As fans of the great outdoors, we love nothing more than escaping to blow away a few cobwebs. There are a wide variety of places to choose from in Surrey and the surrounding area with one of the favourites the beautiful Alice Holt forest.
Clandon Park is a Palladian-style mansion which was built in the 1920’s for Lord Onslow to impress guests like King George V and Queen Mary. The estate remained with the Onslow family for 400 years and was given to the National Trust way back in 1956. On the 29th April last year, a fire broke out in the basement of Clandon House and it suffered extensive damage. It took fire crews some 12 hours to put out the fire.
Earlier this summer we spent the weekend at Alton Towers with Konfidence where we witnessed a huge turning point. Five year old POD had gained so much water confidence we got to see her hunt for dive sticks, jump in and even be thrown across the pool! It was a stark contrast to the child that wouldn’t get her face wet a few months earlier.
My first experience of camping was in the back garden of my Grandparents house. The tent was a 1950’s army canvas one with no groundsheet. It was laced up at the front, no zips here, my bed was a metal and canvas camp-bed that too bore the markings of previous military service.
We’ve written about Surrey many a time since relocating and becoming parents five years ago. Situated a stones throw from London, there’s a rich heritage that spans many thousands of years. It’s no stranger to ancient folklore either with ghostly sightings, highwaymen and dragons all forming part of its history. This beautiful county is home to all manner of tales from the weird and wonderful to the undeniably intriguing.
This summer marks our sixth year in Surrey. While we’ll always have a fondness for the big smoke, that pre-parenting life seems such a long time ago now. We wouldn’t change it for the world though, five year old POD has grown up in the countryside, just as we did albeit in different counties.
Our most recent trip to Northern France saw us stop off in Boulogne Sur Mer en route back to Calais. Having visited when we explored the Opal Coast at the end of last year, it was nice to return so soon albeit minus the blue skies we’d relished last time around. The cobbled Rue de Lille was as splendid as we’d remembered it and we even got to grab a coffee the restaurant our Airbnb host had recommended in 2015.
We’ll be covering our recent trip to Northern France with POD’s grandparents over on POD Travels soon enough. In the meantime, I had to share a few photographs of Berck’s white sandy beaches which were almost reminiscent of the moon. While the weather wasn’t on our side, you cannot deny how stunning this beach must be when accompanied with sunshine and blue skies.
Situated in a superb 160 acre setting, the Equestrian Park is a stones throw away where from where we’ve been staying in Le Touquet. Regarded as one of the finest in France, it has an equestrian centre, racecourse and offers show jumping courses too. Having loved the pony rides she’s had thus far, it seemed an ideal place for POD to have a lesson.
“Glamping is likely to satisfy any city slicker seeking a little refuge in nature – without foregoing any of life’s luxuries”. So what can you expect from the new Explorer Glamping at Chessington World of Adventures?
