My 11 month old nephew Harry* is almost drowning in the ball pit, but, desperate as ever to make friends with any and everyone, he fights his way through, arms open wide, towards an unknown three year old girl who happens to be passing through. She regards this approach with a look of sheer terror, something that my grinning nephew completely fails to register, and begins preparations to defend herself; as Harry gets within striking distance she swats an arm and clobbers him around the head before clambering away to safety. Poor Harry looks bemused but maintains his smile, as though not quite sure if the manoeuvre was a success or not, then instantly forgets the whole episode when his mum swoops in to give him a hug instead.

These things happen to the very young, but at the toddler’s paradise of Coral Cove in Devizes there is plenty to help them get over it. For the inexplicably small price of a single pound per person, children are allowed free run of this huge soft play area, spread over three levels with slides, ropes, ball pits and just about everything else I ever dreamed of when I was under 10.

I joined Harry and his mum (my brother’s wife) on a Wednesday morning in the middle of the summer holidays and it was busy enough to enjoy the atmosphere without being overcrowded. Our use was restricted to a small part of what they offer due to his being so young but he still had plenty to keep him occupied.

We took our shoes off, leaving them and our other excess baggage at the seating area supplied for the adults who chose not to get involved in the action. Carrying him into the play area, Harry instantly became very excited and loved climbing on the soft toys, while we were happy to let him relatively ‘off the lead’ (figuratively, my nephew isn’t actually kept on a lead) as there was so much cushioning everywhere that even if he fell there was no chance of him hurting himself.

A couple of runs down the slide later, he was ready for the ball pit. This could either be entered by a hole in the surrounding netting or, the option we chose, down another small slide. His face as he crashed into the balls seemed to suggest that this was without any shadow of a doubt the single greatest thing ever invented and just too much fun to cope with. He threw a few around in his excitement before, fatefully, the above mentioned older girl flew down the slide and caught his eye.

It transpired that she was the granddaughter of David, a man I play cricket with. After watching the childrens’ tete-a-tete with the amusement that adults invariably find in these things, David took the girls away to the more advanced part of the play area, leaving us to the balls and Harry to cast the odd furtive glance towards the older children, betraying a hint of jealousy at the extra fun they could have that was beyond his reach.

After about an hour it was time leave. Having put shoes on I heard my name being called from somewhere on the middle level. ‘You can’t leave me here like this!’ David yelled down to me, an expression of pleading desperation writ across his face through netting. From the looks of things he was being swamped by a swirling mass of about 15 highly excitable four year olds. I could offer him little, though, bar some fairly insincere apologies and with them we made a break for the exit. He survived, and on seeing him a few days later he confessed to me that, despite the ordeal, it had been a fantastic way to entertain the children for a morning, to which I could only agree. For anyone needing something to occupy under 10s in Devizes, Coral Cove can’t be recommended highly enough.

*My nephew isn’t really called Harry, I changed that for internet reasons.