Travel: UK Day Trips - The South!

You may have seen our last post on Day Trips in the Midlands, if not see here.

South:
Glastonbury & Stonehenge: If you love history and impressive sites then heading south could be your thing. Glastonbury is quaint but full of everything you need to entertain you for an afternoon and Stonehenge is just as majestic as you expect. The area is perfect for stretching your legs and enjoying impressive sights! To read more click here.

Brighton: We do love to be beside the seaside and this town has so much to offer come rain or shine, if you haven't been we would suggest you do. For a day, a weekend or a week - you'll always find something to do. See what we got up to here.

Cambridge: Pretty, interesting and jam-packed with history this city is worth adding to your to-do list. If you go for the day you can focus on the highlights - punting, Universities, pretty streets to explore but if you go for the weekend this place has so much to offer you'll never get bored! See what we did here.

Newquay: If you have time to head to the south of England you have so much beautiful coast to choose from you could easily spend weeks exploring. However if you need to pick a destination then Newquay should be on the to-do list. With plenty of sandy beaches, activities you can do in and out of the rain and so many places to explore here's what we got up to. 

Devon: The English Riveria, located in the South West and never more than 25 miles from a beach this place is perfect for families with dogs or people who like walks. The scenery is stunning and there are plenty of villages and places to explore. South Milton was a highlight as it had a dog friendly beach all year round, for other highlights check here.

Sudbury: A chance to explore Suffolk will take you back in time, with quaint villages and old timey places to discover. Another great place to take dogs and kids you can make a base from any of the villages and spend your time picking the next place on your to-do list. Click here's what we got up to.

Happy Travels

Travel: UK Day Trips - The Midlands!

The UK is amazing. I feel like we have started more than a few posts with that line over the year. Being based in the Midlands we have been able to take full advance of exploring this wonderful island.

We thought we'd take a moment to round up our UK highlights, it ended up being too much for one post so we have split it into three - starting with the Midlands, followed by the South and then the North! So if you want a day trip or mini break or long weekend then there might be somewhere for you to check out.

So without further ado here's our list:
Midlands:
Stratford-Upon-Avon: This beautiful town that sits beside the ever stunning Avon river is at its best in Summer. With events happening almost daily and enough history to keep you entertained for weeks this place is a MUST visit - here's a few more reasons why you need to add it to your to do list: post here.

Warwick: Another must for history fans and based in the middle of England is Warwick - home to the world famous castle and beautiful town sat among rolling hills. Easy to get to and jam packed with things to do this town is for everyone. If you want to read more on the castle check out what to expect here.

Birmingham: We couldn't miss out our home town. From the worlds largest Primark to entertain the shopping fans to Legoland and aquarium, more canals than Venice, parks galore, a wildlife conservation park and so, so, so much more you can't head to the Midlands and not visit Birmingham. Here's a couple of other reasons for stopping by: click here.

World's biggest Primark!

Photo from https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/guide/where-to-eat-birmingham

Nottingham: Home of Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest this city mixes ancient myth with modern offerings and is definitely worth a day trip. If you want to visit the area but avoid the hustle and bustle of the centre we suggest checking out Wollaton Hall, here's why.

Aston: Home of Aston Villa for the football fans - it is a super impressive stadium and home to Aston Hall - where James Watts (steam engine builder) this place is worth jumping on a train from Birmingham to see. The house offers tours and click here to see what to expect.

Cadburys World: A day eating and learning about chocolate is what you can expect with a trip to Cadbury's World and who doesn't love that?! Well actually if you don't there is so much more than a trip to the factory. Based Bourneville the factory is surrounded by the most chocolate box town you will ever see. Every building is beautiful, the park, the school - it's all perfect, and well worth a visit.  Oh and it's only a short drive or train ride from Birmingham. Click here for our experience.

The Cotswolds: We LOVE this beautiful part of the country so much. There are so many beautiful places to explore, small villages, chocolate box cottages, quaint cafes, stunning walks and places to relax. Whether it's admiring the fields of lavender (here's where you can check it out), walking by the river or figuring out is lower or upper slaughter is the prettiest you can get lost in the Cotswolds for days - we did and here's what we got up to - click here.

And if you want to wear your kids out or have a ton of fun yourself then Star City is also worth adding to the to-do list. With indoor mini golf, laser quest, bowling, roller rink and so much more you won't be bored on a visit. See what we did when we visited here.

Are there any Midland must do's that you would add to the list?

Travel: We've Been Nominated!

It's been a busy few weeks and we have so much to tell you about, we'll follow it with posts in the coming weeks. We attended Birmingham Pride, we've been planning an extension to the house, we've been establishing our routine now I've been back at work for over a month and we've been planning our next trip to Scotland in a few weeks.

Oh and we have been nominated as 'Best LGBT Travel Blog' in the Teletext Holidays and British Travel Awards. We are up against some great competition so being nominated is an honour!

If you want to check out the other blogs see the roundup here. 

If you search 'Travel' in the search bar you will see all our recent travel posts but if you are looking for LGBT travel destinations you can check out this post on the Top 10 LGBT Friendly Destinations!

Travel: Exploring New York!

Our first family trip abroad was to New York in February. We flew from Birmingham, UK to meet Laura's parents in the city that never sleeps and it was AMAZING! Annabelle was just over 7 months old.

We shared this post earlier in the year on our family Must See List but we thought we would share a video we recorded while there.

The video is here.

We also shared a post on Essentials of travelling with a baby here.

Our highlights in New York included:

• Top of the Rock
• Brooklyn Bridge / Dumbo
• The High Line
• Stardust Diner / Times Square 
• And tons more!

And here's a few of our picture highlights, there are some in the video too :)

Travel: 8 Reasons To Visit Bergen, Norway!

When we visited Oslo in 2017 we had an amazing trip. You can read all about it here. From the scenery to the people, from the food to the history Norway has plenty to offer. Having explored the biggest city last time we wanted to try something different this time and headed to the gateway of the fjords - Bergen!

WE LOVED BERGEN!

Honestly our trip had so many highlights that we highly recommend visiting Bergen. We arrived on Friday evening having flown Birmingham to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Bergen on KLM (highly recommend this airline unlike Brussels Air). Each flight was just over an hour. We had 3 days exploring the city and flew back Tuesday afternoon. It was a perfect amount of time and even though the weather was changeable we had plenty of time to see everything we wanted.

Bergen is a UNESCO world heritage city and European city of culture - check out Visit Bergen here.

 1) Everything is beautiful. The surrounding scenery is spectacular, the houses nestled into the mountains by the port are adorable and the area is so clean and well laid out. When you arrive (depending on the time of year) at the lake in the centre you are greeted with beautiful blossom trees and the largest tulips in every colour. It's like a painting of spring.

2) It's SO family friendly. There was so many families everywhere we went and with Norway encouraging Dads to take parental leave you were just as likely to see a group of Dads with buggies as you were Mums. We were always acknowledged as Mum's wherever we went and even found an entire LGBT artwork store!

At the airport there were free buggies to use to move around, there were children's play areas that were free to use (although we are noticing more and more airports doing this now) and when we boarded our bus to the centre there were child seats available. All of these things were amazing as we only travelled with our baby carrier.

3) Bryggen - the old wharf area of Bergen stands on the port side and is a reminder of the trade significance of the area back as far as the 14th century. The wooden buildings have created passageways in a higgley-piggelty way making it interesting to wander around. Most of the buildings are now shops, cafes or art galleries and worth checking out. We spent over an hour seeing what was on offer before enjoying a snack in a cafe.

4) The Floibanen Funicular - this railway takes you to the top of Mount Floyen in 6 minutes and is 125 NOK (£12.50) per person for a return. The views all the way up are magnificent and when you reach the top it is breathtaking. From the station there are a number of hikes based on how far you want to go. We walked to a lake that took half an hour for the round trip. We also explored the troll garden, met some goats and checked out the play area. There were also free, and very clean, facilities to use - always a plus when you have been getting in the steps!

5) Try the food, it's delicious! Norway does love it's meat and fish so it made sense to try what was on offer. With the fish market on the port you can smell and taste the fish as soon as you arrive. The stalls are generous with samples and after tasting a variety including whale and the freshest salmon we'd ever had we had to make choices to take back to our Airbnb.

At dinner we tried reindeer sausage that was delicious - very meaty! Fish cakes that looked like hockey pucks but were delicious and meatballs the size of our hands. Everything we got was so fresh, everywhere we went.

We also did the Norwegian thing of having a daily hotdog and ate way too many bollen (bread products) of different types - with cinnamon, with icing, with coconut, with icing and cinnamon, with custard, with custard and cinnamon - okay you get the idea. They were so good we couldn't resist!

6) Take a fjord tour. We did a day tour on Hardangerfjord to Rosendal. It involved taking a 2 hour cruise through majestic mountains, past fjord-side villages and arriving at the picturesque Rosendal town, where we spent 3 and 1/2 hours. From the time you dock until the time you leave it's like stepping into a fairy-tale. Going in May the lambs were springing around, the flowers were blooming and the river gushed from the snow topped mountains. We followed one of those rivers to an amazing waterfall and loved every step.

7) The streets. There aren't many cities where it's fun to get lost, but Bergen is somewhere getting lost means finding new things. The back streets run up the mountain and you pop up overlooking roofs the higher you go. There is no right or wrong way to turn as every street has a different bar, restaurant, cafe or art gallery to check out.

8) The art work. It's everywhere. If you like sculptures you wouldn't be disappointed, they appear everywhere. If you like graffiti there is plenty to check out. If you like paintings you could spend all day enjoying local artists work and never get bored and if you like trolls - well they are everywhere!

We will definitely be heading back to Norway!

Review: Family Friendly Mini Break in Newquay, Cornwall!

Where do I start this post? Sitting here, reflecting on an amazing weekend, I am not sure which of our highlights to start with! Our visit to Cornwall was our first UK mini break as a family of three and thanks to Love Newquay, we had a weekend to remember celebrating 10 years of being together!

Leaving on Friday afternoon we drove the 240 miles from our home in Birmingham to Newquay in the northwest of Cornwall. It took a little over 4 hours with a stop in Exeter for fish and (cheesy) chips. Thankfully we had timed our departure for an Annabelle nap and she slept for almost two hours meaning we only had to entertain her for part of the journey.

We arrived at the Sands Resort and Spa at 7.30pm and were checked into our two room suite quickly and efficiently, which was much appreciated as Annabelle was getting tired again. The staff could not have been more helpful. One of the staff quickly set up a travel cot in case we wanted Annabelle in the room with us then left us to settle in. Reading through the guest info we were impressed at how much the hotel offered for families, including a baby listening service!

After a great night sleep we woke up refreshed, enjoyed a full English breakfast and got ready to enjoy exploring what Newquay had to offer as a family. If you haven't already, check out our Instagram highlight reel for photos and videos of the trip, you'll find us at @sarahpluslaura - and so to our highlights in no particular order:

Sands Resort Moroc Spa / Creche
Onsite at the Sands Resort and Spa there is a Moroccan themed spa, details can be found here, but in summary it is a beautiful space split in two parts. One half has a cedar hot tub and barrel heat room, the other is a relaxing lounge where you get to enjoy Moroccan mint tea, cakes and a glass of bubbly! We were able to enjoy the experience while Annabelle was looked after by the OfSted approved creche upstairs. While nervous to leave her at first, we were reassured by the wall to wall toys available and the lovely ladies who greeted us, wrapped Annabelle in a hug and told us they would come to get us if we were needed.

The ladies at the Spa also reassured us that they would get us if Annabelle needed us so we should go and relax. Relax is exactly what we did, it was a 90 minute experience and leaving we felt refreshed and rejuvenated. We were fortunate that the other couple sharing the experience had a 2 year old and 9 month old, also in the creche, so we shared experiences and advice and came out feeling like we had also gained some really valuable insights.

We were so relaxed that when we got back to our room, the 3 of us had a family nap!

Blue Reef Aquarium
Located on Towan beach is Newquay's aquarium. If it's not quite 'beach' weather then the aquarium is where you should head. We weren't sure how Annabelle would react as it was the first 'attraction' that we had ever taken her to but she loved it. From the moment we walked in she was mesmerised and happy chatting to the animals. At certain points she was reaching out to touch the fish and 'swimming' (kicking) along with them, it made our hearts happy. Our favourite part was the talk at the final tank with a giant turtle. As Laura and I listened to the talk, Annabelle was chatting to the turtle as it circled around, surfacing and occasionally waving!

The aquarium was fairly small and we were done within an hour. If Annabelle had been older we would have stopped to read more signs but we thought it best to keep moving and we left with lovely memories and counted the visit as a great success.

If you are thinking of going with young children, do it, but maybe do it on a Thursday as they do cheaper entry for an adult and toddler throughout March. Or check their website for their latest deals!

Newquay Town
It's always exciting getting to explore somewhere new, I (Sarah) had visited Newquay many, many, many years ago on an 18 - 30's holiday and admittedly didn't remember much except the beaches (and bars) but this was Laura's first time. We had attempted to wander around on Saturday but the rain and gusty wind had us retreating into Wax, a quirky restaurant in a converted bank - complete with a safe! The food was reasonably priced and tasty although service could have been quicker, it's something we are acutely aware of now we have Annabelle, there is only so long we can entertain her when sat in a restaurant!

After refueling we did venture down the high street and discover plenty of cake shops and pasty stores mixed in with your regular high street stores. We lost ourselves in the arcades, tourist shops and made a final stop for cakeaway before heading back to the hotel.

When the weather brightened up we strolled back and enjoyed pasties from the award winning, aptly named: The Cornish Bakery - I opted for the traditional pasty and Laura went for a leek, cheese and potato. They were super flavourful and warming. Oh, and make sure to try their white hot chocolate - so, so, so good!

The Beaches
Newquay has so many beaches on offer it was hard to pick which ones we wanted to check out! Our first choice was Porth Beach as it was 10 minutes walk from the hotel. We made our way along the cliff edge and the views were breathtaking! Annabelle spent the walk napping and Laura spent the walk taking SO many photos :)

When we arrived on the beach we made our way towards the sea to give Annabelle her first beach experience. She loved that there were so many dogs running around (next time we are taking Bisbee for sure) and we loved that even though there were plenty of people on the beach there was enough space for us to set out our blanket. We did get caught out by the tide coming in FAST though and we had to quickly grab our stuff and run up the beach - an entertaining sight I'm sure!

While down at Porth Beach make sure to check out Roos Beach Shop for cute clothes and accessories - oh and to top up your water bottle! There is also a cute cafe, perfect for getting out of the wind!

We also liked Towan beach, this is located at the bottom of town centre and a perfect spot to enjoy the haul of goodies purchased in the local shops.

Sands Hotel Facilities
As mentioned this was our first 'family' mini break and we had never thought about staying anywhere family friendly - usually having kids running around is not our ideal. However, what the Sands does really well is jam pack the hotel with things to do that are either kid friendly or adult only so you can still choose. For example, our anniversary meal was spent in the adult only dining area overlooking the bay and enjoying the atmosphere - we used the baby listening service for Annabelle so were able to relax and enjoy instead of entertaining her.

In the swimming pool there is a splash zone for the smaller kids and then a main pool. We used both but only moved to the main pool when it cleared out. It was amazing, we had the whole thing to ourselves and even better we could take photos with Annabelle (something that we had missed out on at our local pool).

The hotel also has plenty of outdoor space so the children that were there were well distributed. In fact, it was only at breakfast that we noticed there were quite a few children staying. Indoors, there s a games room and soft play area, not to mention the creche. Outdoors there is a basketball court, tennis court, playground, and another pool. It is so well set up!

As well as the facilities, the staff were fantastic. In terms of customer experience this has to be one of the best - think USA style hospitality! - nothing was too much trouble, they were ready to answer questions any time of the day, to reassure us and to cover things we hadn't even thought of - including providing buckets and spades, oh and buggies should you need to borrow one. The staff definitely made the experience - we even got an anniversary card from them!

We can't wait to visit Newquay again (check out Love Newquay Facebook page here for latest updates on the area). Not only is the location stunning, but there is so much to do. Driving back, we listed our highlights, as we always do after holidays, it was amazing how many we had to choose from as we had only been away a weekend.

As Annabelle grows we are sure she'll love the walks and beaches as much as we do and this trip reminded us just how wonderful this country is if you just head out and explore.

Thanks again, Love Newquay!

Disclaimer: We were invited by Love Newquay and provided with a 2 night hotel stay at the Sands Resort and Spa, the 90 minute Moroc Spa experience, 3 tickets to the Blue Reef Aquarium and complimentary pasties from The Cornwall Bakery; however all views, experiences and photos shared in this blog are our own. 

5 Essentials For Travelling With A Baby!

Travelling abroad with a baby was an all new experience for us. We had made quite a few long car journeys but this time, heading to New York, involved flying! In fact it involved two flights to get there and two to get back. The first flight was a quick 45 minute flight from Birmingham to Dublin but the second flight was 7 hours Dublin to New York (our must do list for the city is here).

Before Annabelle arrived we travelled a lot and shared our top 10 tips here and shared a round up of our trips across Europe, the USA and Oz here.

It was fitting then, as with most things in the modern world, that we Googled for advice on how we should handle the flight and found more than a few blogs sharing their advice. It's amazing what a valuable resource blogs can be when preparing for the unknown!

The blogs we found seemed to fall into two categories though 1) baby slept the entire flight or 2) child needed games/toys for entertainment. We knew Annabelle at 7 and a half months didn't fit into either category. There is no way she would sleep 7 hours especially as we were travelling in the day and while toys entertain her there is no way we are at game level.

We did take the advice of booking a morning flight and that served us well. Having to wake Annabelle up at 5am to get to the airport and checked in for our 8am flight meant she was dozing and easy going all morning - great news as we carted our excessive baggage to check in and then made a drama of security with the amount of stuff with had in the nappy bag!

*Take advantage of the free luggage allowance you get with a baby, not only did Annabelle get her own case we also got to take a travel cot and buggy/stroller at no cost (we checked our travel cot and buggy and used the Ergobaby carrier in the airport).*

We spent a week in New York and as it was February it was freezing most days (thankfully extra luggage had meant extra coats) but here are the other essentials we found extra useful for the journey and exploring New York.

1) Our 360 Ergobaby - this carrier has been SO useful since we got it. Honestly travelling and exploring would have been so much harder without it. At the airport I strapped Annabelle in leaving me hands free to help carry hand luggage and eat and drink. It also meant Annabelle could see what was going on without us having to hold the squirmer.

Out and about in New York we used it every day. Being able to have Annabelle facing out meant she was interacting with the world and the squeals and giggles showed she was loving it. Her happy legs kicking around as we admired stunning views or because someone waved back to her on the subway will be memories we'll treasure. Then when it came to sleeping we switch her around and she would nap while we continued walking around. Ideal!

As not all subway stations had lifts or ramps the buggy would have been an issue, with the baby carrier we just continued regardless of the amount of stairs. One thing I was surprised about was the fact that we walked over 60 miles on the trip, most with Annabelle in the Ergobaby, and my back didn't hurt once.

2) Zip Us In panel - it's an extender panel that is zipped into a coat so that you can expand it over your baby bump or in our case our baby in her carrier. We initially saw this product on Instagram and thought it would be worth a try. We were right, it was. For us we found it useful in two ways: 1) We could zip it over Annabelle when she was facing out and save putting her in a bulky coat as my body heat kept her warm and 2) it really helped Annabelle sleep when facing in. As the panel is black I would zip it all the way up to make it dark and within minutes Annabelle would be dozing regardless of what was going on around. It also kept her protected from the elements and able to snooze as long as she wanted.

3) Good size nappy bag - okay this may be obvious for everyday life but for travelling we found it essential. We still use the bag we got initially (details can be found here), it's big enough to carry everything changing related and more. We found the insulated pockets useful to keep the food pouches we had chilled and all the extra pockets great for putting things like teething gel - just in case. We managed to fit in Annabelle's sleeping bag which was useful as it helped her sleep on the flight and it still had space for us to pack a couple of toys that came in handy.

Our nappy bag essentials:

• Nappies
• Wipes (essential for cleaning up everything, including anything chew-able such as tray tables, TV screens, seat arms, toys that hit the floor)
• Nappy cream
• Changing mat - we have one that folds up super small and makes changing her anywhere possible. It's also easy to wipe clean!
• Nappy bags/sacks - great for wrapping up dirty clothes / nappies / cutlery
• Change of clothes
• At least one toy that can be chewed - teething is great right?!
• Mobile charger bank (can't have a phone dying and missing out on pics)
• Zip Us In Panel

*Entertaining a 7 month was easier than expected, the big win = a plastic water bottle! No kidding! For an hour or so on the flight Annabelle was amused by the water in it, then chewing the lid, shaking it, bopping our heads with it, taking of the label. Honestly it was best toy we had! And it worked whenever we had a bottle out and about*

4) Snacks - baby and mummy friendly. Quite a few of the blogs recommended taking snacks and we are glad we took a selection. Firstly they were a great distraction on the plane or if I wasn't in a position to breastfeed immediately when we were out. I wouldn't advice the food pouches unless your kid is a super neat and tidy eater. Annabelle likes to decorate herself and anything nearby in them. The crisps range from Ella's Kitchen went down very well though, and with minimal mess.

The mummy friendly part is just to keep energy up. On the first day we were mid way through Central Park, had walked 5 miles and I'd fed Annabelle twice and I realised I was feeling lightheaded. Turns out I had forgotten to keep my energy up, easy to do when there is so much going on!


5) Preparation - okay so it's less of a thing but it's still essential. We faced an expected challenge by not being able to check in online due to travelling with an infant. We found out on check in it was because they don't make the bulk seats available online and people with babies often prefer the bulk head seats as they come with a bassinet. For all future flights (well until Annabelle outgrows it) we will do the same. We were lucky enough to have the only baby on the flights so there was no challenge for the seats but good to know in future it's first come first served.

The bulkhead seats gave us extra floor space so we could put her down and play and the bassinet was a great place for her to sleep and watch people go by. One of the highlights of the flight to New York was Annabelle napping away while we had our in-flight meal and watched a film.

Also take advantage of the early boarding so you can claim your overhead storage. We didn't do this on the first long haul flight and found it annoying that we had to go three rows back and to keep getting things out as there is no where to put your bags in the bulkhead seats.

For our own peace of mind we also made little gift bags with a note in the hope that if Annabelle did kick off they would be a little more forgiving.

We were more lax on preparing our days and what we were doing and decided what to do based on the weather. However we made sure the nappy bag was prepared for the whole day.

Thankfully Annabelle was amazing for the entire trip, we had one day where she slept later than usual but we let t happen. We also let the nap schedule slip and let her nap when she needed. We also didn't push her in the evenings, opting for early-ish dinners or taking stuff back to the Airbnb.

So after initially fearing the travel experience I can honestly say I can't wait to go again! Bring on Norway.