My tour of Hobbledown would have taken half as long were it not for the founders' childlike vim and enthusiasm.
Nick de Candole and Richard Farley got into the business of children's play after spotting a gap in the market when they had offspring of their own.
But, following an afternoon in their company, it's clear the popular children's adventure park in Epsom is as much their personal playground as it is a money-making venture.
The pair, who between them have four children aged 10-15, can't help but stop to fiddle with each attraction and check on every furry inhabitant - especially the newborn maras, which are like a cross between a rabbit and a giant guinea pig.
They invited me to Hobbledown to give me an idea of how Hobblers Heath, a similar attraction planned for Hounslow Heath Golf Centre, in Staines Road, Hounslow , might look.
Inspired by play park in Germany
Their plans for a similar children's adventure park and farm, a high ropes challenge and a pitch and putt golf course and driving range at the underused public golf club have proved controversial.
Critics, including the Campaign to Protect Rural England and members of the Green Party , are concerned about the loss of open space, which they claim is part of the Hounslow Heath Nature Reserve.
But Mr de Candole and Mr Farley, who together run Kidspace Adventure Holdings, insist the land has not been part of the nature reserve for years, having previously been used as a gravel pit and then for landfill.
Hounslow Council says the existing golf course is not part of Hounslow Heath, though it is green belt land and a section of it is a nature conservation area.
The old friends initially teamed up a decade ago to open the first of two indoor soft play centres they run.
They opened Hobbledown in July 2012 on the site of an old farm, following an eye-opening visit to a similar attraction in Germany.
Book based on mythical world has sold 10,000 copies
They fashioned the landscape into a mysterious world, supposedly inhabited by mythical hobbit-like creatures called the Hobblers, for children to explore.
Youngsters can hunt for 'crystallite' amid the water and sand in the mining village, for example, or navigate the underground tunnels and tree houses in the themed outdoor play areas.
It is all based around an accompanying book, featuring a map of the adventure park, so children can fully immerse themselves in the Hobblers' world.
The book has sold 10,000 copies and is taught in some schools, they say, and they have already devised the plot for a follow-up should Hobblers Heath be built.
All this is the antithesis of the 'boring' playgrounds which are too prevalent in this country, according to them, and fail to fully fire children's imagination and sense of adventure.
"Not like same old boring playgrounds in UK"
They talk with disdain of the traditional swing, roundabout and slides - the recreational equivalent of the stodgy meat and two veg.
"These days there's very little sports activity at schools, but a playground for a child is like a gym for adults," says Mr Farley.
"Elsewhere in Europe, play is an integral part of everyday life for children, and the playgrounds are much more interesting. In the UK you tend to get the same boring old playgrounds wherever you go.
"This is somewhere completely different, where children can really lose themselves in a magical world."
It's not just children who can lose themselves there, if these two are anything to go by.
As we make our way through the park, they stop off to say hello to all the animals, including rheas, alpacas and meerkats.
I'm also not sure whether the detour to Professor Topperpot's laboratory, where Mr de Candola gets distracted by a ball puzzle, is more for my benefit or theirs.
Hobbledown is a hugely popular venue for children's parties, hosting some 2,500 a year, and also stages events like bird of prey displays and a Holi-inspired festival.
Hobblers Heath, like Hobbledown, would feature mainly outdoor play areas, plus an indoor soft play area with a shop and cafe.
Bespoke wooden homes built by on-site carpenters and blacksmith
The adventure park has its own on-site carpenters and blacksmith, who build all the unique wooden play areas and animal shelters. Visitors can even watch them in action at the workshop.
One of the big concerns from critics of the Hounslow plans is the loss of some 120 trees, most of which would be felled to make way for the driving range.
But the owners say they plan to plant new trees in the adventure park and to make the most of the wooded environment, which is what drew them to the location in the first place.
"We want trees because without trees it's boring. We want it to be magical for the children, not a boring open landscape," says Mr de Candole.
The nearest homes are just over the fence at Hobbledown - even closer than they would be in Hounslow - and the owners insist they are aware of the need to be good neighbours.
They point out that they monitor noise at the perimeter, which is never allowed to exceed 50dB, and conditions prohibit mechanical rides or the use of outdoor tannoys.
Simon Bailey is chairman of Clarendon Park Residents Association, which represents householders living next door to the park.
He told getwestlondon some residents initially feared it would be the next Chessington World of Adventures but it was now an extremely popular attraction with people living in the area.
Noise monitored at park's boundary
He added that the owners were always very responsive on the rare occasions there were any issues, such as visitors parking in side streets.
Of course, the history of the Hobbledown site is different to that of the proposed park on the borders of Hounslow and Feltham.
That is currently a golf course which is popular with dog walkers, though Hounslow Council, which owns the land, has agreed to grant Kidspace a 125-year lease subject to planning permission being granted.
The underused 18 hole golf course is currently running at a loss, costing the council around £120,000 a year, which is why bids were invited for the site.
The Kidspace owners say they expect to pay the cash-strapped council around £120,000-£160,000 a year in rent.
They say there would be a public right of way across part of the pitch and putt course to the public heathland on the other side, but the adventure park itself would be fenced off.
They insist that although walkers currently use the golf course, they are only meant to do so to access the heathland to the east.
However, some neighbours say they have been told by the golf club's management in the past that they are currently free to roam provided they do not interfere with play.
"Having lived in Hounslow for three years, I know it quite well and there's not really that much there for children to do at the moment. I think this would be welcomed by most families in the area," says Mr Farley.
"We think it's affordable for most families"
He also says prices at Hobbledown compare well with other children's attractions, with day tickets costing around £12.50 per child in the peak summer period, and children's annual passes starting at £6 a month.
Families are welcome to bring their own food and drink, and once inside all activities are free.
"We have to make money but we don't want it to be too commercial, and we think it's affordable for most families," says Mr Farley.
They are expecting around 480,000 visitors a year in total for the golf course, adventure park and high ropes in Hounslow.
They say the public transport links are much better than at Hobbledown, and they aim to get 30% of customers coming by public transport.
They say the busiest periods will be weekends and school holidays, when there is typically less traffic in the area anyway.
Hobblers Heath would have up to 350 hard surface car parking spaces and 250 overflow spaces on grass.
There were originally plans for a surfing lake across the road but they were dropped largely due to technological issues.
Ecological surveys carried out
The Hobbledown owners say a number of wildlife surveys have been carried out and any creatures living on the driving range site would be moved elsewhere.
The golf course and driving range would be managed by Maple Leaf and there would be low-level lighting rather than flood lights so bats are not affected.
They also say the site's history means there is low-level contamination and topsoil may be needed in some places but there would be no danger to people using the land.
As for the impact on other nearby attractions - including Hounslow Urban Farm, the owners of which have raised concerns - they say they could actually drive up visitor numbers.
"I don't see any reason we can't both be successful. Brocketts Farm says it has seen visitor numbers increase since we opened. I'm sure we could work together with Hounslow Urban Farm by running joint marketing and putting reciprocal links on our websites," said Mr de Candole.
Critics say when Thorpe Park first opened it had no mechanical rides, and they fear Hobblers Heath could go the same way, especially if the lease is sold.
But the Hobbledown owners insist they have no plans to go anywhere and would happily agree to a condition preventing the lease from being sold.
"We've no intention of selling on the lease. We want to create something a little bit special which we can be proud to pass down to our children," said Mr de Candole.
Later this week you can read about our visit to Hounslow Heath Golf Course with campaigners opposed to the Hobblers Heath plans.
For more information about proposals for Hobblers Heath in Hounslow, visit www.hobblersheath.com .
