A wee Irish Roadtrip! #ireland #familytravel #belfast @titanicbelfast #giantscauseway #carrickarederopebridge #ulster @nationaltrust #darkhedges #familyfun

Getting there

We headed off in our car and took the Irish ferries from Holyhead to Dublin and then drove Dublin to Belfast.

We noticed how one minute you see lots of Irish registered cars when in Ireland and then almost suddenly the cars are British registered as you go into Northern Ireland.

Titanic Museum

The museum sits in the dock area of the city pretty much on the site where Titanic was built.

It is an impressive museum which starts with taking you back to Belfast in the 1920s when ship building was the city’s lifeblood. To be building Titanic really was a huge event for the city and thousands turned out for its launch. At the time a lot of Irish people were emigrating to America in search of work and a new life.

The museum takes you through the whole process of how the ship was built through to how it would be to actually be on the ship. There are lots of interactive features and the latest technology, including a film of where the Titanic lies on the ocean floor.

It is also important to remember that the ship is also now a graveyard and so it is a memorial to those who lost their lives on that fateful day.

Outside the museum we popped to a bar and had a pint of the black stuff whilst listening to dine traditional Irish music played by two blokes. It was brilliant!

With your ticket for the museum you also get entry to the ships tender boat. This has had an eventful life since being the actual tender boat that carried the passengers to the Titanic; as a nightclub, restaurant and helping out in wartime. It has been immaculately restored to how it was

Giant’s causeway

Giant’s causeway is a stunning natural phenomena where basalt columns cut out of the sea. Perfect for climbing on!

Of course there is a great tale about a giant called Finn McCool to go with this and all of this is brought to life in the visitors centre run by the National Trust.

The drive from Belfast to Ballintoy along the Antrim coast is full of stunning coastline and beautiful views. We stopped off a couple of times to break up the journey and get some fresh air. There were a few play areas for the kids or just to us to scrabble on.

Carrick-a-Reed Rope bridge

This rope bridge is on the site of what was once a bridge where fishermen would carry their haul across. Then it was a lot more flimsy than the sturdy, reinforced bridge that is there today. It goes from the mainland to a small island where you can see a tiny gushing boat moored up.

It’s a short walk from the car park down a path to the bridge. We went early and there was no queue but I can imagine at busy times there can be quite a wait as only a few people are allowed on the bridge at a time.

The Dark Hedges

If you watched Game of Thrones you will know this as a filming location when Arya Stark was travelling disguised as a boy. It is a beautiful tunnel of trees and very atmospheric.

We then headed to the new Center Parcs at Longford Forest in Ireland and had a relaxing few days after such a busy time exploring! It was all wonderful!

What is your favourite thing to do in Ireland?

YHA Family Breaks Support Programme #familysupport #charity #familytravel @YHAOfficial #livemoreYHA

We have had some very memorable breaks in Youth Hostels.

Before children, we traveled around New Zealand staying in some fabulous youth hostels there along the way. We booked the next night as we decided where we wanted to go – oh the freedom! Each hostel was different with its own features depending on the location. Rotura had a hot spring pool and Franz Josef a sauna.

Likewise, Youth Hostels in the UK have their own uniqueness.

• Hawes is located in the Yorkshire Dales and is basic and functional, designed for walkers.
• Canterbury is spacious but cozy with cute Arctic lodges in the grounds.
• Sherwood Forest, located a stone’s throw from the Major Oak tree, is the perfect forest escape.

Did you know that in order to help ensure every child has the opportunity to embrace new environments, the Youth Hostel Association has recently launched a Family Breaks Support programme to help families in tough situations?

This initiative offers vulnerable families who are facing extremely challenging times, such as life-limiting disability, the loss of a loved one, financial hardship or domestic abuse (to name a few) the opportunity for a family holiday in one of their hostels as long as they fulfill the requirements (more details of which can be found on the website link above).

Do you know any family that might fit the bill who would enjoy taking a break away from home in one of the YHA’s beautiful locations such as Stratford upon Avon, York, Whitby or the Wye Valley?

What a wonderful Christmas gift this would be!

 

Ski Style in the Great Outdoors @trespass #weloveforests #outdoors #ski

Ski jackets aren’t just for skiing. They are the perfect thing for cold wintery days here in Blighty too! Ski fashion is always big news at this time of year and Trespass, specialists in outdoor clothing, offer a brilliant selection of ski jackets, from bright to neutral hues, to keep you warm as toast out in the cold.

I was sent the Emanuela women’s down feather jacket which has an 80% down to 20% feather fill ratio in its padding and uses natural materials to keep you lovely and warm. It is also incredibly lightweight and easy to wear and not at all bulky or uncomfortable. It is available in jade and pink but I went for the black, which as you can see if actually more of a charcoal grey.

 

The jacket is fitted at the waist and has a drawcord at the neck and hem with thumb holes at the cuff to stop the sleeves from riding up. There are two side pockets with plenty of space for storing essentials and there is a shell fabric chin guard for keeping you snuggly.

The jacket is also water repellent and comes with a carry bag which you can stuff the jacket into.

I was shocked at how warm this jacket kept me especially considering how lightweight and thin it is. I spent the day in the forest, where I was doing a Forest Schools course with the boys, with the temperature barely getting above 4 degrees and was never even slightly cold. What I loved the most about it though was the lack of bulkiness that can be a side effect of some winter coats. I hardly knew I was wearing it it is so lightweight.

It also goes with most wardrobe staples from gym gear to jeans and dresses, winter boots and trainers. It also washes on a 40 degree cycle and comes up good as new.

Buying a ski jacket as an everyday coat wouldn’t have occured to me but this is a practical and stylish option and definitely wins on the warmth front! I love it to bits!

What do you think to the range of jackets at Trespass? Are you a fan of the ski jacket?

Silent Sunday 5/2/17

Forest schools rules! #bushcraft #outdoors

Today Noah, who is 7 going on 17, and I went to join Green Scene Forest Schools ar Brierley Forest Park for a forest school adventure!

I knew it would be guaranteed to be good as we have been to Hem’s Foresr School sessions before and they really are brilliant. Hem is very knowledgeable and would do anything to make your learning experience more enjoyable for all. The boys love being outdoors and add in chopping up wood, lighting fires and cooking food to eat to the mixture you are on to a winner!

Noah was only 5 years old when we did Forest schools before and probably didn’t engage with it as much as he did this time. He was straight into making a fire with the flint and steel in the Kelly Kettle for us all to have a drink!

Before all this Hem gave us lots of safety advice and set out the rules for Forest Schools especially concerning the fire and the knives! Very important especially when there are lots of children around. There was only one other family there but Hem said others had been booked on but hadn’t been able to make it.

Time just flew and before we knew it three hours had passed and we quickly had to pack up. Everyone had had a brilliant afternoon! We had tortilla pizzas cooked on the campfire as a snack to eat to keep us going. It was delicious!

Next week hopefully we will be joined by more families and Ethan will come along too. He has been on a cub walk today so we have all had lots of fresh air and will skeep tonight! 

Have you tried out Forest Schools? Would love to hear if this is your kind of thing!

Happy New Year!

We are slowly getting back to normal after a whirlwind of a Christmas and New Year break! It feels like we have been away ages but time has gone so fast!

Here we are by Bassentwaite Lake where we spent five nights in a cottage nearby with lovely friends. More on that to follow!

My teaching career is kind of on hold as life has just been crazy busy and the “balance” was rather skewed! 

Excited for 2017 and things we have planned including a holiday to Mexico! Definitely lots more adventures in the planning!

What have you been up to? Hopefully chilling out with friends and family has been high on the agenda.

Helping out Father Christmas in the 4×4 at Lockwell Hill Activity Centre! #lockwellhill #dirtbuggies #Christmas

If you are looking for an alternative to the usual Santa visit you will not go far wrong with the amazing experience we had today!

Father Christmas is in a muddle! When out practicing in his sleigh last night he dropped some presents out of it! Arghhh! Your job along with the help of your friendly elf, is to find these presents using a map. Your mode of transport is a 4×4 jeep and the terrain is tough!

This is my boys ideal kind of thing they had a brilliant time (especially Ethan who was sat in the boot!). I sat this one out and let a friend go whose youngest son was also in the jeep. 

The experience is about 20 minutes and then the children take the found presents to the wonderful Father Christmas who is very pleased to see them!

They all have a lovely chat and FC gives them all an early present to thank them for helping him. 

It was all organised so well and the details were perfect from the woodland walk to see the man himself to the friendly and funny elves! At £30 for six people the family 4×4 ride is a fantastic deal!

We also had lunch there which was much needed to warm us all up- you can’t beat got chocolate and toasted sandwiches!

It is too late to try this out this year but book early for next year as it is guaranteed fun! I think we will be back there soon to try out some of the other activities that are run there.  

Loving the Luminarium @lakesidearts @architectsofair #nottingham

The latest luminarium, called Katena, developed by the talented Nottingham based Architects of Air is currently showing at the Wheee! festival at Nottingham University’s Lakeside Arts Centre until Sunday 5 June.

If you haven’t paid a visit to it yet I urge you to get yourself down there (it is very easy to get to with a tram stop just outside).

I described the luminarium to the boys as like the inside of a bouncy castle as they were really small last time we visited one and couldn’t remember. 

They absolute loved it, whatever, and were both soothed and invigorated by the colours and shapes. It was almost tardis like how big it feels inside as it doesn’t look so vacuous from the outside.

It costs just £4 each for entrance – tickets need to be purchased from the Lakeside box office before queuing. You leave your shoes in the cupboard provided before leaving the wild behind! Once in you can relax and take in the calm and soothing atmosphere or explore and enjoy the ambience. 

 If you aren’t close by to Nottingham, Katena and other luminariums are touring the world – you can check out where they are here.

Have you visited a luminarium before? What did you think?

Messy spins with B-Girl Terra and @PersilUK #dirtisgood #dance

The boys don’t need any encouragement to get outside and get dirty, and I mean, filthy!

Tons of washing is created from all this outdoor fun and filthiness and I am not complaining at all! Getting dirty is all about making fun memories in the great outdoors and mud, muck and grime is an essential part of being a happy child. I know my fingernails were always caked and my mum’s washing machine was never off!

In Persil’s own words – dirt is definitely good!

Persil have just launched the new Persil Mono Capsules (which now come in pouch format, with two extra capsules included in each pack!). It promises to be tough and stains and also uses 70% less plastic making it a more ecological option which is always good news to me!

Persil has teamed up with the child-dancer extraordinaire, B-Girl Terra to come up with some fun dance moves for little ones to try (all aimed at a beginner level) – to encourage the kiddies to get outside and learn some fun dance moves.

B-Girl Terra is an awesome breakdancer, but what is more amazing is that she won her first international battle (her words) was when she was just 6 years old! She is amazing to watch!

The boys had a go at emulating her spins and moves in the garden. I think they have quite a bit more practice to do but it was brilliant fun!

We didn’t have to worry about ruining clothes as the Persil did its job in getting the clothes sparkling clean again.

Do you enjoy getting down with the dirt?

Awesome Owls @hawksofsteele

 My dad bought the boys an owl encounter experience at Thoresby Hall in Nottinghamshire. It was run by Hawks of Steele who have around 15 birds that have either been rescued or bred.

The boys held four different breeds of owls (with very different temperaments and sizes). 

   

  

  

The owls also flew from and to their outstretched hand. It was brilliant!

Thanks again Gramps!