We’ve had quite the busy summer, as it happens, which is why I’m writing about something that happened right at the beginning of August now, towards the end of September. We were invited to a round number birthday for a family member down in Oxfordshire, and so we decided to make use of the fact that we’d be heading through the Midlands to call off at Cadbury World.
This was my third visit to Cadbury World. I first went with my ex, Hari, back in the 2000s as she has family nearby in Worcestershire. My second visit was with Christine and our then two-year-old in 2018, in similar circumstances in that we needed to pass through the West Midlands on the way down to Portsmouth to go on holiday. So, this was our first visit in seven years, and the first one post-Covid.
What’s new
Since our last visit, a few things have changed. The history of the model village of Bournville has been refurbished, and made a core part of the attraction. Before, it felt like an optional extra that hadn’t seen much attention in recent years. The rides have been updated too, and there was a new bit where you could use liquid chocolate to make art. Another bit that I don’t remember from last time was where you could order personalised chocolate items and have them presented to you after a short wait. We ended up buying a personalised chocolate teapot as an additional birthday present.
The other good reason to go to Cadbury World is the factory shop, which has also been refurbished since our last visit and has a huge range. It’s not always the cheapest place to buy Cadbury chocolate (or other Mondelez brands) but they have plenty of stock.
If you’re planning to go to Cadbury World, I strongly recommend booking in advance. When we got there at about 11am, there were no more tickets to buy on the door. But not only that, it’s usually cheaper booking in advance. Cadbury World is run by Merlin, and so it’s often (but not always) included in some discount schemes. As I work in education, I was able to get a discount via Discounts for Teachers, and cashback on my Curve card; combined, we essentially got one of our three tickets for free. You can also get a 1/3 off if you travel by train.
Accessibility
Christine had a fall on the morning before we set off (don’t worry, she’s better now), and so we hired a wheelchair on arrival at Cadbury World. As such, I’m arguably in a better position to comment on accessibility than normal. Wheelchair access was pretty good on the whole; in the first part of the attraction, there are some ramped cobbled floors, but a powered chair shouldn’t have issues. Most of the videos in this section include British Sign Language interpretation too.
There is a car park on site, but there isn’t any electric car charging available there. There are some public chargers about a half mile walk away on the other side of the railway line. We ended up using a rapid charger at the Art Deco McDonald’s in Parsons Hill.
Bournville station is a short walk away, hence why there’s a discount for arriving by train. It’s painted in Cadbury’s purple, and it has step-free access. There are currently four trains per hour from Birmingham New Street. The 27 bus also passes by and runs half-hourly.