Christmas Eve Chaos - not

Christmas Eve... every family that I know have their own Christmas Eve traditions.  Ours normally consist of a meal in the evening at a local pub and then home to open new PJ's, a Christmas film, a Christmas story and a Hot Chocolate before bed.  This year was no different. these still happened, but we also wanted a Christmas Eve day time activity that would keep Titch busy and get us out of the house.

Being National Trust Members we decide to see if any where had any activities and luckily we found a place that had a Christmas trail on. The weather was chilly but dry so we thought why not.

So we wrapped up warm and set off to Quarry Bank to hunt for the Bells.  

We were surprised by how beautiful the place was.  The Mill was not open but we got chance to look in the house and then explore the gardens hunting for bells.  Apparently no one had found them all yet today, so this was a challenge that Titch accepted , but unfortunately did not achieve- we found 8/9.  

As it was Christmas Eve we also treated ourselves to a sausage roll, a hot drink and a cake each.  Well we did need warming up after our bell hunt.  

This was definitely a great way to spend Christmas Eve. Titch got to be outside - which he loves - and we had a stress free day.  

An Autumn Break

This week we decide to book ourselves a holiday in the U.K for 4 nights - but this time with the dog in tow. never before had we taken the dog with us so this was a new experience for us.  Now one thing to bare in mind is that although our Huffy is loveable and cute, when he is in the company of another dog he is a nightmare. Whether he is scared or being territorial we are unsure, so we knew this was going to be an interesting break.  We wanted somewhere that would offer us opportunities for days out with the dog and, if it rained, accommodation that we could stay in during the day, so we finally chose a Log Lodge in Gloucester. It was an ideal location as it was not too far from the Cotswolds and was next to the Forest of Dean.

The journey down was relatively peaceful and surprisingly the dog enjoyed sleeping most of the way - except when we went around roundabouts.

When we arrive we were greeted by the owner who showed us around the lodge and gave us all the relative information. The lodge of beautiful. There was nothing on the site other than lodges and a small walking area for the dog. Inside the lodge it was clean and spacious and definitely perfect for a 4 night stay.

Over the week we wanted to get out as much as possible.  Taking Huffy with us we needed to find places that were dog friendly.  The first place we visited was a National Trust - Croome in Worcester. We obviously couldn't go into the house but the grounds were open to dog walkers.  It was spacious and lots of different walking routes and , although it rained a bit, was a great few hours out.

The next day the weather was a beautiful Autumn crisp day, so we decided to head to the Forest of Dean to Symonds Yat. After a few wrong turns and scary up hill drives we managed to find a place to park and went exploring.

The Forest of dean was beautiful and Symonds Yat offered stunning views of the Wye Valley.

On the Thursday we decide to take a drive to the Cotswolds and headed to another National Trust place Woodchester Park.  It was quite scary on the drive up as the fog descended on us and this was the view of the Cotswolds that we had.

We did finally arrive and it rained non stopped.  This did not dampen our spirits. After a good walk around we ventured back to the car for a picnic after cleaning the dog with baby wipes!

Huffy enjoyed the mud and so did we.


After getting back he slept, actually we all did.

Titch enjoyed himself so much that he decided he wanted to draw a picture of the Lodge to remember his holiday.

The British weather was not on our side, but we had an amazing week.  We laughed, spent time together. played board games, and just had fun.  Holidays are what you make of them and no matter the weather you can still get out and about - even if you do end up covered in mud.

Back in Time

We are quite lucky that Titch still enjoys days out with us and learning knew things.  We are all interested in History so took the opportunity to go back in time to the Victorians and visit Blists Hill Victorian Town.  Blists Hill is part fo the Ironbridge Gorge Museum trust and ,like many place now, they sell Annual Passport Tickets. For a family of 3 is cost us £66.50 of which may seem a little steep at first but you do get 9 other attractions for a year within that price.  You can buy individual ticket , but as we like to get out and about we thought it would be worth it for the year ticket.

From the moment that you enter you are transported back in time and you are able to exchange your money into Victorian coins. Titch enjoyed this and was fascinated by the old money.  We then explored the town, where there were opportunities to talk to staff, purchase goods and interact with actors - such as the teacher and police man.  All staff are dressed in costume which really adds the the real life experience and they were really engaging with the children and adults.

For lunch there is a fish and chip shop which was surprisingly quite.  We paid with our Victorian money and then sat in the pub court yard to eat them.  They are fried in beef dripping so my husband was delighted with the taste of these and , of course, were love by Titch too.

The is loads to see and do at Blists Hill, including shops, workshops, mills, a school, Victorian games and of course and Carousel.  Some parts are not always open , but there is still plenty to do and see.


When we asked Titch what he enjoyed the most he said the Sweet shop and the chips - why am I not surprised?

Blists Hill is a living museum and this is something that definitely interested our boy. It offered hands on learning and experiences that children need in order to fully understand what life was like.  So not only did we have a great day spending time as a family but we also learned a lot too.

'The un-stately home'

As I have previously mentioned this year we become members of the National Trust, so wanting to get the most out of them we decided to take my Dad and his partner out for the day to Calke Abbey.

It is often difficult choosing places that we all would like to go,  so we often look for events that are on that Titch would enjoy.  This time its was 'Apple Day,' and anything to do with food would interest him.  We also had read the reviews and descriptions on the National trust web site and seemed an interesting place to visit, especially being called 'Un-stately.'

As with most National trust places the grounds were superb and got a thumbs up from Titch due to the fact the the trees made good climbing ones- it really isn't hard to please my child.

Entrance into the house was timed so we took the opportunity before our time slot to explore the grounds and visit the ' Apple day' activities.

We had the opportunity to taste and buy the different varieties of Apples that are grown on the grounds and Titch made himself an apple spiral of which he was extremely proud of.

By the time we had done all of these, it was time to visit the house.  It was definitely different to the other places we had visited and it is understandable why it is called the 'Un-stately home'.  And a word of warning, if you don't like Taxidermy do not go - the house is full of it.

Titch though did enjoy waling through the cellars and paths under the house.

This time we didn't take a picnic with us so we ate in the Cafe in the stables. The food was reasonably priced and tasty too.

All in all a great Autumn day out.

'A Wales of a time'

Today as the holidays are nearly over we decided to take a day trip explore the different sites of North  Wales.  As a family we enjoy days by the beach and although we have been away to Tenerife this year we had yet to visit a beach in the UK.

Titch was ready for the first leg of the 2.5 hour journey to Conway as we planned to start here and then make our way back along the coast. We had not planned what we were going to do or going to see which added to the adventure.  We did though pack a picnic as always.


We arrive in Conway and decided to have a walk around.  Although we did not go into the castle, Titch enjoyed climbing the crooked stairs cases around the outside and walking along the walls.

We headed down towards the harbour and came across the smallest house in Great Britain.  It costs 50p to enter but as there was a queue we decided to leave it on this occasion and carry on our walk through Conway town.

 After spending about 1.5 hours exploring Conway we decided to head towards Llandudno where we could sit on the beach and eat our picnic.  Although it was a relative warm and sunny day, little did the husband realise how windy it would be and how chilly it could get.  This led to him sending me into town to fetch a fleece from the many outdoors shops that they have.

We spent a while on the beach whilst Titch played until the high-pitched voices of Punch and Judy had taken its toll on our ears, and we could bare it no longer.

So we headed off towards the pier for a stroll and of course a stop off for an ice cream and a play in the arcades.  It was great being a kid again, using all our 2ps on the machines, trying to spot if any drop at random and feeling a sense of achievement if a few 2ps drop after putting in £2 worth.  Titch loved the arcade too and just as competitive as us.


To finish off the day we drove down to Rhyl for a stroll along the promenade,  chips by the sea and a play on the park on the fronts.


Days out are what you make of them and when the sun is shining our country is full of beautiful places to visit.  Many people shy away from places such as Rhyl and Prestatyn, but there is definitely beauty in every place. We had a fun filled day and got to spend quality time as a family - that's what's it's about.

Lyme Park - National Trust

Last year, we decided to become members to the National Trust, as we all enjoy a bit of history and Titch loves being outdoors.  After seeing many friends post about the places that they go, we decided to purchase them and then we set off on our travels.

Choosing a place to visit is relative easy, especially with the National Trust App.  One of the first places that we decided to visit was Lyme Park in Stockport.  We chose here because we felt it offered lots for all the the family: the house for the parents (although they often do trails around for the kids so that they don't get fed up),  gardens to picnic in and , of course, a park for Titch to run around in a get out his energy.

Lyme was relative easy to get to and didn't take us too long from Staffordshire which is always a bonus.

Here are a few snaps and reviews taken around Lyme:

The house is just as beautiful inside as out with many rooms to explore, even Titch enjoyed learning about the history of the house and got involved with the dressing up.

Outside the grounds are stunning.  There are gardens to explore, a lake side walk, a small forest that you can weave your way through.  We ate out picnic on the lawns and then spent a good 1.5 hours explore the outside.





We even had time to play a few outside games that were set up on the lawn for visitors.





The grounds that Lyme are set on re vast and offer spectacular views of Manchester and there is also a park for big and little kids to explore.

It is definitely worth the visit and is still one of our favourite National Trust Places to visit.