We recently visited Longleat Safari and Adventure Park in Wiltshire. Its really well signed from the M4 and in the local area.
Longleat can be very expensive so its worth booking online to get it cheaper and looking out for offers. In the past we have used Tesco Clubcard vouchers to get in and this time we used the boys Blue Peter badges, but however you decide to pay for it you are guaranteed a full day worth of fun. The all in one ticket is the best value as you can visit every single part of the estate using it with no extra charges. As you enter the estate you pass by Longleat House which is one of the most impressive Elizabethan houses in England. It had a massive Lion sculpture in front of it when we visited which the boys were very impressed by. You follow signs for the Safari Adventure and this takes you up to what is called the African Village. Here you park up and explore the first part of the safari park on foot. First you come to an area you can walk through with free roaming lemurs, there is also a walk through area with wallabies. There are lots of shops and cafes in this area and an aerial walkway. There is also the giraffe and zebra viewing area. This includes a pier that you can walk along and you can feed the Giraffes from here, which we did and it was a great experience !! They have incredibly strong tongues and you really have to hold on tight !! After you have seen everything in the African village, you then go back to your car to start the Drive Thru Safari. When you enter Longleat they give you a free CD to listen to in the car as you go through the Drive-thru area of the park giving you information about all the animals that you see. The drive through part of the park takes you past lions, rhinos, cheetahs, tigers, wolves, flamingos, camels, vultures, and various other animals including the infamous Longleat monkeys. There is an option to avoid this area if you wish as they are well known for taking parts off peoples vehicles. We were very lucky but we saw them taking parking sensors and rubber trim off of other peoples cars. There is also an enclosure with deer which you can hand feed. Once you have finished the drive thru part of the safari you come to the main car park where you park up and then head for the Jungle Kingdom. In this area you have walk through areas with monkeys, lorikeets, meerkats, skunks etc and you can see various other animals such as otters, porcupines, anteaters, coatis etc. Behind this area is Stingray Bay which includes a walk through with penguins and a stingray touch pool. Close by is the Batcave, which as you walk through it has free flying bats that fly around your head and you can see really close up. There are lots of other farm and domestic animals in this area such as rabbit, chickens and guinea pigs and they often have parrot shows at various times during the day. There is also a green house with free flying butterflies which you pass through which gets you to the hands-on centre where you can hold snakes and spiders etc. This brings you out into the main store. Whilst you are at this end of the park the gardens are worth a visit and the house too if you are interested. There is a jungle cruise which is a boat which takes you along the lake to Gorilla Island where you can see a silverback and some lowland gorillas. You get a full commentary and in the lake itself you also have two hippos and a group of sea lions that you have the options to feed. I did it and I'd highly recommend it. The boys weren't so keen as you had to feed them sardines and they didn't like the smell of it !! One of the things that impresses me about Longleat is just how close you can get to so many of the animals and there are so many feeding and walk through areas that its a really hands on experience. In the adventure park there are lots of shops, cafes and restaurants and there are small ride on type activities for the children. This leads you towards the adventure playground fort which is a massive structure and has slides, scramble nets, roundabouts, trampolines, climbing frames etc. They also have an indoor soft play area and a splash park which are worth checking out.There is also a small railway which is worth a ride for younger visitors. There is also a Deadly 60 attraction which is like a challenge where you have to answer questions and do different physical challenges to get to the end. I would recommend this for children aged about 4 and up rather than toddlers but it was very good. Longleat also has a world famous maze. It is very challenging but one of the better mazes we have done. Longleat is a full day out and needs that time in order to see all that it has to offer and we would highly recommend it to all ages. Bowood is a country estate in Wiltshire close to the town of Devizes. It is really well signed and has tons of free parking.
This was our third visit having visited twice in previous years and it was just as much fun, this time round. Bowood is home to one of the best adventure playgrounds in the UK. It was recently ranked third I believe. It has a full scale pirate ship, aerial walkways, scramble nets, near vertical slides, a trampoline, zip wires, boat swings, a sandpit, and a sheer "death slide" amongst other things. There is loads in the playground to cater for all ages and so much equipment that even on a very busy day it doesn't get too crowded. There is also lots of seating in this area so its perfect for a picnic. Close by there is also a soft play tent for children up to ten set over two levels with various obstacles, a slide and a ball pool. The estate also boasts a "Tractor Ted" themed play area with pedal go karts, a tractor you can play on and a barn with farm animals in it such as horses, pigs, sheep, guinea pigs, chicks, goats etc. Also on the estate is Bowood House which is worth popping into, as it has amongst its collections, Napoleons death mask, Queen Victoria's wedding chair and the room where Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen. The boys highlight however was a taxidermied rug of a lion which they found fascinating. I just felt sorry for it !! In front of the house are the formal gardens which are lovely and beyond that there is over 100 acres of parkland to enjoy including a lake and boat house and various follies. The playground is the main reason that we have returned to Bowood and I cannot recommend it highly enough.Each time we have visited we have been at Bowood for the entire day. On site there are a couple of cafes, gift shops and a resturant too. We recently visited Devizes which is a lovely market town in Wiltshire.
First of all we headed to the Wiltshire Museum which is in the town centre. Its free for children and if you have English Heritage membership you can get in for half price.There is plenty of town centre parking but the museum itself does not have its own car park. There had museum trail booklets that the children could do going round and when completed they got rewarded with a sticker. As you enter there is an exhibition area about the Romans with mosiacs, Roman artifacts and dressing up things which the boys enjoyed. From there you go through to an exhibition all about the stone age, which Wiltshire kind of specializes in. The museum is really hands on so you could look through microscopes,, put together pieces of pottery, make Stonehenge out of foam blocks etc in this area. They also had gold items from the time of Stonehenge which had recently been found. The museum covers various time periods from Victorian schooling to the English civil war, the Bronze age, prehistoric, etc and has some reconstructed huts and a "Barrow" which children can go inside. The boys dug for fossils, made flour, did brass rubbings, dressed up, coloured, drew and generally had fun doing all the different interactive things on offer. The museum is not that big so an hour or so would probably be long enough to see it all. They have a small shop on site as you exit which had various things themed around the Stone age. From here we headed to the nearby Hillworth Park on Queens Road which has had a recent £20 million pounds investment in it. It was great for all ages with the park split into a play area and equipment for the under tens, tennis and basketball courts, a play area for older children including a climbing wall and zip wire etc, and an outdoor gym area for all to use. It also had a reflection pond, cafe and aviary with cockatiels, budgies, love birds etc in it and lovely gardens. The park is free and has adequate free parking spaces. Finally we visited the Caen Hill Locks which are just outside of Devizes. You follow the Bath road following signs for Rowde. The Caen Hill Locks are a flight of 29 locks that rise 237 feet in under 2 miles and are worth a visit if you are in the area. There is a car park on site which is owned by British Waterways and you can get a ticket from the Cafe located at the top of the flight of locks. The cafe sells really nice ice cream which was a real hit with the boys and it was a lovely area for a walk. Due to the sheer number of locks many of the narrow boat owners appreciate a helping hand to open and close the lock gates and were very accepting of the boys helping them. There are lots of side ponds with various waterfowl in them and there are lots of signs telling you about the wildlife that can be seen in the area. Devizes turned out to be a lovely town that easily kept the boys amused for the day and I'm sure there are other places to visit in the town that are also worth seeing. Last week we went to visit The Living Rainforest which is located near to Newbury and is well signed from there and also from the M4. It has plenty of free onsite parking.
We got a family ticket which they upgraded to an annual pass for free which entitles us to unlimited return visits for one year. The Living Rainforest is a series of joined glasshouses which are home to over 700 species of tropical plants and animals. There are free flying butterflies and birds and you can often spot a lizard walking along the path in front of you. There were signs telling you to watch your step as there were little chicks wandering around ! They had a really good variety of animals and the boys favourite was the armadillo. There were also lots of insects, tropical birds, snakes, lizards, monkeys, turtles, fish and other creatures. The staff were great and at various points during the day they do talks about the different creatures. We watched a talk about Boa constrictors which was really interesting and engaging. The site is not that massive so an hour or so would be enough for a visit. There is a play area for younger children at the side of the building which was fun and there is a small cafe area too. The shop was really good and had a lot of handmade products that originated from countries that have rainforests in them which were really unique. Our most recent visit was to Cliveden which is a National Trust property close to Maidenhead. Its well signed off of the M40 Junction 3. It has loads of parking spaces plus plenty of overflow parking for very busy days.
Cliveden is a perfect place for all the family as there is a real mix of things to see. When you park up there is a converted stable yard with a small room,where you can watch a video about the history of Cliveden House. Nearby here is a National Trust shop and a refreshment stand. From here you enter the gardens. As you go into the gardens, on your left you will come across the Cliveden Maze. Its a fabulous hedged maze that is quite challenging. Davids tip to everyone we came across was to find the middle always turn left unless you can't and then you should turn right . It seemed to work as we made our way to the centre and out again really quickly today. Opposite the maze you will see the Japanese inspired garden with a small lake which at its centre has a Pagoda and you go across stepping stones to reach it. This is a really lovely area and often you can see herons and geese around the lake. There are a variety of different paths with stepping stones that you can take and the boys made us try all of them ! This leads you towards the Story Book play area, so named as in the play area you have characters from popular children's story books, like Kaa from The Jungle Book, Winnie The Poo, Peter Pan and Captain Hook. There are slides, a see saw, a play house and a variety of things to climb and balance on. I would say its aimed at children about 2 to 8 years old as David is starting to find it a bit too young for him now. There is a small refreshments hut here where you can get hot drinks and ice creams etc and plenty of picnic benches to sit on. From here we headed back towards the main entrance and this time followed signs for the house. Firstly you come across the "Love" fountain which is stunning and marks the end of the long drive towards the house. Cliveden is a large stately home that has now been turned into a very exclusive and expensive hotel and it is common to see some very expensive looking cars parked up in front of it. It has a beautifully ornate clock tower to the side of it and lovely gardens as you approach it. Going round to the left hand side of the house brings you to the back terrace where you get a stunning view of the parterre and the surrounding landscape. This is currently being painstakingly restored and it was interesting to watch how they are restoring the building. We walked the length of the Parterre and took in the view of the River Thames from the Chapel. Cliveden is an absolutely huge estate and has many different areas. I would highly recommend the long garden, as its stunning with topiary figures, statues etc and is usually planted up in a stunning display. There are many other areas to explore including, woodlands, a rose garden, the Canadian War Cemetery and other surprises hidden in the many acres that make up the estate. Cliveden takes a minimum of 2 hours to see but I would recommend a whole day trip to be able to appreciate it fully. Today we visited Woburn Abbey Gardens in Bedfordshire. It is well signed off of the A5.
Woburn village itself is a lovely place to have a walk around and it also boasts a fantastic safari park which we didn't visit this time round but have been to before and is also well worth a visit. As you turn into the entrance for Woburn Abbey Gardens, you pay at a toll booth that you drive up to and then there is a 2 mile drive to the house and gardens through the deer park which is lovely and you can usually see many different breeds of deer very easily. You eventually come to the car park and enter by foot through a small gift shop. Also in this area is a cafe and a small area where plants are sold. As you enter the gardens themselves there is a large pond with Koi Carp in it and filled with lily pads. This faces the Chinese Dairy. There is a very Chinese inspired feel to the gardens overall with a fantastic maze which at its centre has a small Chinese style structure and there is a Chinese Grotto too. The gardens have lots of different areas to explore from a small kitchen garden to ponds, a sculpture gallery, tropical green house, an aviary, a grotto filled with shells and many other surprises. The Abbey itself is also very interesting and has a whole room of Canaletto's famous paintings of Venice. It occurred to me that I hadn't done a blog post about Stockwood Park. We are lucky enough to live just minutes from it and I know many of you have visited it before but for those that haven't let me tell you a little more.
Stockwood Park is located on the edge of Luton very close to the M1 at Junction 10 and is very well signed. The park itself has an 18 hole golf course with a driving range, an athletics track, a rugby club, acres of land to run around in and the Stockwood Discovery Centre. It also has lots of free car parks so there is always somewhere to park. The Discovery Centre is completely free to enter and has any different areas. As you enter on your left is the Mossman Collection. Mr Mossman was a local man who in his lifetime collected lots of horse drawn carriages and similar items many of which have been used in films ranging from Carry On to Ben Hur. The museum is quite hands on and there is plenty to see. At the end of this area is a temporary exhibition space which changes its displays throughout the year. At the moment it has a modern art exhibition called "Podules", which features sculptures made from recycled materials that are fully immersive. You can climb into them and experience different lights, sounds and smells. Over the summer holidays this will be changing to a Lego exhibition about castles and knights. They had one last year about transport and had a 10 foot long model of Titanic amongst other things so I expect this years will be just as good. Their website has further details of the dates and other important information.. There is a cafe in the centre of the park with indoor and outdoor seating, which is located next to one of the play areas which is designed for younger children with slides, things to climb on etc. This leads you onto a play area for older children with climbing equipment, slides, and things to balance on. There is also a bee gallery in this area with hands on things for children to explore. Leading on from here is a fruit and vegetable garden whose produce is used in the cafe, there is also a fernery in one of the greenhouses along here and a sensory garden. This leads you to the formal gardens which are lovely and to an area called "dig for victory" which has vegtables growing in it and chickens. If you follow this it takes you down to the galleries and a tractor that children can sit on. The galleries have information and displays about the former Stockwood House, local geology including a video about cretacous fossils which they have many of on display, British wildlife, farming equipment, Roman Britain, archaeology and various other things. There is also a Chinese garden and a large outdoor area with stepping stones that you can jump on and run around. Wimpole Hall is a National Trust property just off the A505 near to Royston and is well signed off of the main road.
As you drive up towards it there are fields of sheep which when we visited were full of ewes and their lambs (apparently 330 lambs in total). There is parking near to the entrance which if you are not a National Trust member is £2 for the whole day. Once you have parked up you head towards the stable block where you can get your tickets. Also here is a gift shop, plant shop, book shop, toy shop and cafe. At weekends and holidays there is a tractor ride which takes you to the farm part of the site and is free with your entrance fee. If you are visiting at any other time their is a pleasant 10 min walk through the woods to the farm instead and I'd recommend that as there are lots of things to look at on the way. You smell and hear the farm before you get to it and the first area you get to is the piggery. We arrived just as they were about to be fed and the sound of squealing was amazingly loud. The staff were very good with the children and encouraged them to get involved in feeding the pigs and told us what breed they were etc. There are various different activities that take part during the day and there are boards with the times of these displayed throughout the farm. We stayed to watch one of the dairy cows being milked and the man doing the talk was very engaging. You then head into the main courtyard of the farm area where there are barns with horses, donkeys, bulls, rabbits and chicks to see, a tractor to sit on , buckets to milk and in one of the barns upstairs there is a model of a combine harvester explaining how it works and you can make the parts move. Heading out of here you come to the orchards where there is a restaurant/cafe and a play area for younger children with see saws, ride on tractors etc then there are hay bales arranged like a mini maze type things which the boys loved jumping between. If you head out of the farm and back to the main path, follow signs for the adventure playground which is a lovely little play area in the woods with various different things to climb, balance on and swing from. As you head back to the main entrance you can visit the walled gardens to see various vegetables and fruits being grown and there was a lot of lovely blossom when we visited. This path will also take you towards the hall itself and the Dutch parterre. You can go round the house on a self guided visit. It was once owned by the author Rudyard Kiplings daughter and they have a first addition of his novel The Jungle Book signed to his daughter on display. They have a family trail worksheet for children to complete as they walk round too. Recently we visited Legoland Windsor. Its well signed off of the M4 and throughout Windsor.
Legoland can be very expensive so its worth looking out for 2 for 1 deals or you can use Tesco Clubcard points to exchange for tickets and its definitely a cheaper way of visiting. When you arrive you need to pay for your parking at one of the ticket booths which is currently £5 and they give you a pass to show when you exit at the end of the day. Here they will give you a park map. The park opens at 10am officially most of the year round but you can enter and walk round from 9.30am. Its worth arriving early especially at busy times of the year like weekends and school holidays. I would advise starting from the area furthest away from the entrance and working your way back as this is where most of the popular rides are and if you go early in the day the queues are not too bad. We started with the Legoland Driving School where the boys earned their own Lego driving licenses and then headed for Atlantis which I would highly recommend as it has a submarine ride where you can see real sharks, rays and fish swimming past you and when you exit the ride there is a small aquarium area with a touch pool where you can get your fingers cleaned by a shrimp !!!! There are rides for all ages from those for thrillseekers to those that are much more sedate. The boys would recommend the log flume which they made us go on in excess of 5 times in a row but you will get soaked. If you are going any time other than a very hot day where you would dry out I'd recommend taking waterproof coats or a cheap poncho (I was told they sell them in poundland) as you get very wet on some of the rides but they are all good fun. If you get fed up of queuing there are loads of play areas, a pirate themed show to watch, Miniland which is like a model village all made of Lego of course and various other quieter areas to explore like the Duplo splash park, a 4D Film, X Box gaming zone and various areas where you can build Lego models. These never get particuarly busy so can be a good escape from the busyness of the park. The Star Wars Lego area comes highly recommend from both boys and is a walk through area so no need to queue here either. Legoland is a lot of fun but very expensive so I'd recommend taking a picnic to keep costs down as its expensive to eat on site. There are lockers you can use rather than carrying stuff all round the park and the staff are all very helpful and friendly. Worth a visit for any Lego fan ! This afternoon we went to Dunstable Downs which is just outside the town of Dunstable and is well signed. It is a chalk downland and part of the Chiltern hills, which gives spectacular views for miles. It is the highest point in Bedfordshire and It overlooks Dunstable Gliding Club. When there is good weather you can see many gliders flying over head and today there were plenty of kite flyers and picnickers. It is an ideal spot for both. It is a site looked after by the National Trust and there is plenty of parking on site.
If you have never been before the visitors centre is a good place to start your visit. It has a cafe/resturant, and a shop including a small second hand book section. They have various leaflets with details of different walks you can do in the area. There is also a kiosk outside selling refreshments and ice cream if you want to sit outside or have a dog with you etc. From the overflow car park there is a straight path leading down towards the woods. If you follow this it will bring you to the Chute Wood play area which is a natural play area for children with various things to climb on, balance on and explore and there is a lovely little nature trail walk you can do through the woods. Ideal on a hot day to get some shade ! Our latest adventure was to the "Jump Arena" in Luton, which is an indoor trampoline park located in the Galaxy Centre. There is a similar place in Milton Keynes and a new one being built in Stevenage too.
Jump Arena boasts over 50 interconnected trampolines including ones on the walls ! It also has a dodge ball area and basketball area, foam pits you can jump in, balance beams you can battle on and a giant air bag you can jump on to. There is no lower or upper age limit on the trampolines so grown ups can join in too. When you arrive you have to watch a short safety video showing you the do's and don'ts of trampolining and afterwards you go into a locker room area, where you put on your grip socks which are provided by Jump Arena (the lockers are £1 each, if you need to use them). The staff were extremely friendly and really engaged with the boys, and obviously genuinely really like children. At all times the children were fully supervised by the staff. They showed them various different ways of using the equipment, entertained them and encouraged different groups of children to do things together. I cannot praise them highly enough on their helpfulness. For those not bouncing there is a cafe upstairs with a balcony from which you can see the entire site, so you can sit back and relax whilst keeping an eye on the kids. Jump Arena is fully air conditioned too so the children don't overheat too much. For more details about Jump Arena check out their website at www.jumparena.co.uk. In a small town called Tring in Hertfordshire is a branch of the Natural History Museum set up by the Rothschild family. Its fairly easy to find and close to the town centre and has its own car park and a new overflow car park. The museum is free to enter.
Inside there are various cabinets filled with all kinds of birds, fish, corals, mammals, insects and other creatures all of which were collected by the Rothschilds. It is interesting to see the true size of the animals and one of the most striking is the polar bear you come face to face with when you first enter. There are four floors of exhibits including a small room telling you more about the man whose collection made the museum possible. At the moment there is also an exhibition about Antarctica which is open till the end of August I believe and again is completely free. Nearby, and accessible through the overflow car park (following signs) is Tring Park which has free roaming cows and sheep and a woodland area with follies, obelisks etc and is well worth a walk around on a sunny day. We went to visit the London Aquarium which is located in County Hall next to the London Eye.
As you enter the aquarium, you cross over a glass floor with sharks swimming underneath you, and that sets the scene for what you are going to experience here. There is a brilliant variety of sea creatures from leafy sea dragons up to sand tiger sharks (James's favourite). All the tanks are set at different levels and visible for even the youngest viewers. There is a touch pool where you can feel star fish, and various interactive displays and information boards telling you all about the creatures you are seeing. The boys enjoyed the walk through tank which had a clear tunnel where you could watch rays, bonnet head sharks and other fish swim over you. There is also a new interactive experience which makes it appear that an orca is splashing about in front of you and a polar bear and cub walk in front of you too. This was a hit with the kids especially as when you walked along the floor ice appeared to crack under your feet. In this area there was also a hurricane simulator capsule which was great fun. The Aquarium is well located next to many other attractions and is very easy to find. After our visit we headed to Jubilee gardens which is in front of the London Eye. It was a good spot for a picnic, has a good play area for the children and had lots of musicians and street entertainers in the area adding some atmosphere. We then took a ride on the London Eye. Its the second time the boys have been on it, the last being when they were a lot younger. Before you board you go into the visitors centre where you watch a short 4d film (about 5 minutes long), about the eye where you feel rain on you, snow falls on you and the floor vibrates etc. It was a fun way to get the boys enthused about going on the eye and whilst we were waiting to watch it there was a short video about the construction of the eye. We then boarded the London Eye. We had fast track tickets and if you are visiting at the weekend or any other busy time I'd highly recommend getting them, as the queues can be massive and we waited about 2 mins in total so was worth it. The "flight" on the London Eye lasts about 25 mins for a full rotation and your pod is air conditioned and has interactive terminals that can tell you what you are looking at if you are unsure. It goes without saying that the views were great !! We had a lovely visit to see bluebells at Ringshall which is part of the Ashridge estate on the road between Ivinghoe Beacon and Ashridge in Hertfordshire.
There are many places around the Ashridge estate where you can see bluebells, but the best area is Ringshall as there are far more here and they are protected better. Just opposite the entrance gate is a free parking area and most of the paths are wide and flat so they would probably be suitable for pushchairs etc. The bluebells themselves of course are beautiful and the paths lead you around the site, taking in views of the neighbouring fields in which there were lots of lambs and very noisy sheep to see. The whole site would not take longer than about 30 - 40 minutes to go round so its not massive but well worth a visit. Recently we went to visit Jordan's Mill. It is the home of Jordan's Cereal and the Ryvita company. Its located near Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, and is well signed from the A1.
We did a self guided tour which cost us £1.65 per adult and children under 16 are free. There was an option for a guided tour which I think was about £5. First we headed through the shop and restaurant area to the original mill itself. It was really interesting as you could see the water wheel spinning and see all the various cogs, pulleys and machinery turning. On each floor there was information explaining what the various machines do and how the wheat is sifted and sorted. On the top floor was a video showing this process. Behind the main mill itself is an education centre which had hands on activities for the children. For example, areas where you could try and grind your own flour, information about the Jordan family, models of various types of bread and what the inside of a husk of wheat looks like etc. There was also information about bee keeping. We headed from there out to the Mill gardens. These gardens are really nicely set out and have planted in them various types of vegetables, grains, fruits and herbs. From there we crossed a bridge to the meadows which is the summer have a lovely display of wildflowers. There are balance beams and a woodland area to explore and you can see bee hives close up and watch the bees coming in and out of them. This was a really lovely place to visit and its not massive so I'd say you could comfortably see it all in about 1 and a half hours. Today we visited Knebworth House which is just off of the A1M near Stevenage. Its really well signed and easy to find. Knebworth tends to open mainly on the weekends, bank holidays and school holidays, so if you are planning a visit check their website for up to date opening times. I would highly recommend Knebworth for all ages. It is very family friendly and there is easily enough to do to fill a whole day.
It has a variety of different areas of garden, from formal styles to woodland areas and even a maze with a gorilla in the middle. There are various sculptures and wood carvings to look at on your walk too. The gardens lead you to one of the things that makes Knebworth special. A forest full of Prehistoric creatures and dinosaurs. There are fibreglass models of over 20 different dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures like mammoths and sabre tooth tigers. Each one has an information board with facts about them and at the end of the trail there is a sound board which has a handle you turn to listen to the sounds of some of the dinos. If you are feeling artistic there is a chalk board you can use to draw a dino and a brass rubbing area for dino rubbings too. We then explored the house which you have to do on a guided tour which lasts approx one hour. It was good and interesting but a little bit long winded for the kids so i'd probably recommend it for slightly older kids and adults.The house itself was great for the kids to look at as it is decorated with loads of turrets and gargoyles etc. As you leave this area there is a good little shop which mainly stocks dinosaur themed items and a small restaurant. You then drive down towards the exit which leads you to the adventure playground. There is loads to do here for all ages of children, from bouncy castles to water play, swings, climbing frames, a wooden play fort and the highlight - slides. And not just any old slldes but a long astroslide, a corkscrew slide and a freefall slide. The kids , David in particular loved the freefall slide and went on it in excess of 20 times. He also made me go on it 6 times. It was terrifying but in a good way !! I Would recommend giving it at least one go. A good family fun day out. Today we visited Ascott House, which is a National Trust property located in a village called Wing, between Leighton Buzzard and Aylesbury.
The house itself is owned by the Rothschild family and we've popped into it a couple of times, but the main attraction for us is the gardens. Ascott is known for its display of daffodils in the spring, which is well worth seeing but it also has many different areas of gardens all of which are different in styles.There are woodland walks, formal gardens, open areas, fountains, and even a topiary sundial. The boys particularly like the man made mini hills for running and rolling down and there are lots of trees to climb but no designated play area as such. However due to the variety of areas there are it keeps their interest anyway. If you intend visiting Ascott I'd recommend checking the National Trusts website for opening hours as they can vary and often it is open in the afternoon only rather than all day. Recently we visited London to see Tower Bridge which David had been asking to see for ages and fitted in a visit to nearby HMS Belfast whilst we were there.
We used the underground to get to the Tower Hill tube station, which brings you out just to the back of the Tower of London. On your way to the bridge you also pass part of a Roman wall and a statue of Julius Caesar. We used some Tesco's "Days Out" vouchers to visit the bridge but there are also deals available online and if you've travelled to London by train you can get a 2 for 1 offer. We went on whats called, "The Tower Bridge Experience" which takes you up through one of the towers in which there is a small exhibition about the construction of the bridge and about its designer. This then brings you out onto one of the viewing walkways, high up above the road. Here you will find information about different styles of bridges and pictures of famous bridges from around the world. There are loads of information boards with details of what you can see, wildlife that lives in the Thames , facts about the bridge etc etc. In the centre of the walkway there is a glass section over which you can walk (if you really don't want to it is possible to get round it.) It gives you a birds eye view of vehicles passing over the bridge under your feet. If the bridge is not lifting on the day you visit then there is an app that you can use to make it look as if the bridge is lifting up towards you, which a member of staff kindly showed the boys. Both of the walkways had the same features and you then exited down the tower via some images of other famous London landmarks. Following a blue stripe painted on the walkway of the bridge you are led to the engine rooms which explain more about how the bridge works and was powered by steam. There is a short video showing the bridge lifting and a small souvenir shop. If you are planning a visit to the Bridge I would highly recommend checking its website which gives you more information plus the dates and times that the Bridge will be lifting if you'd like to see it in action. www.towerbridge.org.uk From here we walked down towards HMS Belfast which gave us a really good view of the Shard and we passed the Mayor of London's offices and a sculpture the boys called "The Bean". HMS Belfast is no more than a 3 or 4 min walk from the bridge. Again we used Tesco's "Days Out" vouchers to enter HMS Belfast and I believe they also offer a 2 for 1 for English Heritage members and those with a rail ticket. HMS Belfast played a pivotal role in the D-Day landings and in other conflicts. You can visit all areas of the ship from the kitchens, sleeping quarters, chapel, dentists, to the control deck and the weapons deck. It also offers some great views of Tower Bridge.There are interactive displays about the ships various roles and the staff were very good with the kids. It also has its own small shop and cafe area. Due to it being a war ship its not that accessible and there are a lot of ladders and narrow walkways so I would not recommend taking a pram etc. Overall, a good value and fun day out. One of our favourite local places to visit is Wrest Park in Silsoe, which is between Luton and Bedford on the A6.
It is an English Heritage property which comprises a mansion, large gardens, a play area, cafe and shop. Everything is included with your entry price and I'd recommend you allow at least 2 hours for a visit to fully explore the grounds. The Mansion has rooms on the ground floor open to view and a few interactive things for children to look at but the main attraction for our boys is the gardens! There are formal gardens close to the house and a tropical greenhouse to the side of it. Then as you go further away from the house there are various statues, and buildings dotted throughout the landscape, most noticeably the Pavilion at the end of the lake. There are always fish in the lake, ducks and at least one pair of swans. There are so many different areas of the gardens to explore and they are really varied, from ruined follies and orangeries to a Chinese bridge ! The staff at Wrest Park are very welcoming to children, and if you visit on a weekend or school holiday they often have children's trails and activities on. We've done archeology workshops, been to a St Georges day festival complete with George battling a dragon and "Wrest At War" with vehicles and re-enactments and all of them have been great. For more information on their various events I'd recommend checking English Heritages website. There is a wooden children's play area as you enter the grounds, which has a climbing frame in the shape of the Pavilion, a zip wire, swings and various other things for older children and an area for younger visitors too. Last month we visited the National Space Centre in Leicester. This was actually the third time we've been and hopefully the following will explain why.
The Space Centre is really well signed off of the M1 and from Luton took us about 1 hour. Its easy to find and has its own car park. The car park is a pay and display and costs I think about £3 or £4 for the day. We used Tesco Clubcard Days Out vouchers to pay for our entrance, but failing that booking online is slightly cheaper than the entrance price. For your entrance fee you get access to the whole of the Space Centre and a timed ticket for a planetarium show. Your ticket is then automatically upgraded to an annual pass, which allows you free entry as many times as you like for a year from the day you bought it. I cannot recommend this place more highly. It is the most hands on, child friendly, educational place we have ever taken the boys. Everything is interactive and there is such a variety of different things to do and it is suitable for all different ages. I would guess the youngest age for getting the most out of it would be about 3 and no upper age as Les and I enjoyed it a lot too. The Planetarium show is really good. We've seen a couple now as they vary them each day. Its a large comfortable theatre, and the screen is humongous which almost gives it a 3D feel. They explain a really difficult concept in such a child friendly way, that both boys at ages 6 and 8 were able to explain to us, all about which molecules various materials are made from and how evolution works etc. Pretty full on concepts for such young minds ! Every angle of space exploration is covered and when we went there was lots of information about Tim Peake, who is a big supporter of the centre. You can experience space sickness, control a replica of the Mars Rover and much more. For children over a certain height there is a free simulator ride. Sadly, on both occasions James has not been quite tall enough to go on it but Les and David have done it twice now and it comes highly recommended. There are models of and lots of information about all of the planets and you can even morph your face into an Alien or present the weather if you wish ! The Rocket tower is very good and explains about the moon landings and has lots of hands on activities. The Centre is quite big and to see everything I would guess you would need a minimum of 2 hours. Every time we've been its taken us most of the day ! In January we visited St Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital. Its located in a village called Haddenham close to Aylesbury. It was signed well from the village itself. The main hospital itself has no regular public access as they are busy caring for the animals but there is a visitors centre and a shop which are open daily to the public. The staff couldn't have been more helpful when we arrived and were so attentive to the children. One member of staff went and got a hedgehog for the boys to look at and spoke to them about it for over half an hour, recommended websites and videos for the boys to look at to find out more about the animals and gave them a St Tiggywinkles magazine to read. There is a small museum area which had skeletons of various British animals and a Plesiosaur fossil on the ground floor along with viewing windows into the hospital where you can see some of the animals in recovery. We saw a mouse, hedgehogs, a crow and a duck. Upstairs is an area dedicated to hedgehog memoribillia. It did come across as a bit eccentric in style but the boys seemed to like it ! Outside there are various pens for different creatures who are either recovering or cannot be released back into the wild because of thier injuries. There were crows and seagulls, ducks and geese, foxes, badgers, tortoises, red kites, rabbits, otters, and of course the hedgehogs and various other small animals. There is also a small picnic area with toddler play equipment and a hut all about Red Kites. There is enough to see to keep the children busy for a couple of hours but its not a massive site. They have Easter and summer holiday activities and advised us that the animals are at their most active and visible in the Spring. Rushmere Park is located near the village of Heath and Reach, close to Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire.
Its signed well from the A5 but when you get to a T-junction in the village itself its a bit of a guessing game which way to turn. Head for the main high street and the signs return ! The park is free to visit but there is a £2 parking charge which you pay on exit. When you arrive at the main car park there is a visitors centre, which has a cafe and toilet facilities, welly washing station and maps of the various walks you can take. If you head to the back of the visitors centre there is a balcony overlooking one of the lakes where a Heronry is located and there are usually a few pairs of breeding herons to be seen. Just outside the visitors centre there is an enclosed area for children under 5 with wooden and natural play equipment. Just to the side of this area is a play area for older children which consists of a basket swing and a very big slide. There is a grassed clearing opposite which is ideal for picnics, football or whatever else you fancy. We headed off on one of the recommended walks and there was a lot to keep the kids interested. There were interesting wood carvings, fairy doors, giant chairs and books, balance beams, wobbly bridges and various other things to spot and explore along the way. The park has a variety of areas from heathland to lakes, to forest and wildflower meadows. All the routes are well signed and easy to follow using the free map. So I thought maybe I should start by telling you about some of the things we've been up to so far in 2016.
A friend and former colleague of mine commented recently on a Facebook post that I should start a blog. I hadn't really ever considered it before but I'm all for trying new things so here it goes.
Those who know me know that as a family we enjoy visiting lots of different types of places and providing our two sons with lots of opportunities to try and learn new things. My Facebook page is regularly filled with pictures of things we've done and places we've visited. Friends have asked me for recommendations for places to visit and feedback on what they were like so I guess the blog will be a bit about that and also things that we get up to with our kids for those that are interested. |
About Me.I'm Ruth. A mum to two boys and a believer of learning through experiencing. Archives
October 2016
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