Adventures Archives - Page 25 of 36

What to expect from today’s Butlin’s

At the end of April this year we took a short break at Butlin’s Bognor Regis. The arrival of POD three and a half years ago was, as expected a huge catalyst for change in our lives. Amongst these was the necessity to rethink future holiday plans. We’ve been lucky enough to enjoy some fantastic holidays over the years including trips to Canada, New Zealand and Venezuela.

POD turned three on Christmas Day 2013. Now we needed to look closer to home and incorporate activities that would keep a very active and outgoing toddler excited, engaged and ideally worn out by bed time.

We don’t exactly have a checklist for our holidays but wherever we stay we expect a certain standard of comfort and cleanliness (even in the jungles of South America). We also like to have the opportunity to enjoy good food and plenty of it. We are pretty self-sufficient and happy to work out our own itinerary and discover what our holiday destinations have to offer. However we do expect to be able to rely on staff to fill in the gaps if required.

The English weather is no respecter of holidays and we arrived at Butlin’s Bognor Regis on a distinctly miserable day. Despite the rain first impressions were good. We were welcomed by some very soggy but extremely cheerful Redcoats who directed us to our hotel car park and wished us a happy stay. The excitement was building in the car seat behind me.

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The Ocean Hotel promises a premium hotel experience. We were anxious to check in and explore. Having earmarked the activities and shows on offer, using the brilliant Butlin’s app, I made a beeline for one of the Butlin’s Butlers to get it all booked in. Ten very painless minutes later we were all booked and headed off to our room.

Our home for the next three nights was to be a Neptune Room which sleeps two to four with a King size bed in the main area and two twin beds in the children’s den. The room was modern, clean and comfortable.

There was plenty of hanging and drawer space, tea and coffee making facilities, fluffy towels and free toiletries in the bathroom and TV’s in both rooms. Plus a towel swan to greet us on the King size bed. So far so good, we were damp but after a quick change and a cup of (Nescafe) coffee, ready to start our holiday.

Over the next three days we crammed in a huge amount of fun and a considerable amount of food. Thankfully the weather improved so we were able to take POD on the Helter Skelter,

the Carousel, Go Karting (The PODFather channelled Lewis Hamilton to secure a win) and trampolining outside.

We took POD swimming one morning at Splash Water World which more than lived up to its name. Under the impressive canopy of the Skyline Pavilion, POD raced up and down the four storey soft play area which is sensibly split into age groups to avoid larger children.

She got to meet and hug some of her TV heroes and heroines; including Angelina Ballerina, Scooby Doo and Fireman Sam

as well as seeing them perform in their featured shows.

During the day the 10 to 20 minute all singing and dancing shows had her transfixed and happily interacting where appropriate. On our first night we took in the 50 minute Scooby Doo show in the Centre Stage.

POD danced and sang her way through it resulting in a tired toddler ready for her bed, result! Top marks to all the Redcoat performers day and night for their enthusiasm – Shaggy had the voice down to a tee.

In between these moments of unabashed delight for POD we were fed and watered at the various food ‘stations’ available. Included in our stay was breakfast at the hotel restaurant and dinner there or at the number of restaurants on park. Kaleidoscope, the buffet style hotel restaurant offers more food than we’d be able to shake a stick at.

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Good quality English fare. If you’ve come to the Ocean Hotel to further your food journey you’re in the wrong place. If you want to set you and your family up for the day with a hearty breakfast or end the day with a tasty and filling dinner you won’t be disappointed.

At lunchtime we enjoyed The Beachcomber pub which provides snacks or a more substantial meal, again good quality, tasty and filling food.

We also sampled the delicious multi-flavour combinations of the Scoop Ice Cream parlour at every opportunity. The crème brulee ice cream was a particular favourite.

Due to an infestation of Brownies (as part of the Big Brownie Birthday Centenary celebrations) we weren’t able to experience the culinary delights of The Deck restaurant which has a more varied menu including a flame grill with food cooked to order, a fresh pasta station and a dedicated children’s buffet counter with options from Annabel Karmel. Our visit also narrowly missed The Diner which opened a few days later to rave reviews.

Throughout our stay the hotel and park staff couldn’t have been more accommodating. In the hotel, on requesting extra milk to satisfy our milky coffee cravings we were instantly furnished with a fistful of extra cartons, no short measures here. The temperature in our room was adjusted without question.

The Kaleidoscope restaurant staff made a point of engaging POD offering colouring materials to keep her occupied and were friendly and professional (even when met with some less than courtesy guests unhappy at having to wait to be seated at breakfast. There is a clear warning that there may be a short wait for breakfast after 9am. It starts at 7.30am.)

On the park there’s no cajoling to enter competitions or being bombarded with things to see and do by over friendly bright coloured jacket resplendent youngsters. The staff are there if you need them and inconspicuous if not. If the guys and girls who performed every day weren’t having a good time they can look forward to long and fruitful acting careers.

Our four day three night break at Butlin’s Bognor Regis was an unequivocal success. We left feeling rested and frankly quite full from the amount of food consumed. Regardless of the weather’s attempts to put a dampener on proceedings we came away with an extremely happy toddler, who since our return has delighted in telling anyone who’ll listen about her encounters with Scooby Doo, Angelina et al and regularly chirps “we’re going back to Butlin’s aren’t we Mummy?”.

If you’re looking for a great value, fun and fulfilling family holiday in the UK, Butlin’s can deliver. For those of you with preconceptions of the brand put them to one side and give it a try. I think you’ll be more than pleasantly surprised.

Disclaimer: As a brand ambassador to Butlin’s, we received a complementary 3 night stay at their Bognor Regis resort. Opinions are our own. For further information about Butlin’s, please visit their website. You can also read Butlin’s Ocean Hotel Bognor – a checklist here on PODcast.

Exploring Headley Heath

Headley Heath is a designated Site of Specific Interest with a mix of open heathland, shady woods and steep chalk grassland valleys. Managed by the National Trust, it covers some 300 hectares of the North Downs in Surrey.

Having realised we were a day too early for a miltary history open day (Mummy’s fault!), we headed for the Lizard Trail. This is a 3km walk covering Dean Wood Heath, The Pyramids, Aspen Pond, Purley Plain, Bellamoss Pond and the Brown Pond. The weather wasn’t on our side but in true British style we headed off anyway!

A Sunny Day

It was the first day of the year that warranted a swimming costume, oodles of sun cream and a paddling pool of water. Not to mention the wonderful hat we fell in love with last Summer.

Seeing a paddling pool full of water pleased POD greatly. She enjoyed watching the reflections although it wasn’t long before it was cluttered with watering cans, a bucket and a few flowers.

It was unbelievable to see this long-legged person tower over a pool that was perfect a year ago. POD’s recently shot up gaining a couple of inches in the last two months alone. The plait she requested made her look even older.

Having decided against going in the pool straightaway, POD got comfortable on a chair filling various implements with water. It’s amazing how long you can busy yourself for when tipping one bucket of water into another! POD had not wanted hot water added to her pool but quickly realised it was cold without! She wanted to give the feet a dip though.

After laughing at her “yellow bucket shoes” she emptied a sandpit of water onto the grass to create a muddy puddle. She jumped up and down with glee at her creation

before heading back to the pool to wash her muddy feet and do it all again.

With the paddling pool full of garden toys and emptied of half its water, forward rolls were on the agenda. POD even requested a photograph be taken while she was upside down.

Swingball became the focus once she’d tired of water play – as you’d expect a racket was not required! This approach was short-lived though after she toppled over.

Swingball did become part of a magic show after that – the ball turning into a rabbit that leapt from her hat.

After practicing her jumping skills and asking if she could have a unicorn, POD took to the swing. She rocked to and fro occasionally running to increase her speed. It wasn’t a day for running around too much although we did a bit of that as well as the obligatory jumping on Daddy.

The bubbles made an appearance a little later. It took POD a while to realise you don’t need to blow really hard but she did crack it. She learnt a valuable lesson in not licking your fingers afterwards – as did I!

Linking up with #whatsthestory here on PODcast.

The gardens at Loseley Park

Set in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is Loseley Park, home to the More-Molyneux family for 500 years. The House has many fascinating features including panels from Nonsuch Palace, magnificent paintings, clocks and cabinets.

The Walled Garden has had many lives since it was laid out formally in the 16th Century, including an organic vegetable garden, orchard and designs by Gertrude Jekyll. The gardens are now five distinctly different ‘rooms’, each with their own style.

The award-winning Rose Garden was a present from Mike More-Molyneaux to his wife Sarah and is planted with over a thousand old fashioned rose bushes. The smell is incredible and it must make for a great sight from the house.

Varieties in the Rose Garden include bourbons, gallicas, rugosas, albas, moss, damask and English. All are framed with perfectly pruned low box hedges.

At the centre of the Rose Garden is a gazebo adorned with white roses.

Up from here are the greenhouses and the herb garden which is divided into culinary, medicinal, household and decorative sections. It contains over 200 herbs, some of which dating back to ancient times. Busy bees collect pollen nearby.

The Flower Garden is a burst of colour combining shrubs and herbaceous plants with annuals and bulbs.

These enormous poppies were certainly the highlight – perhaps a biased view given POD’s name is Poppy.

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The White Garden is a tranquil area with white, cream and silver blooms with the Organic Vegetable and Cut Flower Garden nearby.

The South Bank is planted with a variety of perennial waterside plants with the Wildflower Meadow (across from the moat) alive with colour.

It was great to be back at Loseley again, such a wonderful place to visit. And they do very good ice-cream too!

Linking up with Mammasaurus for #HDYGG.

Photos from Chilworth Gunpowder Mill

Among Chilworth woods, on the course of the Tilling Bourne river, once stood a gunpowder mill. Founded by the East India Company in 1625, it was one of the largest powder works in the country, employing 600 people at its peak, and supplying gunpowder to the government.

The downturn in demand for explosives at the end of the war resulted in amalgamations in the industry, leading to the closure of the last factory in 1920. Many of the buildings were converted into dwellings after that point and a small community known at “Tin Town” lived in the valley until the early 1960’s.

Although many have been demolished, several buildings still exist within the site. Like these old walls of former buildings,

the steam engine bed

and an edge runner stone.

A selection of these old millstones are visible as you walk towards the old mill.

There’s also a swing bridge which helped punts travel up and down the waterways.

By the river and wetlands, a storage hut is nestled in-between the trees.

This area although overgrown for the most part is surrounded by beautiful pathways.

What was once the old mill stood tall in the sunshine, the blue sky its backdrop.

Its remains are classed as a monument

but being exposed to the elements it’s awash with moss and ivy.

I’m not sure this wonderful place would have been discovered if it hadn’t been for wanting an abandoned photo. But what a great find.

Linking up with #whatsthestory here on PODcast.

Family fun at Bocketts Farm

Bocketts Farm is a working family farm set in the Surrey countryside. With a combination of animal and play areas, indoors and out, it’s always a fun day.

Last time we visited POD was a little wary of the animals in the stables at first. On this occasion she wanted to know what each horse was called, what it was doing and what it ate. There were goats nearby and whilst they were a bit to lively for her, we were optimistic this was the day she’d feed animals herself.

In the Big Animal Barn, POD climbed onto a step as she had on our last visit to see a sow and her piglets. Much to her excitement also in the Big Animal Barn were sheep, lambs, alpacas, goats, a kid and cows.

Having seen Daddy and other children feed the animals, POD decided she’d like to have a go too. With animal feed in an outstretched palm, she watched in amazement as a sheep licked it off her hand.

We thought once she’d done it they’d be no stopping her and we were right!

Before long she was more than happy to be surrounded by animals.

Outside there were slides to go down,

brilliant new play areas to explore

and swings to test.

There was just time to bounce on the inflatable jumping pillows

before heading to Little Hoppington. There POD stroked a rabbit, a guinea pig, a chicken and a goat.

After lunch there was fun to be had milking cows, driving tractors and jumping on a trampoline. POD spotted the indoor soft play area too!

We missed seeing the racing pigs in action on this occasion. They were enjoying a doze when we passed them.

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POD was excited at the prospect of seeing more goats

and Mummy wanted to have a look at the deer.

Back at the Big Animal Barn, we said hello to all the animals we’d already met.

POD was lucky enough to hold a two day old lamb

and Daddy couldn’t resist either.

This day will be remembered for POD loving the animals and this one keeping a close eye on Mummy!

Linking up with #whatsthestory here on PODcast and #CountryKids at Coombe Mill.

Winkworth Arboretum in May

Winkworth Arboretum is a wonderful find. Maintained by the National Trust, the hillside arboretum has 1,000 different shrubs and trees with many of them rare. The red, orange and yellow hues displayed in Autumn are incredible, so much so we made two visits to take full advantage! In February we were greeted with daffodils, snowdrops and sunshine too.

Having not visited Winkworth Arboretum in Spring before, a return visit was necessary to see the magnolias, bluebells and azaleas. This is the sight that greeted me when I arrived – bluebells as far as the eye could see.

That wasn’t the last of them though, beautiful bluebell displays were everywhere – in some cases lining each side of the pathway.

If that wasn’t magical enough, heading towards the Azalea Steps I turned a corner only to be greeted by a huge rhododendron. It was so immense it stopped me me in tracks and caused me to saw “oh wow” out loud. This towering ball of white must have been five times the size of me, I’ve never seen anything like it.

Little did I know what was around the corner.

The Azalea Steps are something else. An inferno of colour all the way down to the Boat House and Rowe’s Flash Lake. It was a breathtaking sight.

As well as capturing the azaleas en masse, it was great to get up close too. There was so much to discover

like these moss covered branches.

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The smell was wonderful too.

Even at the bottom of the Azalea Steps you couldn’t help but turn back and have another peek.

The Boat House looked as inviting as it always does.

Inside you can read its history, see old books

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and a few of the flowers I’d seen were there as well.

The view from the Boat House was as beautiful as it always is

and there was no shortage of blooms nearby.

The walk back took me across the Badgers Bowl and up to the viewing platform. The reward being wonderful views across the Surrey countryside.

It’s the first time I’ve visited Winkworth Arboretum in Spring – it really was spectacular.

Thank you to everyone that nominated PODcast in the BiB awards. I’m thrilled to be shortlisted in photography. You can vote to get your faves into the final here.

Linking up with Mammasaurus for #HDYGG.

Photos from the beach

We recently spent the weekend at my Dad’s in Budleigh Salterton. This picturesque town is located in the East Devon area of outstanding natural beauty and has a two-mile pebble beach.

It’s a while since POD was by the sea so we took the short clifftop walk down to the beach. It was a glorious day. The sky was bright blue, the sun sparkled on the sea and seagulls squawked above us.

It was one of those days where ice-cream was compulsory.

At the top of the beach there are great views of the Otto Estuary which is a nature reserve providing a haven for migrating birds.

Just up from the reserve is the perfect place to skim stones.

This is Daddy showing POD how it’s done.

POD decided it was far more fun to throw large stones! She may have selected an interesting outfit that day but there’s no denying her stone throwing abilities!

We’re used to seeing POD explore the countryside but it was great to see her enjoying the beach so much. She loved selecting stones, throwing them and giggling when they hit the water. The large stones were the most appealing but she did opt for smaller ones on occasions.

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She didn’t want to leave this area so we stayed for a time making sure she didn’t venture to close to the water.

There weren’t many shells around but we discovered a few. POD carefully examined each one to check they weren’t occupied.

When we re-located to another part of the beach we sat down to take in the views.

POD collect stones whilst displaying a look not dissimilar to Stig of the Dump!

Daddy and POD then embarked on building a stone tower. It was strenuous work though so they had to have a lie down when they’d finished.

Not long after that POD showcased her jumping and climbing skills. If we weren’t launching ourselves off the beach wall and watching POD scale back up it, we were sat on a bench watching the world go by.

It’s not often you get the opportunity to do nothing but sometimes it’s good just to go with the flow.

Linking up with #whatsthestory here on PODcast and #countrykids at CoombeMill.

An open garden

We spent a couple of days with my Dad over the Bank Holiday weekend. He lives in a town called Budleigh Salterton located on the South coast of Devon.

Dad took us round the garden when we first arrived much to POD’s delight. It really is looking immaculate at the moment and with good reason too. Along with others in his community, Dad is opening his garden to the public for two days in June. It’s part of a garden scheme to raise money for a local charity called Hospiscare.

The garden is bursting with colour.

and if you look closely there are a few surprises to be found too.

Sweet smelling shrubs line the back of the garden

behind which is a hidden path

adorned with bird boxes

and other decorative gems.

A nearby tree offers a haven for wildlife

while a secondary seating area provides the perfect place to relax

and admire the surroundings.

Steps lead down to the lower part of the garden

where you will find beds edged with stone,

a hint of the seaside

and signs of Spring bursting from every crevice. It will no doubt make for a wonderful open garden.

Linking up with #HDYGG at Mammasaurus.

Thank you to everyone that nominated me in the BiB awards, I’m thrilled to be on the shortlist for photography. You can vote for your faves here.

Ponies, bluebells & fairies at Hatchlands

Bank Holiday Monday saw us head over to National Trust owned Hatchlands Park. We last visited earlier this month but were enticed back by the prospect of ponies, bluebells and fairies!

Located in Surrey, the mansion is a family home containing paintings, fine furniture and keyboard instruments associated with famous composers. What we love about Hatchlands is the vast expanse of woodland – some 400 acres of parkland to be precise.

There are way-marked walks, a parterre garden, a quiet garden and a natural play area for children. With it being the Easter holiday, there was even more happening today including archery – a sport I used to play at school!

Once we’d collected our Eggsplorer Passport and journal for the Easter Egg Trail, first stop were the pony rides. POD hasn’t been on one before so it was an interesting wait in the queue watching them. We didn’t have to wait long before it was POD’s turn though.

She loved having a ride on Dotty the pony.

We continued the excitement with the Easter Egg Trail which involved looking for items for the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. There was the clock that tells you when you are late and the Queen of Hearts,

a red cup, a cupcake with an orange cherry, a white rabbit and a golden frog.

There was lots of fun to be had along the way

and POD was rewarded with a Cadbury’s Easter Egg at the end.

We had a picnic next to the cowslips in the wildflower meadow before we devoured the egg. The sun was shining so it was a wonderful place to sit – or in POD’s case climb nearby trees!

Hatchlands Park is always a great place to visit but Spring is particularly special with all the bluebells in the Little Wix Wood.

The fairies were back which pleased POD and lots of other children no end. Spotting them in trees is even more exciting that seeing the bluebells if you’re three. Daddy ran out of names for them though so one did get called Bernard!

It was a great day with so many highlights. Top picks would have to be POD’s first pony ride and of course the blue carpet.

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Linking up with What’s The Story? here on PODcast and Country Kids at Coombe Mill.

Thank you to everyone that nominated me in the BiB awards, I’m thrilled to be on the photography shortlist. You can see each of the categories and vote for your faves here.

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