Travel review

Bransby Horses Rescue and Welfare | Review

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Bransby Horses

If you’re anything like me then you may find it really difficult to keep the kids entertained during school holidays. Especially with activities or places to visit that don’t cost a lot of money. Luckily for us Bransby Horses Rescue and Welfare centre is just a few miles down the road from us in the Lincolnshire countryside.

Bransby Horses is dedicated to improving the lives of horses, donkeys and mules. With your support, we are working harder than ever to continue making positive differences to equines whenever we can. Founded in 1968 by Mr Peter Hunt, Bransby Horses is now one of the UK’s largest equine welfare charities, currently caring for more than 400 animals.
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Merrivale Model Village, Great Yarmouth | Review

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Merrivale Model Village

Whenever we go on holiday in the UK and I’m planning days out, I’ll often try and find a model village nearby. I think they’re so interesting; the time & effort that must go into them, and walking round we all feel like giants! We love spotting country famous landmarks, and also places that are local to the model village. We’d visited Merrivale Model Village in Great Yarmouth as a couple, years ago now, but the boys had never been.

Welcome to Merrivale Model Village,one of Great Yarmouth’s best-loved attractions, a fantastic model village set in an acre of floral landscaped gardens on the sea front.Take your time to discover this captivating model village and its charming inhabitants. … Sit back and relax in the beautiful gardens surrounding Merrivale model village and be enchanted by every-day life in miniature. Read more

In the animal zone at Amazona | Review

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Amazona review

Whenever we go on holiday, I always make sure we have a visit to somewhere that includes animals. When we went to Norfolk back in August I wanted to go somewhere we hadn’t been before, and we were given the chance to visit Amazona Zoo. The boys have never actually visited a zoo before, other than Jacob when he was six months old so doesn’t really remember. Therefore I thought this would be a lovely day out for them.

Amazona Zoo in Cromer, Norfolk, is one of the county’s most unique and fun days out where families can discover South American wildlife. The zoo is home to over 200 tropical animals including jaguars, monkeys, snakes, flamingos and tapirs.

It is committed to helping visitors discover nature and provide education on conservation issues.
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Exploring the Norfolk Broads with Herbert Woods | Review

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Back at the end of August we went on our annual family holiday to the Norfolk Broads. As well as all four of us, my brother-in-law came with us too. We stayed in a cottage on this holiday, but as children The Husband and his brother used to go on boating holidays on the Norfolk Broads; that was their favourite kind of family holiday.

I have a done a couple of boating holidays but they weren’t really my thing; though, that might have had something to do with the fact I didn’t get along with father-in-law too well, and they were with him… Maybe I’ll try again another time!

When Herbert Woods offered us the hire of a day boat, I thought that wouldn’t be so bad; the Norfolk Broads are definitely beautiful to see when travelling by boat.

Hiring a day boat is a great way to experience the sights and sounds of the Norfolk Broads from the water. Enjoy a great family day out visiting the towns and villages along the Broads and stopping of for lunch at one of the many riverside pubs. Free mooring is available throughout the Broads at Broads Authority 24 hour mooring sites.
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Chasewater Railway | Review

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On Saturday we had a family day out, travelling to Chasewater Railway for a friends 40th birthday party. I was really looking forward to it as a few other mutual friends who I don’t see very often were also attending, and of course we were all looking forward to the train ride! 

The train wasn’t due to leave until 1.30 pm but we decided we would set off a little earlier than the time it would take us to get there, as the station is set in a country park so we would have a little walk beforehand – to make room for cake of course…

Cake
“Mummy, me want cake!”

Chasewater was easy to find, being well signposted. Even the GPS didn’t get us lost! There was plenty of parking, though by the time we left we wished we had carried on up the road a little to the station parking as it was a good 10 minute walk, and when you have a tired toddler and a pregnant tired lady, it felt like much longer. 
 
When we arrived, the first thing we had to do was find the toilets, I had gone two hours without going so I was desperate! We then decided we’d take little man to play in the park, but we were a little disappointed that there were no baby/toddler swings, as he just wouldn’t have stayed on a normal one as he wouldn’t have held on. 

After deciding the park was a no-go we decided to go for a walk next to the lake and find where we needed to be later on. We had taken little man’s backpack and rein so he could have a run around, so the walk took longer than we were expecting! We still didn’t find where we needed to be so we headed back to the car park to put his pushchair in the car, at which point we met one of our mutual friends arriving, so we decided we’d find it together. 

Once we got to the station we saw lots of familiar faces and hugs and hello’s galore were had! We were given our tickets then it was time to board the train. I thought little man would be okay as the last time we went on a train he loved it. The journey was great, we stopped at each station before stopping a little longer at the last one so that the birthday girl (lady) could go in the engine, and it was taken to the other end of the train for the return journey. Little man had fun running up & down the carriage and smacking all the seats for the whole journey! Though he did  manage to sit still for a few minutes to look out the window with Daddy. 

Looking out of the window on the train
Disclosure
This was paid for by a friend but I wasn’t asked to write this review, I just wanted to share our experience! All thoughts & opinions are honest & my own.