Monday 22 June 2015

Holidays

We've just got back from our annual holiday with AD's family.  Munchkin is fast asleep, which is par for the course after she's been partying with Sweetpea, so I'm taking the opportunity to do some writing before I wake her up for tea.

We spent the week in a farm cottage on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border.  The complex had won an eco-tourism award and I'm not sure if that enhanced or detracted from our experience.  The tap water came from their own bore hole, and stank of sulphur.  The owner had to drain the hot water system to clear the pipes so that Munchkin and Sweetpea could have a bath without chunks of sediment floating in it.  The decor also seemed a little tired and dusty - perhaps that's more environmentally friendly than regular painting and dusting.  That said, there was an on-site indoor swimming pool that went down rather well.

We've visited some lovely kiddy-friendly tourist attractions this week, and also had a fantastic meal out for our wedding anniversary:

Tourist Attractions:
  1. Skipton Castle - Munchkin has wanted to go to a castle for a while.  This didn't disappoint.  There's just enough information to keep very small children interested.  The castle is sufficiently small for toddlers and people with limited mobility to walk round without getting exhausted.  We came home with the obligatory toy sword!  The best thing is, it's free for under 5s!  (Adults are £7.50 and older children are £4.70, though a family ticket is available.)
  2. Thornton Hall Country Park - A farm park with some extras that we hadn't experienced before.  The girls collected eggs (though Munchkin was expecting them to be chocolate!), fed animals, and went on a barrel ride.  There was also a toddler music and yoga group there, which Munchkin enjoyed whilst Sweetpea staged a walkout.  Munchkin said her favourite things were bottle-feeding the lambs, and milking the pretend cow.  We attended mid-week toddler sessions, which were £5 for one child and accompanying adult, and £5.50 for each additional adult.
  3. Bowland Wild Boar Park was on a similar theme, though some of the animals were more exotic, and the play equipment was more varied, albeit outdoor.  Munchkin milked another pretend  cow, and cuddled a chick.  She declined to feed the lambs - I think they were more boisterous than the Thornton Hall ones.  This was probably our most expensive trip at £23 for a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) plus £6.50 for each additional adult.
  4. Settle Play Barn - When we arrived, we were a tad put off by the industrial nature of the Play Barn.  It seemed a bit "rough around the edges".  This was soon forgotten when Nana Pat arrived!  A former playgroup leader, Nana Pat runs children's craft sessions at the Play Barn once a week.  We stayed all morning, and the soft play was barely touched.  Pat got the children making fathers' day cards and gifts.  Our two sat and made gift after gift.  Pat even stayed late so Sweetpea could make an extra item.  The children also went outside to watch the steam train that runs past the centre's backdoor.  The soft play is nice enough - we've probably been to better, but the activities make up for that, and the food is pretty good too.
Fine Dining
For our anniversary meal, we went to The Box Tree in Ilkley.  The food and the service were brilliant.  If it wasn't at the wrong end of the country, I'd love to go back.

I must go and wake up Munchkin now.  There's another blog in my head that needs to be written... Hope to find time soon.

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