It was time to indulge in some lighthearted fun at this quirky and rather magical little York attraction as we bring you our The Hole in the Wand York review.

After visiting The Shop That Has No Name I was hoping for something a little better than corporate shell of licensed goodies so stepping into The Hole in the Wand was rather refreshing.
We were invited to the Blackpool Hole in the Wand the second it opened and throughly enjoyed the experience but the one based in York is the original attraction and now after doing them both, it’s certainly the best. Further proving the point that new isn’t always better!
Pricing for The Hole in the Wand York is £6.99 for a child, £8.29 per Adult, a Premium Ticket which includes jelly beans / alcohol for adults which is priced at £8.99 per Child and £10.29 Adult and last but not least a VIP Ticket · £15.99 Per Player. The VIP ticket includes a potion pack for £10 and a guidebook.

These prices were a little more expensive than that of the Blackpool attraction but given the location, it makes sense. Blackpool’s Hole in the Wand is £6.99 per adult and includes the free potion which is valued at £1.99 in the Blackpool shop whereas in York the same potions are priced at £3.29.
When it comes to value for money both are equally fantastic as when factoring in the cost of the potion at both locations you’re paying £4-5 for 9 holes of themed golf which is superb.
When taking on the various themed holes at the attraction The Hole in the Wand is definitely theming over practicality with many holes being some of the worst designed crazy golf holes I’ve ever seen. There’s holes that the ball can’t physically sink into so it pops out all the time, there’s surfaces that are so slippy the ball consistently just keeps rolling and never stops unless it’s stuck on a side somewhere and plenty more ridiculously designed holes.

If you’re coming to The Hole in the Wand for a proper game of crazy golf you’ve come to the wrong place. The balls are placed into various cups and theming pieces and pop out in the most random places and it’s just a bit all over the place in that regard.
You come to The Hole in the Wand for the theming and immersion into the magical world of Harry Potter and it does just that. The hole theming is done by the same theming company that does Merlin attractions such as Alton Towers. It certainly looks the part and each hole feels like stepping into a new Harry Potter scene.
A personal favourite of mine is the last hole which is themed to perfection and even a greenhouse section packed full of plants and shrubbery.

When you enter the attraction there are two holes downstairs in the shop reception. I thought these were a little lazy and just kind of dumped there but apart from those two the rest of the course upstairs is brilliant.
I love the green screen to grab your cheesy wizard photos and I love the feel of the building. Getting your potion at the end and having a little cosy sitting area to enjoy it is rather great. There’s a little shop where you can buy potions (non alcoholic) and poisons (alcoholic) in addition to quills and more magical attire.
 
The Hole in the Wand York has definitely set the bar for this franchise of attraction and whilst the Blackpool version is cheaper it certainly isn’t better. It feels more open planned and more thought has gone into the design of each hole here whereas the Blackpool attraction has many holes that blend into the same scenes rather than standing out individually.
It’s certainly worth the extra few pounds out of the two but both attractions are very very good at what they do, both have solid theming and are priced wonderfully. You can’t go wrong adding this to your must visit attractions list when you’re next in York.
I’d prefer quirky and unique attractions themed around a franchise than licensed tat any day of the week! 
Find out more about The Hole in the Wand York by visiting
https://www.theholeinwand.com/book-mini-wizard-golf-in-york