HuntFun - a great way to get kids walking and considering their surroundings.

Do you remember in my post about Ambleside I mentioned that we'd explored the area with a HuntFun treasure hunt?  Well let me tell you some more about it.

The boys love to be out in the open air and we often try and find a walk to do at the weekend, or make our own scavenger type hunts so when I saw you could buy treasure hunts (treasure not included) I started to find out more, they kindly sent me a couple of printable ones, Ambleside and Windermere, and I bought another for Carlisle.   Needless to say being the organised person I am I forgot to print the hunts out so they sent me a link to access the clues on my phone so we could still complete it.

Huntfun say that their hunts will open your eyes to so many things you would ordinarily just walk straight past!  I was dubious, I'd lived in Ambleside for 3 years there wasn't going to be much I didn't know was there.  I cannot believe how wrong I was.  The trail took me to a church just minutes from where my old house was that I didn't know even existed.

Our #budgetholiday ......... Grasmere

image from Wikimedia Commons

Grasmere is sooo cute, it is the prettiest little village with just a handful of gift shops, galleries and cafes and probably the most amazing gingerbread you've ever tasted.

It's just 4 miles from Ambleside and accessible by bus or car, Grasmere was made famous by William Wordsworth.  Dove Cottage, his home from 1799 to 1808 with his sister Dorothy, is now a tourist attraction and brings in crowds of tourists every day.  William and Dorothy's graves are also in the village alongside his wife, Mary, and children, Dora, Catherine and Thomas.

Death, Decay and Renewal ... not as dark and morbid as it sounds

With a name like that posh drinks and candles you would be forgiven for thinking this post is going to be sinister, depressing and upsetting...... well lets add some happier words......

not convinced................. How about now??

Nothing Lush could be bad and this post is all about their new, volume 3,  Gorilla Perfume range which (as you may have guessed by now) is called "Death, Decay and Renewal".

Our #budgetholiday - Park Resorts - Fallbarrow, Bowness

We were a little concerned when we arrived at Fallbarrow Park that we had gone to the wrong place.  I had stayed here when I was very little and it was owned by South Lakes, hubby had even worked a shift here in the bar (as he worked at one of their sister sites White Cross Bay 10 years ago).  It's safe to say Park Resorts have not tried to make it their own.  The signs remain as they always were and the staff wear the same old uniforms. When we entered the site the entire reception/ entertainment complex was dark and surrounded by machinery and workmen.  A sign informed us the reception doors were closed and to use the other doors, helpfully pointing us in the wrong direction ..... until a workman, seeing our confused expressions, explained we were not the first ones to go wrong and told us where to go.  We noted the following day new signs had been erected to make finding the reception much easier.

  

Our #budgetholiday ......... Ambleside

Ambleside is a must when you are in that part of the lakes, especially when, like me, you lived there for 3 years.  It's more a town then a village with more outdoor shops than anyone will ever need, quaint little cafes, tons of B&B's, a large park and a good sprinkling of pubs, not to mention a Boots The Chemist (where I worked in my student days), a Tesco Metro, Co-op and Spar shop.

Sob - we've returned from our #budgetholiday

But here's an overview of what we got up to...........it involves quite a lot of food :)

It's going to take me a while to write a post covering everything but when I do get them written I will link up to them from this post.




Friday

Was mostly spent travelling, which was a breeze thanks to DK Books.  We checked in at Park Resorts, Fallbarrow in Bowness and had a quick cup of tea before heading out to see how Ambleside had changed in the few years since we had last been.
  Tea was a lovely meal in the Ambleside Tavern (formally The Sportsman/ 'Sporties' my old dancing venue when I was at University there)

Mini Microwave Flapjacks

I had a huge sugar low today and came home craving chocolate brownies, but I was too lazy to get

the mixer out and the sieve etc.... which was when I discovered Microwave Flapjack.

Now given the mess I make everytime I try to make flapjack in the oven I was scared..... but I needn't have been, it was soo easy.

Overheard on public transport, 5.2.15

Some Parents never fail to amaze me in their attitudes, never more so then when they contradict themselves. .. and this mum was no exception.  I won't repeat the conversation word for word as she must have repeated some phrases to her mate 10 times   I'm sure you'll get the idea tho.

 

She was retelling a scenario from a few days ago where her 9 year old daughter was playing music from her phone on the Tram.  She admitted that she agrees music should not be played in this way and headphones are appropriate, however they were only going one stop (so that makes it ok).

Our Budget Holiday - Step 2: Planning the journey

Well all our holiday is booked and I must remember to go and pick up the tickets from the train station.  If you missed Step 1 of my #BudgetHoliday series then you can catch up here.

The next step is to plan the train journey, because when you have kids nothing is as simple getting on a train and reading your book until it gets there.  Especially when the journey takes 3 hours (each way) and the kids happen to be 3 and 6.

They do have tablets, portable dvd players and ds's but to be honest I quite enjoy the 'family time', that and you are never guaranteed a seat - let alone one with a plug socket (and these things do seem to eat the battery). 
  On the other hand we are on a train with 2 small boys for a 5 night holiday - there is a limit as to how much we can carry..... I have learnt that lesson!

My aim on journey's is for each boy to have their own rucksack with everything they will need for the journey (including their favourite soft toy, drink and a snack or 2).  This is no easy feet, especially when you think the 3h journey involves 2 or more trains, and but here is my guide as to those little extras that either I have used historically or have spotted online that can make a very long journey fly.