including a traditional lemonade and unlimited hot drinks!
Written September 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WestSussexWrighter
West Sussex23 contributions
Liberating
Jul 2020
As the Centre opens up again post lockdown, they are taking every precaution to make it as safe as possible and advance booking is necessary if you want to visit. The restaurant is still a great place for a delicious lunch and if you are visiting with children its a lovely space, the farm is open though you can't touch the animals and some of the playground equipment is back in action. Plantaholics will love the Horticultural section which still has a great selection of top quality plants at give away prices. Be sure to plan a visit into your diary.
Written July 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Simon H
Perth6 contributions
Quite possibly the best campsite in the world
Jul 2021 • Family
Camping

Part of me doesn't want to leave a review as I want to keep this secret gem of a campsite to myself, but that would be selfish and completely against what Aldingbourne stands for. This is their first season of allowing campers on site, but it has been so successful I hope they start doing it much more. Without and hesitation this is the best campsite I have stayed on. Excellent value for money, phenomenally kind staff who go out of their way to make you feel welcome, and I haven't even mentioned the brilliant facilities. It's very small with only 8-10 pitches meaning there aren't many people around. It feels very safe so the kids can roam freely, playing on the huge array of activities, like sit on tractors, the huge maze, two indoor soft plays, water and sand park, and many more.
Can't recommend this place enough.
Written July 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mrs s
1 contribution
Not great
Apr 2023 • Family
We arrived just after 10am when we arrived was impressed with the parking and look of the new building we went to the farm first and only saw a few donkeys and alpacas how ever we weren’t able to see any other animals not even ducks .we were looking forward to walking with the goats however this wasn’t possible as the gates were closed off I thought could be because was early also went back at 1pm and it was still closed this time for lunch . We couldn’t see the Guinea pigs out and said if we wanted to stroke them for an hour was £3 I feel like this is a lot to pay and I t should be included in the price .
So we carried on walking round and went in the maze which was lovely and the outside play area however I do feel like this could be made bigger with a few more things as well for the children . We were alittle disappointed with the woodland walk it didn’t really feel like a walk no designated path and only a couple of things for the children to play on a lot more could be done as there is a lovely amount of space . We did do the crazy golf which the children did like but definitely needs updating as the green matts on the courses were falling off and ripping which made it harder to play . We were hoping to see the reptiles on this day however we were unsure where they were they were no signs for it and I know in previous years it was in a tent on the grass area. When we went to the cafe for lunch we did finally see them in a room so we had our lunch and thought we would go and see them however when we got there it was closed and reopening at 1:30 however at this time we had to leave .
I paid for a family of 4 ticket which was £28 I feel this is a lot for the fact there wasn’t really anything for the children to do or see and because of this it should of been free admission or heavily reduced .
Written April 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aldingbourne T
Thank you for taking the time to review our Country Centre, we appreciate all the feedback we receive. We are sorry you were unhappy with our recent visit during the Easter holidays, unfortunately we had very un Spring like weather on the day you visited, blowing an absolute hooley so the animals, like most of our visitors were taking shelter, as too were the Reptiles as it was too cold for them to be outside. And like humans, animals need lunch breaks too, hence closing the exhibition so they could have some respite in line with animal welfare regulations. We are still under Avian Flu protocols but extremely excited to learn that with effect from this week, the government guidelines have changed and our poultry are back out enjoying the freedom of their pens. As every penny spent here is re-invested and we've welcomed a huge number of visitors post Covid, work is under way to improve many of the activities here, including the Golf Greens, as well as bring some exciting news ones for visitors to enjoy. Watch this space...
Written April 20, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ninasimmons24
Chichester, UK2 contributions
Not great
Apr 2023
When we arrived, we were expecting to see lots of animals, all the pens were bare. You couldn’t walk amongst the animals at all, as there were none. To stroke a Guinea pig, cost you £3, which is a joke and you couldn’t see them unless you paid. The crazy golf is so need of some maintenance, all the Astra turf is torn. The woodland walk is not a walk but some mud and a pond and that’s about it. The maze is good. They need a bigger play area and some areas where you can feed some animals without being charged for the privilege of doing it. It seems like they have spent all the money on doing a cafe and a shop and forgot about spending money on the actual centre. It’s a shame as it has loads of potential as there is loads of space but it’s not being used, apart from storing rubbish it looks like. Avoid it’s not worth the money .
Written April 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aldingbourne T
Thank you for taking the time to review our Country Centre, we appreciate all the feedback we receive. We are sorry you were unhappy with our recent visit, every penny spent here is re-invested and we've welcomed a huge number of visitors post Covid, work is under way to improve many of the activities here, including the Golf Greens, as well as bring some exciting news ones for visitors to enjoy. We hope to welcome you back sometime in the future where you can see our improvements made around the Country Centre.
Written April 20, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Mummybear19
7 contributions
A lovely way to spend a Bank Holiday
Aug 2020 • Family
This was our first visit, and probably our first trip out since lock down. We arrived around 1pm and we able to book tickets from the car. After sanitising our hands and getting a map we were free to roam. The site have good measures in place such as one way systems, waiting areas for toilets etc. We had our 18 month old with us and he loved seeing the animals up close. We made a pit stop to the baby change which was clean and only allowed 1 family in at a time. The cafe had a good choice of picnic benches for using when eating your own food, with space for little one to be free. The maze, play tractors and woodland walk were great too. The paths were bumpy as to he expected but buggy friendly.
We will definitely be returning for another great family day out. Thank you!
Written September 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AshandJules
41 contributions
Fantastic day out and excellent value for money
Aug 2021 • Family
Amazing visit! A fantastic value for money day out, to a clean, friendly and well presented site.
From arrival to departure, this was an excellent day. Staff were welcoming at the reception desk and happy to explain the site for us first-timers.
The kids had a great time; soft play, playgrounds, maze, animals, they were very happy and entertained all day.
The animals were given plenty of living space in nicely designed living spaces. Its a shame that covid restrictions still stop interacting with animals, but thats life. Didn’t distract from the day.
All facilities were clean and modern, no fraying etc in site.
The cafe was fantastic, lovely food, good coffee and eco friendly.
If the camp site event runs next year, you will definitely have some more guests!
Written August 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa waim
8 contributions
Lovely, relaxing family day out
Jun 2023 • Family
Lovely, relaxing family day out. I take my kids here on my own as its a safe environment, where I know my little ones (under 5) will have a fab time and I can enjoy watching them play. Lots to see and do, we never do it all in one day, which makes it's brilliant for repeat visits. Brent Lodge were guests at aldingbourne yesterday and we made bird feeders as well as plant up a flower. Loads of lovely picnic areas and the toilets in the main block are lovely. Ones in the soft play could do with an update, but the rest of the site/team/ atmosphere makes up for it 😊 love the book nook too!
Written June 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lizzied59
Chichester, UK22 contributions
Good to be back
Sep 2022 • Family
Today was the first time I have been to the centre for several years. They have made lots of changes, all for the better. The path around the farm is much better for pushchairs than it once was. We enjoyed the soft play, especially having a good sized separate space for 0 - 3 year olds, these areas are often a very small after thought. The café is excellent value for money and we all enjoyed our freshly prepared meals.
Written September 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aldingbourne T
Hello - thank you so much for a such lovely feedback. We look forward to seeing you again soon and thank you for supporting our charity - it really makes a difference to the people we support.
Written October 4, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Siobhan D
16 contributions
Fantastic Children’s Party
Nov 2022 • Family
We had our son’s 4th birthday party here in November. The new soft play area is excellent and kept the children entertained for a good hour. The party catering (we had the cold buffet selection) was really good, good size portions of everything and all the foods made to look really fun for the kids. The service was kind and friendly and ran on time. There’s so much space to explore outside afterwards also. We would really recommend using them for a birthday party.
Written November 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aldingbourne T
Hello Siobhan, thank you so much for your lovely feedback! We are so glad you, your son and his friends had a good time with us. I have passed your feedback onto the café team :) Thanks again, and hopefully see you again soon! Cara
Written November 30, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Aldingbourne Country Centre (Chichester) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Aldingbourne Country Centre
Aldingbourne Country Centre is open:
  • Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM