What's the Deal?

 On a warm August day, we headed to Deal to be near the sea, absorb some history,  not too far from London and enjoy the last few days of summer. 

We first headed to Walmer Castle and Gardens.  Free for English Heritage members, this is a nice little castle built by Henry VIII vital in the military phase of the country, a 20mins walk along the sea from Deal town centre. It is also where the Duke of Wellington lived and died with the actual bedroom where he died with the original furniture and books. The castle had beautiful gardens to stroll in. The playground wasn't much but plenty of space for kids to run or play hide-and-seek.

We ten walked back towards Deal to Deal Castle which overlooks the beach. This is free for English Heritage members. It may look like it doesn't offer much but oh boy, did it offer so much fun and things to do for kids! The kids at the beginning didn't want to explore so they sat on a bench while I went to look around. I first headed to the underground tunnels which was dark but so cool to walk around and a bit creepy. I then headed to the rest of the castle to see the history. I enjoyed it so much that I came back to my kids and encouraged to explore the castle. It was such a good idea because they loved it especially the underground tunnels!

We then spend some time on Deal beach. This was a pebble beach and with the sewage debate, didn't swim in it but it was nice to sit, have an ice cream and chill. The beach also had lots of quirky boats which made for some nice photo opportunities.  We also walked on the pier and see some fishing happening in front of us.

This rounded up our Deal trip. It was such a nice and chilled day which costs us less than £20 including travel and food!

Chasing waterfalls in Wales

 As you know, if you 've been following my blog long enough, that we love waterfalls. It's free to do and good for your health. As our summer plans got cancelled, I was lost as everything was so expensive even within England. Then, through the waterfall group I follow on Facebook, one place came coming back again and again, the 4 waterfalls walk in  Brecon Beacons. So, I looked around the area to see what else is there to do, and this town kept popping up which offered us so much that caters to our interests. Neath in South Wales! This was a small town but a central point to get us everywhere we needed.

The things to do are:

- Longford Waterfall - this is set off a residential area. It is closest to the town centre. It was a small but nice waterfall but it has derelicts buildings around it so it has this eerie feeling.

-Neath Abbey -free to enter and down the road from Longford Waterfall. It is the ruins of the abbey and very nice.

- Neath Castle - free and not  much to look at. There's only 1 facade left of the castle

- There's a few gardens and park in and around the town centre such as Victoria Gardens and Gnoll Estate Park

- National Showcaves- the only thing that costs us through the whole entire trip but well worth it. It has 3 caves and the Cathedral cave was my favourite with 2 stunning waterfalls. It also has beautiful views of Brecon Beacons. The places also has a little animal park, 2 indoor play areas and crazy golfs. A day went by easily. The only down thin is that you will need to book your time slot and if you are late, you won't be able to enter.

- Henryd Waterfalls - this was such an easy hike for everyone. As we went during the summer, the waterfall was quite dry but when it is full, it is beautiful. This is the tallest waterfall in Wales and this location was used in one of the Batman movies.

-Waterfall country - set in Brecon Beacons, Waterfall country is home to the famous 4 Waterfall walk however it has multiple trails  leading to multiple waterfalls and is divided into level of difficulty. There's the Gunpowder trail which is the easiest. We picked the Elidir trail which is moderate and covered 4 waterfalls. The hike can be daunting at times so be careful but the reward is stunning. Pack lots of water and snacks for your hike including swimming suits (if you are into wild swimming), towels and definitely a change of clothes! I cannot express how stunning and calm it is! On the way to Waterfall Country from Neath, you 'll go by Melincourt Falls too so don't miss it!

Overall, if you want to recharge and get your nature kick, head to Neath! A cheap holiday but good for the soul!

A day in Arundel

 Who knew Frozen's Arundel complete with castle in right here in Sussex????? It 's this charming little town on the border of South Downs National Park but with quite a lot to do! I think you can easily make a weekend out of it!

We first headed down to  Swanbourne Lake. The walk to it is beautiful with the castle on the left and the national park on the other side. It is a 20minutes walk from the town centre but the lake has got a lot of  parking. The lake is a boating lake during the summer with a tea room. The lake has also got walking trails so half a day can be spent here.  We didn't want to do much walking so we just did half the lake trail and then headed to the castle. 

The castle was hosting their History Weekend so it has lots of people in medieval clothing, selling handmade things, the ambience was great with lots of free events such as axe throwing, strongbow shooting, medieval warrior training, etc... The castle was very nice and compact. The grounds were not big but big enough for the kids to let loose and explore. The gardens were stunning and I spent more time in there then in the actual garden. The rose garden was small but nice too. As I mentioned, there was plenty of activities to do during the day which took us around the castle. This took us most of the day!

We then went to explore the little town with the river Arun running through it and its many antique shops.

Other things to do that we didn't do (because the kids didn't want to) were:

- WWT Arundel

- Arundel Lido

-  South Downs National Park

- Arundel Cathedral

- Arundel Museum

It is such a charming town and will highly recommend it¬