KNOCKHATCH SKI & SNOWBOARD CENTRE

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Knockhatch is an adventure park with a good size ski slope near Hailsham in East Sussex. As a family we visited this exciting venue as a birthday treat.

This park claims to have everything to keep the kids amused including mini quad bikes, laser adventure game, grass karting, rowing boats, crazy golf, trampolines, and children's farm. At £55 for three 90 minute lessons it seems like a good deal.  Birthday parties are also catered for at sensible prices.

Knockhatch is situated on the A22 to the west of Hailsham.  About 8 miles North of Eastbourne and 30 minutes from Brighton, Hastings and Tunbridge Wells and 1 hour from London.  Access to the park is from the A22 at Hailsham from the roundabout OPPOSITE Diplocks Way and the BMW dealership where you will see our welcoming signs. 

If you want to learn to ski or snowboard in Sussex, frankly, there is not much choice and councils would do well to encourage entrepreneurs. After the safari style entrance drive, you will see the main slope looming in the distance plus two nursery slopes on either side.

The main building consisted of a few benches in the main reception area and boot fitting area place thingy and a bar/cafe round the corner and a shop round the end... which by the way was cheap! Although it was bloody cold inside it was nice... there weren't changing rooms as such just some male and female loos and a disabled toilet which is where most people got changed. God knows what would happen if an actual disabled person needed the loo.

The staff here were really friendly and really helpful, with a range of ages it helped as the more mature members of staff had their own ways of doing things compared to the younger ones which usually went in  head first with things (and they controlled the younger ones too as most of the time they were running around like kids).

The instructors for our party were really good at what they did.  Although, we never actually saw them practice what they taught.  The downside to this event was the boards.  They were brown from the algae and sometimes bumpy from the dried on dirt.  So at the start of the lessons it paid to sit down and scrape the mud off.

Another small point was the ski lifts.  Whatever you do, don't try and ride your board up the slope when connected to this equipment, it will send you flat on your face and into a puddle of algae soup.   Hold them, and put them in between your legs and walk it. It might be tiring, slow and possibly painful, but falling on your face with a board connected to your feet and a queue of people waiting is worse.

But apart from the above it was a pleasant experience. No snobby skiiers or snowboarders walking round like they own the place as in Milton Keynes, just mainly families or groups of teenagers having a laugh.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the party was great fun and the outing represented good value. The atmosphere was friendly, a bit like that of a miniature ski resort as you might experience in the French Alps, or Switzerland.

GOOD STUFF

• Friendly staff

• Cheap lessons and hourly rates.

• Pleasant Atmosphere

• Wicked Instructors

• Good Value for money

• Good slope for Learning

BAD POINTS

• Bad Slope for practising

• Cold

• Dirty Boards

• Dirty Boots

• Rubbish on the slope

• Ski lift looks dangerous

PRICES for 2007

Francesca Elliot after a good run

CONTACTS for KNOCKHATCH SKI & SNOWBOARD CENTRE

Map Reference F3

Find Knockhatch with StreetMap

Find Knockhatch with Multimap

GPS Location: The turning to the Park and Ski Centre from the A22 

Latitude N 50 degrees  51.74 minutes,  Longitude E 00 degrees 14.50 minutes

Skiing and Boarding with the new Powderpac Softer Surface 110m main slope along with Nursery Runs and Drag Lifts, Open Practice to improve your skills and courses for beginners with qualified instructors. Equipment provided. Ski Lodge with ski and board hire, licensed bar with snacks, lounge and Edge to Edge ski and snowboard retail and rental shop.

PRACTICE SESSIONS are weekday evenings and weekend days 18 October – 1 April. For out of season opening times, all details and bookings Tel: 01323 843344.

Knockhatch Adventure Park

Knockhatch Farmhouse

Hempstead Lane

Hailsham 

BN27 3PR

Telephone: 01323 442051

Fax 01323 843878

e-mail: knockhatch@aol.com

SUSSEX INDEX A - Z

ALFRISTON

ARUNDEL CASTLE - WETLANDS WILDFOWL TRUST

BATTLE

BATTLE ABBEY

BATTLE OF HASTINGS

BEACHY HEAD - BELL TOOT (BELLE TOUT) LIGHTHOUSE

BEXHILL

BIRLING GAP

BODIAM CASTLE

BRIGHTON

CHICHESTER

CHIDDINGLY - HORSE SHOW and GYMKHANA

CROWBOROUGH

CUCKMERE VALLEY - EXCEAT

DISTRICT AND BOROUGH COUNCILS

DRUSILLAS

EAST SUSSEX
EASTBOURNE - EASTBOURNE PIER

FIRLE

FIRLE BONFIRE SOCIETY

GLYNDE

GUY FAWKES

HAILSHAM

HASTINGS - NET SHOPS - PIER

HEATHFIELD

HERSTMONCEUX - CASTLE - CE SCHOOL - LINKS - FESTIVAL

KNOCKHATCH

LEWES

LEWES DISTRICT COUNCIL

NEWHAVEN

PEVENSEY CASTLE

RYE

SEAFORD

SEVEN SISTERS

SUSSEX

SUSSEX THINGS TO DO GUIDE

THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS

TRUGS

TWISSELLS MILL, OLD HEATHFIELD

UCKFIELD

WEALD

LINKS and REFERENCE

Drusillas in Pictures

BALPPA - The British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions Ltd

BIAZA - British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums

EAZA - European Association of Zoos and Aquaria

Howletts & Port Lympne

Marwell Zoo

Bristol Zoo Gardens

Paradise Wildlife Park

British Tarantula Society

Visit Eastbourne

Visit Brighton

Visit Sussex

Yesterday's World

Enjoy England

Southern FM

The Argus

Shaldon Wildlife Trust

Paradisii Software Solutions

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