Forget everything you thought you knew about soft play – hordes of screaming, noisy kids, a faint odour and a cruddy coffee. Well, Clara’s Corner is a soft play area that thankfully ticks none of those boxes. In fact, it’s a bit of a revelation.

Nestled within the beautiful West Wycombe estate, Clara’s Corner is in a prime – and very pretty – location a stone’s throw from the Walled Garden Café (meaning coffee is readily available – and a good one at that) and with a 200 space car park free to visitors, it has everything you need for a stress-free morning/afternoon of entertaining the gang.

Inside, the space is light, bright and airy with soft music playing to create a peaceful environment, but without compromising on the fun – there’s plenty of climbing, tunnelling, sliding and building to be done. This, paired with the strictly low numbers and specific age groups (0-7 year olds), means children can enjoy making their way round the colourful course at their own pace. And on that – it’s a beauty. Sustainable materials have been used where possible to create cool tunnels and bridges perfect for little explorers. There’s gorgeous murals decorating the walls with characters the children will love engaging with – I know from experience that Arthur the tractor has quite the fan base already.

Outside is a similar vibe – a soft, natural wood chip floor and plenty of seating for exhausted parents to take a load off while the kids run off some steam in the adventure playground with its swings, slides, tunnels and climbing frames. We challenge you to find a playground with better views.

After a satisfying sesh in soft play, it’s over to the Walled Garden Café where colourful and fresh dishes are the order of the day – think colourful salad bowls plus elevated comfort food options like venison brioche buns, toasties or freshly baked choc fudge cake if it’s been that kinda day. For kids there’s a sandwich/crisps and juice deal or options like sausage roll or simple finger food (makes ours a cheesy leek muffin). There’s also – praise be! – healthy hot kids food options including organic squash mac and cheese and very weaning-friendly sweet potato dhal. It’s the kind of wholesome stuff you’ll gladly polish off if they get distracted by the playground larks.

So, you’re naturally thinking, does Clara’s Corner do parties? And the good news is, yes! There’s a couple of different packages on offer depending on the size of the party, which include a choice of food options, all served in the pretty, wisteria draped outdoor heated terrace. Clara’s Corner then takes care of invitations, decorations and additional entertainment – as if the soft play wasn’t enough! Also keep an eye on its social feeds for cute little events like biscuit decorating, painting, and craft pop-ups.

And once playtime’s over, the clever Clara’s Corner lot have bottled that all-natural joy in the form of Clara’s Corner Organics; a gentle, considered range of skincare and bath products to soothe and nourish delicate young skin. The anti-inflammatory formulas are free from harsh foaming agents and synthetic fragrances and rich in naturally hydrating ingredients like shea butter, calendula and rosehip. Meanwhile, the likes of aromatherapeutic chamomile and lavender help to create calming bedtime rituals, lulling littlies to sleep (and possibly you too). In line with the Clara’s Corner ethos, all packaging is fully biodegradable – it can be composted at home. Genius all round.

Can’t believe we’re saying this but it seems that both soft play and bath time can be both a serene and happy experience for you and the kids – amen to that.