Goodness me, this blog has been sadly neglected! I have been flat out with pretty much no time for any frivolous extras such as doing things I like, but busy is good in the land of freelance and doing my tax return this year was a much more positive experience than it has been in the past!
We are halfway through the summer holidays and the kids go back in three weeks. They will be starting new schools and I have spent an eye-watering amount kitting them out. Let's just say there had better not be any lost jumpers during the first term! Both of them, with their impeccable timing, needed new shoes six weeks before the end of term. Oldest is fine, but the youngest has already scuffed through the toes of his (Marks & Spencer - I am surprised they didn't last longer but then I guess their testing is less robust than my son's).
This is what we have been up to these holidays:
Gromit hunting in Bristol
Royal Welsh Show
Legoland Windsor
A visit to London (including an awesome Duckboat tour!)
Warner Bros Harry Potter tour
National Trust 50 Things activities at Tredegar House
Seeing Monster's University and Wolverine
Eating out
Haynes Car Museum
Bovington Tank Museum
Celebrating birthdays
Hanging out
Phew! I feel exhausted (and broke) just reading that lot. The next few weeks will be quieter with only a few days camping in Dorset planned.
What have you been up to? I hope you're having fun. I'm going to do a more detailed review of some of our family days out that have been made even better as a result of the fab British summer we're having (and this year I'm not coating the phrase "British summer" with disdain and sarcasm). They're certainly worth a visit.
Let me guess - you read the title of this blog post and had to click through straight away because, let's face it, it's on-the-edge-of-your-seat-exciting! We just got back from two days in the West Midlands and while the kids are still playing nicely (I know! Amazing, right?) I am taking the opportunity to upload some pics and get down my thoughts about our break. We have decided not to take a long holiday this year*. Instead we have scheduled a few days here and there to fit in around work. The plan was to go to Cadbury World and spend the night and the following day in Stratford-upon-Avon before moseying home down the M5 late on Friday afternoon.
Let's start with a review of Cadbury World. In short: don't bother. Seriously, next time I feel like spending £70+ (£48.something for the family ticket plus petrol, plus lunch on the way) I'm going to save myself the hassle and just set fire to a couple of twenties or something. What an overpriced pile of pants Cadbury World is; crowded, boring, and slightly stressful for someone who suffers from claustrophobia when in crowds (you're herded through various theatres in groups of 50 or so, and with groups going in every ten minutes it's kind of a rushed funnel to get in and out). I'm not saying we didn't learn a little about chocolate making, but no way did we get fifty smackers' worth of entertainment from it. Seriously, just let your kids loose in the chockie aisle of the supermarket with a tenner and you'll all have a better time. It's pretty rare I'll slate something so heartily but this is in no way a good value family outing. In fact, I think it's a pretty healthy rip-off. The only thing I was impressed with (apart from the 3 bars of free chocolate we were given each) was the friendliness and professionalism of the staff. Oh, and the eyebrow ad at the end. The kids liked the bubble catching game at the end, and the chocolate, and that was it.
We stayed at the Premier Inn Waterways in Stratford-upon-Avon. I definitely recommend it. It's pretty new, very clean, and in a great location on the canal. It takes about 10 minutes to walk into the town and parking costs £1 overnight so you can leave your car there and do the rest on foot. The staff are lovely and the family room was a pretty generous size. That's not to say we got a great night's sleep but I don't think their guarantee extends to sharing the room with a child who talks almost as much in their sleep as they do when they are awake. The room was only £35 and I thought it was great value. We ate at Pizza Express and had a walk around town and down along the river by the RSC before heading back to the hotel.
Premier Inn brekkies are not the best value, and after wasting so much money on Cadbury World the day before I was keen not to chuck anymore away. We decided to head into the local Wetherspoon pub (The Golden Bee on Sheep Street where we were stuffed on about £12) before having a look around. I haven't been to Stratford-upon-Avon for over ten years, but given that it takes its fame from something that hasn't changed in over five centuries, I wasn't expecting to have missed much. It's a nice market down with the usual range of shops (White Company, Costa, Laura Ashley) and if I had been without the boys I would have enjoyed a mooch.
The kids were cold and not fussed about visiting Shakespeare's House so we bypassed that and headed a few miles out of town to the Stratford Armouries Museum. This is a great private collection of guns, armour, weapons and heaps of military memorabilia. The staff (volunteers) were so friendly and knowledgeable. We were lucky to be there on a day when the resident armourer was there, so we were able to get a close up look and hold at (decommissioned) guns and learned a lot. It was £20 for the four of us and we got more than double the entertainment that Cadbury World gave us - go figure! There is also a good indoor/outdoor playbarn (Henry's Castle), cafe and restaurant. It was too chilly to play outside and we had to head back, but it's certainly a place we'll go back to when next in the area.
I was really disappointed that Cadbury World didn't live up to my expectations. I don't know exactly what I expected, but certainly that it would be a lot more fun than it was. It seems to try and cater for everyone but, for our family, ended up pleasing no one. It's one off my Family Things to do in 2013 list, anyway.
If you've been to Cadbury World, what did you think? Are we in the minority with not liking it? It certainly seems so, given the number of visitors they get!
*unless summer is dire then I reserve the right to book a holiday somewhere warm in October if we can find one without having to mortgage our souls
If you are looking for a great family day out in Cardiff you can't go past Cardiff Bay. The Bay has something for any day of the year and while the parks are better in the sunshine, Techniquest is the best place to take a full-of-beans five year old when it is bucketing down and you can't face another session at soft play. That's what we did yesterday when a week of enforced indoor play due to rubbish rain and various family visiting commitments meant any outdoor time had been limited to a half and hour here or there in between rain showers.
What is Techniquest?
Techniquest is a science museum for kids. It is packed with dozens of activities to let them play and explore everything science-y without feeling remotely like a lesson. In short, Techniquest is FUN but don't just take my word for it, check out the smiling faces on their video
I haven't been to Techniquest for a few years. At ten, my oldest is now too old to enjoy it like he used to, and the last time I went my youngest, who must have been about three, got bored after an hour or so which, when you're spending £7 and adult and £5 for children over 4, is not great value. Yesterday was a different story. As soon as we'd put our wristband on he was off bouncing from one activity to another like a pinball before settling down a little and getting into the levers, bubbles, plungers and puzzles that make up the ground floor.
One of the nicest parts of Techniquest is the staff. They are all so friendly and helpful and really seem enthusiastic about working there. Many are pretty young and are comfortable talking to kids and answering questions.
After spending an hour playing with everything from magnets to locks, lights and lungs it was time to head to the Science Theatre for the Bubbles and Blasts show. Now, I remember this show from previous visits and my youngest loved it just as much as my oldest had. What's not to love about massive bubbles and watching stuff explode? After the show, which runs for half an hour and is quite interactive, it was back to the water part before spending time upstairs. All in all we were there for a good two hours before impending closing time and rumbling tummies drove us to the massive choice of restaurants around Mermaid Quay where we settled on Wagamamas for the "chomp sticks" (him) and speed of service (me).
Nitty Gritty
Getting to Techniquest is easy whether you drive or take the bus or train to Cardiff Bay. There are also bike racks which I imagine are popular in summer because there are always families cycling around Cardiff Bay's parks and paths. The Mermaid Quay carpark is directly across the road (pay and display) or you could also park by the Millennium Centre (pay when you exit) and walk the 10 minutes or so.
It is open every day from 10am (9.30am on some mornings during term time) with entry for adults costing £7 and children (4-16) costing £5. Family tickets are cheaper. We had such a good time yesterday I invested in a season pass. Because the cost of entry was refunded it worked out to be great value. You can find out more about the Friends Membership Scheme, which includes lots more than just free entry, here. I am not sure how many times we will go over the next year but I am certain it will be at least twice more so I'll make a saving. If you want to see one of the Science Theatre or Planetarium shows make sure you book when you're paying to go in. They are popular and fill up fast. One word of warning: do not go to Techniquest if you have a headache because it is loud in there. The massive open space coupled with loads of chattering children and dozens of noise-making activities (especially the musical ones upstairs) is not the environment to be if you are feeling a little delicate.
Cardiff Bay Attractions
While Techniquest is not a full day out, Cardiff Bay itself has plenty of other attractions, including several great parks, plenty of restaurants, the Doctor Who Experience, and boat trips. The Norwegian Church has a lovely cafe and often some sort of exhibition upstairs, and the Millennium Centre regularly runs free entertainment in school holidays and on weekends. It's common to see families cycling and scooting on the flat wide path that circles the bay. Find out what's on in Cardiff Bay here.
