IN FOR A RIDE
AS our carriage takes a sharp left and plunges into the darkness, five-year-old Molly screams with delight at experiencing her first-ever rollercoaster.
I, on the other hand, scream with abject terror.
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And while Molly immediately begs to get back on Legoland’s Dragon, I try not to feel ashamed that my daughter is clearly much braver than me.
Building dreams
We are in the home of Lego in Billund, Denmark, and I’ve never been to a place more set up for kids.
The airport is five minutes’ drive from both the theme park and its Castle Hotel, which has in-room treasure hunts leading to secret safes stuffed with Lego.
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Molly and her brother Elliott, eight, are in heaven.
At dinner in the Knight’s Tavern buffet restaurant, the wine is included in the £52 per adult price and proves particularly welcome as the kids hit the outdoor playground!
Plus, there’s a cubby hole inside the restaurant with video games, as well as Lego supplies in reception, with a building competition every night.
Alternatively, at Legoland Holiday Village, you can choose between pirate rooms, wooden cabins, Native American tents or even pitch your own tent or caravan.
In the Ninjago-themed lodges, expect super-high bunk beds and a puzzle wheel on the wall.
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Kids can run free between multiple playgrounds and there are donkeys, goats and rabbits to pet, plus bonfire sites ready for you to toast marshmallows.
Our kids also adored whizzing around on a double trike, £8.70 for one hour’s hire.
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Joy rides
The theme park is a three-minute walk from both lodgings and we aim for the far end first to beat the queues.
In Lego Movie World is Emmet’s Flying Adventure, an immersive flying theatre.
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While my husband Mark looks green throughout, this is definitely my kind of ride – and the kids love it as we feel wind in our hair and get splashed as our “flying sofa” dips down towards the “sea”.
Our favourite ride, though, is Great Lego Reef, a submarine that takes you through an aquarium filled with marine marvels.
Later, we head to the nearby city of Vejle for dinner.
Conrads restaurant is set in an old merchant’s farm, and sitting outside in the bustling courtyard, we tuck into plaice, prawns, asparagus and rye bread, £20, while the kids order chicken nuggets and chips, £10.
The skin-on chips are freshly fried, whereas the nuggets sadly taste straight from the freezer (Conrads.dk).
To finish, we scoff fresh waffles from the cake shop next door, Konditoriet, before wandering down Vejle’s high street, taking snaps of the stunning old roofs and gables, and passing loads of stylish homeware shops.
Flying high
The next morning, we visit Wow Park, five minutes’ drive away and here, there’s no bright plastic in sight – instead, it’s all about the great outdoors, with giant Tarzan swings, squeak-inducing suspension bridges and pitch-black underground caves.
Even the toilets are made for kids, with a titchy wooden Hobbit-sized door as the entrance.
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After exhausting ourselves, the kids work together to spin the huge tree in the restaurant while we order pizzas, £16, and s’mores, £3, to toast on the campfire.
Wow is also home to Scandinavia’s highest free-fall tower with a whopping 20-metre slide – but it’s too terrifying for me, so Elliott and I compromise by whizzing down the neighbouring spiral slide instead.
Entry costs £25 for adults and kids over three (En.wowpark.dk/wow-park-billund).
Robot wars
Another fun-filled day comes at Billund’s Lego House, an interactive play and learning centre.
There are loads of fantastic creations, but it’s the colossal Lego tree that sits in the middle of the staircase that is truly awesome – look closely and you can spy lots of little creatures.
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We spend the morning making mini stop-motion animations and programme a beekeeper robot to plant flowers in a virtual garden. Entry costs from £35 for adults and kids (Legohouse.com).
At the centre’s Mini Chef restaurant, the excitement continues as we build our orders with Lego bricks that symbolise foods, then wait for the robots to dish out our lunches.
Meals cost £25 for adults, and £14.50 for kids with a bag of Lego, but make sure you book ahead.
Next door is Lalandia, Scandinavia’s largest waterpark, where Elliott and I hit Tornado – a flume that feels like being sucked down a giant plughole.
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Both kids adore the lazy river and the wave pool, and we all enjoy relaxing in the enormous indoor/outdoor Jacuzzi.
Day entry costs £39 for adults, £34 for kids (Lalandia.dk/en/billund). It’s the perfect chilled-out end to an adrenalin-fuelled few days.
FIY
Plan your trip at Visitdenmark.com.
Return flights from the UK to Billund cost from £45 per person.
Rooms for up to four people at Legoland Castle Hotel cost from £420 B&B, including day tickets to Legoland.
Stays at the Legoland Holiday Village for four cost from £132 B&B (Legoland.dk).