Visiting London

London is by far one of my favourite destinations within the United Kingdom, the city that never seems to sleep, where there is always something unique and exciting going on, even if you don't wish to visit the typical sights and attractions. 

London is a place that I visit on a regular basis, a place that Leo absolutely adores to go, even if it is just to experience the Underground time and time again. Last week we went on a family visit to the capital, Leo, myself, Granny and younger sister, it was a first for my Mum and sister Alice, who had never really experienced the excitement that can be found in this fantastic city. 

We hopped on the train heading out of our sleepy town and made our way to the hustle and bustle of the city. We enjoyed a morning at Westfield Shopping Centre and visited Base, before we hopped back on the Underground and made our way to your typical tourist attractions. It would have been rude not to take Granny and Alice on a flight to see the famous capital from such a spectacular height. It has to be said that the view from up there really is something very special, and I know that both Granny and Alice really enjoyed their very first flight above London. Leo who has already taken a spin on the London Eye before was so excited to be going back and being able to see the Big Ben. Although since Leo's love for Disney's Cars he has been referring to it as Big Bentley!

It was a truly lovely day being able to spend time with my family and seeing the London sights, and it really wasn't enough time. We hope to go back and just be tourists for a few days, visit Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, and maybe even stay over for a few days during the Easter Holiday's. 

In preparation I have been having a scout about at the hotel's and came across the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury that is located right in the heart of London. It's situated right next to the Russel Square Underground Station which means getting around will be so easy. When I look for hotels I always like to source them near to the tube stations so that I don't need to worry about taxi costs.

After such a super day with the family I am really looking forward to heading back and spending a few days enjoying all the sights and making lasting family memories. 

What do you plan on doing this Easter?

Disclaimer: This is a feature post

Visiting London

Earlier this year we took Leo into London to experience some of the sights for the very first time. With Leo then being 2 and a half, we thought this would be a great age to introduce the adventure that can be found in our capital city. 

We knew that we were going to have to take part in family friendly activities and at the very top of our list was the London Eye. I knew that my mischievous two year old was going to absolutely love gliding through the sky looking out over the big city. We boarded our pod and Leo was un-leashed on the un-suspecting passengers lucky enough to be in our pod. He went from window to window until he found the train line, and he watched the trains as they went back and forth. Then of course he discovered the big red button, the button that the likes of you and I know that you shouldn't touch... Unless of course there is an emergency! Leo however made a play for this button within minutes of being on board, for a moment the whole scene played out in slow motion. Thankfully he was a few inches too short.

There is so much to do in London as a family, even with kids as young as Leo was earlier this year. Better yet there are activities that you can do on a budget. The Natural History Museum and the Science Museum are both fantastic days out, and are completely free to visit. Having a dinosaur mad little boy on my hands we will definitely be heading back to London in the not so distant future so that we can take advantage of both of these attractions. 

When travelling anywhere as a family there are a few Do's and Don'ts that are always handy to consider before planning your trip.

Do

- Look into the attractions you would like to visit to make sure that they are appropriate for everyone in your group.

- Book family restaurants so that everyone is catered for. I highly recommend the Rain forest Cafe.

- Choose your hotel location so that you benefit from being close to central London, and also have access to the great outdoors. Hyde Park is ideal with a number of Hotel Direct family friendly hotels, not to mention the walks that can be taken in the beautiful park.

Don't

- Don't hop straight into a taxi, part of the fun is getting lost. Leo thoroughly enjoyed wondering around taking in the new sights.

- Don't worry that your children will play up. In my experience the restaurants are fully prepared for toddler melt downs and come prepared with lot's of coluring and paper to get them (and you) through the meal.

- Don't forget to make the most of your time in London, get out there and enjoy the time with your family. There is so much to see and do!

Disclaimer: This is a featured post

A Flight On The London Eye

I frequent London on a regular basis, and Leo has come along to all sorts of wonderful events with me in our sparkling capital over the years. Throughout all of those visits though we have never taken him along to be mere tourists exploring the city that never sleeps. Each visit has always seen us hopping on and off trains, in and out of taxis on our way to wherever it is we are supposed to be. Therefore we have never really had the opportunity to experience London as you should experience it.

Now Leo is getting older and is at a great age to be experiencing new adventures we decided to introduce the idea of visiting the London Eye, otherwise known as the Millennium Wheel. A week or so before our impending visit to London, Leo saw the London Eye featured on Something Special when Mr Tumble paid a visit. Leo was really interested and seemed excited at the prospect, he began referring to it as the ‘Big Wheel’.

In terms of getting to the London Eye it is in prime location and is easily accessible by tube. Getting a taxi is easier than ever before with the Hail app that enables you to book a taxi with registered cabs within your local vicinity. We loved Hail while we were touring around London and found it a really helpful tool.

The London Eye is an experience that I have personally enjoyed on a few occasions, and at all different times of the year. The last time before our recent visit was exactly a year before Leo was born on the 27^th June 2010. If only I knew that a year later I would be cradling my newborn baby in my arms for the very first time…

Arriving back at the London Eye with Luke, Leo and a pushchair in tow it was clear that times certainly have changed. We seem to come with so much more luggage these days and at this point we still had our suitcase as we were yet to drop it off at the hotel. Part of me worried that we wouldn’t be able to take it on board…

We had already reserved our tickets and just needed to collect them from London’s County Hall which is actually right by the London Eye. We actually faffed up the steps with the pushchair but if we had just walked around the side of the building we would have seen that there was a ramp to provide access for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Getting the tickets was easy even though the ticket hall was full of people, but it was nice to see that there were people on hand to ask any questions and point you in the right direction.

With our tickets we made our way out into the January climate and found our place in the line. We were informed that the wait would be about 20 minutes, and I was pleased that it wouldn't be much longer. Luckily we could still have Leo snuggled up cosy in his pushchair until just before we boarded the London Eye. Leo was really excited and beginning to get impatient, waiting for things to happen has never really been a strong point for my active 2 year old but he was kept amused when Daddy had to have our suitcase hauled through security checks. Luckily they were happy for us to take it on board once it had been cleared through the x-ray machine.

Just before we got to the boarding stage I got Leo out of the pushchair and folded it up so that we could make a quick dash onto the next available pod. Leo did really well hopping inside while holding my hand, and very soon we were slowly climbing up into the sky.

Everything below us grew smaller, people began to look like ants scurrying about below us, Cars and big double decker buses grew smaller still all the while whizzing around the dotted roads…

We were flying high now!

Leo is looking around and taking everything in. He’s flying. He’s flying just like Buzz Lightyear into the sky and he can see trains whizzing past on the Docklands Light Railway… Of course this captures his attention and he is more than happy to focus his entire being on this, until of course he spies a button that he could press. A button that is just out of his reach but with a bit of a stretch could be very feasible to push…

The emergency button…

Of course… The emergency button!

Only Leo..

I spy Leo reaching, teetering on his tip toes. Trying to muster the height to push that button. I suddenly feel like I am in slow motion. The words ‘Noooo’ leave my mouth but sound low and subdued. I run towards him with my hand outstretched to remove Leo’s anticipating fingertip from the button that he is very almost pushing… And successfully remove the toddler from sounding the alarm and of course save the day, and myself from a very embarrassing situation. I can just foresee the apology I would have to make for ‘breaking’ the London Eye…

You see this face!? well this face is a toddler who knows that he shouldn't press the button but will try with all his toddler mite. Suffice to say I kept a very watchful eye on my button pressing two year old as we gently flew around in our pod. Aside from this one near miss, Leo loved looking out of the window, seeing the Big Ben and watching the clouds roll by. While we were up there I could feel the wind picking up, and could sense that we were evidently in for some stormy weather.

The views from the London Eye are really something special and you see something new each time you make the flight. I was so excited to be able to take Leo on his very first London Eye experience and I know that the next time we pay a visit… times will have changed again. We will be able to leave the pushchair behind and take our very grown up boy to the skies again, where he will find a whole new appreciation for the experience.

Disclaimer: We were issued with tickets for our London Eye experience in exchange for my honest opinion.

Top 5 places to spend New Year’s Eve in the UK

It’s officially the party season so if you haven’t made plans for New Year’s Eve already, you might want to get thinking about it soon!

There’s nothing worse than building up to the big day, getting excited, planning your outfits and then when it gets to it, you don’t have a set plan, you can’t get a taxi to town and there are queues at every bar.

Don’t be disappointed again this year; take control and take off on a last minute UK break. Here are some top suggestions of places to visit where you can be sure to have a great time on December 31^st.

Edinburgh

Photocredit: Robbie Shade 

Edinburgh is a popular choice for UK mini breaks with great transport links and so much choice of accommodation. Arguably, the best time of year to visit is over Christmas and new year. The world famous Hogmanay event takes over the city on New Year’s Eve and thousands flock here to enjoy the festivities and fireworks. With dancing, food and music; this notorious street party is something everyone needs to experience.

London 

PhotoCredit: Sean MacEntee 

England’s capital always has a lot to offer and on New Year’s Eve you can guarantee there are plenty of good times to be had here. If you’re looking for something a little different to the standard plans of drinks and fireworks then why not try out the Southbank Centre?

Vintage fans, get very excited because New Year’s Eve at the Southbank Centre is set to see the venue transform to become a glimpse of partying past, stepping back in time to celebrate throughout the decades. From 20s glamour to the swinging 60s, travel through time and explore all the different themed pop up bars and clubs, learn traditional dances and sample the popular flavours of the different eras.

Northumberland – Tar Bar’l Festival

Photocredit: 96Tommy

The annual Tar Bar’l festival in Allendale, Northumberland, offers the opportunity to experience New Year’s Eve in a whole new, or rather old, light.

This traditional festival comes from the Dark Ages and sees a procession of costumed men carry on their heads flaming barrels of tar as they make their way through the town, marching to the beat of the band before ceremoniously throwing the barrels on a bonfire and ringing in the new year.

It’s certainly something different to enjoy!

St Ives – Fancy Dress

Photocredit: Ross Tucknott 

To really make the most of the holiday season, take this opportunity to enjoy an extended break and explore Cornwall. With the great deals you can get with Parkdean Holidays you can take advantage of their well-placed holiday parks to see the best of this stunning county.

For revellers looking to party the night away on NYE, try an evening in St Ives, but don’t forget your costume! This friendly town has a fancy dress extravaganza every year to celebrate the occasion and the whole community gets into the spirit of things.

Legoland

Photocredit: Dave Catchpole 

For all out family fun then there really is no better place to see in the new year than at Legoland. You can have your New Year’s Eve sorted in just one click and treat the kids to a trip to see all the amazing lego sculptures, rides and shows.

What are your plans for New Year’s Eve? We would love to hear more top tips on how to celebrate.  

In Association with Parkdean holidays.