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Reviewed by Jo Leigh on 29th July 2023
Eager to experience the newly refurbished Moorways Sports Village and Water Park in Derby (near Pride Park/Allenton) I headed out with three water-loving 10 year olds to try out the pool and soft play.
On approach to the big car park it felt nostalgic having visited Moorways many times as a child, but at second glance it couldn’t be more different, with a new modern look and mirrored windows housing the stadium complex comprising of an athletics track, grass and artificial football pitches, a 50m swimming pool, a gym, water park, teaching pool and two soft plays. This 42 million pound refurb is impressive and a fantastic initiative supported by Derby City Council to offer the city a state-of -the-art sports hub.
On arrival they set you up with your own ‘Everyone Active’ membership card and you pay for the leisure you want that day. We headed straight to the water park and found the huge communal changing village with lots of cubicles, showers, toilets and lockers (£1 per locker – you get it back). I was impressed to see lots of ‘changing places’ rooms with hoists and disabled facilities plus water-friendly wheelchairs. Larger cubicles had baby change tables too. lt felt really inclusive and well thought out.
The kids bee-lined the flumes, two were tunnel slides and they went on many times, the queues were not long as sessions are timed with coloured bands (1.5 hrs per session which felt just about right).
There is a fantastic ‘wave rider’ slide where you sit on rubber rings which I found particularly thrilling!
Then there’s a sloped entry to a shallow pool that gets a little deeper as you enter the wave pool area. This is quite gentle. There’s also a smaller slide and climbing area for toddlers, lots of squirty waterspouts and one of those buckets that fill with water then tip on your head.
Next door we spotted swimming lessons taking place in the teaching pool with its sensory lighting and more lessons were going on in the 50m pool plus lane swimming. From 1pm there is a giant Atlantis inflatable assault course that comes out and you can pay extra to play on that too!
After our water park session we headed to the soft play area which was just £3.50 and felt surprisingly calm and quiet after the acoustics in the water area. It’s a decent size and has a separate section for 0-2 year olds.
We spotted another smaller soft play area in the café too! The café has pizza, pastries, hot food, snacks etc and you can get kids lunch boxes for £6.10. The café overlooks the water park and big pool.
All in all it was a fantastic trip out and everyone enjoyed it and asked to go again. The facilities were modern and well equipped and the swimming lesson offerings looked great if you live in the Derby area. The swim teachers are all Swim England (or equivalent) qualified, and swimming lessons are available for any age from just four months old. The pool has a portable iSwim hoist.
Other perks:
BIRTHDAY PARTIES Moorways Sports Village and Water Park offers a fantastic range of parties that appeal to kids of all ages, but without any of the hassle for you!
Find out lots more info and see more photos of the facilities at:
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