Penrith Leisure Centre and Jungle Jacks

Cost: Soft play £5.70, under 2s £3.50
Ages: 1 to 10
Where: Penrith & Ullswater, Cumbria
Weather: Works in the rain
Booking: Just turn up for soft play; book swims in the Better app

Jungle Jacks is the soft play inside Penrith Leisure Centre: swamps to plodge through, tunnels, swinging through the trees and wobbly walkways, for children 10 and under. At £5.70 a child it is the cheap option in Penrith. It is open 9 to 6 on weekdays and for shorter hours at weekends, finishing mid-afternoon, with last entry an hour before closing.

The same building has a 25m pool and a learner pool, a climbing wall, a cafe and, on Saturday mornings, an inflatable zone. Public swimming slots are scattered through the week, so treat the pool as a bonus to fit round the timetable rather than the plan.

What it costs: Jungle Jacks soft play (non-member): under 2s £3.50, over 2s £5.70. Swimming (non-member): adult £6.10, junior 8 to 15 £4.10. Climbing wall junior (under 18) £6.90 non-member. Pool parties with inflatable £150 to £170 an hour.

Know before you go

The inflatable zone only runs on Saturdays, 9.30 to 2.
Soft play is open 9 to 6 on weekdays but shorter at weekends, and Better's two pages disagree (9 to 4, or 9 to 3.30 on Saturday and 9.30 to 3.30 on Sunday), with last entry an hour before closing and private parties shifting the times. Public swim times are patchy on weekdays too, so check both timetables.

Worth knowing: Jungle Jacks is for 10 and under.

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