What To Know Before Visiting Ninja Warrior UK Chelmsford

AD We recently invited to review Ninja Warrior UK Adventure Park in Chelmsford. I visited on a Saturday afternoon in October with my 3 children aged 5, 8 and 13.  All 3 of my children had a great time and we will definitely be back. If you are thinking about visiting read this post first so you can have the best time. 


Ninja Warrior UK Adventure Park Chelmsford UK

The entrance to Ninja Warrior UK Adventure Park in Chelmsford
The entrance to Ninja Warrior UK


What is the Ninja Warrior UK Adventure Park?

Based on the TV show (Which I’ll be honest I haven’t seen) the Ninja Warrior UK centres are basically obstacle courses. The Chelmsford centre is divided into two main areas: an inflatable area and a fixed course. Entry covers both.


The Fixed Ninja Obstacle Area (The Shoes Area)

This area is the part that is similar to what you might expect from the TV show. It has 2 courses which have a variety of obstacles to climb and swing from before a curved ramp to run up. The course immediately in front of you as you enter the area is less challenging and most people will be able to complete some of the activities. The one on the other side is much harder. 

The fixed ninja runs not only require you to have good arm strength and balance to complete, but you also need to be tall enough. The website says you need to be 140cm to complete most of it, but my eldest still couldn’t jump up to the last obstacle on the first course. The general rules seems to be that if they are tall enough to attempt an obstacle on their own then it’s fine, but children should not be lifted to reach equipment as this is more likely to result in injury.

What I really like about the fixed ninja runs is that they really are designed for teens and adults. Younger children can have a try, but they won’t be able to do everything . It’s a great challenging place to go and it’s good exercise.

Unless it is really quiet you won’t be able to attempt to either of the ninja runs timed because there tends to be other people on the equipment and you have to stop at each stage to wait for it to be free. The Warped Wall (curved run) at the end of the obstacles also had a separate queue as many people were interested  in just attempting this part. The staff in this area were largely just supervising this area.

View of the fixed obstacle course from above
The fixed ninja run is challenging fun for older children and adults

A child starting the fixed ninja run course
There are 2 fixed courses to master

Children trying to swing from one rope to another on an obstacle course
You go down one side of the course and back up the other

The second more challenging Ninja Warrior Course
The second course is much more challenging


The Inflatable Area (The Socks Area)

The larger part of Ninja Warrior UK is what I’ll call the socks area. This is primarily an inflatable area, but also “Mount Sasuke”. 

Mount Sasuke is a mountain shape area which has multiple ways to climb up and a slide down. 

The Air Park or Inflatable area is basically a very large bouncy castle with different activities including: a tall slide with steps to climb up, a slide area where you have to run up a slope before sliding down a separate slide, a climbing area, an open obstacle area to get across and an enclosed obstacle area which goes around the back.

These areas are great as all heights and skill levels will be able to enjoy it.

View of the inflatable area and Mount Sasuke at Ninja Warrior UK
View of the inflatable area and Mount Sasuke with slide from the café

An entrance to an inflatable obstacle course
Entrance to the inflatable obstacle course

Inside the obstacle course there are areas to run through, up and slide down
Inside the inflatable obstacle course

A small area to climb up in the entrance of the inflatable air park
Throughout the inflatable area there are different obstacles to climb

A run up inflatable slide
Run up the slope and slide down, there are 3 different levels

A child climbing up some steps and another about to slide down an inflatable slide
The larger slide has steps to climb up


What age is Ninja Warrior UK good for?

We visited with a 5, 8 and 13 year old as well as 2 adults. We all had a lot of fun. There were plenty of children of all ages there on the Saturday afternoon, including lots of teens. The teens were all careful around my youngest, but the age range is part of the reason you need to be on the equipment with under 8s.

I am used to accompanying my children on equipment and often feel that, even when paying the same rate as a child, that I am purely there to supervise and shouldn’t take up space on the activities. At Ninja Warrior UK it didn’t feel weird having a go on some of the course and there were quite a few adults joining in.


Key Things To Know Before Visiting

  • For general sessions visitors need to be 5 years old or older. 
  • Children age 5 to 8 need to have a paying adult supervising them on the course, children under 12 must have an adult on site at all times.
  • Spectators ie adults visiting with children over 8, don’t have to pay for entry. There is a small amount of seating downstairs and more seating upstairs in the cafe.
  • They have special toddler sessions in term time where the set up is slightly different to make it more friendly for younger children. These sessions are for children age 1 to 4 and their carers only.
  • They have a SEN session with quieter music and reduced capacity as well as “slow rules” (it's unclear what these are from the website).
  • There are free lockers where you can leave items in while on the course. You can fit a standard size backpack in these, but nothing bigger. There are also separate racks where you can put your trainers so if children are using both areas they can use the racks when on the inflatables rather than getting trainers in and out the lockers.
  • The site is cashless, this includes the cafe and reception.

A row of lockers with a sign above saying they are free to use
There are small free lockers available

A child wearing Ninja Warrior UK grip gloves holding on to a wire rack storage for trainers while taking her shoes off
Trainers can be stored in the racks between the inflatable and fixed courses


Do You Need To Book In Advance?

It is recommended you prebook for the best price and to ensure availability, but if you happen to be in Chelmsford and fancy visiting you can walk in and pay if they have space. 

There are various offers but generally it costs £14.95 for 1 hour peak time (ie weekends and school holidays) or for 2 hours off peak. 

When we visited they weren't at capacity and there were announcements you could stay an additional hour for £5 per person. 

Generally if your children are going to go full on for the hour then it will be enough time. We appreciated having longer than an hour as it meant we could have a drink break and one of my children could sit for a while when she became overwhelmed, but still have plenty of time on equipment. 

View from the rear of the fixed ninja warrior uk chelmsford course
View of the fixed course from the far corner


What Happens When You Arrive?

When you arrive at reception they will check you in and give you a wristband for your session time. They will also check there are signed waivers for everyone (you can complete it there if you have forgotten, but it saves time to complete in advance). 

Once checked in you are directed to the briefing area. Every group that arrived was given a short safety talk, even if they had visited before. You can then go to the toilet and put things in lockers ready to go on the equipment when your time slot starts.

They recommend arriving 20 minutes before your session to ensure you have plenty of time for the check in process, but how much time is needed will depend on how long the queue in front of you is and if waivers have been completed.

3 children sitting on a wooden bench looking at the ninja warrior rules
Waiting for the briefing before getting started


The Café

Children will need a drink after running around madly so expect to have to buy something from the café. They ask that only food and drink bought from the cafe is consumed on site. While we bought a drink, we also had water bottles in our bag. 

The café is upstairs and sells a range of hot and cold food and drinks, snacks, slushies and ice creams. I really liked that there was hand gel on all the tables. While washing hands before eating is always better, I know at most soft plays etc this doesn’t happen so the hand gels will help cut down on the spread of germs.

If you are only booked in for an hour I would recommend trying to manage expectations so you don’t spend your allotted time eating. I also wouldn’t recommend eating and then going straight on the equipment (you don’t want food to bounce back up). You can stay and eat in the café after your time on the courses is up, but as you are in Chelmsford City Centre there are also a wide range of options a short walk away.

The serving area of the cafe at Ninja Warrior UK with Halloween decorations up
Upstairs there is a café with a range of hot and cold refreshments


The Arcade

There is an arcade area which will appeal to children of all ages. Like the rest of Ninja Warrior UK this is cashless so you will need a debit card (or contactless payment on your phone) to use it. Generally I don’t like arcades because with 3 children the cost soon adds up. One thing I like here though is it had a claw machine with small teddies in for £3.50 which was one of those where you can play until you win something so although I was talked into spending money in the arcade, at least I feel we got something for it.


A small arcade area in Ninjaa Warrior UK
View of the arcade area from the café


What To Wear

  • Comfortable clothes which allow a full range of movement are ideal. There is a risk of friction burns on slides so full length trousers and tops are advised,  but there were lots of people there in shorts and t-shirts. 
  • You need to wear the Ninja Warrior UK Safety Socks on the inflatable course so you will need to purchase these on your first visit (they currently cost £2.50).
  • On the fixed course you need to wear trainers.
  • They sell grip gloves for use with the fixed course. We were advised to try the course first and see if we needed them. My eldest found her hands were sweaty after running around the air park so she needed the gloves for better grip. I found that my hands were a little sore afterwards and the gloves were beneficial. My advice is see how interested your child is in this area. If your child really wants to conquer it then go to reception and buy the gloves, if they have one go and decide they prefer the inflatable area then you aren’t going to want to bother with the gloves.
  • Just like any fitness activity avoid wearing jewellery which can catch on anything and those with longer hair might want to wear it up.

A child looking up towards an obstacle on the fixed course
Children may find some obstacles a challenge to reach


Where To Park?

The Chelmsford Ninja Warrior UK adventure park doesn’t have its own car park so if driving you will need to plan a little bit of extra time (and expense) to park and get to the venue. There is a street level car park right next to the Ninja Warrior UK building as well as the Meadows multi-storey car park just across the road, so even on a Saturday lunchtime it wasn’t too hard to park.


When Is The Best Time To Visit?

How busy it is will depend on the weather, how many parties they have etc so sometimes it will be really busy and other times quieter. Generally it is at it's busiest on a Saturday from late morning to early afternoon. Sundays are normally quieter. When you are booking the system shows how many spaces are left for a session so you can choose a quieter time, but obviously this may change between booking and arriving. 

When it is busier there may be short queues for some of the sections, but this gives children a chance to catch their breath. On our visit people were generally considerate of others and waited nicely, but as over 8s aren’t directly supervised and they will be full of adrenaline this won’t always be the case. There was a good level of staffing on the courses when we visited to ensure everyone was safe.

Climbing, sliding and bouncing area
There is plenty of space and activities in the inflatable area

A climbing area called Mount Sasuke
Mount Sasuke has different ways you can climb up before going down a tunnel slide

Swinging through the fixed ninja course
You need strength, balance and luck to complete the course without falling over


Our Verdict?

Ninja Warrior UK is a great indoor activity for children who like a challenge and being active. It's great for fitness, but it's much more fun than a PE lesson or session at the gym. While I would imagine it would be a bit overwhelming if at full capacity we went on a Saturday afternoon and as you can see from the photographs it was quiet enough that with careful timing I could get photographs of most areas without other people's children in. 

I love that the Adventure Park works well for a wide age range so it's perfect for siblings (if your youngest is over 5s) and teenagers will also love to go with their friends. A great place to visit in Chelmsford, Essex.

You can find Ninja Warrior UK Chelmsford at: 32-48 Springfield Road, Chelmsford, CM2 6JX
Book your tickets here.
There are currently 18 other Ninja Warrior UK centres across the country including Watford, Milton Keynes and Chatham (Kent).

If you are looking for other things to do with your family while in Chelmsford check out this post.

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