Days Out

Erddig’s Apple Festival began with a simple ambition to rescue and preserve old apple varieties and mark National Apple Day which is 21 October. Before visiting Erddig this weekend I had no idea that there were so many varieties of apple and that 180 apple varieties are grown at Erddig itself! What …

During our trip to Surf Snowdonia we took some time away from the surf lagoon to explore more of the area of adventure in Snowdonia, which  includes the largest zip zone in the world, with over 8km of zip lines set among the Llechwedd slate quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniog, Llechwedd Slate …

During the summer holidays, I visited the Forbidden Corner in the Yorkshire Dales with a friend. Between us we have five children between the ages of 6 and 10. My friend and her children had been before and were really excited about taking us, as they claimed it was a …

In preparation for my youngest boy turning four I made the ‘error’ of asking, a couple of months ago, whether he would like to visit Diggerland for his fourth birthday. The error being that I asked too far in advance, and I was badgered for two months with “are we …

During the summer holidays, my friend and I took our children (five between us, aged between six and 10), to Beamish open air museum. I last went to Beamish some 30 years ago on a school residential trip and remember loving it (although possibly more to do with the fact …

One of the family events of the summer last year that was truly memorable was the Just So Festival at Rode Hall in Cheshire. When the opportunity to go again this year came about we jumped at the chance. The festival organisers kept the format similar to previous years but …

Knebworth House has been in the news recently, it’s been 20 years since the historic Oasis gigs and I was lucky enough to be there… ironically I unwittingly returned pretty much 20 years to the day with my family for a very different experience! We arrived for opening time at …

The Shrewsbury Flower Show is a very well known annual event in Shropshire and yet, an event that having lived in Shropshire for 30 years, I have never attended.  At the recent Shrewsbury Food Festival, I started chatting to a gentleman on the Shrewsbury Flower Show stand (attracted by their rather …

Ever thought of taking your baby up a mountain? This guest post author did! Scarfell Pike is England’s highest mountain standing at 3209 ft high (978m), located in the beautiful Lake District National Park. We decided to take our little boy Fenn who is 9 months old, up his first …

Tattershall Farm Park is less than 2 miles away from Tattershall Lakes and so it was an obvious choice when we were staying there for a week. When I contacted the farm park and said we would like to come to review their response was yes we would love you …

On a recent holiday to Somerset, we decided we couldn’t end the week without a ‘beach day’.  After a little local research (asking a local parent!) we found out that although Lyme Regis was an excellent beach to visit,  we would be better off heading a little further away and …

Forde Abbey Historic House and Gardens is a little gem of a find nestled in the heart of Somerset. On a recent family holiday we were staying down the road and needed a morning out with our two early risers while the rest of the family (mainly involving teenagers!) slept… …

This week we were tourists in our home town. Until recently I travelled into Liverpool most days but until this week I hadn’t been over much since Christmas.  Whilst it really is only half an hour away we don’t get in there as much as we could with the girls, …

When our friends moved to Essex, initially, it wasn’t a problem.  But as the years have progressed and children have come along, the thought of making the 4 hour journey from Shropshire to Essex has become less appealing (especially in the heat) and so we needed a solution. We needed …

When we were invited to visit the National Forest Adventure Farm the first thing I did was check out the website. Living only 45 mins away we had somehow missed out on it’s existence, however, when I questioned other parents their response was ‘Oh yes, it’s great!’. How had we …

After a cold and wet start to the summer, the sun had finally made an appearance. All I wanted to do was take my girls to the park and watch them run around in the fresh air. However, we were spending the afternoon at the Ministry of Sound. Not my …

Last weekend we spent a fantastic afternoon at Lowther Castle near Penrith.  We were blessed with fabulous weather but a place that can keep 6 kids ranging from 4-10, 6 adults and a dog happy is definitely worthy of a visit whatever the weather. The website describes Lowther Castle as  “A sight …

Like many children, my pair are animal mad! Going for a walk anywhere, we have to stop and ask every dog owner the key question: ‘Can I stroke your dog please?’ and one of the first words my little boy said was ‘dog’! When I was asked to visit The …

Today we have just spent a fabulous day at Speke Hall in Liverpool at the first day of the #GameOn weekend.  It helped that it was a beautiful day but if you are looking for something to do with the kids this weekend, just take a look at the fabulous …

If you’re wondering what to do on a rainy day in the Summer holidays (or afterwards if you have pre-schoolers) then a day at The Lowry in Manchester would be a great idea. We spent a lovely day there watching the Gruffalo’s Child, eating lunch in Pier Eight Restaurant and …

We’ve been regular summer visitors at Brimstage Maze for a few years now and every year it changes. They add something. Take something away.  Change it so it all works a little better (hopefully anyway). The maze itself is still a key attraction but for many not the main focus. …

My daughter chose to go Strawberry picking as her good behaviour treat this week, all well & good but our local Pick Your Own is no longer open & the closest ones have run out of strawberries! However as her little brother had broken out in chicken pox this week and …

It is Beatrix Potter Fortnight at Speke Hall from 26 July – 7 August 2016 and they are celebrating the fact that one of the National Trust’s most beloved figures would have been 150 this year! Her work and her characters have become national treasures, inspiring children everywhere and sparking imagination in the …

If you say the name Roald Dahl to most people of my generation, those swiftly moving towards the big 40, we fondly remember our childhood growing up reading the ‘Twits’, ‘Georges Marvellous Medicine’ and of course ‘Matilda’. But the love of Roald Dahl’s book is more widely spread than my …