5 Places in the UK to Experience with Your Kids Before They Grow Up May Contain Compensated Links You’ve heard the saying over and over again about how kids grow up too fast. One minute it feels like they are small helpless babies, and before you know it they are driving, going off to college, or starting a family. Time goes by too quickly, that’s why it’s so important to get as many fun experiences in while they are little as you can! Small children see the world with so
If you are planning a visit to Carlisle soon I’m super excited for you. This historic 2000 year old city has a lot going for it and is well worth a trip in it’s own right or adding to a UK holiday exploring the north west of England. With two areas of outstanding natural beauty and one UNESCO World Heritage site to shout about there’s lots of things to do in and near Carlisle during your time here. Carlisle has played a huge part in both England’s and Scotland’s history
I can’t believe I’ve not written a ‘things to do in Nottingham’ post until now. I’ve lived in the city for well over 20 years and all three of my children have grown up here. I’d like to think that makes me a bit of an expert on things to do and what to see in and around Nottingham, many of which myself and my family have personally experienced. Nottingham has a lot to offer people visiting here, and it’s great to see more and more tourists enjoying our lovely
Right readers! Perhaps you can help me out here. How on earth did I not know about the huge savings that can be made on train travel and days out with the Family & Friends Railcard from National Rail? I’m flabbergasted that I’ve been in the dark this long to be honest but fortunately this has changed and we now have a Railcard and I think we will busing it for many years to come. If you already have a Family & Friends Railcard you will know exactly what I’m
October half term meant the chance for the girls and I to enjoy a a short break in Chester with Roomzzz Aparthotel. None of us have visited Chester before, which is pretty ridiculous for a family that loves city breaks. We’d also not stayed at Roomzzz Aparthotel either, so we were really looking forward to seeing if they passed the family friendly test during our stay. I loaded up the car, handed the girls two fully charged tablets and made our way to Chester from Nottingham to begin our
There is far more to Wales than rugby and sheep. England may boast the most famous landmarks and Scotland may have the most dramatic natural beauty, but Wales has its own quaint charm. If you’re planning a UK holiday, here are a few reasons to not overlook Wales. Breath-taking Hikes Image Source Those that love their walks will love Wales. Hiking is the best way to take in the beautiful Welsh countryside and there are plenty of trails to be found. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path takes you along the
I’m guessing you’ve arrived on this article because you have been searching for the best places to go for October half term holidays. You’ll be pleased to hear then that there are some great options for your half term family break. Do not let the weather being a touch on the colder side in the UK put you off having fun, as there are lots of ways to embrace the changing season. In my opinion you can have lots of fun during autumn in the UK because we like to
Devon is such a beautiful part of the UK with so much to offer, but a lot of people seem to pass it by in favour of it’s more famous neighbour Cornwall and I really don’t know why. This is such a shame as Devon is a beautiful county packed with things to do and we think it’s a lot more accessible than Cornwall, especially from the Midlands or the North of England. We’ve visited a few times over the last couple of years so we wanted to share with
With over 27 million tourists visiting every year, London is undoubtedly one of the most popular cities of Europe. It is no surprise that this once Roman city tops the list of tourists’ travel plans. The rich history and outstanding culture of London has thrived over the years and with some of the world’s best shopping, entertainment, dining, art and history, it is just impossible to get bored of the city. If you are planning a trip to London, here we have listed the top things you must do to
If you are looking for the top things to do in Liverpool with kids then you have definitely come to the right place. I’ve always thought of Liverpool as one of the best cities to visit in Europe and the UK and I’m really looking forward to sharing my ideas with you. Liverpool is a great city to visit with kids as there is literally loads for you and your family to do while you are there. When we visited the city with the kids we were so impressed with
Brook and I headed to Pennywell Farm in South Devon looking forward to our day out with reasonable exceptions about what may lay ahead that day. We’ve visited many farms over the years, and I thought we knew what to expect as we arrived at Pennywell that morning. I should have known better, as Devon’s tourist attractions always surpass my exceptions and Pennywell Farm certainly was no exception to this. I would probably be as bold as to say its one of the most fun farms in Devon to visit
On our recent visit to South Devon, we decided to go to Dartmoor Zoo, or Dartmoor Zoological Park as it’s officially known. Brook loves animals so it made perfect sense to add a visit to the zoo to our holiday. During our visit to the zoo, we were also booked to have a private ‘Reptile and Bug Experience’, which we were so excited about. As well as animals, Brook has become obsessed with insects, and snails in particular, so I had everything crossed that she would be able to meet
As a family we were super excited about our trip to Wales with Visit Swansea Bay during half term. I have to confess I really didn’t know very much about the area before our visit, but I’ve returned feeling completely inspired by all the things there are to do in and around Swansea Bay, the beautiful award winning beaches and the stunning countryside they have. If you haven’t visited Swansea Bay, The Mumbles and Gower yet, I really think you should add it to your UK bucket list very soon.
Let’s be honest; nothing beats the thought of a coastal holiday by the seaside. The thought of the sea breeze blowing through your hair and the feeling of the wet sand underneath your toes makes you want to pack your bags and teleport to the seaside immediately, right? Well, not just yet! Just like any other holiday, planning a trip to the coastal part of the UK requires lots of prior preparation to ensure that you make most of the experience. The UK presents endless opportunities for every traveler and
I have to confess I’d never heard of Cofton Holidays in Devon until very recently. Since our visit to stay in their luxury apartments at the Eastdon Estate I’ve literally been telling everyone about them, so it seems only right for me to share our holiday here with you too. Brook and I drove from Nottingham to Devon for a long weekend at the holiday park, and I knew we would be too early for getting the keys to our apartment when we arrived. I didn’t mind though, as I’d read
If you are planning things to do with kids in Bristol any time soon, then I really think that a visit to the SS Great Britain should make it to the top of your list. We were lucky enough to visit recently with the girls, and were completely inspired by what turned out to be a fun and interactive day out for all the family. The walk towards the SS Great Britain was perfect for setting the scene for our day out. We made our way from The Bristol Wing
I’m the first person to admit that staying in a hostel probably isn’t my first choice when it comes to planning a road trip, but when I saw the pictures of The Bristol Wing I could see it featuring in our family travel plans. This new hostel in Bristol is fun and funky and a great place to introduce your family to different types of places to stay in the UK. Can You Stay in a Hostel with a Family? If the hostel has private rooms or small dorms then
Glamping at Warwick Castle is probably one of the best castle stays in the UK for children. We were lucky enough to stay in a Warwick Castle Knights Lodge last year which we loved and were overjoyed when we were asked to come and stay over at the new Warwick castle glamping for 2018 in The Avenue of the Kings. It happened to be Brook’s birthday too, so what better present for a 4 year old princess than to provide one of the latest Warwick Castle clamping reviews. It seemed
Glamping with kids is one of the easiest and best ways to get your children enjoying the outdoors at this time of year. We were lucky enough to be invited to Wigwam® Holidays Millside near Grantham recently and I was super excited to be able to take the girls glamping in Lincolnshire and spending some quality time with them in the fresh air. We decided to leave Daddy at home and make it a real girlie weekend away for myself, Brook and Indie. Wigwam® Holidays Millside provides luxury glamping near Nottingham
When tourists from abroad come to visit the UK, it’s often places like London, Edinburgh, Manchester and Stonehenge that are high on their bucket list. Wales can sometimes be seen as a bit of an underdog, but it really shouldn’t be the case. The country is absolutely beautiful, and there are plenty of things to keep you busy whether you love the countryside or prefer a city break. If you were following my social media channels recently you will know that we had a fantastic time exploring Swansea Bay
A Special Family Weekend in London We are huge fans of taking the kids on London city breaks, and it’s made so much easier by the fact that taking the train from Nottingham is really convenient for us. The kids love a train journey anyway, and it always makes travelling a little bit easier for us as a family. As long as we have plenty of snacks, drinks and activities to keep the children busy you can always be guaranteed a fairly smooth trip journey to the capital by train.
Over the last couple of years we have had the absolute pleasure of being able to enjoy some wonderful Devon holidays with kids in this beautifully picturesque part of the UK. I think going on holiday to Devon is sometimes overlooked in favour of places like Cornwall or Wales, which is such a shame, as it has so much to offer, especially if you are travelling the UK with kids. If you consider that Dartmoor, the Jurassic Coast and a wonderful selection of beautiful blue flag beaches are literally on
Hello readers! Thanks so much for stopping by once again. If you are new here, a huge welcome to you as well and I really hope you enjoy what you find here on Zena’s Suitcase blog. I guess you might have stumbled across this post if you are looking for places to eat in Exeter with kids? That’s great news as I have a super family friendly cafe I think that you will love! We visited the Board Cafe in Exeter recently and here’s what we thought of our visit.
Visiting Devon gave us as a family the chance to learn more about the fascinating Jurassic Coast and the incredible history and geology connected to this beautiful part of the UK. Seaton Jurassic is an attraction I really think you should add to your list of things to do in Devon if you are keen to learn more about the dinosaurs that once lived here during prehistoric times. Seaton Jurassic is a hands on and interactive exhibition that children of all ages will enjoy. Brook who is 3 years old,
For our last full day in Devon we decided to visit Wildwood Escot for some outdoor adventure with the girls. After speaking to Claire at Andrewshayes Holiday Park this Devon attraction sounded perfect for us. It was close by and it sounded like another unique place to visit. We discovered that Devon has lots of interesting things to do during our visit, and it’s worth taking a look at Devon’s Top Attractions website as it’s packed with ideas and inspiration for your Devon holiday. Wildwood Escot is mainly an outdoors attraction
Kids and transport go so well together, so it seemed obvious for us to include a visit to Seaton Tramway on our recent holiday to Devon. If you are staying at Andrewshayes Holiday Park, it literally is on your doorstep. A really good option for visiting this Devon attraction is to drive to the tram station at Colyton and catch the tram to Seaton for a fantastic fun filled family day out. Seaton Tramway Review We left the car at Colyton in the free car park and headed into the
Our family love boat trips. They give us a different perspective on the place we are visiting and we get to enjoy our holiday at a completely different pace. Devon is literally perfect for boat trips, and we joined Stuart Line Cruises for their Jurassic Coast Tour during our family holiday last month. We joined the boat trip in Exmouth and I’ll be honest in that we had literally minutes to board before the boat departed. This is totally my fault for not giving us enough time to get there
Do you order organic fruit and vegetables from Riverford? Did you know that they have a restaurant in Devon, called the Riverford Field Kitchen? If it’s a restaurant you are interested in then read on to find out about our delicious family Sunday dinner and our Riverford farm tour. We met the Head Gardener Penny Hemming at Riverford Field Kitchen to begin our tour, which started with a peek inside the Riverford Field Kitchen poly tunnel. I was really excited about this tour as I feel so strongly about children
Did you know that you can now stay at Devon’s best family day out attraction, Crealy Resort and Adventure Park? We were invited to stay in a safari tent at Crealy Meadows with our 2 kids aged 4 and 6 years old. It could well be the best glamping in Devon for kids and here’s why. Glamping at Crealy Meadows is a great option for families looking for places to stay in Devon AND it’s literally right next door to Crealy’s Great Adventure Park which is perfect for little people’s legs.
Can I be honest with you for a second? Before writing my blog, we hadn’t had much luck with caravan holidays and my husband relishes reminding of a not so successful holiday we had back in 2012 when Indie was a baby. I’ve been determined to turn this round and show him that caravan holidays, especially in Devon can be a great option for a family in 2018. When we received an invitation to stay at Andrewshayes Holiday Park near Lyme Regis, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to show
