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!

Durham

 First blog of 2023 writing about our first trip of 2023! We went to Durham for a couple of days during February half-term. We chose Durham because of its UNESCO World Heritage Site status and it was a budget-friendly tour where most of what we did was free! The few days we were there were sunny and quite warm for February. We stayed walking distance from the city centre and thankfully everything we wanted to see was walking distance so we didn't spend anything on transport except for the day trip to Newcastle (a mere 10mins on train).  if you are travelling by car there's much more you could do outside of the city centre such as Beamish (my kids are now happy not to do any living museums). I would recommend going when the children are older though because of the history and there's wasn't much to do for younger kids. 

We initially took a tour of the city centre, exploring the cobblestoned streets, taking in the beautiful sights along the river and just familiarising ourself with the city. This is what we did during our trip in Durham:

        - Durham Cathedral - it was beautiful. I loved looking at the stained windows while the organ was playing.  We can go up the tower too to see the view of Durham but there was a cost to it but otherwise it was FREE.

     - On the same square, you have Durham Castle (also student accommodation of Durham University). You have to book a tour to visit the castle which was in the single digits for the 3 of us. It is a small castle but the tour guide was great at explaining the  history of the castle. There's a trail activity that kids can do!

     - Museum of Archeology - a small museum about things found in Durham and its sources. There was kids' dressing up area as well as arts and crafts. FREE.

      - Cosin's Library - as a bookworm I love visiting libraries and this was a small, cute library with the beautiful smell of old books. I loved spying the bookshelves to see what books there were. FREE but only opened from Wednesday to Sunday

   - Town Hall - only open on Saturdays for the public so we missed it. I hear it is very beautiful and FREE

   

As previously mentioned, we also did a day trip to Newcastle. We mostly walked everywhere so we can sightsee all the popular stuff such as the bridges and the Newcastle Castle. and this is what we've done where we walked everywhere:

    - Discovery Museum - The kids really enjoyed this museum. They have so many different sections with lots of different activities to do! I wasn't expecting much but we were pleasantly surprised at how much time we spent there and how interactive it was. FREE

 - Seven Stories - if you have little bookworms then this is the museum for them. There's 4 floors dedicated to stories and authors. My kids were a little old for this but they did find things they enjoyed here and there. FREE

- Will we go anywhere without seeing a waterfall? Just outside the city centre, we went to visit the Jesmond Dene waterfall. Set amongst a woodland park, it was small but such a pretty city. There were stepping stones so the kids can hop across the banks. There was an old disused watermill which bought more charm to the place. 

In terms of eating out, Durham had so many choices so you don't have to worry about that!

Overall, it was a relaxing break from the hustle and bustle of our daily life and great to have done another relatively free holiday!

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¬

A day out in Cambridge

 I didn't want to travel far or spend too much this summer so we ended up in Cambridge! It was a beautiful day to spend there too. I did what the kids will enjoy so didn't visit any colleges or do most of the museums. Some museums were closed on a Saturday so do check times before adding them on your itinerary.

First up, we did some punting! It was a great experience and we were so comfortable. The guide was very good explaining the history of the city. The punting tour took us through the main colleges which were beautiful!  We loved the experience and a must do in such a historic city!

Next, we took the long way across the city to visit Whipple Museum to quench the thirst of my paleontologist! On our way there, we sae the Corpus Christi clock which is a must-see attraction in the city.  We also came across multiple gardens but most importantly bookshops! Back to the museum...This was a small museum but it had lots of activities and had a lot to offer for everyone! The collection was huge! I will highly recommend it.

Our last stop was the Botanical Gardens. This was quite disappointing. I thought it'll be full of flowers but mostly ponds. But it had activities for kids which kept them busy.

Overall, we really enjoyed our day out and will  definetely come back when the kids want to explore the colleges!