There’s plenty to see and do at York Maze, which offers a corn-packed programme of over 20 family-friendly activities – although there’s more than enough going on to keep any visitor happy, Your Local Link was here to corn-centrate on the latest offerings unveiled this summer: the immersive, Egyptian-themed Pharaoh’s Cornquest experience, and the spectacular Toy Story 30th-anniversary Tribute Maze!
Upon arrival, we were welcomed by our guide and cornpanion David, Maze mascots Kernel and Sweetie, and Farmer Tom Pearcy himself. Farmer Tom kindly gave us the lowdown on how he uses CGI and GPS to cut out more than 5km of pathways into the 15-acre Maze (believed to be the biggest in Europe, and one of the largest in the whole world), as well as an insight into his enduring battle with those pesky crows!
To get started, we took our chances with the mind-bending optical illusions in the House Of Cornfusion, including a lopsided gravity room and a shrinking corridor. Suitably cornfounded by the illusions, we corntinued over to Pharaoh’s Cornquest, in which we were tasked with assisting explorer Dr Cornelius Cobb in locating five Golden Corns, amongst a winding and wondrous Ancient Egyptian trail featuring snakes, scarabs, sphinxes, and authentic monuments to the Pharoahs.
Once we’d found all five Golden Corns (no spoilers – you’ll have to find them for yourselves!), we made our way over to view the Giant Maze from above, which covers an area the size of 8 Wembley pitches! We were excited to see ENORMOUS versions of our favourite Toy Story characters (Woody, Buzz, Rex, and Mr Potato Head) cut out in the maize, up to a whopping 150m tall. It’s been 30 years since Toy Story was released, and we’d wholeheartedly recommend that fans check out this spectacular site to mark the occasion!
After catching up with Woody and Buzz, we traversed the site to try the many activities on offer, including the Crowmania tractor ride, the dinosaur-themed Jurassic Maize, the Volcorno climb, the bouncing Popcorn pillow, the Corn Snake Tower slides, the Cornflower Fortune Maze, and the Cobstacle Course. We also chowed down on some snacks at the Fodder Barn, which included corndogs, loaded popcorn, and corn on the cob.
Finally, we had time for a browse in The Ivy Store, which has been newly refurbished from a picturesque dairy building; there are plenty of corn-related gifts and goodies on offer, including a wide range of toys and beautiful garden ornaments.
Your Local Link had a lovely day out, and we can’t wait to bring our friends and family down to take on Pharaoh’s Cornquest, tackle some a-maizing challenges, and catch Woody and the gang in the corn…
Corn-gratulations, York Maze – Yorkies are in for a treat this summer!
The Toy Story Maze is open for visitors to explore from 12th July -1st September. Visit www.yorkmaze.co.uk today for bookings and further details.
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