Witley Court and Gardens

Whilst deciding what days out to book for our Kidderminster holiday, I'd mostly concentrated on finding a National Trust property, as we are already members there, but for some reason none particularly struck a chord with me. Just on a whim, I looked at English Heritage, and liked the look of Witley Court. There aren't many English Heritage properties too close to our house, but with Tesco vouchers we were able to get the English Heritage membership for free, so I booked Witley Court.

As opposed to the half hour time slots for National Trust, English Heritage has hourly slots. This did mean there was a bit of a queue to get in when we arrived as it seemed a lot of people had arrived right at the beginning of the slot. We sat in the car and ate our picnic (because F is always ready for a car picnic and it saves us carrying so much food with us), and by the time we had finished, it was the middle of the slot and the queue had gone.

One thing we hadn't done since receiving our membership through the post was put the car sticker in the car. The car park at Witley Court is only free for members displaying a car sticker (£3 a day for non members) but after speaking to a staff member she told us not to worry.

Rather than ticking our names off on a list as at National Trust properties, Witley Court had us scan the QR code on our tickets. A member of staff manning the scanner told us that the toilets were one family group at a time, and we were to lock the main door behind ourselves, which seemed a sensible idea. She also gave us details of the tea rooms and fountain timings.

We picked up a summer quest booklet for F, but she lost interest reasonably quickly as most of it was a bit beyond her.

We followed the one way system through the woodland up to the house and garden. F was very pleased with the grassy areas she could run free on, and the ruin was very impressive. We were fortunate to catch the end of the fountain display which we all enjoyed.

After we'd had a good wander round, we walked down to the tea room, which I think was actually run by Witley Church. It was a lovely big garden, with plenty of spread out tables, which were all being cleaned regularly. The order point was outside, with the food then brought to your table. A good selection of sandwiches and cakes were on offer, and there were toilets available. The scones were lovely but could have done with some proper clotted cream.

The grounds were so spacious that it didn't feel crowded at all, and lots of families had taken picnics to eat in the gardens. I quite liked the approach to the toilets as it meant we definitely didn't cross paths with anyone on the way in/out, and seeing the tables being cleaned at the tea rooms was very reassuring.

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/witley-court-and-gardens/




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Trentham Monkey Forest

Trentham Monkey Forest had been on my list of places I'd like to visit for a good few years, but we'd never seemed to get round to it. Post lockdown, we booked a cottage near Kidderminster for a change of scenery, and the Trentham estate was more or less half way, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

As with most places these days, we had to pre-book tickets. I had no trouble getting tickets for the day we wanted, and was able to book a couple of weeks in advance. My only concern was that we had a half hour slot, and the M6 frequently has delays, so I was a bit worried about missing our slot. However the traffic gods were smiling on us and we hit no hold ups on the first part of our journey.

Thanks to the Great British weather we've gotten into the habit of eating our picnic in the car park when we arrive somewhere, after having tickets checked at the entrance to the car park, and had planned to do this for the monkey forest, but actually tickets aren't checked before you drive onto the car park, so to make sure we made our time slot, we had to take our picnic in with us.

The car park wasn't overly busy and there was no queue at the ticket booth. When I bought the tickets I'd added on a monkey forest pen to complete the children's trail with, but in actual fact the trail didn't necessarily need to be completed whilst in the forest, and was more of an activity leaflet.

It was raining as we entered, and although there were plenty of tables outside the cafe, only a handful were under cover, and they were all taken. Nevertheless, there were plenty of parasols, so we found a table with a parasol, put it up, and I dried off the table and chairs as best I could whilst Daddy headed for the cafe. Thankfully the rain eased off and we managed to stay relatively dry whilst eating. The cafe seemed to be geared towards serving hot food normally, but was currently only serving takeaway sandwiches.

At the entrance to the forest itself, a lady with a microphone reminded us of the rules. No running, no shouting, no eating, supervise your children, don't approach the monkeys and definitely don't touch the monkeys. At this point Baby T was crying rather noisily as he was extremely tired and needed a nap. The lady very politely suggested we might want to calm him down before we went in, to avoid scaring the monkeys.

So Daddy walked T round until he fell asleep, which didn't take long, while F and I ventured into the forest.

I was extremely impressed with the number of staff positioned around the forest, and how attentive they were to the monkeys well being. As soon as a monkey approached a path where there were people nearby, the staff were there immediately to prevent anyone even considering trying to touch them.

I was also surprised by the number of monkeys we saw, and how many of them were quite happily foraging for food on grassy areas close to the paths. We also had a lot of fun seeing how many we could spot in the trees, and learnt a lot from the information signs dotted around the route.

There was hand sanitiser at the entrance to the toilets and the shop, with a one way system in place for the cafe. It was very easy to social distance in the forest for the most part, and it didn't feel crowded at all, no queuing required anywhere. The paths were wide and easy to navigate for a pushchair, if a touch wet and muddy. We saw several children wearing wellies which was probably a good idea in hindsight.

Overall it was an excellent way to break up our journey, get some fresh air and stretch our legs.


https://monkey-forest.com/



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Quarry Bank

Having visited Dunham Massey and Speke Hall already, Quarry Bank was the remaining National Trust property within easy reach of home, so once it reopened, we decided to pay it a visit.

Tickets are released every Friday for the following week, for half hour arrival time slots. I've seen quite a few people saying they've struggled to get a slot, but thankfully I haven't had that problem.

We knew the mill would be closed but were happy to walk around the gardens. F also has a 'Visitor Passport', (you pay for stickers of various National Trust places and then when visiting a new property, the shop staff will stamp and date it for you), which we forgot to take when we visited a few years ago. So we were hoping to get that stamped, but unfortunately neither of the shops were open.

Arrival was smooth, as is usual for National Trust properties these days: we gave our name at the gate, it was checked on the list, and then we found somewhere to park. At the entrance we then showed our membership cards and were given details of what was open and where we could find everything. The car park and entrance had had a bit of a makeover since my last visit so it felt a bit disorienting at first.

We were faced with two paths initially, one to the gardens, one to the mill. We opted for the gardens first as the cafe there was open for takeaway and Daddy wanted a coffee.

At the entrance to the gardens our names were again checked against a list. The upper gardens featured a large grassy area suitable for picnics, a beautiful walled garden, toilets, the cafe and an abundance of colourful flowers. The upper gardens were generally free flow, with the exception of the in/out routes for the cafe, which offered sandwiches, cakes, and drinks, with a few tables outside. There was also a window selling Cheshire Farm Ice Cream.

To access the lower gardens, we had to follow a one way system down a very steep path, though not quite as steep as the path back up again. There were some very sharp drops and I was slightly surprised that there wasn't a fence alongside the whole path, so be sure to hold onto your little ones (and bigger ones if they're as clumsy as F). Once we got down to the bottom, there was another grassy area perfect for picnicking, and you could also see the river and the mill (though you can't access the mill from here).

After we'd finished exploring the gardens we took the path to the mill. Here there were toilets available, and the 'ice cream parlour' that was essentially takeaway ice cream with a couple of picnic benches outside. You could also see the water wheel from the outside, and access various walks around the estate, ranging from 20 minutes to 2.5 hours. Most of these are not suitable for pushchairs, and can get quite muddy so sensible footwear is advised.

Hand sanitiser was available in various locations and there were toilets in both the upper gardens and near the mill. I also saw the tables outside the cafe being cleaned regularly. It didn't feel overly busy and we had no trouble social distancing for the most part.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/quarry-bank

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Thornton Hall Farm Safari

A few weeks ago, a sponsored advert on Facebook appeared on my feed: Thornton Hall Country Farm Park was temporarily reopening its farm park as a farm safari, due to Covid-19. I must admit I'd never heard of Thornton Hall previously but a quick google told me it was north of Burnley, about an hour away, so we decided to give it a go.

As with most places at the moment, pre-booking was required. We had no trouble booking the time and date that we wanted, despite it being the summer holidays. The prices were much cheaper than Knowsley Safari Park, but there was a booking fee added.

On the way it rained very heavily but luckily as we went round it stopped so we could open the windows.

It's clear that a lot of thought has been put into converting the farm park into a farm safari. The signage was clear, we were given a map showing the route, and there was even a toilet pit stop before you checked in to start your safari. Information boards peppered the route with animal facts, and there was also a board showing the story of Little Red Riding Hood alongside cardboard cut outs of characters from the story.

The staff were all energetic and friendly, from those checking us in at the start (including the one in the mascot costume who counted us down before we set off), to those out on the safari route providing extra information.

Some animals such as the goats were inside fenced enclosures, but others, such as the gigantic cattle, were roaming free in the fields we drove through. At the end of the tour we drove through the animal barn where the horses, donkeys and pigs were housed. At check in we were offered the opportunity to purchase a bag of animal feed, to be thrown into the enclosures from your car, along with other items such as binoculars, goody bags, food and drink.

The safari really wasn't busy and we never felt rushed, we were able to take our time and drive as slowly as we wanted. F absolutely loved the novelty of the farm safari and spotting all the animals as we drove round. The only improvement I could suggest would be the option to drive around again, as F enjoyed it so much.

One other major selling point for us about this day out was that the on site diner was open for hot takeaway food, albeit with a reduced menu. Having had to take picnics whenever we've been out over the past month, it was a real treat to buy hot food and have it delivered to our car. The BBQ chicken pizza I had was excellent.

In these uncertain times, Thornton Hall should be admired for transforming its business to keep itself going. Hopefully by supporting it in its current form, it will be able to keep going until it is able to return to its usual form at some point in the future. They are also running drive in movie, concert and comedy events at the moment, the space for which seemed to be very well organised.

https://www.farmsafari.co.uk/



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Lapland UK 2019

Lapland. Just the word conjures up magical images in the mind. Twinkling lights, snow, quality family time, special memories, and of course, Father Christmas himself.

I'd seen Lapland UK mentioned on a couple of social media accounts over the past few years. Social media accounts run by people with far higher incomes than mine. I knew it was expensive, but the more pictures I saw, the more magical it looked, and when it featured as the location for some of the Strictly Come Dancing 2018 Christmas special, I was sold.

We booked during the early booking window in January. The price rises the closer you get to Christmas, so as we weren't sure how much my four year old would participate, we went for the opening weekend, aka the cheapest date. Even at it's cheapest, we still paid £75 per person, as adults are charged the same as children, and then £4.95 postage was added on top.

Before our arrival

Thanks to Daddy's loyalty points, we booked the Hilton in Bracknell for free, including breakfast, for the night before. I'd booked the 10am time slot, so that with total tour time lasting around 3-4 hours, we would be on our way home by 2pm, and F would be so exhausted she would likely sleep for most of the journey home.

Towards the end of October, a plain brown box dropped through our letterbox. Thankfully I opened it when F wasn't around, to find it contained an invitation box, with a sealed letter inviting her to help Father Christmas make some toys. It also contained an information letter for parents (aka Big Folk), and some postcards, which would be 'activated' closer to the visit using the Wishing Glass app, which was new for this year.

We waited until slightly closer to the date of our visit (November 17th) to give the invitation to F. As recommended, we put the box in the freezer for an hour beforehand, but I don't really think this made any difference to F. As she can't yet read, we had to read it to her, and I have to say her initial reaction was rather underwhelming. As the idea grew on her, she was particularly fixated on wanting to make her own present from Father Christmas: a Frozen bike, so we had to gently reiterate that it was highly unlikely she'd be making bikes, but that she would need to make whatever Father Christmas needed making on that day.

Wishing Glass App

We used the app for the AR postcards which had been included with the invitation box. The first one worked well, telling F about her visit, and she enjoyed the second one, which ignited her love for Wish, an elf with a beautiful multi-coloured dress. However, I was disappointed with the third postcard, or more specifically, with the lack of communication around its activation date. Lapland UK released updates to the app when the next postcard was ready to be viewed, but gave no indication of when this would be, despite several people asking on social media. In the event, the third postcard was activated very close to Christmas Day, long after our visit, and it involved Conker the silliest elf throwing snowballs. So not overly interesting to be honest.

We used the app the night before our visit, to read The Untold Story of Father Christmas, which was available for free via the app. or for £15 as a physical copy, available as an add on when your make your booking. We found the story quite long, and overly detailed for a four year old who whilst not quite losing interest, certainly wasn't enraptured and glued to her seat.

We also used the colouring section of the app to entertain F whilst at breakfast on the morning of our visit, and whilst waiting for our food to arrive the evening before.

On the day

After a good breakfast, we checked out of our hotel, and we arrived as recommended half an hour before our time slot. We were directed to a parking spot right by the entrance, and there were plenty of car park staff on hand, both at arrival and when we were leaving, to direct you, as the car park was understandably rather large, being split into animal themed sections to help remember where you had parked. The car park was extremely muddy, and I was glad we'd packed our snow boots as the village and some of the pathways between activities were a touch muddy too, so I imagine on a wet day it would have been much worse.

After a quick bag check, we entered the welcome cabin. It was overwhelmingly busy, and they really needed an elf at the entrance to greet people and tell them where to go. Although at first glance it was very confusing, and just appeared to be one big queue, there were in fact four different queues, one for the food and drink kiosk, one to check in, and two for the people waiting for the 9.30 time slot. We initially joined the wrong queue, but then realised and joined the check in queue, which wasn't overly long and moved quite quickly.

We were allocated to Team Husky, and given stickers to this effect, along with a passport for F to receive stamps throughout her visit. We bought some Elf jingles for her to spend in the shop, and were then told to just wait until the Elf Travelmaster called the 10am tour. There were copies of the Lapland Times on the check in desks, but they said 2 Elf Jingles, and I wasn't keep to pay out any more than necessary. I discovered later on that a copy was actually included in our tickets which was irritating, as the elf who checked us in should definitely have pointed that out. Daddy joined the queue for coffee while F and I went to the toilet. After our visit, I discovered that apparently a 'welcome drink' was supposedly included for each adult, but we saw no sign of this anywhere throughout our tour.

The toilets felt a bit like posh portaloos but they were clean and we didn't have to queue for long at any point during the day. They also had baby changing in each set.

While we waited for our time slot, the Elf Travel Master kept the children entertained, though F was not keen on him at all and found him quite scary. Just before 10am we were beckoned towards the stage and asked if we had our passports. Team Husky were directed to one side of the stage, and Team Reindeer to the other. A secret door opened and we were shepherded through, into a forest setting (under cover), where Sage and Eeko were waiting to meet us.

The Enchanted Forest

We were some of the last through the secret door as F was a bit hesitant and there were a lot of very keen families wanting to be first. By the time we got into the forest, there weren't any free seats, so we had to stand for this performance, which at five months pregnant wasn't ideal. This section was essentially scene setting and background, but had we not read The Untold Story of Father Christmas previously, I think a lot of it would have gone over our heads. Towards the end, two team leaders from Lapland arrived, one for team husky and one for team reindeer, and did a bit of 'who can make the loudest noise' which was very obviously a time filler. I think F's passport should have been stamped here, but whoever was responsible for that had clearly forgotten. Eventually we were led outside, and to the main event, the Toy Factory.

The Toy Factory

After waiting outside (presumably until the previous group had left), we were let into the Toy Factory, through either a normal sized door for Big Folk, or a special small door for Small Folk. F wasn't brave enough to use the small door but most of the children seemed to love it. Inside there were lots of workbenches in the middle of the room, seating two children, and then benches around the edge of the room for adults. We found a workbench close to the adult seating as F wasn't confident enough to be left by herself, and actually when everyone had taken their seats, there was enough space for me to sit next to her.

There was a small piece of introductory theatre from Whittle and Conker, and then Wish arrived. The premise was set out: Father Christmas had received lots of wishes for cuddly snowmen, and needed some more making. Included in the instructions was a subtle reminder that the snowmen were being made for children who had actually wished for a snowman, rather than the children currently present, who might just have suddenly decided they wanted a snowman. The concept of the elves receiving a bell on the end of their hat when they were suitably trained, was also introduced (which would be relevant later).

Each child was given a tray and they set to work. It was very straight forward and didn't take long at all. F was very pleased with the snowman that she'd made. Once finished, we had to hand the tray back to an elf in charge of wrapping them up, and then waited for Wish to come round with a sticker, and for F's passport to be stamped. I eventually had to go and ask for a sticker as it was a bit chaotic and F was missed.

Whittle then received a phone call from Mother Christmas, to say she'd just made a fresh batch of gingerbread and would we like to help decorate them.

I was a touch disappointed with the length of time we spent in the Toy Factory actually making toys. I had read reviews of previous years where the children made two toys, and given that the supposed premise of the day, according to the invitation, was to help Father Christmas keep up with his toy demand, I would have liked to have made at least two, and spent a bit more time in the Toy Factory.

Mother Christmas' Kitchen

This room was much warmer than the Toy Factory thankfully, and we actually dared remove our coats here. There were low benches in the centre of the room, with workbenches around the outside, and then adult benches round the edge of the room. The children were first instructed to sit on the low benches, while Mother Christmas introduced her kitchen elves.

The children then found a place at the workbenches around the outside. There seemed to be fewer spare places here than in the Toy Factory for some reason but we eventually found a space. Each work station had a gingerbread cookie, some white icing and some sweets, plus an apron and a paper bag to put the finished cookie into for transportation. Once the majority of children had finished, they were invited back to the low benches, where Mother Christmas read a story all about how huskies had once saved Father Christmas (thereby introducing the husky toy they would receive later), while the kitchen elves tidied up ready for the next group. My one gripe with this is that the kitchen elves were holding cuddly huskies, wearing various outfits, which led to me wondering if there would be a build a bear style shop later on; a suspicion which turned out to be correct. I did not appreciate this rather blatant marketing given how much we'd already spent to be there.

The Elven Village

It was now 12.30 and we had some time to explore the Elven Village, featuring shops, the post office, food and drink, and the ice rink. Our passport had a 1.30pm time slot written on it to meet Santa, with instructions for where to go at that time, giving us roughly one hour in the village.

I'd attempted to research lunch options before we'd arrived, and had only found details of one restaurant, so after arriving in the village, we made our way there. The food options were disappointing and there wasn't a huge amount of seating. Burgers, tartiflette or meatballs. Daddy and I both had the chicken burger, but as I had to request mine without brie, it was extremely dry and I didn't end up eating most of it.

As we then exited the restaurant, heading for the ice rink, we spotted several food stalls with more exciting options, though again, lacking in seating.

F had been asking about ice skating since watching Disney on Ice earlier in the year, so we'd told her that there would be an opportunity on her visit to Father Christmas, and this was probably the bit she was most looking forward to. Although there were no health and safety warnings up forbidding it, I thought it was safer for me to not go ice skating whilst pregnant, so Daddy took F. I was very impressed with the skates available for younger children, which strapped onto their existing shoes, and had two blades, rather than one, to help with balance. There were also more than enough penguins supports available.

F had a whale of a time being pushed around on a penguin by Daddy and spent the whole time beaming. She fell over just once and was really pleased with herself. It was a really lovely place for her first ice skating attempt. 

After ice skating, we went to the Post Office, to write a letter to Father Christmas. As F had already sent her letter weeks earlier, she chose to write a thank you letter instead. There was plenty of paper available, and we received a stamp in F's passport once we'd posted it. The post mistress also noticed that we were missing the first stamp, so stamped it for us. For a fee, you could also send a postcard with a Lapland stamp.

We then went to the shop, so that F could spend her jingles. Once she'd spotted the Wish fancy dress costume she wasn't interested in anything else. The sizing was not very clear and there was no price displayed which was very irritating. At the checkout we found out the cost was £25, but by that point we'd already committed to the purchase.

By this time it was almost time to meet Father Christmas. We were disappointed that we hadn't seen any huskies during our time in the village, and having only an hour felt a bit rushed. We would have liked more time to look around the other food stalls and shops and we'd probably have spent a bit more money too.

Father Christmas

At our allotted time we entered the pathway to meet Father Christmas. It felt like a rather long disorienting walk, passing several of the elves houses to liven up the route occasionally. One of our friends visited the same day, but had an evening slot, and spent seven hours there, because the queue for Father Christmas was so long, which perhaps explains the long walk.

We walked past the reindeer pen, and through Ambolt the blacksmith's forge, stopping for a photo with Father Christmas' sleigh, before finally reaching a cabin, where we checked in for our slot with Father Christmas. After waiting for around five minutes, an elf entered and called F's name, then led us along another long winding path to meet Father Christmas. Along the way we passed several families who had clearly already met Father Christmas, because they were clutching huskies, but F didn't seem to notice.

We waited outside the cabin for a couple of minutes before the elf invited F to knock on the door. The cabin was lovely and cosy, and Father Christmas himself looked very impressive. Prior to our visit we'd been asked for a few details about F, for Father Christmas to work into the conversation. F was a bit overwhelmed and so wasn't overly talkative, but I did feel he could have done more to draw her out of her shell, and it felt a bit like he just dropped the details we'd provided right at the end rather than working them into conversation naturally.

F was thrilled with the husky he gave her, but less interested in the bell for the elf hat she didn't have (available for purchase an an additional cost of course). The elf who had led us into the room did take several photos throughout the encounter, but there was nothing to stop us taking our own as well.

Once F had finished with Father Christmas, we were guided out, and the elf told us to follow the arrows back along the paths to the exit, which of course was through another shop. This was where the aforementioned build a bear style husky outfits were available for purchase. And as I knew this was where I was going to be 'discreetly' handed Cosy the Snowman, Daddy and F were left to wander round the shop while I queued for the photo included within the price.

There was the obligatory attempt at an upsell, to purchase all the photos taken, rather than just the one free photo, which I managed to resist with not much difficulty. Trickier was convincing F that her husky really didn't need the all in one hooded sequin outfit she'd spotted earlier in Mother Christmas' kitchen. Cosy the Snowman was handed over in a plain canvas drawstring bag, in a huge paper bag. Of course F was immediately curious so I had to put Arka the husky in there too and tell her that the bag was for him. An older child might not have accepted that explanation quite so easily.

After the visit

On Christmas Day, Cosy the Snowman was wrapped and waiting under the tree, along with the final postcard, containing a thank you from Father Christmas. F hadn't mentioned Cosy at all, and although she was of course delighted on Christmas Day, Arka the husky is still the firm favourite, while Cosy has been left to one side. Two cuddly toys is perhaps too much of the same thing, though I can understand that some children might become fixated on Cosy after having made him in the Toy Factory. 

F really enjoyed her day and immediately afterwards said how much she'd loved it and asked if we could go back the following day. She participated much more fully than I expected and she absolutely adored the ice skating.

We would have liked longer in the Elven Village, and I was disappointed with the lack of subtlety in pushing extra purchase options, but overall, I do think it was worth the money, and we would probably go back next year. 


https://www.laplanduk.co.uk/


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Beacon Country Park

Beacon Country Park

Having previously visited when F was a toddler and made it no further than the play area next to the car park, I was keen to finally see the Gruffalo sculpture I'd heard several people talk about. So post lockdown, once the toilets had reopened, some fresh air and a walk in the woods with a couple of F's school friends sounded very appealing.

Owned and run by West Lancashire Borough Council, Beacon Country Park is their 'flagship site'. It covers over 300 acres, in Upholland, between Wigan and Skelmersdale.

There are three reasonable sized car parks, accessed from Beacon Lane/Mill Lane. Toilets are available at the golf centre car park, which is also the car park closest to the play area.

There is an enclosed pirate themed play area for younger children next to the golf club, and then two further play areas on the field behind the car park, one with classic playground equipment for younger children and one that is suitable for more adventurous older children.

Further away from the car park, there are wide open spaces in which to burn off energy running around, and forest areas where you can build dens, spot sculptures (including the renowned Gruffalo), and generally explore to your hearts content.

Picnic benches are scattered around the site, but we chose to take picnic blankets so we could all sit together, socially distanced of course, and found a spot with a lovely view over the surrounding countryside.

At present, there is a mini beast trail around one half of the site. Trail maps are available to print off online or pick up from the visitor centre. They're free but you'll need to take your own pencil. It's also worth noting that although many of the paths around the park are pram friendly (if a bit bumpy in places), the mini beast trail as a whole is not suitable for prams, notably the second half, so I'd recommend a baby carrier instead.

We spent around four hours there today, doing the trail, having a picnic and playing on the smaller play areas before the younger children in our party were absolutely shattered, having walked roughly two miles, not to mention running around the play area. With plenty more of the park still to explore we'll definitely be back.


https://www.westlancs.gov.uk/leisure-recreation/parks-and-countryside/parks-and-countryside-sites/beacon-country-park-up-holland.aspx



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