Family Travel

The perfect family holiday

What's your perfect family holiday?

What’s your idea of the perfect family holiday? Have you done it yet, or does it still sit tantalisingly on the horizon, waiting for the perfect time, the right age, the correct bank balance?! I wrote about my dream holiday on Space In Your Case recently – a trip to that little piece of heaven that are the Maldives. And it was indeed a dream come true. Adventurers at heart, we had worried that we might be bored on a luxury island, but our water villa, surrounded by baby sharks, and a glorious array of food and hospitality could never …

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Ox Pasture Hall hotel review

On a cold, blustery wet weekend in November, we travelled to Scarborough. The north-eastern coastline might not seem like the best place for a wet winter weekend, but we weren’t there to sun ourselves on the beach. We were there to review Ox Pasture Hall Hotel, and whilst it’s a place beautiful enough for a summer’s weekend, the winter weather totally does it justice! Still beautiful, despite the season, as we made our way through the garden to the small reception, we knew we were in for a cosy retreat, and we weren’t disappointed. The children very quickly laid claim …

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Budget hotel luxury with Premier Inn

Premier Inn budget hotels: a good night guaranteed

Premier Inn Harrogate is pink! Can we really afford a weekend away? Staying away from home is expensive, and when you factor in a couple of kids the price often makes the whole adventure financially too stressful to bother with. Especially if you need more than one night to make the trip worthwhile. We travel a lot as a family; it’s part of our way of making memories that last for all of us, and of making the most of our children, before they decide their parents are too dull to spend time with! And whilst we love a luxury …

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Blackpool Illuminasia light show

Blackpool Illuminasia - Terracotta Warriors in the Mysteries of China Zone

We visited Blackpool for a family weekend away whilst the Blackpool Illuminations were on. Every year, from the end of August, until early November, Blackpool’s seafront plays host to the most incredible light attraction you will see in the UK. I loved it as a teenager, and I loved it again when I took my family 3o years later, and it has really left me in the Christmas spirit. Blackpool Illuminasia But if the 3 mile stretch of Blackpool’s illuminations aren’t enough for you, you can extend the pleasure of colourful light installations with a visit to Illuminasia, the world’s …

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Starstruck at Madame Tussauds Blackpool

Madame Tussauds Blackpool One Direction

The stars at Madame Tussauds Blackpool. On our recent trip to Blackpool we paid a visit to Madame Tussauds. We’d heard that someone rather famous, and very very important was going to be there, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet them… 😉 We’ve visited Tussauds in London previously, and whilst it is undoubtedly a spectacular day trip, it is massively busy, which can be a bit stressful with young children. Madame Tussauds Blackpool was refreshing though; all the wow of the same stars, without such a big crowd. We did still have to queue up to see …

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Blackpool for families at the Cliffs Hotel

Family at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

 Blackpool is also for families! It was the biggest thrill of my life. I honestly thought I’d left my stomach at the top of the ride, and I sat, shellshocked, waiting to be let out of my harness. I couldn’t do it again. I was 14, scared senseless, and in love with rollercoasters. I rode them all, then consumed a hot-dog, an ice-cream, and a candy floss, and wondered why they made me feel sick. But I still had room for a stick of rock as I waited for my donkey-ride on the beach, and I begged for a clear …

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Why You Should Plan a Weekend in L’Estartit on the Costa Brava

Visiting L'Estartit during the Medes Islands Pirates and Corsairs festival

When you think of a weekend break, it usually involves the car. If you do decide to venture further afield, maybe the Eurostar. You don’t generally think of getting on a flight to Spain. Especially with the kids. But you should. Oh, you really, really should. Here’s how we managed a family weekend in L’Estartit, on the Costa Brava.   How to make the most of a weekend in L’Estartit A few weeks ago I picked up the kids from school on a Friday afternoon, and headed down to Gatwick. Less than 2 hours after take-off, our Vueling flight touched …

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Simple but delicious: food on the Costa Brava

Catalan food - Surf and Turf Paella

Mummy, I’m on fire! And he was – kind of. As part of our weekend break on the Costa Brava we took a drive out to the gorgeously secluded La Vinyeta for a spectacularly different kind of dinner. As we pulled into the privately-owned vineyard, the sun was setting over the vines, and the distinctive smell of a wine cellar wafted over to us. Olives and grapes mingled in the fields, and we paused to squeeze and inhale the aroma of the fruits as we wandered down to the kitchens.   Catalan food to please the whole family. The wonderful chef Jordi …

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How I survived Brownie Camp

I accompanied my daughter to Brownie Camp last weekend. What was I thinking?! Quite aside from the eye-rolling and quite tangible disgust that her mother was in her space on a residential trip, my daughter knew that I would be tired for days afterwards. Nine-year-olds are not well-known for going to sleep early. Or lie-ins. They are notorious for wanting to eat cake and to keep the fun going as long as possible. And who could blame them? An opportunity to run in the woods, away from the usual rules of home, homework, and music practice. A chance to quite literally swing …

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The bickering ends. Occasionally…

I yelled at my children this summer. I yelled so hard I thought my head would burst, and I made them cry. I was ashamed of myself almost instantly. But the bickering had become incessant. It felt like all I ever said was “Walk away. Just ignore. Move away. Stop.” And I it just continued. I felt invisible. My children just couldn’t seem to help themselves for picking at each other, poking, pointing, grumbling, criticising. But then we took a holiday. And on our return I found these pictures in my camera: Hanging out in the empty fountain at Lisieux, in Northern …

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Ideas for a day out in London with kids: Freaky Rivet

Ideas for a day out in London with kids

I’ve seen a number of posts recently from parents worrying that their children are getting too much screen time during the long school holiday. Personally I’m comfortable with an hour or so of TV or gaming – kids need to switch off and mine are definitely happier for a bit of down time. But too much will turn them feral, and so once my official work hour is over, I’m all about getting them active, or using their imaginations, in a fun way. Getting kids active in the holidays. This year we’re working with an organisation called Freaky Rivet, to …

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A family day out at Kew Gardens

Climbing trees is obligatory at Kew Gardens

Our friends I once had a conversation about family with my mother-in-law. She is a lady who sets great importance in family. To her, family takes precedence over everything. I get it – my own mum (and goodness gracious my Dad!) would have been the same, if I’d let them get a word in edgeways. And yet, I argued with her; I think that as generations have moved forward, as children have flown the nest further afield than they once would, there is a new kind of reliance on friends. Where once, mine and my husband’s mothers would have almost …

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The practicalities of driving an electric car

Go Ultra Low with a Renault Zoe electric car

Over the last 5 weeks we’ve been road-testing an electric car. You know, those cars that you’ve seen on the news occasionally, read a bit about  and wondered, but always thought were a bit of a non-starter? Yeah, me too. But we agreed to take temporary ownership of a 100% electric Renault Zoë to really understand the deal. And do you know what? We were massively surprised by how much we liked it! Here’s what we learned: Driving an electric car – the fun bit. The first thing that freaked me out about an electric car was how quiet it …

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The day they stayed off school: Somerset Yurts review

Camping is cosy at Somerset Yurts

Last Monday I did something I’d never done before. Just as all the children were lining up for registration, I called the school: Erm, the kids won’t be in school today… No, no they’re not ill, it’s just that, erm, well, you see, we’ve been away for the weekend, and, well, we haven’t come home yet… Somerset Yurts – it’s camping kids, but not as we know it! We’d arrived late Friday evening at Somerset Yurts, after the usual rush-hour chaos, and it was raining. Now, we’re reasonably seasoned campers, but no-one likes unpacking camping gear in the rain. Which …

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A great family break (Sands Resort hotel Cornwall review).

  By GG… It’s a long way to Cornwall from where we live. It is, in fact, far enough to exhaust the battery capability of one iPad, one Samsung tablet, two DS consoles, an iPod, an old iPhone 4 that has seen better days but still has the Sims app on it, and half of my Mum’s smartphone. A break for eating Quavers (one of those giant grab bags you get from the service station, not just the ususal flimsy little pack that wouldn’t feed a flea) barely distracts for a moment, before the “are we nearly there yet?” chant begins again. And …

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Expressions #14: Extreme thrills on the Flowrider!

The happiest girl in the world on the Flowrider!

 Thrilled. Just look at that happy face. She’s a thrillseeker, my daughter. She does have a safety gene that kicks in occasionally, but if an instructor tells her what to do and says it will probably be fine, she is first in line to give it a go. I love that about her. Actually Daddy works on the Marketing team at Thorpe Park, and had been considering installing a Flowrider continuous surfing wave at the park, so he booked us all in to check it out. Immediately we arrived, I knew that myself and the Bug would be sitting it out with a …

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Chilling out on Fistral Beach

Surfing on Fistral Beach

I love this photo. I know so many things about it that quite simply aren’t visible to everyone else. That my daughter, who loved pink, and once selected outfits on the basis of how twirly they were, now prefers blue. That blue, especially this periwinkle shade, is so totally her  colour. It’s the colour of her eyes when she was a newborn – indigo eyes, black hair, hard to believe now. You can’t see it in this picture, but this colour brings back the flecks of that baby in her eyes and I remember… Or that this messy hair isn’t …

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Badly behaved…

Rudeness and bad behaviour just isn't necessary

Recently we visited a restaurant on our holidays. It was about 7pm, and after a long drive, we were looking for some great pub food, as recommended by our hotel. As we walked through the bar area en route to the restaurant, we got a glare from the barman. Odd, but not unusual – sometimes pubs don’t allow children in the bar, and that’s fine. But what happened next left us speechless. “Oh, we can’t have children in the restaurant. Or the bar. We do have this table in the lobby, but unfortunately it’s taken at the moment.” The Rising …

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Great British Holidays: 5 reasons to visit Lynton and Lynmouth

Lynton and Lynmouth is an ideal base for exploring Exmoor

The rumble of the cattle grid beneath the wheels announced our arrival on Exmoor, and immediately the landscape changed. Trees gave way to vast green plains, peppered with gorse and sprays of heather. Here and there a paint splash of pink as rhododendrons grow wild, making an easy home, tipping the hat of irony at my futile attempts to cultivate them in my own garden. A smile rushed onto my face and took up permanent residence for the next two days. 5 Reasons to visit Lynton and Lynmouth Wildlife Immediately there were sheep, suicidal as they wandered the roads, peering …

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A new family adventure has begun…

Earlier this year we went skiing for the first time as a family. Each of us had different expectations of our trip, but none of us knew how it would pan out. You see, although all of us had experienced skiing before, this time was going to be different; this time we were a family of four. From my ‘headlong into the thrills’ approach, to Mummy’s nervous ‘will I have to carry 3 pairs of skis and a wailing child’ trepidation, we ran the gauntlet of ‘what-if’s’ for weeks before our arrival on the slopes. Would Daddy be frustrated with …

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