Family travel Archives - That Mummy Smile

The Magic of Camping

6th June 2019 By thatmummysmile Leave a Comment

Until you’ve been and done it, you’ll not know about the magic of camping. I’ve written before about our love for camping.. all the gear and no idea! Well, I think we can safely say now after years of pitching, soggy puddles, sweaty tent faces, cold showers and family arguments, we are experienced campers!

Last weekend we had a different camping experience and stayed in a Bell Tent at Embers, in Henley-on-Thames. Embers Camping was founded 6 years ago by Murray who’s vision was to create a site that provided a camping experience as it should be: large open spaces, camp fires with canvas tents huddled under the night’s sky. They strive to be as Eco friendly as possible, with eco-flush toilets, on-site recycling and using solar power for hot water and electricity.

Embers currently have 5 campsites in the UK, each one adopting the same basic principles: Tents arranged around the outside all looking in on one large central space for children to play and explore, make friends with fellow campers and embrace nature in all it’s glory. Sustainable Oak wood wash block facilities house hot showers and loo’s for your comfort and rustic open air wash basins for you to wash your pots and pans after you’ve cooked up your bacon and eggs for breakfast! The large fire pits provide you with the warmth for when the sun goes down and set the scene for family gatherings under the stars as you all toast your marshmallows for some well-earned s’mores after a day of running off energy in the great outdoors.

One of life’s treat’s are wood fired pizza’s and at Embers, they have just that. Homemade delicious pizzas can be rustled up by the Embers team during your stay for all to enjoy and I can very highly recommend their popular Nutella Pizza as an extra special treat!

We spent our two nights at the Henley site. Located in a large field perched beside the River Thames. An ideallic and beautiful setting. Having only opened a couple of weeks ago, site manager Sarah was on hand to show us around and provided us with plenty of information on the local area. The main Hub caters for all your needs, with freshly ground coffee available, ice-creams, cold drinks, tuck-shop treats for the kids, essential provisions such as milk and fresh bread as well as Kayak hire for all to enjoy. The on-site facilities are incredibly clean and well kept. Sarah introduced us to our Bell Tent, adorned with fairy lights and pretty bunting, in addition to providing us with Bundle Beds to make our stay even more luxurious! Bundle Beds can be added to your camping package at an extra charge.

The Bell Tents are large in size and have little windows so you can sneak a peek at the view when you wake up in the morning! If you’re keen to leave your tent at home and try out the Bell Tents you won’t be disappointed and you have the additional bonus of not needing to pitch it and take it down yourself!! We had two families pitched next to us in their own tents and it wasn’t long before our boys were all playing football together and having a game of 40/40 around the large trees. Of course this meant us adults could merrily drink our wine around the fire pits and watch on.

On the Saturday morning after breakfast, we decided to take the Kayaks out for a ride along the river into Henley for lunch. It was a great activity that we all thoroughly loved and the sun was beaming the whole time. Sarah mentioned where we could moor up, which was easy enough and we found a lovely pub by the bridge to sit and eat outside of and watch the rowers in full swing.

If you’d prefer to avoid the water all together, there is in fact a tow-path you can take directly from the campsite into the centre of Henley, which is only a short walk.

We are very much looking forward to returning to Embers again soon, but next time we plan to take our new tent that we recently got as we’re yet to use it! Whilst we’re keen to try out the other Embers‘ sites, we would love to visit Henley again because Sarah made us feel completely at home and with the drive out from London being so easy for us along the A40 (only 1h 30mins maximum), it feels incredibly accessible and LOCAL!!!

Thank you Embers for having us. We’ll see you soon!

Visit the Embers website HERE.

by Laura xx

** This month (JUNE) you can find an Embers discount at the back of the Waitrose Magazine

** MIDWEEK PRICES: Great for those who want to give camping a go but not sure that they can face a weekend or just have a few days mid week free. Children: £5 and Adults are £10 (per night, per person). CLICK HERE

City to Coast in a FORD Kuga

24th April 2019 By thatmummysmile Leave a Comment

Ford Kuga Car — The Ford Kuga in Notting Hill

We had the opportunity to test drive the Ford Kuga ST-Line over the Bank Holiday weekend, which was a treat considering we were heading down to the Devonshire Coast for a few days. It felt as though we were cheating on our beloved Land Rover, but this was a brand spanking new SUV that was sure enough to make our drive to the South West even more enjoyable!

Thursday night Tye whizzed home from work, we loaded the boot of the Kuga and with the boys already in their pyjamas we hit the road with two excitable yet tired children and enough luggage to last us 4 nights away by the Coast. It was late and we weren’t the only family to be leaving the city in the dark that evening to try and avoid the Bank holiday traffic!

All four of us were extremely comfortable. The boys had plenty of space in the back, with an armrest complete with cup holders. We were able to Sync our phones effortlessly because there are a couple of usb points in addition to bluetooth, so we could play our own playlists for the duration.

The Ford Kuga has an integrated Sat Nav, so where we’re used to using our phones to navigate us, we could type in the postcode of our destination and the navigation system came up with the quickest route, avoiding unnecessary traffic jams and road closures. We broke up the drive by stopping over for the night in Somerset, so we could hit the road nice and early on the Friday morning.

The features on this car are endless and always outsmarting us! For starters, we were instantly impressed with the keyless ignition! Getting into a car and not needing to insert a key was a new concept to us. One press of a button and the car starts! Tye set the headlights to automatic so we didn’t even need to think about when we needed to turn them on and off. Driving a new car makes everything feel seamless and smooth. The acceleration was very very impressive indeed, so much so you barely felt the speed increase which is something we’re not used to in our 20yr old Land Rover!!! The suspension wasn’t too floaty so it made for a nice ride, gripping the road well when it came to the smaller winding A-roads. For the duration of our mini-break, the car made us feel completely safe at all times, never letting us down.

Driving around South Devon up and down their hills and steep streets was effortless and even I (who usually hates hill starts!!) felt comfortable and confident driving this car. The Ford Kuga felt totally at home whether it was driving in the city, on the motorway or meandering through the country roads…. It’s a great family car that treated us very well on holiday, from the City to the Coast and back home again.

To find out more about this particular model, please visit the Ford website HERE.

by Laura x

Easter in Devon

23rd April 2019 By thatmummysmile Leave a Comment

It was set to be the HOTTEST Easter Weekend we’ve had in the UK, and with temperatures hitting 27 degrees, we thought what a perfect opportunity to spend Easter in Devon! Curtesy of Visit South Devon, we had a 3 night stay at South Bay Holiday Park in Brixham, which is one of the John Fowler Park sites.

South Bay Holiday Park

Set amongst the South Devon hilltops high above the Harbour town of Brixham, the South Bay Holiday Park is a family friendly Caravan and Challet site which is safe and beautifully kept. South Bay boasts a variety of activities for children including a fantastic playground, plenty of green space, a basketball hoop, crazy golf, mini arcade and indoor and outdoor pools. The on-site supermarket caters for all of your needs and is reasonably priced.

The main clubhouse plays host to regular Bingo games, children’s entertainment, a licensed bar and ‘Chef’s Corner’ restaurant for dining inside as well as offering a take-away option.

The caravan we stayed in was a generously sized 3 bedroom which could sleep up to 6 people, so we actually had a spare bedroom! The boys shared a twin room, while our master bedroom had a small en-suite. The family bathroom was compact and the kitchen and diner was kitted out to the highest standard with all mod-cons including a dishwasher and microwave. This particular caravan model also had in-built speakers with the option to plug your devices in for the surround sound- perfect for entertaining! The one downside was that there was no wrap around outside terrace- that was probably the only thing we would have LOVED, so that we could have al-fresco dining as the sun sets and the boys could play out as we watched on.

With it being the Easter Bank Holiday, the site was full with families, which was wonderful for the children. We’ve stayed in various Caravan Sites over the years and the evening entertainment is usually one of the fun perks when you’re in a Holiday Park. I have to say however that the entertainment side of things did leave us feeling a little underwhelmed. The reps lacked in a bit of oomph and every night once the Bingo was finished, many people left the clubhouse, leaving it half empty and not the buzzing atmosphere we would have expected. Whether this was just because it wasn’t the peak of the school holidays and we weren’t quite experiencing their full itinerary, I don’t know.

Stanley and I spent a couple of hours at the indoor pool on our first afternoon which was lovely. There is a small toddler pool that adjoins the larger and deeper swimming pool and the large glass bifolding doors open directly out onto the outside terrace with outdoor pool and water slide. This area was closed for cleaning during our stay, but we didn’t mind as I think the water would have been far too cold to swim in!

The boys LOVED the crazy golf activity. Even though this area is the most tired looking and needs some maintenance and bringing up-to-date, the kids loved nothing more than hitting the golf balls along the track and it’s got the most stunning views of Brixham down below!

South Bay Holiday Park is in the most perfect location with some impressive views. The staff were lovely, helpful and friendly, the park itself was very well kept and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. A big perk for staying on this particular site, is the short walk through the Holiday Park which leads you to steps giving you DIRECT access onto St Mary’s Bay….a tucked away beach cove perfect for some rugged beach action with the kids!

St Mary’s Bay- direct access from the Holiday Park.

Visit the John Fowler Holiday Parks website HERE to discover more of their sites and for further information on Tariffs.

Goodrington Beach

On Saturday morning we packed up our beach bits and headed along to Goodrington Beach, only a 15minute drive away. The weather was already 18 degrees at 10am when we arrived and the beach was already filling up quite swiftly with other families who had the same idea! The outlook is stunning, set within a large cove, with an impressive steam train backing onto it and an epic looking water park.

Babbacombe

Easter Sunday we woke up and went to explore the village of Babbacombe. The Cliff Top Railway was an exciting experience overlooking the most picturesque beach of Oddicombe. The sea was turquoise in colour and the sun was beaming down. The rugged backdrop is pedestrianised and means you can walk the scenic route along the base of the cliff between sandy Oddicombe Beach and the pebbled Babbacombe Beach. It’s a stunning area and we wish we could have spent even longer there but we had plans to visit the Babbacombe Model Village, back up in the village so we took the Cable Car once again back up the cliff.

Babbacombe Model Village

Babbacombe Model Village is set among 4 acres of superbly landscaped gardens, full to the brim with beautiful flowers and foliage. The boys were thrilled to be the giants among this teeny set-up. Every corner you turn there is an intricately displayed model village, most of which is based on real life places of interest. The village has been open since the early 1960’s and portrays English life and culture over the last 6 decades. In fact my favourite model village was the 1960’s Chalet Camp…barely unchanged, as it is one of their original models!

If like me, you love all things miniature, then this is the place for you. Miniature dwellings, famous landscapes, train tracks and tiny villages with detailing to be admired by all. Lots of animatronics, moving pieces, sounds and plenty going on…it’s a place that you need to walk around slowly in order to absorb everything you’re looking at! In addition to the model scenes a-plenty, there is also coin operated water boats and cars for you to drive, as well as a hut with crazy golf to enjoy!

After our tour of the Model Village, we headed inside for the 4D Theatre experience. Totally unprepared for what we were about to do, we got handed some 3D glasses and shown into the cinema room with lots of other people. A viewing of ‘The Lost World’, a 12 minute animated movie about Dinosaurs. Not only this, but an experience to test ALL of the senses in the dark! The cinema seats moved with every dinosaur STOMP, air blew into our faces as the explorers ran through the desert island and the odd spray of water came as a huge unexpected surprise!!! The boys loved it, although Stanley wasn’t sure if he was scared or not hahaha!

We thoroughly enjoyed the couple of hours we spent leisurely walking around this pretty Model Village in Babbacombe. The ‘Gullivers’ Tearoom there serves Devonshire cream tea’s, refreshments and has a lunch menu to dine wither inside or outside on the rooftop terrace. And don’t forget the gift shop which has an array of fun things for the children as well as collectible dolls house miniatures which I totally fell in love with!

Visit their website HERE for further visitor information, and make sure to spend some time in the village and down on the beach if you can!

River Dart Country Park

Set among 90 (yes NINETY!) acres of Parkland and Playgrounds, the River Dart Country Park is hands-down a MUST visit for family adventures, located within the Dartmoor National Park in Ashburton, South Devon. In all its breathtaking beauty, it is home to meandering lakes, an abundance of wildlife, park attractions to suit all ages, Camping and Touring Holiday Park and also boasts an impressive collection of ‘Tourism Excellence’ Awards to be very proud of. In addition to this, they take their environmental responsibilities very seriously; their very own Hydro-electric Generator uses water from the river to help sustain them for 8mths out of the year therefore reducing their electricity consumption during the peak seasons.

The River Dart Country Park welcome day visitors as well as Tourist and Holiday-makers wanting to stay on site. Their Camping and Touring site has excellent facilities and means you can have access to all thats on offer 24hours a day! There is also the Holne Park House set among the grounds of the park which offers comfortable ensuite rooms on a bed and breakfast basis ranging from £95 p/night.

River Dart Country Park is the setting for all things adventure and the best outdoor activities for everyone. Tree houses, play forts, assault courses, zip wires, high ropes, swimming lakes, canoeing, kayaking, zorbs, caving, pony rides, rock climbing, inflatables, bike hire and MUCH MORE. We tried our hand at canoeing as a family which was wonderful. Harry and I shared a boat and Tye shared with Stanley. The boys , donning their wet-suits, had some water fun in the Lake (which was admittedly freezing cold!) and on the giant wooden pirate ship. Harry and Tye braved the heights and took on the challenge of the high ropes in the treetops. Harnessed safely, Harry still found it quite terrifying and Tye admitted his legs felt like jelly!!! The playgrounds are vast and accommodate for all ages from toddlers through to adults. There really is something for everyone and you won’t stop smiling and laughing. Such a thrilling day, one that we will never forget. We can’t wait to return again in the near future.

Visit the River Dart Country Park website HERE to explore more. You won’t be disappointed!

Lake obstacle course — Lake Obstacle Course

Over the years we’ve been to Devon a handful of times, more often simply because we’re driving through to Cornwall. However this was our first family holiday in the South of Devon and one that we will treasure. The Devonshire countryside and coastline is to be admired and adored and we did just that.

Visit the official South Devon Tourist board HERE to discover many more of the hidden gems within the South Devon area. We’ve only just scratched the surface and are very much looking forward to uncovering more fantastic family destinations and attractions in the near future.

https://www.visitsouthdevon.co.uk

by Laura xx

JetKids BedBox

20th June 2018 By thatmummysmile Leave a Comment

We love boarding an aeroplane for our holidays, but when it’s not your average hour’s flight, Stanley gets fidgety and there’s barely enough space for him to lay down- that’s where the BedBox comes into play. The JetKids BedBox was created by an entrepreneurial parenting duo who have experience in children’s products and saw a gap in the market for an in-flight children’s bed.

Ready and excited!

We had the pleasure of being sent a BedBox for us to trial during our flight to Turkey recently on our May half term holiday. While it is only a 4 hour flight, this was the longest the boys have ever done and we were also aware that our journey home was to be a night flight! The BedBox is both a suitcase AND a bed! It’s a ride-on that contains a handy lightweight mattress which, when assembled the correct way, turns into a platform for your 12mth to 4year old to sleep and stretch out on.

Stan decorated his with some stickers and LOVED taking charge of it when we arrived at the airport. He pulled it along by the strap and looked like a chuffed Cheshire Cat with his own personal hand-luggage! When we got onto the plane, we obviously had to store it in the overhead locker until we were in the air and the captain had turned off the seatbelt sign. Once we got it down, I assembled it effortlessly for Stanley as he was sat in the middle seat. For this journey he was only keen to use it without the mattress which was fine, as it meant he could have his legs elevated. When we landed in Antalya Airport, the BedBox then became a fun ride-on while the children waited patiently for us to find our luggage.

On our night flight home, the children were super tired so I was very much looking forward to setting up the bed for Stan. The cabin crew on this particular flight didn’t appear too thrilled with me wanting to assemble it. They questioned and queried it’s purpose, but eventually said we could use it. Stanley fell asleep, however yet again made a ‘fuss’ about using the mattress again (thanks matey).

Stanley fast asleep on our flight home.

While this product ticks a lot of boxes and definitely does what it says, in my opinion, like everything there is still room for improvements. Not ALL flights allow a product like this because it obstructs the foot-well, so it’s worth checking before you purchase. There is a list of airlines HERE who have approved its use. JetKids are working intensively hard to get more airlines on board. Each time the seatbelt sign goes on (turbulence etc), you MUST store the BedBox back in the overhead locker, which of course can be disruptive especially if the child is sleeping on it, however you have to adhere to all safety regulations. I would imagine this is perfect for a long haul flight because it would get used to the maximum potential.

The BedBox by JetKids is a great concept and made to the highest standard.

Visit the website to purchase your next holiday investment piece HERE.

by Laura x

Road Trip with Vauxhall

4th April 2018 By thatmummysmile Leave a Comment

We’re used to going on long road trips, but curtesy of Vauxhall we were loaned a new GrandlandX family car so we could travel in style and comfort down to Cornwall for Easter!

This is a drive we’ve done many times (I say ‘we’ but actually Tye does all he driving!)..in our previous cars, a Volvo estate, a Jeep and more recently in our current car a Land Rover. In the past we’ve set off in the evening and driven through the night, however this time round we set off at 4am on Good Friday to get ahead of traffic. We make sure we have pillows and plenty of snacks and refreshments- basically half of Sainsbury’s!!!!

Taking in the stunning view of St Ives.

The Vauxhall GrandlandX is a superb family car, in which the kids have had ample space in the back despite being surrounded by plenty of luggage. The car boot is a decent size and we managed to successfully pack in everything we needed despite being used to our giant Land Rover boot and packing it to the rafters! It’s a very comfortable drive, so smooth and has some excellent safety features such as sensors if you’re driving too close to another vehicle. The in-built WIFI system and Sat Nav are excellent necessities and very easy to navigate. Our favourite feature on the car has to be the automatic ‘hands free’ boot door- which opens when you swish your foot under the bumper! Perfect for when your arms are full of the whole family’s clobber 😉

Marazion beach

St Michael’s Mount

We’ve had the pleasure of driving our Vauxhall GrandlandX for 6 day’s from London down to the Cornwall Coast, then back to London via the picturesque Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. It has served us very well and we’ll definitely miss the effortless smooth travel experience! When we’re bumping around in our current family car (which sounds like a tractor when we reach the national speed limit), we’ll look back on our Vauxhall road trip and remember what a luxury it was to test drive the GrandlandX.

Cheddar Gorge in all its beauty.

Thank you Vauxhall and apologies for bringing home half of the beach with us!

(oh and we even managed to get Harry’s new Surfboard home in it too!!!!!!!!)

by Laura x

The Magic of Camping

City to Coast in a FORD Kuga