Overnight trip to York, England

FAMILY VISIT TO YORKSaturday - Sunday February 22-23, 2014

In this post - a quick overnight trip to Northern England

view from the Minster tower visit

York is a lovely medieval city in North Yorkshire, England.  A two-hour train ride will get you there from London.  The coolest thing about York is that it is a walled city, and you can walk along the walls just as the Roman watchguards would have done nearly 2000 years ago.  

walking in the footsteps of the Roman guards

The rich heritage of Roman and Viking rule has left many historic sites in the area.  The York Minster, considered to be the greatest gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, towers over the city.

We even encountered VIKINGS on our visit - it was the end of their annual week-long VIKING FESTIVAL

The city became a major trading centre for wool, the capital of the north for the Church of England, and a major train and railway centre.

We began by dropping off our luggage at our amazing hotel, the Cedar Court Grand.  I can't say we would normally stay at such a nice place, but it was the only accommodation we could find that would house a family of five!  And, since this was our only half-term school break get-a-away, we had to agree it was fantastic to have a pool!  Rare in European hotels!
http://www.cedarcourtgrand.co.uk/

We went directly to see the famous Minster, and on the way there grabbed some quick grub from the lovely cafes in the city.

Vikings began appearing from all corners of the city, and we were soon surrounded.  Yes, we learned it was the annual Viking Festival.  Probably one of the reasons we couldn't find any cheap accommodations!  The festive characters provided an animated backdrop to our city visit.
http://jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/festivals/

That afternoon we went on a free walking tour given by one of the friendly local volunteer guides.
http://avgyork.co.uk/
This was a nice introduction to the city and some of its rich history.

Next stop was a guided tour of the Minster.  Our kids were a bit unenthused about this back-to-back tour thing, but it was just the way things worked out.  After the tour we had a visit to the top of the Minster Towers, which provided lovely views of the city.
http://www.yorkminster.org/home.html

We ate dinner at Michael's Brasserie just around the corner.  They had a nice early dinner special.
http://www.galtreslodgehotel.co.uk/michaels-brasserie.html

The rest of the evening we wandered the little pedestrian-only streets of York Village.
Great to just meander and explore.
And of course you must visit The Shambles, apparently Europe's most visited street.

Need I say more?

We ended the day in the pool and sauna.....

Sunday morning we were lazy - we had seen a great deal the day before.  Although I urged the family to visit the York Castle Museum or the Yorkshire Museum or the Viking Museum or the Quilt Museum, no such visited transpired for us.  Instead we held to all that history from our tours the day before and decided to just take the day leisurely, walk the streets, see the York Castle (below) and walk the city.

York Castle - all that remains is Cliffords Tower

My only regret is that I didn't take advantage of the amazing deals at the Mulberry Factory Outlet.  I usually hesitate at these so-called "outlets" but this place had some truly amazing deals.  Handbags that had been 1000gbp were now 300.  But, I just wasn't in the mood.  I wish that I had been, because those were some amazing prices.....You gotta go!!
Mulberry Factory Outlet
23/25 Swinegate
York YO1 8AZ
www.mulberryfactoryshop.com

Unfortunately there are no sales on-line, but there are other UK locations.

Before catching our train, we made a quick stop at the National Railway Museum.  Oh, we needed more time.  We should have had a couple of hours for that visit alone.  

Also there are many ghost tours in York in the evenings, and that would have been fun to try as well.

So, even in two days and one night we just couldn't see it all.  I highly recommend a visit to York!!

Weekend Therapy from London stress and nature deprivation

In this post:  one weekend on a Feather Down Farms stay is all it takes to cure your family's nature deprivation ailments

How to truly unplug!

Flashback to 2011, when, after living the urban city life of London for several months, we needed fresh air, space to run, and somewhere to unplug.

We found the perfect solution in Featherdown Farms.

I saw the recommendation in a magazine and it looked lovely.  I booked us for a weekend in early July, nervous about what we would do, would we be bored, could we do this with no car?

The weekend surpassed our expectations and we would love to do it again.

We took the train to Bedford, a short hour and a half or so.  We then took a car/taxi to the farm, which was about a 20 minute drive. 

The owners are very welcoming, and grounds are tidy. Our kids LOVED the tree swings, the sheep, and the chicken hutch where they could collect fresh eggs.

You might think, what are we going to do?  Well, if you have a car, you can explore the area.  We do not have a car, so we went on a big day hike on Saturday.  Sunday we lounged and just played outside.  The kids met some other children their ages and played with them.  With no electricity, much of your time is consumed starting the fires for tea/coffee in the AM and cooking meals.  We had brought along simple things to cook - pasta, canned goods, produce.  You can order meals from the farmer, and there is a small "store" on-site.   Bedding and towels are provided =)

I would HIGHLY recommend Featherdown Farms to ALL families!!  I think kids of any age would have a great time.  This is especially great if you want to go somewhere to truly unplug your kids (and your spouse!) from their electronic devices!!
http://www.featherdown.co.uk/index.html
http://www.featherdown.co.uk/farm-stay/bedfordshire-wolds/the-north/new-barn/our-story.html


We rented this sweet guinea pig - the kids nearly cried - we had to leave our guinea pig behind when we came to London, so they have a special affection for these furry friends

inside the "tent"

the "cupboard" bed - good thing we had 3 nights and 3 kids - they each had a turn sleeping in the cupboard

Fresh Air.  It's what's for dinner

fun on the tree swings

we went on a long hike and ended with refreshments at The Fox

can't praise this sort of outing enough for bonding the kiddos!

fun with snowy the guinea pig

Fast & EASY day trip out of north London in search of fresh air: ST ALBANS

In this post:  "so close, yet so far away"

With the spring weather calling us outdoors, we yearn to get out of this big city and into the fresh, beautiful countryside.

However we often struggle to pick a destination.  We discuss getting out of the city for the afternoon but often end up sitting at home.

We now recommend with high praises the village of St Albans.  Really a suburb of London, we were able to take a train from West Hampstead (1 mile walk from our house) to St Albans in 13 minutes!  Most of the trains take closer to 20 minutes but if you can catch this one that does not make any stops, you can actually make the journey in 13 minutes!

And you find yourself in the beautiful, clean, fresh air English countryside!

St Albans offers Roman ruins, a beautiful cathedral, a quaint city/village centre, a clock tour from the 1400's, and best of all an amazing parkland complete with sports fields, a stream, playground, trails, skatepark, and more.

The village is a short walk from the train station.  We enjoyed ice cream near the clock tower, then toured the cathedral.

The clocktower from the 1400's - you can climb to the top for amazing views

Those who climb the clock tower receive the privilege of ringing her bell!

the story of St Alban

We ate lunch at Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, which is among a few places in England who claim the title of the oldest pub in the country.

 Just down the hill from the cathedral is Verulamain Park, with over 100 acres of parkland, a true reprieve for us city dwellers!  We visited the Roman theatre, the best preserved example in Britain.  There are Roman ruins and mosaics throughout the park and a nice Verulamium Museum.  The kids, however, were much happier just running free in the park, playing soccer, dipping their feet in the creek, and laying on a picnic blanket.

Finding Roald Dahl near London

In this post - on the trail of one of the greatest children's authors of all time

If you're a fan of Roald Dahl, you can make an easy day trip to his hometown near London.

Book a train from London to Aylesbury, making sure it goes through Great Missenden.

Leave London in the morning (we took at 10:00 train which got us to Aylesbury before 11).  From there, walk to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, taking you on a nice stroll through this quaint village.

The gallery is actually part of the County Museum.  The kids enjoyed how hands on the exhibits were.  Mostly they have taken fun things from the stories and created activities:  crawl inside James' giant peach, travel in a glass elevator, make yourself invisible on a screen, create a shadow freeze reflection of yourself.

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/museum/dahl_gallery/dahl_childrens_gallery.page

the squares that look round

having a taste of the Giant Peach

The gallery from outside

The gallery is not huge - you might find an hour is plenty for a visit.  The County museum is also worth exploring, for a historical perspective on the area.

Then we took the train heading back towards London, but we descended at Great Missenden.  Roald Dahl's widow still lives in his home outside this small village.  We found a lovely park in the city.  The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre focuses a bit more on his life and his writing, compared to the Children's Gallery in Aylesbury, where the focus is on the scenes and funny aspects of his books.

http://www.roalddahlmuseum.org/

This is apparently how he wrote all of his books - in a chair like this one - in a shed near his house

The kids liked both stops - neither one is too overwhelming or super multi-media.  These are good, simple educational exhibits.  You can practice writing your own stories at the Story Centre.  There are frequent story readings throughout the day. 

In Great Missenden, we stumbled across a lovely little candy store:

And found the fantastic city park:

And we were back in London for dinner!!

WHAT is PGL?

In this post:  just what is PGL?

In the UK schools, the joke goes that PGL stand for Parents Get Lost, because school kids go for a week at a time, leaving parents at home - alone.  But Parents don't always stay home....

I had just as much fun as they did

 Over the week-long February break (called "half-term" here in the UK), the kids and I ventured out on a 3 day "Family PGL weekend".

Not everyone knows what PGL really is, especially if you're outside the UK.  Even some people in the UK have never heard of PGL.  So what is it?

Well, PGL is mostly an adventure camp.  You do rope climbing, obstacle courses, vertical climbs, high ropes, archery, kayaking, and other adventure activities in a school-camp-like setting.  Geared towards school groups, PGL also offers summer camps, family weekends, and outside-of-the-box opportunities for businesses to build their staff relationships (aka "team bonding"!).

PGL was established in 1957 by Peter Gordon Lawrence. The UK's leading provider of school activity courses and adventure holidays mainly in the UK, there are also locations in France and Spain.  It began when Lawrence started leading canoe trips to young adult groups and grew into what it is today.

It is harder than it looks.  Our eight year old could not step off the platform

Not wanting to go far during our February break because Dad wouldn't be joining us, and also not wanting to drag the kids on another day trip to "sightsee", I was looking for something different.  Something FUN, something outdoors, something that didn't require tons of planning on my behalf.  The PGL family weekend checked all the boxes.

Can you see the bonding between these happy siblings?

We all LOVED it.  But it is not for everyone.  The dorm like bunk-lodging might turn some of you off immediately.  If you need luxury accommodation, this is not for you.  The kids and I were housed in a room with 4 bunkbeds (8 beds), toilet, simple sink and 3 shower stalls.  They provided the bedding.

what kid doesn't like going off to camp?

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by our group leader, Rachel.  We were shown to our room and then directed to a large hall, a gorgeous former hunting mansion where most of our group meetings would take place.  There were board games set up to play and tea and coffee available.  A couple of other families were there already.  Dinner was served at 18h followed by "get to know you games" in the hall.  Cheesy as they were ("name that tune while I gargle", "make a tower with shoes", "paper airplane contest") it did indeed allow us to mingle with the others in our group.  There were 9 families.  Being solo with my kids, I was pleased to learn I was not alone.  One Dad was doing a father-son weekend with his 2 boys.  A mom from London was celebrating her daughter's birthday (daughter's choice) and let her daughter bring a couple friends.  One mom lived near the camp and brought her 2 children (recently divorced).  The other 5 groups were 2 parent families with 1-4 children.  All the kids were probably 8 and up.  I wouldn't recommend PGL for smaller children, you'll just be sitting in your room while the activities are going on.

Caythorpe Hall where most of our large group activities took place

board games upon arrival

Saturday was a full day with four 1.5 hour sessions including High Ropes, Giant Swing, Sensory Trail, and Archery.  We were placed in groups of about 10.  Our group was the four of us and a family of 6.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served cafeteria style offering about 3 choices for main dish, one being vegetarian.  The food was satisfying.  I didn't cook it, and so it tasted even better.  The kids enjoyed it, and there was a nice variety.  Not bad for camp food.

Cafeteria

Sunday morning there were 2 sessions: Vertical Challenge and Challenge Course.  After lunch, we taxied back to the station and returned home to London!!

getting ready to be hoisted up for the Giant Swing.  Grandma VanAmber would really love this one!

 We attended the PGL family weekend at Caythorpe Court.  Our total cost, including lodging, meals (Friday dinner to Sunday lunch) and activities was 342 pounds.  The round-trip train fare from London cost 55 pounds and the taxi (Amber cabs) to and from the centre was 20 pounds each way...meaning our entire weekend cost totaled less than 450 pounds. 

The videos show a bit more of the FUN:

 For more information or to book a PGL family adventure (weekend or weeklong) or maybe send the kids to camp!:
http://www.pgl.co.uk/PglWeb/families/default

Taking your family to Stonehenge from central London

In this post:  How to get to those famous stones dating some 5,000 years old? And more importantly, is it worth it?

Back in September we crossed another item off of our long "to-do" list of things to accomplish while here in London:  visit that mysterious, historic, magnificent place called Stonehenge. 

When we told the kids we were going to go see some huge rocks, their interest was immediately sparked.
"Cool!  Can we climb on them?" asked the 8-year-old.
"Wow...can we rock climb and jump off?" asked the 13-year-old. 
"Rocks? What else is there to see?" asked the 11-year old.

As the responses came forth - "No, you cannot climb on them, or jump on them, or even touch them for that matter.  And no, there's nothing there but the rocks...."  The sparky looks on their faces quickly faded.

Lengthly explanations of the amazing significance and mystery behind the rocks didn't seem to help either.

But it was going to be a small outing, really.  Only an afternoon.  And Grandpa and Grandma were with us to add to the fun.

Again, all of this exploring was to be done with no car - relying solely on public transport!

Following my fool-proof guidebook "Best Day Trips from London" (Frommers), we took the train to Salisbury.  We left London Waterloo at 13:15 and arrived in Salisbury at 14:45.  Then we simply walked a few steps outside the rail station to find "The Stonehenge Tour" (www.thestonehengetour.info) bus right where it said it would be.  We paid the entrance fee (60 pounds for a family) and boarded...easy easy!  The bus embarked at 3:00 and we were on our way.  Enjoying the views of Salisbury's medieval streets, glimpses of the largest spire in England atop the Gothic masterpiece which is Salisbury's Cathedral, then onto picturesque countryside fields, all the while enjoying a nice commentary played through the bus speakers, we eventually came to what felt like the middle of nowhere in particular, but yes, indeed, there in the middle of farming fields, standing there like giants, were the massive, famous stones.  It's almost bizarre to come across them like that, so forlorn and abandoned-like.  And yet they are certainly not lonely, the masses were there as always, buses streaming in, people piling up in proper British queue for the entrance...

Another reason to take the Stonehenge Bus tour is the bypassing of all those people waiting in the entrance line once you get to Stonehenge.  Yes we just walked right in, no lines, no paying - because our bus tour included the price of admission.  Now you can take a bus from London, but let's face it, it takes hours just to get OUT of the city in a bus, whereas the train bolts you high-speed to Salisbury.  

Once past the admission, you tunnel under the local road to the opposite side where the magnificent rocks stand.  Listening to the audioguide (included in admission), slowly encircling the rocks, learning about their mysterious history and background, wondering how the gigantic stones made it from over 100 miles away, this eerie, quiet experience with a group of complete strangers who are the other tourists also pondering the site can be somewhat underwhelming or somewhat profound - it depends on your personal response.  What prompted the people to build this place?  and what for?  Astronomical observations?  A burial ground?  Religious rituals?  As you strangely and silently visit this prehistoric site with the throes of other tourists, it's not hard to comprehend why it is one of the most famous sites in the entire world.

I believe we were there for about an hour.  The opportunities for photography are amazing, as long as the British weather is in your favor!  Boarding the tour bus for the return, the commentary continues and you are brought through some very lovely countryside areas of Salisbury on the way to Sarum, an ancient earthwork dating to 500BC and later occupied by Romans, Saxons and Normans, once the site of a busy town and castle but now ruins.  Unfortunately we missed the entrance cut-off (17h) so we were unable to visit the site, but it looked interesting and worth 30-60 minutes of exploring.  We were not disappointed however because we had hoped to make our last stop of the day the magnificent Salisbury Cathedral.  The Gothic beauty with its piercing spire reaching 404 ft holds one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta.  The city is worth exploring on foot.  Flowers frame many of the city's medieval streets which are lined with pubs, antique shops, restaurants, half-timbered inns and residences. 

Returning back to the rail station, we easily made a 18:30 train which landed us back in London at 20:00, an hour earlier than expected.  I would have loved to stay and linger in that beautiful city, but on a Sunday evening, work and school days are creeping into the thoughts and the dreamy afternoon spent in a fairy-tale historic visit needed to come to a close.

First glimpses of the massive prehistoric rocks from our tour bus

Photographs and ponderings with the other tourists

the beautifully flowered streets in Salisbury

the tallest spire in England

Another beautiful sight in Salisbury

Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma for suggesting this great outing!

Safari near London

 Whipsnade Zoo

In this post:  you don't have to travel to Africa to take a safari!!

May 7th, 2012 Bank Holiday Day Trip

Enjoying the elephants - this was the first time in my life that I had ever seen elephants roaming - really cool!

Although the zoo animals captured our attention, so did the "local" animals of the area - the zoo is home to many maras who run around wild, and fascinated our kids who had never seen these minature deer-like animals before

The seal show is spectacular!

Near the pygmy hippo enclosure, these rare little hippos were quite fun to observe

Included in our membership to the ZSL London Zoo is Whipsnade ZSL, an expansive area where elephants, rhinos, cheetas, lions, chimpanzees, hippos and other exciting animals have wide open spaces to roam.  Not to pass up on any aspect of my membership in any organization, I put it on the list of "to-dos" for our family, because we had become members at ZSL London.  One big obstacle:  how to get there?? We don't have a car, so public transportation needed to be our method of travel.   On a lovely Bank Holiday Monday in early May, we set off on our adventure.  And we were not disappointed.  Well, maybe a bit by the rain, but not by the outing itself.

Okay it wasn't a real safari....
Excerpt from the website:

"As the Zoo has such expansive grounds, visitors have occasionally been known to think it is a safari park. However, visitors are allowed to bring their cars into the grounds, which are allowed into the one large drive through area, ‘Passage through Asia’. Alternatively you can take the free Safari bus around the zoo which stops at all the main exhibits.

The Zoo does offer another impressive way of seeing its animals: The Jumbo Express. Visitors can take a ride our two steam engines, Excelsior and Superior. These trains weave their way through the territories of some of the Zoo’s most impressive and inspiring animals, such as the elephants, rhino and camels.
Whilst most of the Zoo’s inhabitants are kept in specially designed enclosures, a few species are allowed to roam freely around the grounds. These include Patagonian mara, Chinese water deer, wallabies and peafowl."

Want to go to the UK's biggest zoo?  Home to more than 2,500 animals, many of which are endangered in the wild, the Zoo’s impressive 600 acre (2.4 km2) site can be found on the Chiltern Hills, near Dunstable, Bedfordshire.

Day trip details!
Took the tube to St Pancras, got a 9:00 train to Luton, arriving 9:20.  Wandered trying to find the proper bus stop for a 9:55 bus to Whipsnade.
Arrived at Whipsnade at 10:45.
Tried to take the 3:00 bus back to the Luton Rail station, but we were on the wrong side of the road =(
The bus zoomed past.  We didn't realize we needed to be at the same spot in which we got off the bus to return to Luton.  I guess it's like a circular route.  
You'd think we take taxis all the time, living in London.  Surprisingly we hail a cab infrequently.  Times we do are like this, where we really have no other options.  Therefore we called a taxi and paid 18 pounds to get to the station.  Got on a 4:00 train to London, arriving at 4:30 at St Pancras.