What we did with the New York Sightseeing Pass @SightCNYC @OneWorldNYC @rockcenternyc @TheGarden @TheRideNYC #familytravel #newyork

When we were in New York we had a list of attractions we wanted to see. The cheapest way of doing them really was to get some sort of attractions pass. I chose the Sightseeing Pass Flex for six attractions. It cost £245 for four of us and I’m sure it worked out we saved about 50% on admission costs! It also opened our eyes to things we may not have chosen to do if we didn’t have it!

Cycle tour in Central Park

It was a beautiful bright sunny day and we were up early!

We took the cycle tour with Central Park bike tours. It took us on around an hour bike ride around the major attractions of Central Park such as Bethesda Terrace, The Reservoir, Strawberry Fields and loads more. It was a whistle stop tour but the guide was knowledgeable and friendly and in my opionion it was the best thing we did in NYC! 

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Backstage tour of Madison Square Gardens

Madison Square Gardens is a major concert and sporting event in the centre of Manhattan. It is located just next to Penn Station a stone’s throw from Times Square.

At the top you get a bird’s eye view of Manhattan- I was shocked how small the Statue of Liberty looked.

Next to the One World Observatory is a memorial site to the people who died at 9/11. It was another emotional experience!

Seats are laid out along the length of the bus so everyone is looking the same way out of the side windows. Our hosts introduced us to the ride of our lives as we travelled through midtown from The Empire State Building to Central Park and back again, captivated by street entertainers, ballet dancers, musicians and comedians all disguised as regular passers by! It was an incredible experience and a definite highlight!!!

Top of the Rock

We went to the top of the Rockerfeller Centre at night as to see New York from up high at night is a must do! It was stunning to see the Enpire State building lit up and I just love the Chrysler too!

Airport transfer to JFK

This is such a boring one but we didn’t have time to do any more attractions!

So the sightseeing pass was well worth it in experience and opened us up to so many amazing opportunities! There are still lots of things I’d like to do but these can wait till our next visit!

Check out where we ate!

What’s your favourite thing to do with kids in NYC??

History in action – Mary Rose Museum @themaryrose #livinghistory #britishhistory #education

Glamping at Warwick Castle @warwickcastle #knightsvillage #kingstent #britishhisory #wotrl #halfterm

Camping is one of our favourite things to do as the weather gets warmer. We have also done a spot of glamping – a more glamorous way to camp – adding a touch of luxury to outdoor living!

Warwick Castle has built its own Knight’s Village, which is a brilliant way to get the full-on experience of life at the castle. We visited last year and stayed in one of the lodges, for Noah’s 8th birthday. We had great fun and for the price, you also get two days entry via the VIP gate to the castle. It is just a five-minute walk from the castle and has its own car park which, if staying in the village, is free.

As well as the wooden lodges is the Avenue of the Kings where the King’s and Princess’s glamping tents are sited. This runs parallel to the river so sitting outside the tent you have a lovely view of families of ducks and geese passing by and also some outdoor space to play. We were invited to spend a night in one of the King’s Tents. Here is what we thought!

The Tent

The tent itself is made from sturdy canvas and is fastened down securely with a wooden base.

Inside there is a four poster bed and two single beds with fresh white linen and cosy blankets. It is very comfortable and welcoming and sets the scene for a regal overnight stay in luxury.We all slept really well and as the tent is lined with drapes (which adds the glamour and takes away the feeling of being in a tent) this offered some black out and also insulation. There isn’t any heating in the tent and it can be a bit nippy in the mornings so worth bringing an extra layer if you feel the cold.

There are also lights and a power socket. There is a storage chest to place bags in out of the way and a chair which can be taken outside.

At the front of the tent is a throne to sit on which has a cushion for extra comfort. There is also a barrel which serves as a table/storage and a chess table. The chess pieces (I am guessing) can be provided by reception which also has board games for hire at a deposit of £2. We didn’t use this facility as we were so busy!

 

Facilities on the site

Communal toilets and showers are available for users of the glamping tents in a heated block on the site. The showers were lovely and hot and there was plenty of room to store your towel etc in the cubicle. You do have to keep pressing the button to keep the water coming which is common on campsites. Towels are provided in the tent although don’t forget toiletries!

There is free wifi that can be accessed across the site.

A buffet breakfast is available (and included in the price) where you can eat like royalty. There is also unlimited hot drinks which can be accessed anytime during your stay. You can take drinks back to your accommodation if you want to.

Each evening a medieval feast is served which includes entertainment provided by two knights from the castle. This costs around £60 for two adults and two children. It is definitely worth doing as it is so different and unique to Warwick Castle.

On this occasion we didn’t join in with this, as we had done it before, and instead took a short drive into Warwick where we tucked into a delicious feast at Warwick Spice.

The next morning there was archery available after breakfast which children could have a go at. The boys loved this – and even managed a few bullseyes!

What did we think?

Warwick Castle is such a great day out and even though we have visited countless times we never tire of all that is going on as there is always something new!

As well as enjoying the latest addition to the activities – the Escape Rooms, the highlight for us was the War of the Roses Live is a brilliant show reenacting the happenings in the English Civil War between the Houses of York and Lancaster finally leading to the beginning of the House of Tudor. It is fun, educational and accessible and suitable for all the family.

Staying over at the castle really is the icing on the cake and for real luxury and comfort we would recommend the Knight’s Village for all the extra treats. With a choice of the lodges or the glamping tents, I think the glamping tents do add the element of something different which is always good to experience.

We did wonder why there were only two chairs in the King’s tent when the accommodation is for four, but this wasn’t a major issue as the boys were out playing or chilled out on the beds. it would have been nice to have the option of extra seating however if we wanted to play a family board game outside.

For the full experience of Warwick Castle then a stay in the Knight’s Village really is essential.

If glamping is just your thing then check out this wonderful post from Our Bucket List Lives where you will find a great selection of glamping options all over the UK!

Hadrian’s Wall #history #england #britain #cumbria #travel

Hadrian’s Wall is one of Britain’s major ancient tourist attractions stretching 80 miles fro coast to coast. It marks the boundary of the Roman Empire and building it, ordered by Emperor Hadrian, started in 122AD.

On our little New Year break to the Lakes we had a little drive out to visit Hadrian’s Wall in Brampton. It was about a 40 minute drive from the cottage.

I had actually thought that Hadrian’s Wall was the border between Scotland and England, but actually it is all very much in England! 

We also visited the remains of the Birdoswald Roman Fort. This held the bakehouse, essential for feeding the soldiers keeping guard along the wall.

The scenery was stunning and I hope we can pay a visit to Northumberland sometime soon to see the other end of Hadrian’s Wall. I love the idea of walking the whole of the wall sometime too. We are lucky to live with so much amazing history!

Have you visited Hadrian’s Wall? 

Rome in a day #italy #rome #family #travels @canvasholidays @ecvacanze

To round off our lovely family holiday in Italy we stayed for four nights at Camping Fabulous, just outside Rome.

Camping Fabulous is a caravan park owned by Elite Club Vacanze who own eight other similar sites across Italy. We booked our caravan through Canvas Holidays, after hearing of them at Blog On MSI.
Our caravan was basic but great for what we needed. It had two bedrooms, shower, toilet, kitchen and living area with air conditioning, a deck with table, chairs and gas BBQ outside and a parking space for one car.

We didn’t hire a car on this occasion but we were sent a fantastic holiday suitcase from icarhireinsurance who provide yearly car hire insurance excess. This means you don’t have to pay any excess on your car hire insurance in the event of an accident while you’re abroad. We actually used this on one of our visits to Italy when someone reversed into us and it was very useful as alternatives are very costly.

The site has everything you need for enjoying the sun!  There are two pools – one large pool for normal swimming (no inflatables allowed in here) and a huge paddling pool area with slides (inflatables permitted). Sun loungers are plentiful around the pool area and there is also a snack bar for refreshments. There is a volleyball area and table tennis is available next to a brilliant Gelateria and bar which also has evening entertainment.

There is a shop and Italian restaurant as well as takeaway pizzeria. In Italy you are really hard pressed to find any other type of cuisine. After two weeks of delicious pizza and pasta weloved having the BBQ for a change.

The biggest hit of our stay was the go carts that could be hired for 10 euros a day (subsequent days were 5 euros). The boys loved bombing around in them; following the little train that did a circuit of the park or just nipping to the shop on them for us.

We did venture into Rome as you could catch a bus from the main road close to the park which took you to the subway. This transported you directly into the centre of Rome. Tickets could be bought for €1.50 at the information point on site and were valid for 90 minutes from stamping at the beginning of the journey. We were lucky with timings of bus and tube and it took us about an hour to find ourselves at the Colosseum!

We had pre booked tickets for the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill so after not too much hanging around we found ourselves in the heart of historic Rome!

It was August. It was very hot. We knew there was a refreshing pool waiting for us at the campsite. We wandered around the amazing historic ruins but the boys were getting restless. Water and hats are essential!

After a yummy lunch (pasta again!) we headed to the Trevi fountain. The centre of Rome is all very walkable but I knew the boys wouldn’t be able to cope with much more.

We threw a coin in the fountain, as that would mean we would return, and headed back to catch the subway train.

There are excursions you can do from Camping Fabulous and i considered Rome at Night, where you leave around 8pm for a tour of the sights of Rome at night including a walking tour. It returns at 11.30pm which would just be too late for our English children who don’t understand the meaning of “siesta” or “lie in” and would be shattered! So perhaps next time…

Have you visited Rome? What are your highlights?

 

Travelling back in time @sponzfest #calitri #history #train

As part of the Sponz festival taking place in Calitri and surrounding area this week, we went back in time to experience a historic train journey.

I have to be totally honest here and say that as I don’t speak Italian I don’t really know the whole story behind the train but surfing to say the carriages are from the 1920s, 30s and 50s and the Diesel engine that pulled them was from the 1960s.

The train line was closed in 2010 and has recently been renovated and so this was to celebrate the reopening of the historic line.

Here we are waiting for the train to arrive in Calitri…

The train arrives!

We journey through stunning, lush green scenery….

We arrive in Rocchetta San Antonio!

There actually wasn’t much to do on arrival but we could admire the historic fixtures and imagine what life would have been like back when the train was in regular use.

We had an ice cream and headed back to Calitri..

It was a fun afternoon and we really enjoyed the experience!

I will find out more about the history of the train!

A Day in Historic Newark #notts #family @newarkairmus @civilwarcentre @experiencenotts

Last week we took a day out to Newark, a town in North Nottinghamshire that I have passed by (to visit Waitrose mainly!) but never actually visitied!

First up was the Newark Air Museum which lies on the site of the former World War II airfield of Winthorpe. It is now the largest volunteer managed aviation museum in Great Britain.

Having just returned from America on a big jumbo jet the subject of aeroplanes still felt very real to the kids. So they were very excited and animated about the aircraft on display. As well as having plenty of aircraft on display outside there are also two hangars (one of which was used to train RAF pilots during WWII) full of more aircraft; from the first flying machines through to helicopters and more planes. There is also a store of aviation artifacts on display. So much to see whatever the weather!

We had a brilliant time at the museum. The boys had lots of questions about World War II and a visit here would be brilliant when they are older to put things into context. Some weekends volunteers open up the aeroplanes for people to have a look inside the cockpit so we will definitely have to visit again for this!

Admission for the air museum starts at £4.50 for a child (under 5’s free), adults are £8.00 and over 60s £7.00 . A family ticket (for 2 adults and up to 3 children) starts at £22 and there are gift aid options which give you vouchers to spend in the on site cafe.

After all of the fun we were starving and well ready for lunch so headed to Mamma White’s Pancake Parlour in Newark town centre. We were a little late for our booking but luckily there was a spare table. Mamma White’s is the perfect family friendly lunch stop and the boys loved making their pancake choices on their own tick box sheet. Children’s meals cost £4.50 or £5.50 depending on whether they select big or small appetite. There were some interesting combinations chosen but regardless they disappeared very quickly. I had the All Day Breakfast (£7.50) with a side order of pancakes and syrup which were delicious.

 

In keeping with the family friendly theme there is a little play area in the window with small toys and chalk boards which is a fabulous touch for keeping children occupied whilst their lunch is being prepared. We loved the fabulous food and friendly atmosphere of quirky Mamma White’s – a perfect family treat.

Next up was the Civil War Centre which is a short walk from Mamma White’s.

The newly renovated Civil War centre tells the story of the important role Newark took in the civil wars. We found the staff are very friendly, enthusiastic and helpful which was good as I didn’t really know much about this subject before.

On display were many finds from the area as well as a brilliant film that shows the story in action. There was also an interactive map which showed you what parts of Newark would have looked like at the time of the wars. If this is a subject you are interested in or you are local to the area things would really be brought to life here.

You can also download an app which has a trail linking all the areas in Newark. We didn’t get chance to do this but would love to return and visit Newark Castle sometime which is just around the corner. This would hopefully deepen our understanding of the subject which I think is still a bit lacking!

There is a dressing up area for kids (and adults) to reenact some of the characters and give you a feel for the characters.

During the Summer holidays there were free activities for children – Noah made a peg soldier riding on a horse!

Admission is £3.00 for children and  £7 for adults with under 5’s going free and over 60’s paying £6.

 

We had a fantastic, educational day in Newark and would love to return again soon.

London Life @tots100 @royalgdnhotel @RoyalGardenHotel #rghfamilies

We love visiting London as family but as there is so much you can do in London with children and only so much little feet can take, to make it more fun and relaxing to incorporate a hotel stay into it. Centrally located near Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park lies The Royal Garden Hotel which is the perfect family base. I can definitely vouch for this as I stayed here with my own mum and dad and siblings when I was young and it was fabulous!

The hotel offers a 5 star service for families including toys and games to enjoy in the park or room, early dining in the Terrace Room from 5.30pm, free breakfast for kids on certain rates, babysitting service,  cots and high chairs and spacious rooms for two adults and two children (under 11) to share. With all of the family’s needs taken care of you can just enjoy London life doing whatever takes your fancy!

We visited London in September, taking advantage of our Merlin passes we concentrated on these activities – the London Eye (at dusk), Madam Tussauds (meeting Prince Harry!), The London Dungeon and Aquarium. There was loads to do on the South Bank and we had a brilliant time. As fans of musical theatre ee also went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory live on stage – we had a box and it was all very exciting.

On previous visits we have also seen The Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace and at Horse Guards Parade (this runs alternate days at each), visited the National History Museum to see the dinosaurs and the Science Museum which are essential when visiting with children.  Here are some photos from four years ago and again recently of us at the Science Museum. These activities are all free too!

Last time we visited we went on the Original Tour hop on/off bus around London which was educational and interesting. Ethan had lots of questions as they have been looking at the Great Plague in school. We also did the river tour which was part of the bus ticket which was a first time for the boys. We paid a visit to Ripley’s Believe it or Not at Piccadilly Circus which was a minefield of information and fun! Noah did graffiti of  his name on an interactive wall and Ethan lost his legs and feet!

There is so much to do in London and when we pay our next visit top of our list would be

• watch Matilda the Musical as the boys are huge Roahl Dahl fans
• experience some history and culture at Kensington Palace and the Tower of London, which we have walked past lots of times but not actually visited. The boys would love Diana’s memorial playground where we can remember a very special lady.
• enjoy the fresh air at London Zoo which we visited several years ago but love, love, love!
• fly high on the Emirates Airline cable car to the O2
• visit to see Santa at Hamleys or Harrods (if it is near Christmas)
• a trip to the top of the Shard to see the wonderful views

What are your must see highlights of London? Where would you recommend we go!?

 

First signs of Spring #snowdrops @hodsockpriory #thegallery

Hands up who is on count down for the warmer weather?

The days are getting gradually longer but it is still very cold and icy and at the moment Spring feels a long way away.

Hodsock Priory near Blyth in Nottinghamshire is synonymous with snowdrops, and in February the 5 acres of snowdrop gardens and grounds are opened to the public, for just one month, to have their glimpse of the first signs of Spring. – a truly most welcome sight!

We were greeted by the very friendly and lovely George Buchanan, who lives with his wife and family in the beautiful stately home, and he gave us a tour and an overview of the history of the estate where we learnt so much!

Do you know there are over 350 types of snowdrop and some of them are named after George’s ancestors!

Around 5 million snowdrops grow at Hodsock each year!

As well as the snowdrops you can also see the Victorian beehives (made by George’s godmother) and there are plenty of other pretty flowers and magestic trees to see. Also growing in the grounds are Cricket Bat Willows which is 15-20 years will produce 1000s of finest quality cricket bats!

I must confess I am not very green fingered, and didn’t know the names of all the flowers and trees, but I am a fan of photography and I would love to bring my husband back to Hodsock as the combination of the beautiful woodlands and the amazing lighting at this time of year would produce some fantastic shots. I love this photo of a monkey puzzle tree growing in the grounds taken with my iPhone 5.

To keep children amused don’t forget to pick up a trail checklist and look out for the quirky surprises you can see as you walk around. George was a walking encyclopedia, full of stacks of information about the moat that is still around the house, the gruesome battles that no doubt took place in the grounds and also even knew how many chimneys and how many windows the house has!

There is so much history at Hodsock and it is understood Henry VIII had lunch at there, in the stunning gatehouse, on his way to a shooting meeting near Doncaster. I would love to learn more on one of the Secrets of Hodsock evening or one of the house tours to really bring to life the exciting past of the estate.

After all the fresh air we were ready for some refreshments and popped into the heated marquee for delicious freshly made cakes and pastries and hot drinks. There is also a shop selling gifts and pocket money toys as well as plants and flowers to take home. My Auntie, who is more of a gardener than me bought some beautiful plants for her garden and we took home a snowdrop to remind us of this beautiful place

 

As well as all the snowdrop beauty is a  children’s play area, with wooden balancing beams and a trim trail but the real winner for the boys was the campfire – they loved throwing a few sticks on to week the flames going! I thought the bonfire, and outside cafe, with its freshly made bacon butties, was a brilliant idea to warm you up whilst still allowing you to relish the outdoors and the amazing woodlands and snowdrops.

 

Hodsock Priory also host weddings and I just discovered a friend on my teacher training course got married there! I can imagine it would be the most magical place on your special day with no detail left to chance.

Entry is £5 for an adult and £1 for a child with under 5’s free.

It is clear that are very proud of their snowdrops and work incredibly hard with local businesses and the community to keep the tradition and their gardens alive. If you are looking for a great family afternoon out Hodsock Priory gets the thumbs up from us and I look forward to visiting again soon.

Summer 2013: Italy

Ah the Summer, it feels so long ago now doesn’t it!? Well, we had an extensive list of things to do and places to go over the summer holidays involving theme parks, seaside, ice rinks, zoo, farms, meeting up with friends and lots of outdoor fun. We compiled this list before the holidays to give us options if we felt like doing something. Most of all I wanted the holidays to be relaxing and about spending time together before both boys were at school.

We did actually manage most of the list: meeting up with lovely Susan and her family at Wheelgate Park,  camping in Norfolk, two visits to Warwick Castle, and an evening safari to Yorkshire Wildlife Park plus numerous other days out.

However mid August we had already booked to visit Granny and Gramps in Italy, in their mountain cave in Calitri – our 4th visit (Noah’s 3rd unless you count in utero).

The weather last year was very hot, the only option being to head to the pool, and I expected it would be the same.

In actual fact although it was still very warm but it was more bearable and this year we only made it to the pool around four times in three weeks. Rather than heading to the pool every day we visited places in the area. This was good as we learnt much more about the history and saw some amazing places.

Calitri is located in the Campania area of Italy

There are some great days out and fantastic things to do with kids in the area.. here are a few things we did..

• Bisaccia castle

Many of the towns and villages in this area are built on hills and each has its own castle. This stems from before the unification of Italy in the late 1800’s when each town was ruled by its own Lord. As such there are lots of castle to visit, many of them built by the Normans, as this area of Italy was occupied by the French.

• Met the We also went to visit the Buffalo at the famous Tentuta Vannulo from whose milk delicious mozzarella cheese is made.

The buffalo were a bit smelly.

Tentuta Vannulo is very close to the beautiful seaside of Paestum (which is a little bit of antient Greek history in Italy with ruins of temples from Greek occupation in the past).

After seeing the buffalo and how the cheese is made, we headed to the beach. The sea was lovely and warm and very shallow to quite far out. The boys had great fun jumping the waves and digging in the sand. I love the Italian seaside!

We also visited Laceno, which is a fabulous day out in summer or winter (the latter if you are a skier of course!) and went to a medieval night in Rocca san Felice which was awesome. Posts to follow of these days out!

The husband couldn’t make it on all of these adventures as he had to work (boo hiss!) and we are now looking at a late getaway in the sun together. Will be checking out Icelolly.com for some great last minute holidays and late summer sun. Egypt is looking to be top of our list as it is still very hot there in October.

Huge thanks to my mum and dad for putting us up and not minding too much that we disturbed their peace for three weeks 🙂

Linking up with Mums Do Travel..