Thorpe Park Lates - Why it was worth it

As previously mentioned Titch, the Husband and I had previously visited Thorpe Park in May. This time, however, we visited in the late evening and stayed on for Love Island Lates.

We travelled down from Stoke -on -Trent earlier that day as we Thorpe Park was one of the many things that we had planned to do in London over our 4 night stay. Reminder to all Merlin Passholders - MAKE SURE YOU REMEMBER YOUR PASSES. Yes we forgot ours and it wasn't until we had drove along the M6 toll and were on the M42 when we realised.  Luckily we had left early so we headed back along the M6 to fetch them. A lesson was definitely learnt.

We arrived at Thorpe Park around 4.30 and ,as it had been raining that morning, the park was relatively quiet, with the queues for most of the Thrill rides around 5 - 20 minutes, except for Colossus which was over an hour! 

We headed for Swarm first with it being the ride furthest away from the rest and with the queue time at 5 minutes. As we hadn't been since May,  I had completely forgotten what it was like. The ride feels much slower than other Thrill rides especially compared to The Smiler at Alton Towers, but it is so smooth and I think the slowness of the rides adds to the Thrill as each turn and loop is experienced in what feels like slow motion rather than at great speed.  Titch wanted to do Swarm again later  as we left. And I have to say riding swarm in the dark was definitely an experience - we also got to ride it 3 times in the space of 10 minutes as there was no queue.  For the final ride of the night we switched sides and went over the bridge; Titch was sat on the inside and I was sat on the outside and we were in the 2nd row - never again will I ride in that seat. Now I am normally fine on most rides , except spinning ones, but that seat with the first turn from the top made me ever so queasy and I screamed the whole way around. Titch and the Husband thought that this was hilarious.

After Swarm we made our way around to the main area of the park. This is the one thing that we really like about Thorpe park - everything is so close, so the walk between rides is shorter meaning you can, in theory, get onto more rides.  We headed to Stealth - one of our favourite rides - and queued for about 5 minutes.  As we love it  so much we decided to go back on it later at around 8.30 just before dusk and the view was spectacular - if you can keep your eyes open.  Making our way anti -clock wise around the park we noticed that the other Thrill rides such as Nemesis, Saw etc were over 30 minutes waiting time so we headed for Rush and Vortex before heading to Pizza Pasta for tea.  

Now having ate here on our last visit to Thorpe park we knew what to expect. This time as it was after 5pm, Titch was free and the Husband and I were £10 each - which we thought was a great deal.  Inside it was clear that the staff were trying their best to keep it clean and tidy; however, it did feel particularly dirty at that time of night. The pizzas were good and there was still plenty of choice with fresh ones coming out still every few minutes or so.  

Luckily after tea the queue time for Colossus had reduce from 70 minutes to 10 minutes, so we headed straight there. Now being a plus size lady, I am always nervous before getting onto rides, as I had to do the walk of shame once and it was awful.  Having read about Colossus before this was the one ride that I was most nervous about my weight. Unfortunately there were loads of teenagers messing around by the tester seat so I decided to just get in the queue and give it a go.   Unfortunately, the belt just would not click, so yes I had to do the walk of shame.  But this time, I did not cry, instead I held my head up and just shook it off.  To cheer me up we then decided to go onto Nemesis - no queueing required.  

If it hadn't have been advertised as Love Island Lates I would not have known that it opening to till 10 had anything to do with Love Island.  We did walk pass the beach area where there was music playing but there was only a few people on it.  Other than not there was no other indication that it had anything to do with Love Island. 

We all thoroughly enjoyed our evening at Thorpe Park. It was quiet, we got on all the rides we wanted to multiple times and got to ride Swarm in the dark - a great evening had for our first night in London.  We only wish that Alton Towers would do more late nights in the Summer too. 

Sudbury Hall and Museum of Childhood

Sudbury is the home to a historic country home and museum of childhood set in beautiful surroundings.  Sudbury was the first place that we visited a year ago when we first become members of the National Trust and being only 30 minutes away is an ideal location for a quick visit.  This time we were meeting friends there who also have two young children.

The car park to the grounds and hall is just across the road and it free to National Trust members.  When entering the grounds there is a small Chapel in front and then to the right you can see the House. Behind the house is the court yard where you will find the restaurant, shop, Childhood museum, reception (for booking the house tours) and the toilets.

Beyond that behind arched shrubs you will find the gardens and a small wooden park - this was where we headed first, and as per usual our child found a tree to climb.

The park is wooden and has climbing equipment, a trim trail,  rope swings, wooden houses and dens and a climbing frame.  The kids spent a good half an hour playing here before we all felt hungry and decided to have a picnic on the grounds just below the house.

After lunch we decided to take the children out of the sun and went to explore the childhood museum.  Inside they is plenty to see and do.  The children enjoyed playing with the old toys, looking at old dolls, and they even were able to climb through a replica chimney to show how small you had to be to do the job.

We then continued our tour around to the house where the children were given a hunt to complete. they were given a small booklet with photographs that they had to spot around the house. This is one of the many things that I love about the National Trust, there is always something on for the children to take part in.

The house inside was beautiful with ornate ceilings and furniture.  I wouldn't say it was the most exquisite house we have seen but it was beautiful in it's own right.

We all would recommend Sudbury if you are a National trust member with children as there is so much to do and see.

Tatton Park - NT

Living in the Midlands we are extremely lucky with our location as most attractions are not too far from us.  This is the same for National Trust places.  Using the app we often look for new places near to us, and about 50 minutes away is Tatton Park.  Tatton park is deer park just on the outskirts of Manchester.

The drive into Tatton park is just what we expect from a National Trust place, open fields, large lakes, garden buildings and deer.  Although Tatton Park is owned by the National Trust it is managed by Cheshire Council and , therefore, there are additional charges for National Trust members for the farm and for parking.

We chose Tatton Park as there are plenty of things to do onsite including the gardens, a maze, the mansion, a park, grounds to walk around and farm.

Firstly, we visited the gardens and the maze, spending around an hour. The gardens like most National Trusts are beautifully maintained.  There are secret gardens behind walls, lakes and ponds to walk around, a Japanese styled garden area and a maze to explore.  Although the weather was warm but cloudy, the gardens were not busy and they were extremely peaceful considering it was in the school holidays.


After a walk around the gardens we decided to head over to the cafe for some lunch. As it was a last minute plan we hadn't packed a picnic so for a change we were going to eat on site.  The cafe was busy but we did not have to queue for long.  It offered a selection of sandwiches and hot food including jacket potatoes.  Most sandwiches were around £4 and the hot meals around the £8 mark which we though was a bit steep, but having no choice we order a Jacket Potato and Tuna, two portions of chicken strips with chips and beans and 3 soft drinks = £29. As we normally take our own lunch we didn't realise that these place charge so much for food.  However, we did think that the jacket potato and tuna was reasonable at £5 seen as it was quite large.

After Lunch the mansion was open so we decided to have a wander through the house. As always the staff are informative and keen to tell you all about the different rooms and artefacts inside them.  The husband was impressed by the house as he thought that it felt homely and I have to agree.  The rooms felt lived in and not like they were for show.

After all the 'adult' stuff Titch was keen to play on the park so that was where we headed.  The park was large and although it was busy, Titch managed to get on all the equipment he wanted.

If you are looking for a day out for all the family I would definitely recommend Tatton Park, I would just take your own food rather than buying from the Cafe.


Information:

Address
Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 6QN

Prices for gardens and house:
National Trust Members:  Free
Non Members: http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/visit/attraction-and-park-entry-prices.aspx

A bit of fruit

As a child I always remember the days out with my parents in the summer, and I try to give my child the same opportunities that my parents gave to me.

Today we chose fruit picking.  It is something that I remember doing every year when I was little, whether this be at a fruit farm or in fields near to my grandparents house.

There are quite a few fruit farmers near to us but many have suffered this year due to the warm weather that we had been having.

Fruit picking is something that can be enjoyed by the whole family no matter the age.  Today we were after strawberries, Blackberries and raspberries as these are our favourite fruit.


The first farm that we went to didn't have any strawberries but we stayed anyway to pick the raspberries.  Titch loved this, trying to find the berries that weren't too ripe but also ensuring that they were ready to be picked.

After picking raspberries we decided to try a different farm as Titch was keen to pick strawberries.

Here they also had a Strawberry shortage ,but we were able to pick some.  I was definitely the strawberry picking champion though, filling my tub full of larger berries where as Titch found well titchy ones.

Whilst here we also picked blackberries and tayberries which we had never tried before.

Fresh fruit on a sunny day with some ice cream and meringue was well deserved after.  

Trip to London: Day Three Hampton Court Palce

Day Three: Our last day and the day we were to come home.  Being the 'travelling day' we decided on a quieter, less thrill seeker day and decided to visit Hampton Court Palace - a place that I have always wanted to visit.  The night before we looked on line to book tickets and purchased the years Palace pass for a family as it was only £40 more than a day pass, and we knew we would use the pass later in the year when we visit London in August.

We we arrive we collected our annual passes and then headed straight for the maze which Titch was desperate to do.

On the way to the maze you walk through the rose gardens and these are stunning. It did help that it was such a glorious day, but I could have spent ages walked around just taking pictures of the roses.

The maze was great fun, and we all enjoyed getting lost and then eventually succeeding in finding the centre. We then had to find our way out, to which Titch asked if we could use Sat Nav - not sure it would work!

We then headed inside to explore the Palace and the rooms. There was so much to see and do. Titch even got to turn the roast beef that was cooking on the open fire. The smell was amazing.  There were staff all around dressed up, in character, who you could talk to and ask questions.

The grounds at the back of the palace were amazing. We had brought ourselves a picnic and sat under the trees just admiring the view whilst we ate.

We only managed to spend around 3 hours here, but could have easily spend double that, so hopefully we will get to go again.

We have so many beautiful places in this country and luckily when the weather is good as it has been these places just come to life.  

Trip to London: Day Two Thorpe Park

Day Two and Thorpe Park were on the cards. This is the one that Titch and the Husband had been looking forward the most. As it was somewhere that we may not go to again this year we decide to treat ourselves to fastback passes as we knew that the queues had been long all week and wanted to make the most of the day that we had.

Thorpe Park and having the fast passes did not disappoint us at all. We loved it! The first thing that we noticed was that everything was so close together. this meant that the walk between rides did not take off riding time. Using the fast track passes we managed to complete most of the big rides (apart from the water ones and swarm) and a few smaller rides before Lunch.

Now we are all thrill ride lovers and this is definitely a thrill ride lovers dream.  Each ride was different and exhilarating in its own way.

The only ride that we were all disappointed in was Derren Brown's Ghost Train. We had read so many great things about it and the ride just did not live up to the hype. Luckily with the fast track we only waited 10 minutes but some people had been in the queue for over 1.5 hours.

For lunch we ate a Pasta, Pizza Buffet and found this reasonably priced. The food was warm and tasty and the restaurant was as clean as it could bee seen as the tables were all full.  For a theme park place to eat it was okay.

In the afternoon we spent the time re doing the rides we enjoyed the most (Nemesis Inferno for me) and riding the ones we hadn't done - leaving the water rides till last, and we are glad that we did. After being drenched on Tidal Wave, we then spent an hour on the beach whilst Titch played in the Water and on the slides.

We all loved Thorpe Park and would recommend it if you are a thrill seeker like us.

A Blackpool Day trip

Blackpool, some people love it and some people hate it.  And I totally understand why. There are some run down parts which are not appealing to the eye and there is definitely a stigma attached too.  Despite this Blackpool is a traditional British Holiday resort and it is easy to see why so many of us flock here each year. Ice creams, Candy-floss, the beach, Fish and chips, arcades, rides, donkeys - what more could you ask for!

The husband and I hadn't been Blackpool since we were kids ,but thought that we would take full advantage of our Merlin Passes and head to Blackpool for the day.  And just like we use to do when we were kids, the first one to spot the Tower won. 

We arrived in Blackpool at around 9.50am and decided to park behind the Coral Island Amusements for the day costing us £12 for 12 hours which we though was reasonable seen as it was a pretty good location.  

With our Merlin passes it entitled us to free entry to the Dungeons, Blackpool Tower, Blackpool Circus, Jungle Jims, Blackpool Ballroom, Sealife Centre and Madame Tussauds.  Not wanting to cram too much into one day we decided to leave the dungeons, Jungle Jims and the Ballroom for another time.  

We had read online that it was essential to book the circus in the morning so we headed there straight away for opening at 10.00am. We booked our tickets for the 4.00pm show and upgraded to front row seats which included pop corn and a drink.  

We then decided to explore the other sites.  

Our first stop was Madame Tussauds and there were no queues on entry - even inside was pretty quite. We took our time explore the wax figures, reading about the different stars. Titch loved having his photograph taken with different Wax figures especially some of his favourite Marvel characters.  We had a drink in the Rovers half way around and then continued through to the end. I would say we spent about 1.5hours inside but could have spent longer in some parts. As it was pretty quite we managed to get photos with many different wax figures and take part in some of the interactive games. The only downside to Madame Tussauds is the photographs. Now whilst they maybe a great souvenir it can become expensive if you choose to buy them seen as we were stoped at least 5 times throughout the tour.  My advice would be that if you don't intend to buy them then be polite and say no thank you when they ask you to have them done. 

After visiting Madame Tussauds we moved next door to the Sea life centre, and I have to say that we were all really impressed by it. We spent just over an hour in here but missed some of the talks as it was lunch and we were all getting hungry.  the saline centre was spacious and had lots of interactive sections including Touching a Starfish.  Titch and his friend enjoyed stamping their books and receiving pop badges at the end.  The staff inside were friendly and informative and did not mind spending a few minute or so answering our questions.  This is definitely a place that we would revisit.  

For lunch we decided against taking a picnic and inside set our sights on chips from the promenade.

Lunch cost around £10 for 4 meals and 4 drinks - which we thought was reasonable considering we were on the fronts.

I had to order the chips in a bucket and this is how they came, in their own little bucket with a spade.

After lunch we still had some time to spare before the circus so we decided to go up Blackpool Tower, which made me slightly nervous.  Before you go up there is a 4d experience that we thoughts was great and then you are escorted to the lifts that take you up to the top.  These made me a little nervous but the view going up was spectacular.

At the top there is an inside viewing platform with a glass floor. Titch and the Husband were straight onto it; I, however was a little more scared and it took em awhile to step on- it was a long way down.

You then had the option to climb up more steps on the outside.  I did manage another two floors but did not go to the top.


Although a little scared at first, I really enjoyed the experience and would probably now do it again.

By the time that we had come down it was time to head to the circus. I was unsure what to expect so did not have any pre thoughts on how good it was going to be. But honestly it was Fab! We laughed and clapped along like we were kids again.  We were having such a good time that I even forget to take any photos - it only means we need to go again. The circus was a great way to end the day and our time in Blackpool.

Would we go again..? definitely! We all had such a good day and made lots of memories - including an incident with a Seagull stealing a donut out of Titch's friend's hand!

Warwick Castle - In the Summer

As mentioned previously in our first post about being Merlin pass holder we decided to head back to Warwick Castle in the Summer hopefully getting more opportunity to explore the grounds of the castle.  Each year, during the summer months, Warwick bring back their live show ' War of the Roses' and being Merlin pass holders we were luck to acquire tickets for the preview show.

So we headed off the Warwick castle.  Knowing that we would be spending most of the day there we left a little later than normal, so when we arrived we had to park on the over flow car park which is about 20 minutes walk from the Castle.

Warwick castle has lots to offer including The dungeons, The Princess Tower, The Castle itself,  A maze, Archery (payable), Knights school and then the Bird show, the Bowman and the trebuchet.  The shows are allocated times throughout the day with most having at least 2 slots.

This time we were keen to watch both Birds shows, as they use different birds, the War of the roses and the trebuchet - as we had not seen this last time.

We queued up for the War of the Roses show and shortly were escorted towards the Jousting Arena where we had to choose red or white ( York or Lancaster).

We chose to support the Red and took our places in the Arena. From the start through to the end it was amazing.  The performance was truly memorable. Titch didn't move or speak for the whole show which is an achievement and must have meant that he was enjoying it.  The actors tell the tale of the War of the Roses with gusto and the audience were encouraged to be involved - especially with the booing!

The show was full of action, heroes and villains and was a great way to learn a bit of history.

After a walk around the gardens taking a few snaps we sat on the grass in the sun and watched The Might Trebuchet.  A great way to end the day.

Once again this visit to Warwick castle did not disappoint us. And, although we have now been twice, we will definitely be going again.

An evening at the park

We often find it difficult to find something to do in the late afternoon once the Husband has finished work.  We love getting out and about and although we live near to the canal there are only so many times you can walk up and down it.

Parks are great places for kids and adults alike to blow off the cobwebs and get outdoors.  We often search for different parks to visit that offer us all a bit of something.  This time we decided to try Brampton park.  Titch had been many times before with his nan , but we had not taken him so it was a great opportunity for us all, including the dog, to get out before Tea time.

Brampton park is perfect for a Sunny evening.  You can walk around admiring the views, or climb a few trees.  Even the Husband got involved this time.

There is a sensory garden and an aviary to explore.  Brampton Park also has a Childhood Museum which is open in the day time, but has we went late afternoon it was closed.  

The park also has a small steam train. This is free to use, but donations are welcome.  

Titch and Dad loved it. 

The Brampton also has a small park, with sings, slides, climbing equipment and seesaws - of which nan couldn't resist joining in on.  There is also a small shop where you can buy drinks and ice-cream and on a wet day a small indoor play centre called Cheeky Monkeys.  

If you are looking for a safe family park I would definitely recommend here.  

Dovedale

Dovedale - this is a place that I used to always come as a kid with my family.  I think my dad and I spent a lot of time explore the Peak District when I was younger.  I especially loved the tales and stories that he used to tell me on our journeys.  My husband had also been as a child , but couldn't remember much about it, so we decided on a crisp Spring day to show Titch this beautiful place.

Dovedale is a National Trust reserve just outside the beautiful and quaint village of Ilam.  If you are a National Trust member you can park for free at Ilam Park but it is then about a 20 minute walk to Dovedale its self through fields and along the River Dove.  There is paid parking just as you enter Dovedale where you will also find toilets (20p charge) and a small shop.  If you are lucky there is a coach pull in where at Weekends you can park for free.  Be prepared for a long queue into the car park on busy days.

Once you have parked up the route towards the Stepping Stones and Thorpe Cloud is easy enough as you simply follow the route of the River Dove.

At the end you will find stepping stone across the River Dove in order for you to continue to walk along the paths.  There is a bridge further back at the start, but the other side of the River has no path and in winter is barely passable due to the water levels.  In Summer the the are by the Stepping stones makes for a lovely paddle. From here you can either continue to follow the path along the River Dove or venture up Thorpe Cloud. Thorpe cloud I s relatively steep and can be uneven so make sure you are wearing your walking boots.

The path along the River Dove is accessible but it does have a quite a few steps in parts.  If you follow this path you can then explore the caves along the way.

You could spent as much or as little time here as you want. There are no picnic tables along the way but plenty of grassy spaces to sit and have your lunch.  

Gong Hey Fat Choy

February Half term is here and once again we were tasked with finding suitable activities to do this week that we can all enjoy and that keep Titch entertained.  we have found it extremely useful having our National Trust membership as there is alway somewhere to go. This time we headed somewhere a bit closer to home - Biddulph Grange.  We have been told that it is beautiful in the Summer when all the flowers have bloomed but even on a cloudy February day it was just as good.

We spent about 2 hours exploring the grounds and was it was near to Chinese New Year there was a Chinese Trail to complete with a prize at the end - a Fortune cookie - which Titch loved :) .

The grounds of Biddulph grange are beautifully kept and well presented. there are lots of things to see and places to explore within the garden. We particular liked the Chinese garden.

Titch not only enjoyed the trail but also enjoyed the grounds, looking at different plants and statues.

And after a cold visit ....

A hot chocolate was defiantly needed.

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.