Soft plays and trampoline parks in and around London

 With the unpredictability of the British weather, as a parent, you need to have a plan B to entertain the kids. My plan B is usually arts and crafts to do at home but during the holidays, I need them out of the house so we usually end up in soft plays and trampoline parks. So here's our tried and tested list (when I say we, I also include myself) so far, which I'll keep updating as w go to more. I'm not including soft play areas in other venues such as museums. This post only refers to stand alone pay centres and trampoline parks.

Gambado, many site across London - we loved this one so much as this was were our took my eldest to her first ever soft play for her 2nd birthday (I wasn't aware these things existed for toddlers). It has both a toddler area and a big kids are. The slides are good and there's plenty of space to chase each other. Some have carousels and some have mini-kart race tracks. They also do great events!

Rumble Tumble, Harrow - this is quite limited as to what the kids can go. It is small and can get stuffy.

Jungle Monkeys, Eastcote - The structure is tall but narrow so not much to explore.

HarroWall, Harrow - this isn't really soft play but a great little place for kids to get lost in a castle.

Flip Out, Brent Cross - great place to test your trampolining skills but also your strength as it has 2 obstacle courses. 

Oxygen Freejumping, Park Royal - I personally didn't go to this but kids attended for parties and told me it was good!

Kidspace, Romford - This place offered so much to do from the usual soft play with lots of slides, mini go-karting, 2 climbing walls and a Go-Ape type  course! I really really enjoyed it!

Our day out in Nottingham

 Knowing the English weather during winter times, we wanted to explore a new city, outside London, where most of the attractions are indoors. After much googling and budgeting, I zeroed on Nottingham! Everything was in the city centre so all was walking distance. It had a bit of everything of what we liked. And what more it is the land of Robin Hood and since there is lot of injustice going around right now in this country, I thought it will go well with our mood. So here what we did:

1) City of Caves - did you Nottingham has about 500 caves??? Who knew!  So we visited this attraction which depicted the life in Nottingham. From the role of these caves in the tannery business to their role in WW2, we learnt so much! It took us about 30mins but with the audio guide could take you longer. It isn't suitable for prams or wheelchairs!

2) The National Justice Museum - 2mins from the City of Caves, was the National Justice Museum. If you buy combo tickets with City of Caves, you get a slightly reduced price. This was such a great museum with so much information about the different departments needed to carry out justice. It has some great exhibitions about young people and protest which Lucky had to visit not once but twice! It also had a real courtroom where we took part in a pretend trial (I got to be a witness). The museum also had actual prison cells which was quite spooky but again so educational! One of the best museums we ever visited!

3) Nottingham Castle - this castle had a bit of everything. It is a beautiful place with great views of Nottingham.  An excellent playground (it said suitable for 5-12 but age is just a number), an art gallery, exhibitions and lots of history. It also had a Robin Hood Adventure place where you get to be Robin Hood and try out all his skills! The castle also had caves but it was closed on this occasion.

Nottingham is a great place for everyone and not too far from London either! Do visit it!

Places to visit in Yorkshire

 We love exploring the country and on our quest, here's where we visited in Yorkshire!

York - This was a day trip from London and we packed in so much. Lucky was learning all about Romans and Anglo-Saxons at the time so this was perfect to go to. We visited the Viking Centre, the Chocolate Story, went on a Ghost boat ride on the river, York Castle Museum, DIG: The archeological adventure. We also walked around the town centre and visited the famous streets and shops! One of the most kid-friendly town!

Whitby - We did a weekend there! It is such a charming town right by the sea. Obviously, we went there because of Dracula and it didn't disappoint with its history! We visited all the must from Whitby Abbey, Dracula:the experience, steam train ride, the Captain Cook replica boat, 199 steps and visiting Humpty Dumpty grave, Captain Cook Memorial Museum, the Jet museum. We also did the beach but it was raining. We went on a ghost tour too and ate at a lot of fish and chips restaurants!

UK Waterfalls

 I've always been a water baby. I love any water bodies, features, etc... and waterfalls are no different to me. I love the adrenaline to the scenery to get there but also the calm and soothing feeling when you feel that water spray. I'm always in awe of them no matter how being or small!

Here are some of what we visited!

Lumsdale Falls, Peak District -  about a 45mins walk from Matlock Bath, this was a waterfall tucked away on the edge of the Peak District. The highlight is the ruins surrounding it! 

Virginia Falls, Windsor Park - a man-made waterfall. We made a trip from London to visit it but it was so underwhelming and we couldn't even go close to it!

Mallyan Spout Waterfall, North Yorks Moor - situated in Goathland, where the station was featured in one of the Harry Potter movies, the walk to it is a bit strenuous but beautiful! You have to climb big rocks in order to get close to it! There's also other waterfalls nearby but we didn't have time!

Becky Falls, Dartmoor National Park - this was so fun to do! Not really one of those majestic waterfalls but more water coming down rocks and it felt like a game of stepping stones to get close! It was another beautiful setting!

St Nectan's Glen, Tintagel - a beautiful waterfall set in something that I will call a tropical jungle. Kids can splash around. A small entrance fee to pay.

Wales - https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4124083420943040106/2673917214633585558

Castles and Palaces in UK

 UK is in no shortage of castles and places thanks to tall the Royal Families! There are such majestic places to visit full of history. Who doesn't want to pretend there are kings or queens for the day!  Here is a list of some that we have been to!

Buckingham Palace - The Mother of all Castles and Palaces! It comes with a hefty entrance fee so is it worthy? The actual place is a bit underwhelming because everyone hypes it so much! But the atmosphere, the fact that you are walking in the footsteps of the Queen, that's unbeatable. Towards the end of the tour, there's a room for kids to dress up and play like a royal!

Kensington Palace - The home of Princess Diana! My favourite part is the sunken garden. It is a small palace but it's beautiful. There's lot of events and exhibitions happening there and if you combine it with a visit to Hyde Park, that's a whole day out!

Tower of London - It is a very dark place including it's very own torture chamber and bloods spots of murdered young princes! It is also where the stolen Crown Jewels which we refused to see! During school holidays, there's always special events going on! 

Hever Castle - Anne Boleyn's childhood home, this picturesque castle and grounds has so much to offer! From multiple gardens, to a water play area and play areas with a replica castle in it, this is a guaranteed fun day out, especially during the summer!

Warwick Castle - We love the castle and the town! We went there during Halloween and it was so apt with the dungeon, scary maze and all the other events going on! Another great kid-friendly castle! More of our day out can be found here: https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2020/01/warwick-castle.html

Hertsmonceux Castle - We went there during the Medieval Festival which is such a great experience. With live battle reenactment and jousting battles to people in costumes living like their used to during medieval times. Please go and experience it! Here's our experience https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2017/09/englands-medieval-festival.html

Dartmouth Castle - This is one the most beautifully located castles I have ever been to right on the Dart Estuary. Even the walk from the town centre to the castle was stunning! It is a small castle but with amazing views!

Dover Castle - This was such a huge castle including WW2 tunnels. You can see the whole of Dover from where the castle stands. 

Canterbury Castle - It's not a castle anymore just about 10mins from the town centre. You can't visit the ruins anymore because it's dangerous. But even looking from the outside, you can feel how gorgeous it was.

Oxford Castle - Comes with its own prison, this castle was the first castle we visited so it always holds a special place in our heart!

Hastings Castle -  It is absolutely stunning with beautiful sceneries and kids will learn about the Battle of Hastings at school so a great place to see what they learned in the actual place

Norwich Castle - Right in the middle of the centre, this castle is compact but holds lots of activities during school holidays!

Tintagel Castle - You can easily spend a whole day in this stunning village in Cornwall. And the highlight is the Castle overlooking the beach. It comes with its own cave too! We spent the whole morning there discovering all the corners of the castle. When I say castle, its the walls that remains but still with beautiful views surrounding it, you have plenty to look around!

What about you? Do share the best castles you visited.

Weekend in Oxford

 This was a couple of years ago while Mahi was still in a stroller so I hope I remember it right!

We went over the October half-term and I think that's the best time to visit such a historic town. We stayed with a friend close to the town centre so accessing all the attractions wasn't a problem.

As it was Halloween Season, Oxford Castle did their Haunted Castle event. This is the first ever Haunted Castle the kids ever attended so the kids always look back at it fondly. We had a few jumpy moments in the dark. It was great!

The next day, we obviously did the colleges. I mean just being there was an inspiration. It was the weekend, and the library was full! The chapels, dining  halls, gardens, it's just this amazing feeling!

We then we went around the town centre doing some shopping and trying to find black macarons (Lucky was literally throwing a tantrum to eat Black macarons!!!!!). Alas, no such luck! We settled on normal macaroons. I loved going around Oxford. It's still like old times in most places.

We ended our trip by visiting the Ashmoleum museum! I remember the Roman and Egyptian sections of the museum which was so comprehensive!

A great weekend!

Indoor fun with kids in London

    The British weather can be so unpredictable and we are mostly cold even during summer so here's a list of indoor places to visit with kids.

Free

• National History Museum, South Kensington - one of my favourite museum becuaue of the dinosaurs
• The Chocolate Museum, Brixton - a tiny museum dedicated to all things chocolate. With workshops happening throughout the the year, its a great place to entertain the kids. (https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/search?q=chocolate+museum)
• Science Museum, South Kensington - such a great interactive museum to learn so much about science
• V&A, South Kensington - I love this museum since it's all about learning about different cultures and eras
• National Gallery, Trafalgar Square - maybe for older kids who love art
• National Portrait Gallery - Leicester Square - a cute little museum but again maybe for older kids
• Tate Modern -  some great exhibitions and installations which would cultivate your kids' imaginations
• Somerset House, Waterloo - Usually have great exhibitions for kids and a stunning ice rink during Winter
• Saatchi Gallery - Some great kid-friendly workshops held on Sundays
• Southbank Centre, Waterloo- we usually attend the Imagine Festival every February but it has some great events throughout the year
• Museum of London, London Docklands and Barbican - everything to learn about London's history. We especially loved the Great Fire of London walk hosted by Museum of London to complement what the kids learn in year 2.
• British Museum - I don't like to visit this much due to all the stolen goods but it's such a stunning place to learn all about different eras
• The Petrie Museum - perfect for anyone in love with Egypt's history
• Royal Observatory, Greenwich - man interactive things to do to learn about space. Includes a planetarium (shows needs to be paid for) https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2018/04/royal-observatory-greenwich.html
• National Maritime Museum, Greenwich - all about the seas. The play areas are our favourite! They also great hosts family workshops!
• Cutty Sark - For all your little sailors!
• Horniman Museum, Forest Hill - a great museum with aquarium, gardens and butterfly house
• Imperial War Museum, Lambeth - a great place to learn about WW2
•  Heath Robinson, Pinner - a small museum dedicated to a local Harrow artist and illustrator
• Headstone Manor Museum, North Harrow - a museum to explore Harrow
• Feminist Library, Lambeth - a great library with a range of literature from female authors
• Royal Army Museum, Chelsea - a great museum about the army's role in the different wars
• National Archieves - close to Kew Gardens and every 1st sunday hold family workshops. A great treat for a little historian

Paid attractions

• Kidzania, Westfield
• Harrow Arts Centre, Hatch End - multiple shows, workshops and classes
• ArtsDepot, North Finchley - another great space for shows, workshops and classes
•  London - 4hrous of unlimited fun for kids where they try their hands at different job
• Transport Museum, Covent Garden and Acton - the ticket you buy is valid for a year so you can return however many times within a year. Everything to learn about Tfl for any transport crazy kids!
• Golden Hinde , London Bridge- a replica of  the first English ship that went around the world. A great day out to experience history. Some of the areas are outdoors. https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/search?q=southwark
• The Clink Museum, London Bridge - a small but a bit scary museum. Maybe for Halloween?
• Shakespeare's Globe, London Bridge - if your child is learninf about Shakespeare then this is the perfect place to take them! Plays, workshops and festivals, they have it all!
• Tower of London, Tower Hill - another great historic place and who doesn't want to see the Crown Jewels
• Discover Children's Centre, Stratford - Perfect for primary school children to see their favourite books coming alive. https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2018/06/discover-children-centre.html
• Buckingham Palace, Green Park - who doesn't want to see where the Queen live
• Kensington Palace - Diana lived here. Do we need to say anymore?
• Various English Heritage Sites - free if you are a member
• Various National Trust sites - free if you are a member
• Shrek, Westminster - let's visit our favourite orgre with special appearances from the Madagascar team
• SeaLife, Westminster - sharks and all other underwater creatures. Combo tickets with Shrek and other nearby attractions available
• The Old Operating Theatre, London Bridge - a hidden museum with an interactive session about operating back in the days
• The London Bridge Experience, London Bridge - perfect for Halloween with scary people chasing you!
• The London Canal Museum, King's Cross - a great museum to learn about the canal ways in London which also offer canal rides on the narrowboats! https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2017/11/halloween-treat-3-london-canal-museum.html
• London Dungeon, London Bridge - Another spooky experience! https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2017/11/halloween-treat-london-dungeon.html
• The Florence Nightingale Museum, London Bridge - a little museum all about Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole
• BFI - we love Sunday Family Days where they do movie previews with great workshops to go with it!
• Madame Tussauds, Baker Street - see your favourite celebs up close
• Cartoon Museum, Oxford Circus - A great museum all for cartoons. They also do great half-term workshops for kids
• Bentley Priory Museum, Stanmore - An important place in the history of the Battle of Britain, this is a stunning place to learn all about its history and the pivotal role it played during WW2!
• Musicals and Theatres
• Crazy Golf
• Trampoline parks
• Charles Dickens Museum - hold lots of events suitable for families and a great little museum to walk through where Dickens lived!
• Madame Tussauds - quite an expensive day out but really worth it if your family love the entertainment world. Some sections are