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Travel

Travel ideas for the family.

30 Days Wild Day 29: A run in the countryside
EnvironmentNatureRunningSussex

30 Days Wild Day 29: A run in the countryside

We’re staying at WoWo Campsite this weekend and I’ve managed to escape for a hour to go for a run in the countryside by myself. I love running but have not been for ages, and once you get out of the habit it can be quite hard to get back into it. Having a new place to run in always motivates me to want to tie up my running shoelaces and get out there, and with the weather being so perfect right now I set out to explore the fields and lanes around the campsite.

I’m sure there are hundreds of walks around the region. Sussex and the South Downs looks so pretty. I don’t know it well at all, The North Downs are much nearer to me. WoWo does have a list of walks available but I just took the nearest footpath and my phone for orientation and set off.

I had to scramble over an electric fence (wasn’t going to test if it was on or not!) and jog through some fields of sheep including some very curious black lambs who came to say hello to me. Through a small piece of woodland and up a track to a country lane before curving back round up and around onto another footpath back to the campsite.

Running obviously helps with physical fitness but it’s the mental aspect that really helps me. Running in the countryside must give you a double whammy then, as you get the benefits of being outdoors as well as the endorphins from the run itself.

June 30, 2019 1 comment
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30 Days Wild Day 28: WoWo Camping
ActivityAdventureCampingSussex

30 Days Wild Day 28: WoWo Camping

Wow to WoWo Camping, a family-friendly camping set up on a farm in the heart of Sussex. It’s the stuff of dreams. A little bit hippy but not too much, with a shop selling organic produce, wellbeing tents with massage and reflexology, chai and waffle van every Saturday and Sunday morning and loads of classes to try like bushcraft and bug hunts for kids. It’s really rather cool.

The best bit though about WoWo is the location. Fields are flat meadows, with firepits for proper fires, toilets and showers with running water, big teepees for sing songs and small pockets of woodland with streams, bridges and swings for kids to generally muck about in and be kids, free from the watchful eye of mum and dad. It’s like a mini natural adventure playground. There’s no ‘normal’ playground here, loud music is not allowed. It’s proper swallows and amazons type fun. And all the better for it.

We just relaxed all the rules and let the kids stay up till late (not that they slept in any later) and we found it easiest to all sleep in the same bit together, four in a bed. If you don’t want to camp there are also a selection of yurts and shepherd’s huts, but be warned they are located near a very popular stream, so if you stay during holidays or over a weekend you won’t get much peace and quiet.

We had such a great time here. It’s a very laid back, welcoming kind of place. I booked in for a blissful hour of reflexology, went for a run, paddled in the cool streams with the boys, played rounders and generally just hung out. It’s been ages since we did this as a family. I also feel guilty if we’ve not doing something so to just do nothing and enjoy being outside in the glorious summer weather watching my kids lark about doing what kids do was a great reminder that doing nothing really needs to be done more often!

Wowo camping bridge over stream

Bridge over one of the streams at WoWo

Wowo camping

June 30, 2019 2 comments
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30 Days Wild Day 27: A visit to Sheepleas, Surrey
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30 Days Wild Day 27: A visit to Sheepleas, Surrey

Another trip to another spot we’ve never been to before – Sheepleas in Surrey which lies in between Guildford and Leatherhead. Sheepleas is a nice spot for a walk (buggies are doable in the woodland as long as it’s not muddy) as it takes in both chalk grasslands with its flowering meadows plus the forests. There isn’t a cafe here, but there are two car parks to use free of charge.

We only had to wander in a few metres before we started seeing butterflies, bees and pink orchids in bloom. The Surrey Wildlife Trusts say the draw here is because of the stunning wildflower meadows that bloom in spring and summer.

The meadows used to be used for grazing but have now been left for wildlife to recover, leaving a lovely, slightly secret couple of meadows hidden in the woodland. Violets and primroses come in March. You’ll see bluebells and cowslips in April and May brings the orchids. In July wild marjoram, St John’s wort and harebell are in bloom.

Sheepleas

Sheepleas in bloom

Sheepleas

June 30, 2019 0 comment
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30 Days Wild Day 26: Exploring Lullingstone Country Park in Kent
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30 Days Wild Day 26: Exploring Lullingstone Country Park in Kent

I visited Lullingstone Country Park  and Lullingstone Roman Villa (English Heritage) with my pre-schooler. Lullingstone is in the Darenth Valley in Kent, only a short train ride from London (Victoria) and just north of Sevenoaks but feels like it could be in the depths of rural Kent. It’s packed full of gorgeous villages like Eynsford, Shoreham, Otford and Farningham (plus other nearby villages with funny names like Pratt’s Bottom and Badger’s Mount), has amazing country walks and proper pubs plus tons of interesting things to do with kids too.

Lullingstone Roman Villa is based up a long country lane, so you really need a car to get there, though it is walkable from Enysford station. It was inundated with school kids when I visited, as it’s a great spot to learn about Roman history. It’s not really appropriate for preschoolers so we didn’t stay long. The highlight for my son was going up and down in the lift, but for older kids it’s worth a trip. It’s not a big place. It’s an indoor attraction set around the Roman Villa. There’s lots of boards to read, and some videos and artefacts plus a few interactive games and books. It’s English Heritage, so is pricey if you just visit once, but obviously great value (free!) if you are a member. There’s a small shop there and tiny area for self-made teas and coffees. Toilets are adjacent to the centre, next to the car park.

Lullingstone Country Park

Pretty walk through the golf course back to the centre

Lullingstone Country Park was much better suited to us. It was a brilliant find. I’m not sure why we haven’t stumbled across this place before. There’s a small shop and larger cafe with the holy grail – outdoor cafe seating next to a playground. The playground is small but pretty good. There’s a couple of slides for different ages plus some swings and seesaws. Parking costs £1.50 weekdays and £2.50 weekends.

There’s a few different walks to do, or if you aren’t feeling particularly energetic, it’s just a lovely place to bring a picnic and sit in a meadow. The Lullingstone Loop (6.4km) and Horse Route (6.3km) are longer walks, the Lullingstone Loop passing by Lullingstone Castle and its river plus Lullingstone Roman Villa. There’s also a Woodland Walk (3.2km) and the Discovery Trail (2.4km). The Discovery Trail is aimed at families, so off we went.

It passes up through a meadow covered in ox eye daisies and buttercups, with picnicking areas either in the meadow or in woodland. There’s lots of chances to sit down on benches along the way. Then it heads into woodland. All the route is fine for buggies, though the terrain is not flat, so it is a little challenging. The woods has lots of carvings of various mini and mega beasts in it plus a swing and zipwire half way round too, which should give an incentive to reluctant hikers. It then curves back round along a path through a golf course – not so exciting – though my son loved seeing the mini tractors mowing the grass, before heading back down the meadow to the visitor centre.

I’m going to head back to the area as I’ve discovered there is so much more there to explore like the Eagle Heights Wildlife Foundation, Lullingstone Castle, Eynsford Castle and The Hop Farm, which grows lavender and sells local produce, plus the amazing walks – particularly through Otford, with its ford for kids to splash about in.

Lullingstone Country Park

Wildflower meadow

Lullingstone Country Park

June 30, 2019 0 comment
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30 Days Wild Day 25: Exploring Newlands Corner, Surrey
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30 Days Wild Day 25: Exploring Newlands Corner, Surrey

Though doing smaller nature activities has definitely grown on me during this month, my favourite thing to do with the kids is still to just get out into the fresh air to enjoy somewhere new and to roam around a bit to see what we can find.

Today we visited Newlands Corner, a nature reserve managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust, which sits just east of Guildford. There’s a car park (have to pay), cafe, information centre, toilets and small playground there, which all help when visiting with young kids. There’s also another larger cafe across the road too.

At Newlands Corner there are lots of walks you can do, including a circular one that takes in eerie Silent Pool, but we just chose to admire the view over the Weald towards the South Downs for a while, then descend down and across a lovely meadow into some woodland, before returning the same way.

We say plenty of butterflies including a cabbage white and a ringlet. B is now getting very excited when he spots one, though trying to take a photo is another matter. We also found plenty of lovely wildflowers and grasses in the meadow.

Small playground, Newlands Corner

Small playground, Newlands Corner

Large dandelion clock

Large dandelion clock

Meadow grasses, Newlands Corner

Meadow grasses, Newlands Corner

Newlands Corner

June 30, 2019 0 comment
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30 Days Wild Day 19: Exploring Whitmoor Common
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30 Days Wild Day 19: Exploring Whitmoor Common

Whitmoor Common is looked after by Surrey Wildlife Trust. It’s just north of Guildford. We’ve been enjoying searching out new places to explore as part of the 30 Days Wild Challenge so thought this would be a great place to come for a walk and to see what we could find.

Whitmoor Common is a really diverse area, with heathland, pine, oak, holly and hazel woodland. Further in there’s a wetter, boggy area (which reminded me of that bog in The Labyrinth) and a waterlogged channels and ponds.

There are two car parks and I think a mobile cafe comes sometimes. It’s free to use now but parking charges are to be introduced very soon in 2019. There are two self guided trails, one hour and two hours, or a number of criss-crossed trails, bridlepaths and footpaths to take. We did a bit of meandering really, with the help of google maps to navigate which way we were facing. I probably would have gotten a little lost without it, but if you stick to the trail markers you’d be fine.

The path, particularly around the heathland, is fine for buggies, though better suited to trail type or lighter ones. As you head inland into the bogs, there’s a narrow walkway, which my buggy could manage as I’ve only got a foldaway MacLaren now but would be too narrow for anything larger.

Looking for minibeasts

B is a pro at looking for beetles now

We started off in the heathland, looking around for beetles, bugs and butterflies. We found quite a few centipedes (I think), some very pretty clover and gorse, now in bloom. When we visited Headley Heath two weeks ago it wasn’t in flower. We also found a very large mushroom. I’m no expert and even after searching online at home I have no idea if it is poisonous or not (even though F and I have been wild food foraging).

I wanted to find one of the ponds as Whitmoor Common is a very good place to spot dragonflies. 19 species have been seen here including the emperor dragonfly. We bumbled around a bit and ended up at the train crossing, which B loved. We even got a beep and a wave from one of the trains.

Finding our way again we headed into the swampy area and to the largest pond where we sat for a while contemplating life and all that. No dragonflies unfortunately, but we did see many dogs and their friendly owners!

We also heard lots of birds. There are many nightjars here and also Dartford warblers. Using my birdspotting app I think we heard some good old blackbirds! One day I will go with a guide for sure so I can improve my birdsong listening skills.

We then began heading back towards the car park, through many muddy puddles and boggy bits, back out onto the heath. B was very pleased he had his wellies on so he could do a spot of puddle splashing.

We spent a good 2.5 hours at Whitmoor Common. Exploring new places with my children is definitely my favourite thing to do., especially when you find gems like this. I do have to bribe B a little with a promise of  cafe or playground visit, but he honestly has a great time when we get to wilder places. He loves looking for minibeasts and wandering about, splashing in boggy mud and waving at other walkers. And I think now we are beginning to know a little more of what to look out for or of fun activities we could do out in nature it’s even more enjoyable.

Whitmoor Common

Quick snack stop overlooking the heath

Centipede under log

Grumpy centipede under log

Whitmoor Common

B at the start of the walkway into the bog

Whitmoor Common

June 21, 2019 0 comment
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30 Days Wild day 9: Exploring the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey
EnvironmentNatureSurrey

30 Days Wild day 9: Exploring the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey

The British Wildlife Centre is in Lingfield, Surrey, but only open on weekends and holidays. We’d never been before so we headed over there at the weekend to see what it was like. The British Wildlife Centre is home to over 40 native UK species including otters, badgers, foxes, deer, red squirrels and owls. It was set up in 1977 by dairy farmer David Mills, who was passionate about our native wildlife.

We were greeted with an enormous hedgehog – Snuffles – which the boys thought was funny. We bypassed the cafe and shop and headed straight for the home of the red squirrels where a talk was about to start. The red squirrels aren’t keep in captivity, they are free in the trees. We had to enter a small woodland area through two doors which took us onto a walkway around the woods.

The keeper told us about the squirrels. There are about 12 here now, along with a couple of muntjac deer. They are fairly new and are very shy and not used to humans yet, so unfortunately we didn’t spot any though we did do a couple of circuits peering up into the trees.

Red squirrels are still found in the wild, up in Northumberland and Scotland and also on Brownsea Island in Dorset. Some have recently been released onto one of the Scilly Isles too, Tresco. They used to be prolific here but unfortunately due to the release of grey squirrels into the country from America, numbers have dwindled. The grey squirrels carry a virus which they are immune to, but the reds are not. Deforestation and fragmentation of forests are also causes of decline.

The red squirrel is more agile than the grey and spends more time up in the trees than its relative. Squirrel apparently means ‘to sit in the shad of your own tail’, which is what they do when it’s chilly. Very sweet!

After the squirrel lesson, we headed up to Pip’s corner, a mini natural playground for kids, which my two loved. It’s a peaceful spot overlooking the deer, with various wooden play equipment, a sandpit and tunnel under a grassy hill. There’s also a picnic area if you want to bring a picnic with you.

British Wildlife Centre, Pip's Corner

Pip’s Corner playground area

We peered in on a couple of otters fast asleep in the observation room, an adder and grass snake, then over to the aviaries to see lots of owls. One keeper had an eagle owl out which my boys were actually a bit scared of. Their talons are very long up close. Over to say hello to the very tame foxes mooching about before we stopped for a rest and some lunch in the cafe.

After lunch, we went into The Hedgerow for all the mini species. I liked this bit the best, as did my two children. They loved peering in to look for hazel dormice, rats, field voles and weasel. They also were really interested in the honeybee hive, where you could see all the worker bees going in and out of the hut, hard at work!

British Wildlife Centre, keeper holding an eagle owl

One of the keepers with an Eagle Owl

British Wildlife Centre, boys look at beehive

Fascinated by the bees

The Nocturnal House and badger sett was another top experience, as we saw four badgers asleep all curled around each other, and a hedgehog curled up in the corner resting.

Finally we had a run around The Dell where kids can run up and down a small dell and balance on a fallen log.

We spent about half a day here, but you could spend longer, particularly if you listen to more of the talks. It’s a lovely place, where conservation and education come first rather than it being a place for kids, but there’s lots for kids of all ages to enjoy and we’ll definitely return.

The British Wildlife Centre is quite pricey to get in, but money does go towards the upkeep of the centre so it’s a worthwhile spend. It’s £12 for adults and £8.50 for 3-15 year olds. If you live close by you can join for the year at £60 for adults and £35 for 3-15 year olds.

British Wildlife Centre

 

June 11, 2019 1 comment
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30 Days Wild Day 5: Exploring Headley Heath in Surrey
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30 Days Wild Day 5: Exploring Headley Heath in Surrey

I have two days off work to spend time with my littlest, so we decided to try somewhere new. We drove over to Headley Heath, partly in search of butterflies, but also to just have an enjoyable walk around somewhere we’d not been to before.

Headley Heath in the North Downs region and is about 300 hectares large. It’s obviously heathland (which I love) but also there’s pockets of woodland and dry chalk grassland, plus a good viewpoint out over the Downs from one point, so very interesting to visit. There’s lots of wildlife to look out for here including butterflies, birds, insects and lizards.

The info leaflet that I picked up told me that ‘lowland heath is one of the most endangered habitats in the world, even rarer than the rainforest’, which amazed me. And how fortunate we are to live so close to this site.

Headley Heath has a useful 3km ‘lizard trail’ that is suitable for families. I’d say it’s also fine for buggies in the summer months too. It’s quite undulating in parts but definitely doable. There’s two car parks which are free for National Trust members. No cafe or facilities so bring a picnic and cross your legs.

We head off in the direction of the Belted Galloway cattle which graze on the heathland. Apparently they have a vital role in maintaining the heathland habitats. (We visited the Romney Marsh earlier in May and the sheep which are farmed down there are also vital in maintaining the landscapes and rare flora and fauna down there too).

B loved watching the cows. They are an easy win for children as easy to spot! I didn’t want to get too close though.

Headley Heath

Having fun in our nature playground

Then we wandered through the Heath, keeping the orange trail markers in our site, though as the site is fairly small it doesn’t really matter if you veer off onto a different path, it’s tricky to get lost here.

B did better than me and found a colony (?) of ants looking busy going in and out of a small hole, plus a bright purple/red butterfly – possibly a peacock butterfly. We also both spotted a white butterfly, which I think is the most common here – the cabbage white. We’ll try butterfly spotting again soon, but here’s a useful guide to butterfly types. 

We also saw a foxglove, which are common here in summer and attract the bees plus lots of gorse, and these pretty white flowers (my knowledge of flowers is quite poor I’m finding!) which were also attracting the bees.

Headley Heath, ants in the ground

Ants busy making a home

Headley Heath, foxglove at Headley Heath

Foxglove at Headley Heath, a food supply for bees

Headley Heath, bee on flower

We stopped at Brimmer Pond for a rest, to look out for newts and dragonflies (didn’t see any) and to listen for birds. I think we partly had trouble as my toddler is RATHER LOUD. If you take a listen to the short video you’ll understand! I tried looking up what birds were singing when we got home, using the Warbler app (£4.99) and it told me it was possibly a Great Tit, Common Blackbird or Great Spotted Wren.

Headley Heath, Brimmer Pond

Brimmer Pond at Headley Heath

Headley Heath, notice about newts

Notice about the newts at Headley Heath

We also had a poke about for insects. Looking under old bits of wood is a good idea if you are searching for insects. We found a few disgruntled woodlice plus a couple of large beetles. They scuttled away before we could look any closer at them unfortunately.

Headley Heath, Searching under logs for insects

Searching under logs for insects

Admittedly I did have to take B to a playground before we went to Headley Heath, but once we arrived and were exploring he really enjoyed it and didn’t want to come home, so I’m now going to describe any outing to a wilder area as a trip to the nature playground!

Headley Heath

 

June 6, 2019 3 comments
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30 Days Wild day 2: Crabbing in Walberswick
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30 Days Wild day 2: Crabbing in Walberswick

Another activity I’ve not yet tried with my kids is crabbing, and Walberswick estuary in Suffolk is one of the best places to do it, so off we went for day 2 of our 30 Days Wild challenge. Walberswick is the capital of crabs – the British Open Crabbing Champs are held here every year, so it’s a serious pastime for some.

Walberswick is an idyllic village at the end of a dead end road off the A12. It’s a celebrity haven too with Richard Curtis and Emma Freud having a home here as well as Keira Knightley (I think, don’t quote me – I’m no pap!) and you can see why. It’s picture perfect, and feels like a safe haven away from the rest of the world. The village is pretty buzzy, with two great pubs right by the coast, a shop, deli, two cafes and sweet playground set on the village green. The beach is shingly golden sand, set behind shallow dunes and by a line of black beach huts, and the estuary is filled with folk looking for crabs. You can even hop on a rowing boat ferry for a two minute journey across to the popular seaside town of Southwold if you want more shops.

Crabbing in Walberswick, boys look at crab in bucket

Our first catch!

Crabbing in Walberswick, crab in a bucket

The huge crab we found

To go crabbing you need bait (usually bacon rind) attached to a weighted line, a net, bucket half filled with seawater,  bit of seaweed and stones; and some patience. Pick a spot and throw your bait and line in then wait for the crabs to find it. Slowly pull up your line, catch your crab in your net then plop into the bucket to inspect. If you are brave you can pick them up safely with thumb and fingers either side of their body (we weren’t!). Return crabs slowly into the water once you’ve taken a look. Don’t leave the crabs in for too long, don’t overcrowd your bucket and don’t leave them in the heat, and you’ll have some happy crabs.

Crabbing was so popular with my boys that we had to return not twice but three times to try our luck again. We caught a couple of small crabs on our first and third day and a whopper on our second. It only took a couple of minutes for them to come searching for food, but it can take longer so be prepared. Someone also told me that it can help to move the bait slowly across the floor.

Whitstable is another place in the southeast where you can go crabbing (though we were not successful there – I think we chose the wrong spot).

Crabbing in Walberswick

June 3, 2019 2 comments
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Things to do in Greenwich and Blackheath with kids
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Things to do in Greenwich and Blackheath with kids

We spent half term in London in the very pretty Blackheath, just outside Greenwich. There’s loads of things to do in Greenwich and the larger southeast London region for all the family, plus it’s very easy to get into central London for some of the bigger sights too. As I’m fairly familiar with the area I thought I’d go see some lesser-known spots as well as the big hitters. Many of the places we visited were free to get in so your only cost is transport if you get organised with snacks and a picnic lunch.

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February 28, 2019 0 comment
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