Maize Mazes at Reaseheath College, Nantwich, Cheshire

Reaseheath College have been since staging themed maize mazes since the 1999, Pirate Galleon maze.  The early mazes were the first in Cheshire to be designed by Adrian Fisher, a world renowned maze expert.  Since 2002 the mazes have been designed by Reaseheath staff.

There are two mazes covering a total area of about 10 acres (4 hectares), about the size of 5 football pitches.  The large maze (with paths of 2½ miles!) incorporates two bridges to create a three-dimensional maze.  One of the bridges acts as the Victory Bridge, a quick exit having successfully solved the maze.

The smaller maze (with paths of just under a mile) is suitable for younger children, visitors with mobility issues or simply those with less time available.

In addition to solving the maze by finding the ‘goal’ each maze incorporates characters and quizzes to add to the enjoyment.  There are even sound effects, particularly effective for dinosaur and jungle mazes!

An entrance area also provides fun and educational activities for all the family.

The 2010 maze – Adventure in the Zoo!

The 2010 theme, The Zoo, coincides with the opening of Reaseheath Zoo, based at the Animal Management Centre at Reaseheath College.  Visitors have the opportunity to visit the maze, the zoo, or combine the two for a really good day out.  A visit to the maze provides a wonderful opportunity full of fun and mystery for all the family.

In the maze you will find many of the representations of many of the animals, reptiles etc that are in the Reaseheath Zoo, as well as many more familiar zoo inhabitants such as lions and tigers!

You will encounter them as you find your way round the maze. Some will be easy to find, others will entail exploring the maze in greater detail. There are quizzes to solve, both educational and entertaining.  Get a reward as you leave!

The entrance area includes the shop where you can buy refreshments and souvenirs.  There will be a picnic area and a number of other activities to entertain everyone.  Face painting, colouring, educational displays. 

Opening Times

Daily between from Saturday 17th July until Monday 6th September 2010

The maze is open from 11.00am until 6.00pm. Visitors are not normally admitted after 4.30pm to allow sufficient time for them to visit the maze before closing time.

Group evening visits may be arranged on request (apply for details and prices)

NB. The Zoo Opening Dates are different to the Maze.  The Reaseheath Zoo is open daily from Saturday 31 July until Monday 30 August.  Opening times of the zoo are the same as the maze i.e. from 11.00am until 6.00pm. Visitors are not normally admitted after 4.30pm to allow sufficient time for them to visit the zoo before closing time.

Admission Prices – Maze or Reaseheath Zoo only

• Adults - £5.00      

• Child (under 16) & Senior Citizens - £4.00

• Children under 3 - Free

• Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) - £15

• Admission Prices – Maze and Reaseheath Zoo (combined ticket)

• Adults - £9.00      

• Child (under 16) & Senior Citizens - £7.00

• Children under 3 - Free

• Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) - £25

NB. Please note that credit/debit card facilities are not available at all.  Payment by cash or cheque only.

Schools, Corporate Events, Parties

School visits

School visits should provide a fun learning experience for children.  Educational displays show the production cycle of maize and its uses. Visits can be arranged to other parts of the farm to fit in with the requirements of individual groups.

Contact us for more information on how we can provide a fun and educational visit to the maze.

Corporate Events

The maze can provide staff development requirements such as team building, organisational skills, problem solving.  It can just act as a fun day out for staff and their families!

Reaseheath College has a wide range of conference and catering facilities that may be used in conjunction with a visit to the maze.

Contact us to discuss your requirements and we'll take it from there!

Parties

Birthday party, other celebration!  Why not have a party with a difference?  Daytime or evening.  Minimum number of 10 visitors.

Contact us to discuss how we can make it a party to remember!

Facilities

Free car parking is available adjacent to the entrance area and maze.

The entrance cabin has a selection of refreshments for sale, including drinks, ice cream and snacks.  There are also a wide variety of souvenirs.

The entrance area has a picnic area and a variety of quizzes and activities to occupy visitors before or after their visit to the mazes.  There is a marquee to provide shelter during wet weather as well as housing other activities such as the educational displays and picture colouring.

Toilets are available next to the entrance area.

Preparation for the visit

The maze is an outdoor attraction in a crop of maize (sweetcorn) on a farm.  You may be in the maze 2 hours or more. Make sure that you wear suitable footware (wellingtons/boots in wet weather) and clothing. It may rain!

Limited refreshments are available for sale at the maze, but you may like to bring a picnic to enjoy in the entrance area.

A mobile phone may be useful if you wish to contact the maze staff.

Rules of the Maze & Safety

It is our intention to get you lost in the mazes!  However, you will be given a map to help you navigate your way through the maze if you decide to use it. Reference points in the form of numbered dustbins help you to locate your position!

You will also be given a flag to wave in cases of emergency. A member of the maze staff will be on the Victory Bridge to look out for you.  You will also be provided with a mobile phone number ‘just in case’.

For the safety and enjoyment of all visitors, please adhere to the following simple rules and safety messages:

• KEEP TO THE PATHS - maize is a fragile crop and is easily damaged, hence do not take short cuts - use the map to help you solve the maze.  People taking short cuts cause damage

• DO NOT DROP LITTER - in October, the maize will be harvested and fed to livestock.  Litter in their food could cause serious health problems.  There are dustbins provided in the maze

• TAKE A DRINK WITH YOU - you could be in the maze for some time, particularly if you try to solve all the clues.  Ensure that you have a drink with you, especially on hot days.  Drinks are available for purchase at the maze ticket office

• TAKE CARE ON THE PATH - you will be walking on soil in an arable field. Although the paths have been raked, they may not be level. Also, after rain they may be slippy.  Do not run!

• TAKE CARE ON THE BRIDGES – we have ensure that the bridges are safe.  However, care is still needed as the steps are quite steep. Do not climb on the rails.  Take extra care during wet weather.

• SUPERVISE CHILDREN - ensure that children follow the rules to ensure the enjoyment of others.  Try not to lose them (!) as they may panic when lost in a tall crop.  Children under 14 must be supervised by an adult.

Past themes

• 1999    Pirates Maze               

• 2000    Castles in the Air Maze       

• 2001    Wild West Maze           

• 2002    Jungle Maze               

• 2003    Space Maze 

• 2004    Dinosaur Maze

• 2005    Sea Creatures Maze

• 2006    Escape from the Zoo Maze

• 2007    Return of the Dinosaurs Maze

• 2008    Fun on the Farm Maze

• 2009 - Witches and Wizards            

Creation of the maize maze

As the maize crop is an annual crop that is harvested in late summer to provide silage to feed to the dairy cows, the maze is created afresh each year, using a different themed design.

The design of the maze is created on computer.  The design is superimposed on a grid similar to graph paper, with each of the squares representing an area of six rows of the maize crop in each direction (4.5 meters).

The maize crop is drilled in late April. In conventional crops, the maize is drilled in rows 75 cm apart in one direction, but for the creation of the maze the crop is drilled in two directions at right angles to each other to create a grid in the field.

In late May, when the crop is about 150 mm tall, the field in marked out with canes numbered with the gird reference points. The paths of the maze are marked with a spray can.  The paths are then created by pulling the maize plants out by hand, a process that takes two people a week! The bridges are then assembled before the crop grows too high!

The maize crop grows very rapidly and by the end of June it is a metre high! By the opening of the maze at the start of the school summer holidays it will be up to the shoulders of an adult and well over the heads of young children!

In early July the maze team creates the characters for the maze, designs the quizzes and ensures that everything is safe and in place for the first visitors.

After the maze closes in early September, all the characters and other items are removed from the maze, leaving just the bridges in place. It is very important to check that the maze is cleared properly so that harvesting goes smoothly, with no risk to the harvesting machinery or to the livestock that subsequently feed on the crop.