Corfe Castle

 On a very warm August day, we travelled to one of our favourite corners of England, Dorset. We wanted to visit Corfe Castle and its town for the day.

Why Corfe Castle you ask? You probably think there's only the castle to visit and nothing else! Wrong! There's an adventure park right around the castle called Dorset Adventure Park. The Park has a water park and a mud trail! Therefore that's where we headed. We picked to do the mud trail. We initially thought it will be quite dry as it was quite warm and just some mud puddles. Oh boy, were we wrong! It is literally one of the greatest fun we had and such a unique experience. There's about 50 obstacles across a large area. Some areas were actually swamp where you are covered upto your shoulders. There's also slides where you will literally dunk your whole body into the mud so don't take your phones or take anything with you that could be lost. If you don't want to do any of the obstacles, you can skip them. You have 2 hours to complete the trail and can go as often as you like within the 2 hours. You can do the trail at your own speed. You ill need to wear trainers and old clothes that you don't mind to get extremely dirty. We wore our swim suit underneath as the showers are open and we are not allowed to use any soap or shampoo as these are eco-showers. There are lockers and changing rooms too. There's a seperate company that will be taking photos at a cost but if you have someone who doesn't want to do the trail, hey can follow your progress through a dry route and take photos. The prices were quite cheap for the awesome experience we had! We will definetely return for more fun. The park also has a cafe, picnic table and a little farm where Mahi spotted a white peacock too!

After cleaning ourselves, we headed to Corfe Castle which was located on a hill and provided beautiful views of the Dorset countryside. There is an admission cost but free for National Trust members. The castle is located in the middle of the very picturesque village with its many shops and cafes. If you visit during school holidays, the kids will be entertained with extra activities. 

Close to the castle, there's also the steam railway which will take you to Swanage if you want to spend some time by the beach. The beach is sandy and not too big but we enjoyed the views. There's also a small activity park with crazy golf and other entertainments.

Between the Corfe and Wareham, there is the Blue Pool Nauture Pool. You can't swim in the pool but a nice place to relax and enjoy the views with its beautiful water colour. There is an entrance fee as well.

Altogether we had a great time and definetely will recommend visiting the Dorset Adventure Park if you are in the area!

Forest of Dean attractions

 Situated between 2 countries, Forest of Dean offers so many attractions. The Forest of Dean covers a big area so we targeted just 1 town.

We headed to the town of Coleford to visit Clearwell caves and Puzzlewood. which are just a few minutes walk away from each other and make up for a great day.

Both attractions have entrance fees but have accessibility issues.

We headed to Clearwell caves which was an old mining for iron. We really enjoyed this as it has a lot of information about the history of the mines but also children working in the caves which I thought made it relatable to my kids. There's also a pool which was beautiful to see. The cave is a one-way system and you will need to wear good footwear as some areas are slippery! Once you come out, there's a nice gift shop, a cafe and also a little play area! This could be done in 1hour.

After lunch and a little play in the play area, we then headed to Puzzlewood.  To go inside the woods, you need to pass through a little farm with ponies, sheep and donkeys. The woods were like you stepped into Hobbiton, which funnily was the inspiration for Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books! It was so green and so weird wit branches twisting in strange way. I totally felt like we were in Middle Earth! It has a quite a lot of different pathways if it gets crowded so you can make walk as long or short as you would like. Once we were done, we headed to the cafe for some ice cream and then the play area. There's also a mini maze. The place has plenty of parking and lots of picnic areas. The only bad thing I have to say is that the price was not really justifiable as it was just walking around the weird woods.

We had a good day at Forest of Dean and loved the views to and from the village from Gloucester!

There's also Perrygrove Railway Adventure and Hopewell Colliery but we didn't want to visit them and couldn't fit all in one day.

Steampunked in Lincoln!

 On a very sunny bank holiday Monday in August, we headed to Lincoln not knowing what was going to welcome us! We walked to the Town Centre which was a really nice town with a river flowing through it. We wanted to visit the Castle and Cathedral so we climbed the very steep hill. It was quite steep!

Now, once we got to the square, we saw a lot of people dressed in costume an found out that it was a Steampunk Festival! From what I understand Steampunk is a combination of sci-fi and Victorian times costumes. We were all quite fascinated by the costumes and robots! Such talent. We visited the castle grounds to enjoy the festival! You can visit the castle, prison, magna carta and walk the castle walls. However, the kids didn't want to visit the castle and wanted to enjoy the festival and its range of events so we did just that. Highly recommend visiting Lincoln during the Steampunk festival! It was truly an experience not to be missed!

We then visited the Cathedral across the Castle. We also visited the Bishops Palace ruins which was beautiful to see. The views of Lincoln were great from there too.

We then visited the Lincoln Museum down the hill which explained the history of the town but also more. It also had an exhibition. There was also a Lego station for kids to build anything!

Another place to visit was the International Bombing Command Centre which is across the town with a small fee to pay. We didn't visit this but it looks like a great place to learn some history from.

Towards the end of our trip, we visited the Lincoln Arboretum which was beautiful and had a calming effect after a hectic day. It also had a nice lake and a great place to have a picnic.

Lincoln must be visited during the bank holiday weekend!

A day in Ramsgate

 If you are looking for a seaside town not too far from London, Ramsgate is a great option with a few things to do on top of relaxing at the sandy beach.

The highlight of our trip was the Ramsgate Tunnels which was a railway tunnel before turning it into a bomb  shelter used during WW2.You will need to book a guided tour before your visit and the tickets were quite reasonable. You will need to wear sensible footwear and carry a cardigan as it can quite cold inside the tunnels. There's a great exhibition explaining the history of the tunnels. Did you know that Ramsgate was the most bombed town during WW2 with 500 bombs within a couple of minutes? But because of the tunnel shelter, the death count was low despite the heavy bombing! At the start of our tour, we saw a little movie about the the tunnels and its role during WW2. It wasn't too long and our guide asked us a few questions which was really good as it kept us engaged. We were told the safety precautions and then headed to the tunnels. Helmets are not mandatory but are there if you need. We really enjoyed the tour which took between 1h30-1h45 with plenty of stops. Where there are no lights, you will be provided with torches. At the end, we got to see photos and hear stories of people who were in the tunnels. It was quote emotional! A great time was had by all of us even by my unenthusiastic teenager.

Next time, we headed to the harbour and visited the amusement arcade and walked around the promenade which was nice! We also walked on Madeira walk with a nice little garden to visit and relax.

There were 2 unusual museums to visit:

1) This Museum is (not) Obsolete -  An interactive Museum Celebrating Experimental,                    Musical And Obsolete Technologies.

2) The Micro Museum - Kent's only Museum of vintage computers and video games.

We had a great day out by the seaside with many unusual things to do! Thanks you Ramsgate!

Island Hopping in Malta

 Malta is a country that I wanted to visit ever since I watched a music video. It's limestone cliffs and clear water was calling to me and it has been on my bucket list every since. So I was over the moon when me and my kids landed in Luqa Airport in this beautiful country! And it did not disappoint (except the public transport).

Malta is an island located between Italy and Tunisia in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of 3 islands - Malta, Gozo and Comino. The island doesn't have a railway system and you can bus it literally anywhere on the island. That is how small the main island of Malta is. However, despite it's small size, it is absolutely stunning and each area offers something different. You can go hiking anywhere and never be disappointed by the views. There are beaches everywhere and can snorkel anywhere and see beautiful sea life! However, beware of jellyfishes. We didn't see any but it can be a big problem, I hear. It's literally a piece of heaven for nature lovers.

Most of the attractions do not need to be booked in advance except the Hypogeum which sells out weeks in advance. The best attractions can be booked via https://heritagemalta.mt/. As mentioned, we used buses to get everywhere and the buses had great connection. We used the Explorer card which allowed us to use it for a week and worked out cheaper for us.  We downloaded the Tallinja app which was very useful to know the buses to get to whatever destinations we needed to go. The buses however do not run on time, even if the app says so! That is the only hindrance to our trip. Uber and Bolt are quicker ways to get around the country. The country is extremely affordable and cheaper than spending in the UK so you definitely get  your money' worth. We stayed at an Airbnb in St Paul's Bay at the north of the country and away from the popular places, as we like it. Eating out was great with great choices! There are no specific Maltese cuisine except Pastizzis which are basically sandwiches. The people are nice. One thing which surprised us was by the amount of Indian people which we were not expecting! This is the 2nd country, outside India, after the UK where I've seen this number of Indians! We went in April and the weather was in the mid-20s with always a slight breeze! English is one of the national languages of Malta alongside Maltese.

Here's what we have done in the 6 days we've been there and seen the whole country including the islands. Do bear in mind, we only did what we wanted to see and do. We only did unusual things as detailed below.

1. South of the Island - Birzebugga. Not too far from the airport, we headed south to enjoy Pretty Bay witH beautiful view of the beach and harbour while munching on really good food in one of the restaurants right by the beach. We then decided to hike to Ghar-ir-Rih with the stunning cave overlooking the sea. The cave itself is quite hard to find but thanks to youtube, I was able to find. The views was absolutely worth it! On the way to Birzebugga, there's the Ghar Dalam cave as well as the Playmobil Funpark for the younger kids. 

2. West Coast - Valetta and The 3 cities. There's so much to see and do with its many museums and art galleries. We did an Underground tour of Valetta which I highly recommend. The tour was in English he literally took us underground to learn about the history of Malta and takes us through WW2 tunnels were civilians took cover. Did you know Malta was the heaviest bombed country during WW2 and that until 1964, it was under the reign of the UK? Do wear suitable shoes as it foes get slipppery. You will be provided with helmets and light. Next, we went to the Grand Master's Palace which is where the current President's Office and was built by the 'founders' of Valetta. The ceilings were what caught my eye. Next to the palace is the National Library which is free to visit. We then walked to Fort Elmo which had significant history going all the way back to Ottoman Empire. The walk was up and down hills but again so do take care. After Fort Elmo we then visited both the Lower and Upper Barakka Gardens with amazing views over The 3 cities. You can take the ferry to the 3 cities and visit Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua by foot.

3. North of Island - Melliaha. There were 2 hikes that you could do. The Xemxija Heritage Trail in Xemji with its roman ruins amongst other things. The Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park overlooking the sea. You can start at Popeye Village which is where the Popeye movie was filmed and well worth a visit with all the different activities your can do. There's a water park which only opens during the summer time. There are also lots of character interactions. The trail will lead you to Golden Sands Bay which is another gorgeous beach. However, it is the busiest beach we have visited as it's very popular with the tourists. However, if you swim further out, which is safe if you are confident swimmer, it is much quieter and best for snorkelling. It was tiring day but I cannot tell you in words how beautiful views were and how calming it was to swim in the clear waters. 

We stayed in St Paul's Bay so aprt from the beaches there was the Salina nature reserve and Bird Park (beware of the smell) and the National Aquarium. There was a water park but it only opens during the summer season.

4. East Coast - Mdina and Rabat. The ancient city of Mdina is a must-see. People still live in the Old City. We visited the Mdina Dungeon exploring the dark history of crime and punishment in Malta. We also visited St Paul's catacombs which was a bit eerie. We also spent a small fortune on tasting Maltese snacks which were all yum. There were other catacombs too but this one was the biggest and most complex one. We then took the bus to Dinghi Cliff which was on my bucket list. You can do a 2hour hike from Dinghi Cliffs to the Blue Grotto via Ghar Lapis (a great swimming spot) and Hagar Dim (which is a pre-historic site - fascinating by the way! It is 2 different sites and I find it fascinating how they can build such amazing temples with limited tools but great imagination and skills!) Blue Grotto is like the many other Blue Grottos you have heard however it is cheap. You can't book in advance. You will have to pay in cash for a boat trup which doesn't take long and the rides only run between 9.30-4pm during good weather conditions. Unfortunately, the day we picked was rainy and windy so couldn't do the trip but there's a viewpoint you can see the stunning arch of the grotto.

5. Gozo - The 2nd biggest island has so muchto offer. You can take a sightseeing tour bus which will take you through all the main attractions of the island. You can take a ferry from Malta to Gozo either from Valetta or Cirkewwa and do a day trip if your time is limited. We visited the Salt Pans of Xwejni. We also visited Ta'Pinu Church which is beautoful with it's mosaic depictions. I also love the place where it is overlooking verdant, lush valleys. There are pilgrimages that happen at this church too. Victoria is the capital and so much to do for free such as the Citadel and the Gunpowder Magazines. There are also caves and Azure Window that I wanted to do but didn't have time to do unfortunately.

6. Comino - The smallest of the 3 islands and only inhabited by 2 people (yes, only 2!!!), it was stunning with its many majestic sea caves, hiking trails and of course the Blue Lagoon. The only way to get to Comino was through private ferry. You can easily spend a day there. When researching about the island, I saw there was the Santa Marija Tower and also an abandoned hospital which made up its own hike hence headed there. I cannot describe the view or the colour of the water. We also saw lots of lizards which made Mahi was excited about. You are not permitted to enter the abandoned hospital and it looked very creepy with beds and mattresses thrown around, It also used to be a school so you saw desks too. You can  climb the Santa Marija Tower and overlook the island. Lots of hisotry behind these 2 places. The Blue Lagoon was very busy wit  tourists and boats so we walked somewhere quieter in the island to do swimming and cliff jumping. Again, lots of snorkelling too.

So this was our trip and we loved every minute of it. We needed the sun and hot weather as well as being amongst nature and Malta didn't disappoint. We packed swimming suits wherever we went if the temptation of jumping in the turqoise water was too tempting which was through most of the trip! You won't regret it!

Chatham

 If you are looking for something not too far from London and under a strict budget (like me), Chatham offers quite a lot for children of primary school age mostly. Except 1 attraction, everything else were indoors so a good day out when the weather is not that great. During half-term, there's more activities that each of these places offered. So here what we've done:

 - Fort Amherst - This is an old Napoleonic fort which overlooks the harbour. It is quite big with lots of activities offered at an extra cost. It is not flat-surfaced either but accessible. The activity that was offered when we went there took us through the whole fort so it was nice to do as I'm sure I would have missed some nooks and corners of this place. Thee are also guided tours at specific times for those who don't want to do any activities.

- Chatham Historic Dockyard - This hosts a number of ships that you can visit. These are paid attractions but you can visit for free for upto a year. 

- Royal Engineers Museum - Since Mahi love building things, I thought this it'll be a good place to take him and he really enjoyed the activities that were offered on top of the entrance fee. I also learned a lot  about the role of Royal Engineers during the war, which I wasn't aware of. I also enjoyed the display about the different countries that helped the UK during the WW2. It is a part of history that no one talks about hence I really appreciated this museum in teaching us this side of the war. Mahish really enjoyed building a spitfire and also a nerf gun battle. There is also a little playground on  the grounds,

- To take a break from all the activities, we had ice cream at the harbour and then also did a little bit of shopping at the Pentagon Shopping centre before heading back home.

My teenager didn't enjoy much of it but my 11year old did enjoy some of it hence why I think it is better for kids in primary school. Another town explored and ticked off our list.

Sheffield

 We had a day out to Sheffield not too long ago. We picked things that are unusual so there's more to Sheffield than this! Everything that we did was within the town centre too and we didn't venture out of the town centre.

The first place we headed too was the National Emergency Services museum. You had to pay a visit but the ticket is valid for a year. This was a museum dedicated to emergency services such as ambulance, police, fire, etc... It us set upon 3 floors and was very interactive for all ages. My teen really enjoyed the museum. You can climb several vehicles which adds it to the charm. It also has lots of information about the history behind each emergency services so we also learned a lot while playing around. There was also arts and crafts to do which my son really enjoyed! It is a must-visit museum for all the family.

Our next stop was the National Videogame Museum. Again, this is a paid museum and will need to book either the morning or afternoon session which lasts for 3 hours and we fully made the 3hours count. My son was in gaming heaven and even I, a very basic gamer, was thrilled to see some childhood video games and had to play them. You can play all the videogames that are displayed in the museum. In addition to all these games, there was also fun arts and crafts to do! This was such great fun. I thought I will have to sit on a bench for 3 hours and just watch the kids play but no, I was so busy playing vintage games which was great bonding time with each of my kids! This is now my son's favourite museum! Another must-visit museum in Sheffield!

We then walked around the Sheffield Town Centre and ended up in the beautiful Pleasure Gardens which had lots of water features! Not too far from it was the Winter Garden which is free to visit and a nice green space to visit. It also had art exhibitions too.

That was our day and where after such a long time, no one complained at any point! So Sheffield was a huge kids with the kids! It will not disappoint you!