Entertaining the Kids....

... for free during the holidays would be nice but that's not always possible.  We nearly always do the picnic & walk to a nearby forest, country park or stream.

My kids don't potter - it's full steam ahead from the moment they wake up, however they do sleep well!

So, today I scoured the internet for recommended playgrounds for us to visit, still with picnic in tow to keep the cost down.  This is what I've come up with.  Any other recommendations?  Please feel free to comment.  I haven't found that many really good playgrounds for FREE!!!!!  Maybe you know of some.

Local to us:
Lydiard Park, Swindon, Wiltshire - FREE
Bowood House, Calne, Wiltshire


National Trust properties with woodland play areas - great to make use of your membership:
Polesden Lacey, near Dorking, Surrey (I've read that there is an outdoor play area called Squirrels Corner hidden in the woods - yet to find images, can anyone confirm?)
Belton House, Grantham, Lincolnshire
Cragside House, Morpeth, Northumberland
Chirk Castle, Wrexham, Wales
Killerton House, Exeter, Devon

Other Adventure Playgrounds
Ragley Hall Park & Gardens, Alcester, Warwickshire
Lower Leas Coastal Park, Folkestone, Kent - FREE
Chatsworth, Bakewell, Derbyshire
Floors Castle, Kelso, Scotland
Harewood House, Harewood, Leeds
Cannon Hall Farm, Cawthorne, South Yorkshire
Princess of Wales Memorial Playground, Kensington Gardens, London - FREE I think
Wilton House, Wilton, nr Salisbury, Wiltshire
Bewilderwood, Hoveton, Norfolk - can voucher for this one, my kids had an amazing time in the pouring rain!!!
Moors Valley, nr Ringwood, Dorset - FREE (sort of, you have to pay to park the car)
Puzzlewood, Forest of Dean - looks lovely, yet to be tried.
Wellington Country Park, Reading, Berkshire

Go Ape - 27 locations, age 10+
Jungle Parc - Liverpool & Wellingborough, age 4+

In Awe of Bloggers

I take my hat off to all you bloggers out there.  I try, I really do, to keep my blog up-to-date with exciting things, places we've been to, things we've discovered, etc.  I even manage to write the posts!  Then they sit there, waiting for me to upload the photo's to make the page look pretty & more interesting - that bit I somehow just don't seem to manage.

It really is a shame as we've done some wonderful things lately:

• We spent an amazing Easter in North Devon in that glorious weather - we pootled around in our dear old camper van.

Travels with our Camper

• We discovered an amazing National Trust Cafe at Baggy Point.

• We've given up our allotment & turned a small corner of our garden into a veg patch.

• My husband has dug a HUGE whole in the garden ready for scalpings, etc - I anxiously await the arrival of the greenhouse!!!

• The kids did brilliantly at their rugby presentation day - we were very proud parents.

• Our poor little puppy was very ill & had to spend a week at the vets.  He's much improved now.  My bank account is not!!!  (This was not so wonderful).

 

Sad Oscar feeling very unwell

• We attended a fabulous wedding of some very dear friends.  I had a fashion crisis but all turned out ok.  My daughter was however better dressed than me!  How does that happen so soon?

• I wish I lived nearer London so I could go to Handmade Nest.  I have been inspired to start knitting a scarf for my daughter though - there's a chance it might be ready for Christmas!!!

I now need to catch up with all of your lovely blogs - so my feet are up with a nice cup of tea & lots of happy blog browsing.  Thank you one & all. x