I visited a dinosaur trail at Crawley’s Tilgate Park and came face-to-face with 39 life-sized creatures

It’s probably the most magical cinematic experience I have ever had and to this day and it’s why I really fell in love with film. I regularly quote Dr Ian Malcolm or Robert Muldoon in everyday life.

So when I heard Dinosaurs in the Park was coming to Tilgate Park, my excitement was harder to contain than a Velociraptor.

But with any excitement comes a fear of being let down. Were the organisers of Dinosaurs in the Park so pre-occupied with whether it could be done, did they stop to think it should be done?

I went along to find out.

When I entered the experience, my only disappointment was John Williams’ incredible score was not playing on speakers – but don’t worry I was humming it my head so all was ok.

After getting my stamp on the entry gate I was welcomed with a Shunosaurus and a cacophony of dinosaur noises. I then go to do my best Sam Neill (Dr Alan Grant) impression (see video above) as a I turned to see the imposing Brachiosaurus. It really felt a like a proper Jurassic Park moment.

But every where you turned on the trail, there was something to see and hear. The harsh screeches of a raptor or a Stegosauraus munching on some plants, it was all there.

In terms of visitors, it was relatively quiet while I was going round but to hear the joy of children who were there seeing life-size dinosaurs for the first time was amazing.

The dinosaurs are genuinely quite impressive, the arms, jaws, tails and even eyelids all move to give some kind of realism. I am sure the Carnotaurus’ eyes followed me at one point.

But it’s the sounds as you walk round that make it so atmospheric, especially when you walk down a path completely covered by trees.

And when you leave the trail, there is still plenty more to do. There are educational exhibits, fun fair rides, a dino dentist, crazy golf and much more to keep the whole family entertained.

Dinosaurs in the Park is an immersive, family-friendly outdoor experience and if your looking for something to keep you entertained during half-term, it’s the perfect day out, specially with the lake and the walled garden at Tilgate Park.

You can walk among giants like the T. rex, Velociraptor, and Triceratops while enjoying hands-on activities and fossil digging zones. It really is for everyone, especially Jurassic Park obsessives like myself

Dinosaurs in the Park is open everyday from today until 1st June. They then close Monday 2nd, Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th, before opening again on Thursday 5th June through to final day, Sunday 8th June.

Kids under 3 are free with ticket holding adults and its 20% off tickets after 3pm everyday

For tickets and more information, visit www.dinosaursinthepark.co.uk