Mountain View Ranch is an attraction in Cardiff that my family and I have been to before. The last time I went our girls were only little and in hindsight I think they were a bit too young for it.
I’ve always wanted to return when they were a bit older so that we could have the chance to explore the ranch properly. A few weeks ago, we actually got the opportunity to do just that.
Mountain View Ranch is situated on Heol Pen-Y-Bryn which is on the way toward Caerphilly Mountain. It hosts Wales’ only official licensed Gruffalo Trail which is always a big hit with the kids.
Adults and children cost £7.00 each during peak times (£4.50 off peak). Under 2’s are free. You can also buy a family of four ticket which is £27 during peak times (£17 off peak) and a family of five ticket which is £33 during peak times (£21 off peak). Concessions are £3.50 during peak times (£2.25 off peak).
Mountain View Ranch has a large car park with an overflow parking area, but it’s always worth checking their Facebook page during busy times such as the summer because the car park can reach capacity.
Upon entering Mountain View Ranch you’ll see a noticeboard with the events of the day on. These include meet the goats, guinea pigs salad buffet, fairy walk, Gruffalo Story and sometimes Marshmallow toasting.
The first thing our girls did when we arrived was head straight over to the sandy park area. This is right by the entrance and the cafe. There’s lot to do for children of all ages in this area.
The highlight for our girls was the zip line and the low-ropes course in the middle. They loved climbing up and over it.
There’s also a slide that comes down a small hill which was a pretty big hit too. One of the most noticeable changes since our last visit is the addition of a large teepee called the ‘Tentipi’.
It’s a stunning Nordic Tentipi which you can hire for birthday parties. I only managed to take one photo of it which does feature some granola bars I was photographing for a different paid campaign (you can it read here), but you can still see the Tentipi in the picture behind.
Along with the Tentipi, I noticed another teepee that I don’t think was there the last time we went. It’s just behind the slide on the hill (pictured below).
Thankfully it was a beautifully sunny day when we went so we were able to make the most of the day. The thing that I most like about Mountain View Ranch is that there’s no chance the kids will get bored. There’s so much to do there. With every turn of a corner, there’s something to see or do. For example there’s an amazing tree house, a magical fairy forest, a dragon egg nest and a hobbit house. It’s lots of fun for adults too!
As mentioned above, the Mountain View Ranch also hosts Wales’ only officially licensed Gruffalo Trail! Children can follow the Gruffalo’s footprints along the trail to discover all the characters from this hugely popular story. Each sculpture has been skilfully sculpted from wood and willow!
We then wandered past the guinea pigs and ponies and found a tree swing. Another new addition since our last visit. After a quick swing, we headed over to where the goats are. Sadly we missed ‘Meet the Goats’ but we still got a chance to see them and the troll under the bridge in their area.
We then stumbled into the enchanted wood where we found a unicorn statue and lots of fairies hidden all around. The girls had lots of fun searching all of the trees for the fairies!
We stopped for a picnic in the Indian Village which features another teepee, a totem pole, picnic benches and plenty of grass for the kids to run around!
In the Fairy Forest we found these beautiful fairy carvings in a tree. They’re simply stunning.
Also in the Fairy Forest was a treehouse, tree swing, wishing well and lots of opportunities to search for even more fairies.
We then made our way over to the Dragon Gorge where we came across a dragons nest with dragons eggs in and as you look you can see three red dragons peering down!
We spent lots of time in this area as there was another tree house to explore along with two tree swings, money bars and a fallen tree trunk for children to climb.
Our girls had a go in the Willow Maze, climbed the Lost Boys Lookout, hid in the teeny tiny homes on Hobbit Hill and had lots of fun all round.
We had such a lovely family day out at Mountain View Ranch. I’m so glad we finally got the chance to explore it all and we can’t wait to go back again!
Disclaimer: I paid for this trip with my own money. All views and opinions are 100% my own.
