Camping it Up in North Cornwall

We have certainly been making good use of the National Trust these holidays. Not only have the boys taken part in several of the free (yep you heard me - FREE!) 50 Things To Do Before You're 11 3/4 activities at Tredegar House in Newport, we have just spent a happy few days exploring National Trust managed coastline in North Cornwall.

I'd like to say this was a successful camping trip but in reality it was not for two reasons: we weren't strictly camping; and we only stayed one night instead of two due to an unfortunate (but funny) air bed explosion leaving us one bed short, and a wriggly six year old who proved my husband's predictions that all of us sleeping in one room was a recipe for no sleep.

We stayed in a pod at Caradock at Tregardock It's a seriously beautiful place and the pods are incredibly comfortable. I was here a few years ago (sans the Mister that time) and was really looking forward to returning. The views overlooking the Atlantic are spectacular and it's an unbelievably peaceful location. Only three pods makes it lovely and quiet and the owners are friendly and helpful without being obtrusive. I happily recommend it. We walked from the pod down to Tregardock Beach on our first evening and just spent time admiring the coastline. The following day saw us at Widemouth Bay for some paddling and sandcastle building before heading into Bude for lunch, then over to Boscastle - another National Trust managed stretch of coastline.

I didn't take many photos as I was too busy chilling. Wish I'd taken one of the soft pink and blues in the sky at sunset though, and of the sight of the full moon over the water at about 5.30am (the only good thing about being awake early!)



The National Trust have a number of activities on around the country this Bank Holiday weekend. If you're at a loose end, or on your way to or from somewhere, why not see if there's something to suit you. There is a listing here. The organisation is about so much more than old houses!

Oops!

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.

Is Folly Farm Britain's Best Day Out?

Do you remember that Biblical rain we had around the country in early December? Well, on a day even Noah would have turned his back at in disgust we piled in the car and headed west to Folly Farm. MoneySupermarket.com have been running a campaign for bloggers to check out family days out around the country and report back. I was lucky enough to get the chance to visit Folly Farm in Kilgetty, which is not too far from Tenby in Pembrokeshire,West Wales. It's been a few years since we last went. Then, my kids were about 7 and 18 months. Now they are 10 and 5 - would they still enjoy it as much as before? We were about to drive 90 minutes in bucketing rain to find out!

Dressed for the weather. Even though it was raining lots the staff were still grimacing smiling!

Folly Farm is a great venue and a place you definitely want to visit when you're in Pembrokeshire (which has plenty to offer if you're considering a family holiday). It's well signposted and easy to find, has lots of parking, and is massive so even on a stinking hot summer day (which is only about 20C in Wales) it still feels pretty spacious and you're not getting bumped in the ankles by buggies at every turn. I deliberately chose a date to visit when their Winter Wonderland was open so we'd have the option to visit Santa if the youngest wanted to. In the end he was happy just to see the baby reindeer (so cute!) and the animatronic elves. We arrived at around lunchtime and headed to The Coffee Shop, where the lady behind the counter gave us a run down on what they were serving and (nicely) suggested we might want to go to The Ploughmans if we wanted a hot meal, which we did. The food was fine and the portions huge. I had a pasta bolognese bake made with local mince, my husband had Celtic Pride steak and ale pie with chips, and the oldest had sausage, chips and veg. The food was hot and pretty tasty though the portions were massive and we left about half of it which felt quite wasteful. 

Getting acquainted with the animals and the slides

The next couple of hours were spent trying our luck on the games in the Vintage Funfair (you have to pay for tokens) before settling down with the free WiFi while the kids ran riot on Carousel Woods. This is a great indoor play area with plenty of slides and things to climb and a quieter area for toddlers. There is a cafe there but Folly Farm is very picnic friendly with lots of places to eat your own food indoors and out. We also caught the free show which was Christmas themed and quite interactive with lots of audience shouting. The 5 year old particularly liked it, but even the at-times-jaded 10 year old enjoyed it and was laughing along. 

The heavy rain was really non-stop so we only got to see animals that were indoors, which still gave us plenty of variety with everything from massive rabbits to fish, snakes, and parrots. We did see a bedraggled head of some sort poking over the door of a stable when we ventured outside, and even a few hardy kids playing on the Pirate Ships. It's a testament to Folly Farm that even though we were confined indoors we still had a great day and both kids loved it. Folly Farm is as much about playing as about the animals, and you can see the list  of all they offer here. Though it's called a farm, it's actually a zoo with over 50 different species of animals ranging from zebras to kookaburras.

When it comes to days out, Folly Farm is up there in our family's favourites.  It costs £9.75 for adults and £8.75 for children 3-15 years, but keep your eye out for money-off vouchers because they come up fairly regularly. You can also save money by booking online as long as you can print your ticket in advance. It closes during the week in winter so look here for specific opening times and hours.

We've actually booked a short break in West Wales during the February half term and will be heading back to Folly Farm again, this time on a dry day with a massive picnic.

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With thanks to Moneysupermarket.com for providing family entry to Folly Farm.