Showing posts with label daysout. Show all posts

LIFESTYLE: GETTING OUTDOORS WITH NATIONAL TRUST

Croome 

If you follow me on Instagram you might have noticed that we've joined National Trust. It's only £6 each or £10 for a couple a month which I think is a bargain. Some of the National Trusts are up to £12 each and some are even more depending on where you go. You also get discounts into other local attractions.

We've had some wonderful days out. We only joined in January and have been to 5 National Trusts so far! It's such a fab day out, Amelia loves being able to run around the grounds and exploring the houses. It's nice to get outdoors and try some new places! They are so clean and have loads of walks and trails to choose from. The staff are all wonderful, so friendly and helpful. They have great facilities and the cafes do lovely cakes!

I'm so excited for it to warm up and for us to explore our local National Trusts. We are really lucky to have quite a few in the surrounding area. Baddesley Clinton and Packwood House are literally up the road.

If you are doing the 1000 hours outdoor challenge then you should really look at National Trust membership, it's just lovely being outdoors! Getting some fresh air and exercise and I love that Amelia is so comfortable and loves being outside and exploring. Kids are free up to 5 years old and the some of the sites have playgrounds and woodland play areas for the kids to get involved. They also have trails and activities for the kids to take part in and during the holidays they have even more fun going on.

They also have beaches and forests which you can visit using your National Trust membership which I'm looking forward to checking out!


Baddesley Clinton

Charlecote Park 

Hanbury Hall 

Packwood House 


LIFESTYLE: THINGS TO DO WITH A TODDLER NEAR SOLIHULL THIS SUMMER

With the summer holidays nearly here I thought i'd share a few days out that we have done recently or intend to do over the next few weeks. It can be overwhelming choosing things to do especially during the summer holidays as places can get really busy and you can end up spending loads of money trying to fill your weeks with things to do with the kids. As Amelia is only 1 we don't have to worry about the school holidays just yet but it's nice to have a few things planned whilst the weather is good! Most of these days out are affordable and within 2 hours of Solihull/ Birmingham. 



DAY AT THE BEACH - Our nearest beach is Weston Super-Mare which is about a 2 hour drive and I think it's totally worth it if the weather is good! There's a huge beach so the kids can make sandcastles all day long. Loads of arcades, fish and chips and donkey rides! Such a good day out, you just need to fill the car up but don't really need to spend loads of money. Why not bring a picnic along! 


If you don't fancy a 2 hour drive then try Bosworth Water Park, its about 45 minutes away from Solihull and they have huge lakes, sand, peddle boats, mini golf! It's great, we went a few weeks ago on a really sunny day and it was fab, Amelia had a dip and played in the sand! We brought a picnic along too! The only thing is the car parking is quite expensive so take that into account. 


If you don't drive but fancy a day on a beach then head into Touchwood because their Safari beach is now open!! They have loads of buckets and spades, deck chairs and it's free!! 





 Amelia absolutly loves feeding the ducks! We take her to Brueton/ Malvern Park in Solihull town centre. We head over to the Parkridge nature reserve where they sell duck/bird seed for 50p a bag and go along to feed the ducks. Sometimes we bring a picnic and make a day of it and sometimes we just go of an afternoon to kill some time.


St Nicholas Park in Warwick is one of my favourite things to do in the summer. It's a great day out! The parking is cheap, bring a picnic (there is a little cafe) Theres a sandpit, climbing frame/ park and the paddling pool, theres also some fairground rides. This is such a great cheap day out especially when the weather is good!


Strawberry picking, we did this right at the beginning of the season and we want to do it again. Another cheap day out! We went to Manor Fruits Farm over Tamworth way but theres a few dotted around. We liked Manor Fruits because they had a little cafe and kids bouncy castles too!



FARM - This is Umberslade farm which is our absolute fave! It's such a good day out, theres loads to do pony rides, tractor rides, holding the small animals, brushing the ponies, feeding the calfs! It's about £9 for an adult but such a lovely day out, you can spend all day there, theres a cafe and the prices are reasonable or theres loads of picnic benches to bring a packed lunch!

We also liked Atwell Farm, this was a bit cheaper but I found there were less animals. They so however have a huge soft play area, a good playground and outside bouncy castle, fire engine and tractor for the kids to play on. There's a coffee shop and gift shop too!

Sheldon Country park is fab too! They are currently renovating the kids playground but it's meant to be ready for the holidays. The farm is free and its small but cute. Theres a little tea room here. 


A few days out we have planned over next few weeks include, Alton Towers Waterpark, I want to visit a Lavender Field for cute pics obvs, Strawberry picking again and Stratford Upon Avon Rec.
Is there anywhere else we need to check out this summer? We are trying to keep to a budget so not mega expensive places.  What do you have planned for the summer? 

LIFESTYLE: THINGS TO DO WITH THE KIDS DURING HALF TERM


I remember as a kid always doing cool things through half term and thought i'd share a few of my favourite things to do during a week off. Even now as an adult when I have a week off work I book little days out and adventures for Clint and I. 

I've tried to put together a list of things that are affordable and you don't have to travel very far. 

1. Mini Golf / Bowling / Lazer Tag - There are some really fun activities you can do when the kids are off school. Clint and I love Bowling and Mini Golf and get pretty competitive. You can usually get good discounts and offers online so check those out before you go. You can sometimes save money by pre-booking too. 

2. Theme Park- We love going to theme parks and they are a great day out for the kids, especially if they are a bit older. You can get some really good deals for Alton Towers and there's always 2 for 1 vouchers floating around. They also do offers when you stay at their hotel. 

3. Go to the seaside! The nearest seaside town to Birmingham is Weston Super Mare, we love driving there in the summer to get away and chill on the sand. We bring a blanket, get some fish and chips and relax for the day. When we were younger my parents always drove us to Weston and Blackpool during half term or on a Bank Holiday and we would play in the arcade and build sandcastles and at Blackpool we would go to the little theme park and go on the rides.

4. Go to a new park, bring the bikes along and check out somewhere new. Try a new park, leave the phones at home and spend a bit of time outdoors.

5. Go to London for the day! We love visiting different cities, and it's so easy to just jump on the train. You can get some good deals if you buy an advance ticket and you usually get 2 for 1 on main attractions so check this out before you travel. We always get 2 for 1 for the main attractions in London. Check out websites like Topdogdays.com for lots of vouchers for attractions and apps like Vouchercloud or Vouchercodes for deals on food and restaurants.

6. My little cousins love to bake! This is such a cheap and easy thing to do. No matter what the weather and if you have no money you can make Cornflake cakes or brownies or cupcakes that they can decorate. The possibilities are endless and just search online for affordable recipes if you don't want to spend loads.

 These are a few of my favourite things to do when we have time off and I loved doing things like this during Half Term. What are your favourite things to do when the kids are off school.







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