Day trip to Guildford

 Mahi was learning about Victorian workhouses this term so after some researching, I found one in Guildford. We never been Guildford so I wanted to explore the area too.

Our first stop was to walk around the vibrant town centre which for some reason had a festive feel.

We then walked to Guildford Castle which I wasn't expecting much but the grounds was beautiful with flowers in full bloom. We had a little picnic on the grounds. The castle was small but with the grounds it was beautiful. You had to pay a small entrance fee to explore inside the castle and go to the top of the castle to see views of the castle.

Next and final stop was the Spike Heritage Centre which is the Victorian workhouse. It was just outside Guildford. We had a great guide who explained everything about the workhouse. It was fascinating to see actual cells and how people lived in workhouses. Mahish had many questions and he loved to see an actual representation of what he learned at school in real life. There was also graffitis left by residents still on the door which had  some swear words much to Laksha's delight! I would highly recommend a visit and it is also reasonably priced.

It was a short day trip but a good one!

Scotland

Can you do half of Scotland in 4 days? Yes, you can! We were also blessed with sun, rain, hail, snow and wind! But we had a wonderful time and I cannot recommend it enough. The kids didn't want to visit any museums and castles and so this was a very outdoorsy trip. We stayed with friends so we barely spent any money on travel while we were in Scotland. We did a lot so here was our itenary:

Day 1 - Arrived at Edinburgh and travelled to Perth which is were we stayed. We took a hike to Kinnoull Hill Woodland Park which had stunning views and was an easy walk! We then just relaxed for the rest of the day.

Day 2 - This was my favourite day and involved a beautiful12 hour road trip across most of the North of Scotland. We went to a few waterfalls (as that's my weakness) along the stunning A9. We stopped at the idyllic village called Pitchlory where we saw the dam and Lady Bruar Falls! We then headed to Aviemore to explore Cainrgorm Mountain which was breathtaking with the snow covered mountains. You can get a furnucular to go on top of the summit but otherwise they were plenty of walking routes too! Next, we headed to Inverness with lots of stops on the way to see the many waterfalls we came across. Inverness = Loch Ness Monster which my son was dying to see! Loch Ness was just stunning. My son was trying to spot the monster and thinks he saw an outline of something! We then drove around the huge Loch Ness and headed to Fort William to see Ben Nevis. I cannot describe what I saw and how majestic the sight of Ben Nevis is. We had beautiful nature colours with the still water and the vibrant gorse... oh wow! It was a sight I will never ever tire of! We then drove back through Glencoe and it's numerous snow covered mountains! It was a day that I will forever cherish!

Day 3 - We had a slow day as we recovered from our busy day the day before. We went into Perth City Centre! There were a couple of castles which we saw from the outside. We also visited a couple of parks by the river.  There is an ice rink and a leisure swimming pool if you wanted to do some more things!

Day 4 - Our final day! We headed to Edinburgh by train from Perth! We got off at Haymarket as I wanted to visit Dean Village (thanks to Instagram) which was cute. We then walked from Dean Village to Edinburgh City Centre which was scenic as we walked around Edinburgh Castle! Once we got to the city centre, we headed to the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions which we all enjoyed so much. Because it was Easter, there was easter themed egg hunt trail around all 6 floors! The Camera Obscura was so good and it also provided us a quick historic tour of Edinburgh without us leaving our seat! Our next stop was a Ghost Tour with Mercat Tours because we love a good ghost tour to listen to some gory stories. It also took us underground to see The Vaults. Unfortunately, Mahi got a bit scared so me and him had to get out. Laksha stayed on and told me it was the best ghost tour she went on. She said it was eerie, dark but most of all the history of the place was well told! Once that was done, we walked around the city going through the Princess Street Gardens and Scott Monument. Please book in advance 

Before we knew it, it was time for our train home. We were exhausted but it was one of our favourite trips. Scotland had so much to offer and I can't wait to explore more!

St Albans

 What better way to spend a day in Easter eating hot cross buns where it originated? Yes, hot cross buns originated at St Alban's Cathedral! Unfortunately, we didn't have time to eat one when we visited the Cathedral as the cafe was so busy. The Cathedral was the home of the first British saint, St Albans and can see his shrine. The Cathedral also had a children's corner with dressing up costumes and arts and crafts. It is free to to visit too.

After lunch at a cute local cafe, we went to visit The Verulanium Museum which had an entry fee. The museum was well maintained and very child friendly with great exhibits for big and small! The kids thoroughly enjoyed looking at the artefacts and learning the history of St Albans. There was arts and crafts but you had to pay a small fee however, in the main hall, you can recreate your own mosaic for free. A great visit.

Right down the museum, there was a wildlife garden which was little but cute with a little pond and various habitats for insects!

The museum is conveniently located in the stunning Verulanium Park with its beautiful lakes! They had a splash park with a a very large play area! Plenty of space to bring your own games and run around too!

Overall, we had a great day and were blessed with great weather. A day well spent!