caniwalkmummy

A Festive Walk: Broad Arboretum, Earth Trust, Little Wittenham, Oxfordshire

2011-12-23T16:06:00.000Z

Approx time: 1 hour
Paths: grass
Points of interest: pond, wildlife, trees
Amenities: parking (toilets and cafe seasonal)
Grading: bumpy underfoot so all terrain buggy
Weather: all seasons

We have passed this walk many times but finally got round to it and we really enjoyed it. Why is it festive, have a look for the Christmas trees,

holly and reindeer.

But its also great in the summer with a bench over looking the pond and a picnic table. Only downside to the walk was having to retrace your steps back to the car park.

Start at the Earth Trust car park, and if you face the buildings take the grass footpath to your right that heads out across the fields. After a while the footpath bears right, keep the farm outbuildings on your right and carry along towards a signpost.

At the signpost turn right towards the arboretum.

There is a circular path around the arboretum. When complete retrace your steps back to the car park, note the excellent views across to Wittenham Clumps.

http://www.earthtrust.org.uk/Places/at-little-wittenham/BroadArboretum.aspx

Guest Post: Dear Father Christmas

2011-12-12T10:34:00.000Z

Hi There. Guest Blogger "ReaditDaddy" checking in to moonlight on my wife's excellent blog. Bear with me, haven't quite got the hang of the controls yet - but I'm here to tell you all about "Dear Father Christmas".

Any event hosted at the Burton Taylor room at the Oxford Playhouse is destined to be a cosy, intimate gathering and "Dear Father Christmas" - a children's play for 3-6 year olds, was no exception.

Telling the story of a mischievous Elf, her boss Mr TickTock, and the preparations for Santa's big night, "Dear Father Christmas" largely takes place in Santa's Post Room and with an effervescent cast of two (oh, and Father Christmas himself of course), the play was an interactive fun experience that pressed all the right buttons with Charlotte.

All the Elf wants to do is travel the world, see interesting sights and then come back to sort through Santa's post. Instead she's stuck in the post room but there are lots of willing new elves to help her sort the mail, tidy up and solve the mystery of the missing polar bear - Santa's oldest and dearest friend.

Adults are encouraged to take part too (they call us "giants" don't you know!), but the focus is on getting children involved - making hats and elf ears, constructing paper chains to cheer up Santa's christmas tree - and joining in with the songs and activities that happen throughout the play.

Even for a slightly curmudgeonly sort, the play was good fun and Charlotte absolutely loved every minute of it. I think her favourite bit was probably when the polar bear reappeared and crept quietly through the audience (only one child cried his head off at this bit).

It's not really suitable for older children (quite a few kept making quiet comments about the cast basically playing all the different characters) but the two main cast members were brilliant, and Father Christmas did very well for his first dramatic role :)

All in all a great time was had by all - though it did feel a bit of a cheat that paying extra to spend time with Father Christmas after the play didn't quite happen as expected (I think we were expecting to sit on Santa's knee and tell him Charlotte wanted Barbie Washing Hair and Daddy wanted A Lego Technics VW Camper - but it was rather crowded and a bit of a push and a shove instead).

Despite the request for parents not to take photos, one couple decided to continually take pictures through the latter half of the show - which was a bit annoying but all in all it was a perfect hour-long mix of song, dance, activities and fun that sets the scene for the festive period perfectly. Dear Father Christmas runs until 24 December at the Oxford Playhouse

Charlotte's best bit - The polar bear

Daddy's favourite bit - Alright, a tiny little crush on the elf. She was very cute.

Rating - 4 out of 5 stars

(oops, I forgot - we don't do that here - but I'm sure CanIWalkMummy won't mind!)

Windsor Castle, Windsor

2011-12-03T17:16:00.001Z

After our successful trip to Buckingham Palace we thought we would visit Windsor Castle. The first Saturday of each month they have children's activities, and also in December they have 2 state rooms set up with a Christmas theme display.

On approach we noticed the Royal Standard was flying, we tried to do Queen and corgi spotting. We were told by some very helpful guides that a good place to spot her was from the Crimson Drawing Room as this overlooks the queens garden but alas she wasn't there.

We collected our excellent audio guides, with a children's version for Charlotte to listen to, to take us round. The audio guides are really good with so much information, Charlotte really does listen to it as she asks us to find the things they are talking about. After passing the jubilee gardens and up to Edward IV tower where you get a wonderful view across the Upper Ward and quadrangle, this is where important visitors are greeted.

Heading towards the Henry III tower was the moat education room where Charlotte got to do some colouring and look at some pictures.

We headed to the State Apartments, and passed Queen Mary's Dolls house, which was fascinating with so much detail to it, also on display were dolls dresses which were so wonderfully made. The state rooms were quite different to Buckingham Palace, being a castle there was a lot of armour and swords on display. The fire in 1992 was covered quite a bit as you walk through the rooms that were destroyed. The difference in the old and new is obvious but the rooms are still to such high stadard and in keeping with the rest of the castle. The room containing all the Shields for the Knights of the Royal Garter was stunning.
We had lunch in the Undercroft Cafe, it was a little pricey but the food was wonderful.

We then went to St. Georges Chapel, where we got to sit in the inner chapel and look again at the shields and crowns for each of the Knights of the Royal Garter. We noticed coffins and shrines for most of the previous kings and queens, the most opulent was for Queen Victoria's children and grandchildren.
We had a really good few hours going round Windsor Castle, and even readitdaddy left having enjoyed it more than he expected.

Mummies come to the Ashmolean Museum

2011-11-28T14:23:00.000Z

Its been mentioned on here before that we do love wondering around the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. A £5million project has just been completed to house 6 new galleries on Ancient Egypt and Nubia so we went along to take a look. It was really excellent, the detail and explanations were fascinating.

Charlotte loved seeing all the mummies on display, bit worrying when she asked if they could be unwrapped though. She wanted to learn about the process of wrapping the body, and there was really detailed area on this, about parts of the body being removed and going into Canopic jars and the heart being replaced before the body is wrapped. There were also amulets on display and this got Charlotte thinking about about things that would be special to her.

The was a large Shrine of Taharqa from the temple at Kawa, the only complete free-standing pharaonic building in Britain, which you could walk all the way around and study the intricate drawings.
There was so much to see, being the first day open it was busy but we will be going back soon to take another look on a quieter day.
The Ashmolean has also been listed in the top 20 most popular free destinations in England, and the most visited outside of London. This is a must see place.

Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park, London

2011-11-23T21:34:00.000Z

Winter Wonderland is back in Hyde Park for the 5th year and its a great place to visit for all the family. Its already open and will be open every day (except Christmas Day) until 3rd January 2012.
We went along on a Tuesday soon after it opened to see what its all about and combined it with a trip to Oxford Street and Regents Street to see the Christmas lights, and to visit Hamleys.
There is so much to see and do you can easily spend a few hours walking round, there are markets, fair rides, Ferris Wheel, Father Christmas, food and drink, circus and ice skating.

Charlotte was delighted to meet Father Christmas, she was so overcome with excitement she ran across the park to see him dodging anyone getting in her way (thankfully there was no queue) and quickly told him her most wanted Christmas item. We went on the ferris wheel with lovely views over the city and Christmas music to get you in the mood, shame it was a foggy day, but we could still spot St. Pauls, London Eye, Battersea Power Station, BT tower. We then went on a few fair rides and stalls, all the usual things you would find at your local fair and a few larger ones like 2 roller coasters and Power tower (66m drop I think it said).

The ice rink is so magical, all lit up with fairy lights when the sun has gone down. There are plenty of food and drink places with a Bavarian Village, fish and chips, hog roast, beer, cider, mulled wine etc.

There is also a stunning Christmas market, offering so many lovely crafts items.

We never managed to go to the circus, there are two, a Christmas circus and also a Cirque Extreme, there are a couple of showings of both each day but we missed them so check the times out before you go.

Winter Wonderland is free to enter, Father Christmas is also free. Attractions you have to pay for by visiting the tickets booths dotted around the park.

We had a great few hours, and was lovely to be there as it was getting dark to see everything lit up.
http://www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/

Cinderella on Ice

2011-11-14T15:11:00.001Z

Charlotte and her pre-school friends are always pretending to be princesses, usually Cinderella and tangled (Rapunzel), so when I saw that Cinderella on Ice is coming to the New Theatre, Oxford, I thought I should get some tickets. With a week to go I thought it would be a good time to tell Charlotte we are going with her best friend, and I showed her the flyer I picked up from the theatre. I was expecting a oh wow mummy that's wonderful. what I got in response was "but mummy that's not Cinderella". She went off to find her Disney princess pencil case to show me what Cinderella should really look like!
Hopefully come Saturday she will be too excited to realise that its not Disney Princess and may be adding future ice dancer to her chosen career choices of polar explorer (from watching Frozen Planet) and ballroom dancer with Jason Donovan (from watching Strictly).

Autumn Colour

2011-11-09T13:27:00.000Z

If you fancy a bit of Autumn colour to lift your mood a little now the clocks have changed take a look at the Forestry Commissions website to find a forest near you showing some wonderful autumn colour
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/autumn they even have a colour change map which you can update after your visit.

THE ELECTRIC FOREST

2011-11-09T13:21:00.000Z

Whist having a google I came across The Electric Forest running this winter which sounds really wonderful, but sadly none of the places are close to us. In December its at Thetford Forest, Suffolk and February 2012 its at Moors Valley Country Park & Forest, Dorset. Its run by the forestry commission and more details of locations and times can be found here http://www.theelectricforest.co.uk/

The State Rooms, Buckingham Palace, London

2011-10-20T16:16:00.000+01:00

Buckingham Palace opens to the public over the summer months while the Queen is on holiday. This summer Kate's wedding dress was on show and as Charlotte was so thrilled to watch the Royal Wedding on tv and all the excitement that went with it, we left Daddy at home and went with Grandma to see "the dress".

Its wise to book your tickets in advance, either online or over the phone, where you book a time slot for your visit. Ours was just after lunch so to burn off some energy from sitting on the bus we first went to the kids play area in St James Park and watched the soldiers practicing a performance outside The Guards Museum.
We then went to queue for Buckingham Palace, the queue looked really long but it didn't take too long to get to the front. You are put into holding pens and then go through the airport type scanners before picking up your audio tour. It's well thought out with an audio tour for kids, which we all opted for. Only snag, there were no little headphones, and half way around Charlotte did get a little fed up of them always falling off.
The kids commentary was similar to the adult version, but with a little girl and boy talking. Charlotte followed it really well and quickly worked out how to move onto the next section when we moved rooms. She picked up a lot of what they were saying, she now knows what the P stand for on the throne chairs, and that there is a picture of Queen Charlotte. There was a clip of Buckingham Palace on the tv one night and she was telling Daddy where she had stood.
Its fascinating walking round the rooms, and learning what they get used for. Charlotte liked to spot any secret doors (there are a few) and walking up and down the grand staircases. The statues of Victoria and Albert she knew because of the statues we have in Abingdon.
About 3/4 of the way round was Kate's dress, here we could have a sit down to watch a video of how it was made and then to see the dress, shoes and tiara in detail, and amazing it was. You then come out the back of Buckingham Palace, hand in your headsets and walk round part of the gardens.
Charlotte asked a member of staff in there were any corgis, but sadly they all went on holiday with the Queen.
We had an excellent time, it took about 2 hours to go round, a lot of walking for little feet but she did really well. Pushchairs aren't allowed inside so these have to be check-in and collected after, but they say they can loan baby carriers and hip seats. Also toilets and baby change are only at the exit, none at the entrance and aside from restaurants close-by the closest public ones are in the parks or Victoria.
Buckingham Palace will open again in 2012 from 1 August - 30 September with a special exhibition of Diamonds: a Jubilee Celebration
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/default.asp?action=article&ID=30

Legoland, Windsor

2011-10-18T15:47:00.000+01:00

We had been promising Charlotte a trip to Legoland for some time. She was so excited she almost burst on the way there with excitement.
Outside there were staff giving out sword balloons which keeps little ones entertained while you are standing in shock at the admission prices.

We headed for duplo land first via a couple of rides on the way, the puppet show at duplo land is always good to watch. Completely forgot that there is a water play area and we had forgotten costumes and towels, seems everyone else had forgotten this too.
Charlotte is just under that magic 1m height for the bigger rides so there were a few things we couldn't go on, but everything else she loved. We came off one ride to go rush straight onto another, and sometimes go on it twice. The new ride this year was Atlantis, an underwater adventure and it was excellent, but seemed to be over all to quickly.

We love the parent rivalry at the fire academy, racing your fire engine to the burning house to put the fire out and then back again.
The best bit for Charlotte was getting her driving licence at the L-drivers school, this is a mini-version of the driving school for 3-5 year olds. She loved it and was so pleased with herself.

The bit we enjoyed as a family was the pirates of skeleton bay stunt show. Real goodie badie show with all the boos, hisses and hes behind you bits with some excellent stunts.
The mini-land I thought was starting to look a bit tired, as legoland opened in 1996 I'm assuming some if it is original so I'm not surprised. But some bits do get updated, Charlotte easily spotted Will and Kate on the balcony of Buckingham Place.
We took our own food, so can't comment on the quality of food or prices. Being out of season quite a few of the food places were closed down.
Everywhere is pushchair accessible, with bays to leave pushchairs if you are going on the ride. All the toilets were clean with nice low basins for the kids and large cubicles.
As I said earlier we did go out of season, on a week day so queues were almost non-existent. This was a real bonus. Even with not having to queue we only just managed to do everything in a day. Legoland have realised this and next year the Legoland Hotel is opening. We saw it being built and it looks great.
Charlotte enjoyed the day so much, and keeps on asking to go again. But the admission price is shocking, considering she is too little to go on some of the rides but still has to pay child price and now you have to pay to park. Being end of season things were looking tired and some bits weren't working on the fairy tale brook, but we all left with a big smile on our face and slept very well that night from all the walking.

Half Term Activities

2011-10-10T15:02:00.000+01:00

Wondering how to entertain the kids during half term, well BBOWT again have a great selection of things to do. A quick look and there are family fun days at Sutton Courtenay, Live 'N' Deadly DSI nr Henley or Discovery Day at Tring.
All sounds very exciting and something to entertain all ages. For more information have a look at their calendar: http://www.bbowt.org.uk/more_events26.asp

Center Parcs, Longleat

2011-10-09T21:58:00.000+01:00

With the very up and down British weather this summer we were struggling to think of where to go on holiday, the option we came up with was Center Parcs as no matter what the weather there is always something to do.
We aren't new to Center Parcs, having been to Sherwood Forest a few years ago and Evelden Forest before that. Sherwood we didn't enjoy so much, it looked tired and was so busy all the time, Evelden we loved but its a long way to travel. Having not been to Longleat since we were young we opted for there.
Top tip of the first day was going to the swimming pool at about 2pm, you will almost have the pool to yourself for a few hours whilst everyone else is unpacking their car. Charlotte was throwing herself down the slides and flumes, and the kiddie flume was excellent. We had huge tantrums when it came to getting out of the pool, it was always 10 more goes.
We went for a comfort plus lodge, and it was comfortable enough for our 4 night stay. The few problems we did have were resolved very quickly by housekeeping (previous occupants had taken all the remote batteries, few dead light bulbs).

We weren't sure how Charlotte would take to being put into the kids club, so never used that but we did quite a few activities. Forest Rangers walk was excellent and she came back so excited to tell me she had touched beetle poo and armed with some bird seed went and fed the birds on our little patio. Tatty Bumpkin Yoga was a huge hit she got so carried away being a frog she did a back flip much to her surprise. We hired a pedalo and went round the lake. We did glow in the dark bowling (amazingly Charlotte won, are we to blame a possibly wonky bowling alley, dodgy balls or her amazing beginners luck). Crazy golf on the last day was fun as it was really quiet. Teddy Bears picnic will be in Charlotte's memory for quite a while, meeting Rupert the Bear was the best thing and she got so many cuddles she wouldn't let go (she was also the only child who didn't cry at seeing a life size Rupert appear).
The play parks were excellent, so much to keep them entertained.

The only downfall to Longleat is the hill, and its a big one. We hired bikes and often had to push them back up the hill but its a quicker way to get round than walking. There are lovely boardwalks and steps to get up and down the hill but its still a tough job. We did do a large circular ride one afternoon and it is a huge site, this is where we preferred Evelden as the scale was smaller.
We only ate out one night and the food was excellent. There are a few chain restaurants that you would recognise but we opted for something you wouldn't usually find on your local high street, Ortega Tapas. It was excellent, really enjoyed it and wanted more.
We all loved our few days and were sad to be leaving, every day Charlotte said we aren't going to our real home today are we, I love my pretend home.
Most people moan about the cost of things at center parcs, and you don't know how much activities and bike hire will be until you have booked your holiday. We thought it reasonable priced for most things, we did take all our own food for the week so only needed the ParcMarc for milk. Staff were all so friendly and chatty, very good customer service.
We did spend our week comparing it to Evelden and at the end of the week neither came out as the strong winner both were good for different reasons and I would return to both.
Note: we did go out of season, so those going during school holidays may have different views.

Wookey Hole, Wells, Somerset

2011-10-07T21:17:00.000+01:00

We weren't planning on going to Wookey Hole, the website and leaflets made it look really tacky, I know its for the kids but sometimes it needs to appeal to the adults too as they are the ones spending the money. So we headed off to Cheddar Gorge to be greeted by the stupidest car park pay system so we about turned and headed to Wookey and we were so pleased we did.
It was out of season so very quiet, I imagine during summer it's a lot busier. We also went on a week day, if you go during the weekend during peak season you get to meet the Wookey Witch (as seen on x-factor the website says). It was quite a long walk from the pay point at the bottom to the entrance of the cave. Its a guided tour round and we got there just in time, otherwise would have had a 20min wait. The guide was really informative and gave an excellent tour.

The history and geology was really fascinating, even to the younger ones in the group pointing out the shapes of stones and how they are formed. The cave-aged cheese was really whiffy, strong stuff. You can taste, and buy some later in the shop.
After the tour you can wonder around a fairy garden and the valley of the dinosaurs, Charlotte was rather scared of the dinosaurs... and the HUGE King Kong.

There was an interesting paper making demonstration that over 5's could have a go at making, if they are too young your tour guide will assist in helping make some paper.
There were so many indoor things too which makes it a real all weather attraction, to name just a few things were a history of the cave museum, quite a few circus themed things and some excellent play areas.
We did eat in the restaurant but not that impressed by the food, there are plenty of pack lunch areas though.
Due to how many steps were in the caves pushchairs have to be folded down, the guide did assist in taking someones pushchair through a short cut so they didn't have to carry it.
We had a really excellent day, but it's very expensive we had to pay the same rate as those who visit during the summer holidays even though some things weren't running (wookey witch for example). We loved the look of the Wookey witch hotel complete with witches hat!!!

More information here http://www.wookey.co.uk/

Haynes International Motor Museum, Somerset

2011-10-07T20:41:00.000+01:00

This was more for the men in our party than the females, but we all had a pleasant few hours going round.
Coming from Abingdon, we always have a look out for MG's, and they had a hall dedicated to MG's and Morris which we were pleased to see, the story about Rover was their Birmingham factory not Cowley though. They also had a red room, and who doesn't love to see classic red sports cars and everything in between.

One for the kids was finding the cars from Back to the Future and also ghost busters (along with a button to press for the music).

Adults loved the display on the "advertising of motor cars", is your wife stuck at home all day with the children while you go off to work with the car... buy her a car!!! couldn't do that today.

All the cars had a really good detailed descriptions beside them, not just the boring petrol head stuff but what TV programmes it had appeared in (usually Top Gear), how long it had taken to restore, how often it races etc.

Quite a few bits to keep children amused whilst going round, and also an outdoor play area. Plenty of space for pushchairs and baby change facilities. There is also an on site cafe but we didn't go in. Their website can be found here http://www.haynesmotormuseum.com/

Fleet Air Arm Museum, Somerset

2011-10-03T22:00:00.001+01:00

We needed somewhere dry to visit when the great British weather took a turn for very wet during our holiday so we headed for Fleet Air Arm Museum.

The museum holds Europe's largest naval aviation collection across 4 halls and a gallery. It really was huge. As you enter there were some hands-on experiments related to flight, really great for explaining to children how aeroplanes fly and what rudders etc do. The next 2 halls had a bit about the history of flight, with some old aircraft and a interesting timeline on the wall, some recent aircraft you will possibly recognise if you're not big into planes (sea king for example) and then aircraft related to WW2 and the korean War. As adults we found the Kamikaze exhibition really interesting, this was a subject I knew nothing about, and with the story told from both sides made it all the more interesting.

Hall 3 was the most interesting for everyone in the group and really well displayed. You "take off" in a helicopter and "land" on board an aircraft carrier (this felt very real to Charlotte as she thought we had left Uncle and Auntie behind). The re-creation was so well done with take offs and landings happening from each end of the flight deck, we then went on board the ship to look round the operation rooms and cabins. The experience ended with an air-sea rescue which was very dramatic (especially for little ones).

The last hall held the first British built Concorde which you could go inside, it was used as a test plane in the 70's so was full of test equipment, all of which could now be run on a laptop! There were also other aircraft showing off the best of the best in British aircraft. There was also a sea king helicopter flight simulator (cost extra) which we enjoyed.

The museum was really popular with families and was easily accessible for pushchairs and baby change facilities, the entrance was on the first floor but there is an alternative ground floor entrance. There was also a cafe offering reasonable food.

Under 5's are free and we thought the price for adults at first was a little steep but there was so much to see it was almost value for money, and if you are local gift aid your ticket and you have free entry for a year.

This isn't the type of museum we would usually visit but we really enjoyed our day. Find out more on their website http://www.fleetairarm.com/

Montacute TV, Radio and Toy Museum, Montacute, Somerset

2011-09-21T21:50:00.000+01:00

This was the most bizarre museum we stumbled across whilst on holiday, and there was easily something entertaining for people of all ages.

We were really hungry when we arrived so visited the tea rooms before the museum, really excellent food, the cakes looked so good we could have eaten them all. We happily played whats that tune for a while as they had old tv programme music playing (I got silenced by hubby for singing jim'll fix it). Once fully stuffed we went round the museum, it's described as "nostalgic experiences of TV programmes through the years" in their leaflet and it really is. There is a vast collection of old tvs and radios (my brother and I saying we remember that, I'm sure Grandma still has that) then onto memorabilia of old tv programmes, toys and games. There was a new sci-fi exhibition showing whilst we visited Star Trek, Dr Who and Thunderbirds. The museum covers everything, old westerns, magazines, spice girls dolls, neighbours boardgame (I had that), mr T mug (brother had that), Alice in Wonderland, blue peter annuals... I could go on but would never be able to cover everything. If you are ever in somerset this is a must see.
The space is a little cramped but you could get a stroller around the museum.
http://www.montacutemuseum.co.uk/

Dry Sandford Pit Nature Reserve, nr Abingdon, Oxfordshire

2011-08-23T16:05:00.001+01:00

Approx time: 30mins - 1 hour
Paths: mud

Points of interest: open areas, pond, lake, wildlife, fossils

Amenities: parking

Grading: not all footpaths would be suitable for pushchairs, you could navigate half the site including the fossils
Weather: Spring, Summer and Autumn

Charlotte wanted to go for a nature walk one day, having exhausted all our usual routes my mum offered to take us out to Dry Sandford Pit. We often went there when we were little and its only a short drive from home. The BBOWT describe the reserve as:
A fascinating mosaic of fossil-rich cliffs, fenland with ponds and streams, grassland, scrub and woodland set in an old quarry in Oxon.
Geological wonders, nationally scarce fen and rich insect life make Dry Sandford Pit a reserve of national importance.

We had a lovely time walking around the site, we did have a hunt for fossils, watched the dragonfly's over the pond, ran through the long grass, saw some beetles, lots of ladybirds, plenty of rabbit holes and probably some badger sets too.

There are some bridges to cross, so we stamped our feet extra hard to scare the troll away, we kissed through each of the kissing gates.

we had so much fun that we took daddy with us at the weekend and took a picnic along. We have to go back soon as they are due to get some Dexter cows any day, we can't wait to see them.
details of how to find the reserve are on the BBOWT website

BBOWT family days out

2011-07-27T21:32:00.000+01:00

At Easter time we went to a BBOWT family day at Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Center and loved it, was a really great day. With the summer holidays BBOWT have quite a few things in their diary for family days out at different locations in Berks, Bucks and Oxon, take a look at their website

Farmer Gow's, Longcot, Oxfordshire

2011-07-26T15:22:00.000+01:00

We had a really lovely time at Farmer Gow's and had to almost drag Charlotte home as she didn't want to leave. We arrived just as the tractor ride was about to leave so a quick run across the sheds and field and before we got a chance to get our bearings we were off to feed the pigs. The tractor ride would be a little short (we cir cum navigated a field) if it wasn't for the pig stop and chat. As we pulled back to the sheds it was just time for the feeding session.

This was really well organised with really friendly staff on hand. Bit of an odd reversal of children sitting down well behaved and sheep/goats being let out to the masses for a feed. Lots of squealing by Charlotte as sheep and goats come up for their feed. The children were then taken out to collect the eggs from the hen house.

Soon it was lunch time, we had taken a picnic as it was a lovely day and there was plenty of indoor or outdoor seating for picnics. There is a cafe on site for those who need a coffee or don't fancy the picnic idea.
After lunch Charlotte spent ages climbing up the hay bales, riding on the toy tractors and then going back to give the goats a bit more feed, before finishing off in the indoor play area.
Really fun day and comparable in price to other local activity farms (but a bit cheeky charging more for the tractor ride we though), its wise to get there in time for the feeding sessions (check their website for times) as if you miss one of these there isn't much else to do.

Paultons Park and Peppa Pig World, Hampshire

2011-07-16T17:12:00.001+01:00

We have a big peppa pig fan in our house, as do most pre-school house holds I'm sure, so when we heard about Peppa Pig World opening we knew we had to go. Charlotte was even doing a count down to visiting... how many sleeps till peppa pig... she was that excited.

When we got there though she seemed to forget all about Peppa Pig and headed straight for the big rides, most rides she had to go on with an adult but a few she happily managed alone. Her real highlight was when we spotted the t-rex next to the astroglide and realised that JollyWobbles (Justin Fletcher) was filmed at Paultons. We then had to hunt out, and go on all the rides Justin had been on (she is also a big Justin fan).

Eventually we made it to Peppa Pig World. It was very busy and 3 year olds aren't well known for lasting long in a queue so we didn't go on too many rides. Did spend a lot of time jumping in muddy puddles and in Mr Potato's playground. The whole area was excellent, really well thought out and so were the rides, the theme worked brilliantly. We loved going into Peppa Pig's house and also meeting the "real" Peppa and George. Compared to the rest of the park the rides were a little tame, I do realise it's for young people but she did prefer some of the bigger rides, much to our surprise.
I see why people can easily go for 2 days at Paultons Park, we didn't see all of it and we were there almost the whole day.
Aside from buying ice creams we didn't eat at Paultons, took a picnic with us so can't comment on food. Entrance price, well Charlotte is petite and still under 1m, but if she was over its just one price for all, which I think is a bit steep, but if you compare to say Legoland its good value.
Only downside were some of the toilet blocks could have done with sprucing up, liked that all the toilets had an adult and child seat though.
If you go and its a nice day make sure you take swimming costumes and towels for muddy puddles and water kingdom.

Abbey Meadows Outdoor Swimming Pool, Abingdon

2011-06-22T13:10:00.001+01:00

For a non-car driver our local leisure centre is badly located on the edge of town with no buses that serve it. This makes swimming trips a no go area when daddy isn't around with the car. Abingdon has had an outdoor swimming pool though conveniently located quite close to the centre of Abingdon for many years.
I think this may have been my first visit to the pool, certainly Charlotte's first, I'm sure my mum will correct me if I went when I was a little girl.
Being outdoors there is always the fear that it will be freezing cold, aren't most pools. Weren't we in for a surprise. Coming out of the changing rooms to find no lockers are provided we dumped our stuff on a bench and dipped a big toe into the toddler pool, freezing is not the word for it (I'm sure the lifeguards watching gave a little giggle). so out came the toe very quickly with me thinking this is a very bad idea, and decided to attempt the big pool. It was warm. I was shocked. Charlotte almost jumped straight in with not a care in the world.
I was pleased to find that the big pool (big is misleading but compared to the toddler pool its big) was very shallow at one end, so 3 year old Charlotte could stand up no problem. Makes things easier.

We had the whole place to ourselves, no other swimmers, so plenty of space to splash and kick, to dump our rubber ring/float/armbands on the side and not have to watch them. Think we were there about half hour before the cold started getting to Charlotte so de-camped to a hot shower, getting dressed and a short walk home.
The next morning Charlotte woke to tell me she had dreamt about swimming with leaves as it was so much fun.

The pool is open every day until September, and is free for under 16's. Take along a passport sized photo of the child and fill out a form on arrival to qualify. There are inflatable sessions for older kids after school and at weekends (daily during summer holidays), sunbeds to hire (when the sun comes out). Currently the ice-cream snack hut is open at weekends but during the summer holidays this will be daily.

For those less brave people currently the water feature (jets etc) is running every weekend and during the summer holiday will be open every day. Free to enter. There is a pay and display car park for those beyond walking distance.

Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford

2011-06-20T14:38:00.001+01:00

We have visited the Ashmolean on a few occasions since its re-opening in 2009, but they have only been very quick visits so decided to dedicate a few hours to going round and seeing everything. Or should that be everything at 3 year old standards which involved very fast walking round the museum twice, and every time we stopped for a whats that, just as I would read the blurb out she would speed onto the next thing.
The Ashmolean isn't much of a hands-on museum, there are a few areas for children to have a go though, but its more a look at and study so not good for those children who need to touch everything. Would be very good for linking with school projects for older children.

I think Charlotte enjoyed it, she went round enough times and didn't show any sign of slowing down. we do seem to get a little lost each time we go, and seem to find rooms we haven't seen before, makes it all the more interesting. We stopped for a long time at the statues, she loves statues. There is quite a bit of open space and lifts to all floors so suitable for pushchairs, the open spaces created in the central areas make it much less of a stuffy museum, but in great contrast other areas are designed like state rooms which shows off the art work. A lot of thought has been put into how objects should be displayed to great effect.

There is a very popular cafe downstairs and rooftop restaurant. All in all a great place to go to get away from the British weather, its free and right in the centre of oxford so close to all the shops/restaurants/cafes. There are regular family friendly events and also activity sheets to keep children amused, so even those need to touch everything kids can do something.
http://www.ashmolean.org/

Open Farm Sunday

2011-06-08T10:09:00.000+01:00

This Sunday, 12 June 2011, a lot of farms across the country are having an open day for you to discover what goes on. Each farm is doing something different so your local could have tractor rides, farm tours, food, tractor displays, meet the animals, see inside a dairy, and watch the cows being milk.
To find your nearest farm visit http://www.farmsunday.org/ofs/home.eb

Beale Park, Lower Basildon, Reading

2011-05-08T21:42:00.001+01:00

My parents used to take me and my brother to Beale Park when we were little, and its starting to become a favourite of Charlotte's too. She can now easily navigate us back to the little tike's play area if we get too far away from it!!!

Beale Park is a mixture of things, it has animals, play areas, swimming pool, paddling pool, ponds, sand pit, model boat shows, gardens, train ride, statues and a small model museum/pavilion. The thing my brother and I remember the most is the frogs, those being giant frogs you can climb on and are part of a water feature.
The play areas are excellent, with different areas for different ages, and an indoor area for when its wet (suitable for under 5's only). If your going in the sand pit you may want to take along a bucket and spade as none are provided. The paddling pool I looks excellent but cold, Charlotte didn't want to come out even though she was shivering, I wasn't brave enough to dip my toe in to see how cold.
There are bird encloses you can go inside, quite a few owls, farm animals, a recent edition is the new meerkat and mongoose area with good viewing platforms. The animals areas are really well spaced out with gardens around, there is a wild flower meadow near the deer and capybara in another garden.
There is a cafe, but most people seem to take their own picnics as there are plenty of spots to sit and eat. We did eat in the cafe, and though the food was ok it wasn't inspiring (we had veggie burger and chips as only meat sandwiches left, portions were very large with a fresh side salad) and maybe next time we will think ahead and take something to eat.
Beale Park is flat and easy to navigate with pushchairs, there are high chairs in the cafe (take an anti-bac wipe to clean it though!) and baby changing facilities.
All in all a good day out with something for everyone, find out more on their website

Hinksey Park, Abingdon Road, Oxford

2011-05-08T21:06:00.001+01:00

Approx time: 1 hour
Paths: pavement
Points of interest: open areas, pond, lake, play park, swimming pool and splash area (summer only)
Amenities: parking, toilets, cafe (summer only)
Grading: all type of pushchairs as everywhere is flat
Weather: Good for all seasons

We go past Hinksey Park almost every day either on the bus or in the car and every time Charlotte asks if we can go there, as we are always on the way to or from work its not possible so on a nice sunny day off we went along to find out whats there.
Its free to park for 2 hours, that was a big surprise, make sure you collect a ticket though. The play park is excellent with activities for kids of all ages, lots of sand and some climbing bits we had to drag Charlotte away for a walk round the pond. Across the field (used by football clubs at the weekends) and hidden behind the trees is a lovely duck pond to walk around beside Hinksey Lake. The lake is sometimes used by model boat clubs.
From May - September there is a large outdoor swimming pool and also a kids splash area. It wasn't open when we went but it looks excellent. The splash/fountain area is free.
Its an excellent place to have a short walk, and it also links up to other walks and a cycle route, Hinksey Park has also won a green flag award. Now every time we go past Charlotte says I've been there it was fun.
More information on the Oxford City Council website

The Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock, Oxfordshire

2011-04-27T22:24:00.002+01:00

This museum is excellent for young and old, and for any kids who love dinosaurs. We have been a few times and the displays often change so you're sure to see something different each time. They also have a changing exhibition which is currently "Revealed: The Underwear Revolution" any Gok Wan fans must attend (he even gets a few mentions) or those who love period costumes.

Charlotte is a little too young to appreciate hold you in pants... but there were some dressing up clothes so that's always a hit.

There is a new interactive dinosaur gallery, Charlotte is actually quite scared of dinosaurs so almost ran out screaming, especially when mummy fed the dinosaur! but to dress up as a dinosaur with a tail... that was impressive and then it was her turn to scare the little girl who came in the room after us, oops.

The other rooms are about the history of Oxfordshire and its really hands on for kids with computers, displays, drawers they can open and things they can touch.

There is a great cafe, but its very small. If the weather is good though you can go sit in the lovely gardens with your coffee and cake (or dinosaur lunch box).

Access for buggies, there are lots of stairs and no lift, just a wheelchair stair lift so best suited to mobile toddlers. Found out more about the museum here.

Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre, Oxfordshire

2011-04-27T21:59:00.002+01:00

If you have school age children in Oxfordshire, or were yourself, you are likely to know about this place from school trips. But during school holidays they also have various family activities which you can just drop-in on for a small donation.

We went along to the Easter Egg hunt and had a great few hours exploring, and trying to find the "eggs". The "eggs" were egg shaped cards with pictures of animals on that you had to match with the pictures given when you arrived. Once all were found you got to decorate a biscuit with mini-egg included. There were also craft tables set up, where we got to make a birds nest.

Charlotte loved exploring the grounds, diving in and out the trees, looking for frogs in the pond, finding hidden birds and eggs (toy ones) amongst the tress. There is a dinosaur, a great sound garden and willow sculptures which are always popular. Along with finding almost all the "eggs" we also found some real birds eggs and a jaw bone of a rodent. We took the bone back to the staff/volunteers who were great but just could not work out what animal our bone belonged to.

Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre is run by BBOWT, and you can find details of all their upcoming events here http://www.bbowt.org.uk/more_events26.asp

The Living Rainforest, Newbury

2011-04-11T16:41:00.001+01:00

If you have been to the Eden Project in Cornwall and loved it you may initially be slightly disappointed at The Living Rainforest but don't be put off. Eden Project is on a huge scale and The Living Rainforest is a lot smaller and more personal.
The Living Rainforest is a good place to go on cold or miserable days, its warm inside the 2 large greenhouses and there is a nice cafe adjoining it with a play park for letting off steam. The best time to visit would probably be the summer though, with the butterflies, waterlilies and flowers in full bloom but on hot days could get too warm for some.

There's lots to keep little ones amused, scuttling from one area to the next. A pond to look in, some monkeys, snakes, birds flying around (and more but won't spoil it for you). Fact sheets and to do sheets are provided suitable to the child's age. Another bonus is pay once and you get free admission for the year so go back as many times as you like. All areas are pushchair friendly too so suitable for younger and older children.
Visit their website for more information http://www.livingrainforest.org/

Cotswold Farm Park, Gloucestershire

2011-04-06T21:00:00.001+01:00

In a slight change to my blog I'm also going to cover family days outs, a mention of any places we go that we enjoy, or don't.

First up is Cotswold Farm Park, which has been re-branded this year as Adam Henson's Cotswold Farm Park, Adam Henson being one of the presenters on BBC1 Country File. This may either make you go yeah I want to go, or oh dear, but please don't be put off as it's an excellent day.

It was a very cold and blowy April day we went and the wind really does pick up on the top of the hill there, but there was quite a lot of indoor stuff making it an all weather attraction. The joys of spring was in the air with the baby lambs, and the chance to feed them really won a certain little girl over. I've never seen a bottle of milk disappear so quickly. Then being given the chance to cuddle a rabbit followed by a tiny chick, she couldn't tell you which was the best as shes still so excited, but loved how soft they are.

Also went on a tractor ride, or farm safari as they call it. The ride bit though bumpy was good but the commentary (by Adam) was poor as we couldn't make a lot of it out above the tractor noise, but what we could hear was really interesting. Other farms we have visited the tractor stops in each field for the commentary which would have made more sense here.

If you know anything about rare breeds there are quite an assortment here, very large fields for the animals to roam and some playful goats will come over to the fence for a bit of fuss. There is the usual animal feed you can buy and the sheep will come and nibble from your hand.
For those tiring of the animals there is lots of play equipment dotted around, sand pit (with buckets and spades provided, very handy) a woodland nature/agility trail and a maze.
There is a cafe there and also drink/ice cream kiosks dotted around. We ate in the cafe and the food was very nice, and a good slice of real ham in the kiddie box sandwich. Bit disappointed you can't select what crisps/drink/cake/fruit etc you want in your kiddie lunch box though.
Next to the farm park there is a campsite, which I know a friend of mine intends to visit this year.
A really enjoyable, but cold day, was had by all.
http://www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk/

Off topic rant

2011-03-21T15:00:00.002Z

Ok this is not walk related but really wanted to have a rant.

At the weekend I took my little girl to see Thomas and Friends Live on Stage at our local theatre. This was her first theatre experience, thinking she is now old enough to sit still long enough, understand what is going on and do the actions. I was a bit more concerned about a theatre full of annoying children running amok, I was expecting to come away with a very sore head. It wasn't the children I should have been worried about its the parents.
What spoiled the experience for me was parents trying to video the show. Every time a parents camera/phone appeared an usher would then come along and tell them off. This was really distracting and often blocked view of the stage, and it didn't happen just once, it was a number of occasions and often the same parents being told off time and again.
Do we now live in a society that people are so obsessed with youtube they have to ruin other peoples enjoyment of something to be the first to post their video.
Was Thomas Live good though, yes we both really enjoyed it. It was very expensive but I think going to the theatre to see a show is a great experience for a child and gives them lots of things to talk and think about, better than watching a poorly shot/heads in the way/people talking over the top video on youtube!!!

Earth Trust and Lambing

2011-03-16T16:35:00.001Z

A number of walks I've covered on this blog are on land owned by the Noorthmoor Trust, well they have now changed their name to "Earth Trust" and have a new website.
Coming up very soon are the excellent lambing weekends, we have been the previous 2 years and plan to go again this year, we have yet to see a lamb being born but lots of little ones to go aah at. Dates for your diary are 26 & 27 March and 2 & 3 April and more info on their whats on page.

Phoebe Woods, Millets Farm, Frilford, Oxfordshire

2010-12-31T15:48:00.001Z

Approx time: 1 hour
Paths: mud
Points of interest: open areas, animals, stream, trees, wildlife, birds
Amenities: parking, toilets, cafe, farm shop, garden centre

Grading: all terrain ideally, stroller could be hard work
Weather: Good for all seasons

Millets Farm has already been covered on this blog, but there is more to Millets Farm than the farm shop and animals. Along with Neptune Woods (take a look at January 2010) Phoebe Woods was also planted

commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

Access to Phoebe Woods is just beyond the animal petting area, look out for the big blue waves and white face (or moon as LO calls it) to guide the way.

There is a map at the entrance, giving a circular walk, but it's easy enough to follow your own path through the trees and follow the stream/river. There is a stile to cross into Cricket Bat Wood (not mentioned on map).

Not many people seem to venture as far as phoebe woods so if you seek some peace after the bussle of the shop and kids play area have a wonder down, also some nice areas for picnics in the summer.

Little Wittenham Nature Reserve Walk, Oxfordshire

2010-09-22T16:31:00.001+01:00

Approx time: hour to hour and half
Paths: woodland footpaths
Points of interest: view, history (iron age fort), wildlife, trees
Amenities: free car park
Grading: baby carriers or good little walkers, at two half LO got a bit tired as a few slopes
Weather: good on a windy day for kite flying

There are many footpaths used to explore Wittenham Clumps, Castle Hill and Little Wittenham Woods but we chose to do a walk suggest by the Northmoor Trust. The leaflet/map is available from the car park, other leaflets are on their website, but sadly not this one.

We started at Castle Hill, and the famous Poem Tree, navigated the edge of a field then took a walk through Little Wittenham Wood. Within the woods we found a couple of shelters people had made, log bridge across a stream (ideal for kids) and a bird hide, a few seats along the way for any tired legs. Didn't see much in the way of wildlife, but then two year olds aren't designed to be quiet, good at animal poo spotting though. Finished off with a walk up round hill to the clumps and then back to the car park.

Information about the Northmoor Trust Estate and some walk ideas to download

Ock River Walk (version 2), Abingdon (Oxfordshire)

2010-08-30T22:03:00.000+01:00

This is an alternative route which takes quieter roads.
Approx time: 45 mins
Paths: mixture of footpaths, some main roads, some gravel, some mud
Points of interest: river, old buildings, bridges (we count the bridges, making each one an incentive to reach!), ducks
Amenities: Public parking off West St Helens Street (pay and display), pub on route, town centre cafes and shops close by, toilets in car park
Grading: any pushchair
Weather: can be muddy after heavy rainfall
Warning: open water along most of the route

1. leave south out of St. Helens car park and follow the footpath to the right. There will be houses on your left and garages to your right.

2. few feet along there is a large tree and a footpath on your right leading to a bridge. take this.

3. this is now the ock walk, follow the path, it split at a few points but soon joins up to the main footpath. older children might like to explore. just over half way along there will be a bridge to cross. at the start and end of the walk there are displays boards.

4. at the end of the ock walk cross a bridge to your left and almost go back on yourself, but on the other side of the river.

5. you will come out at some houses, carry on through a open green area

6. at the end of the green there is an exit to the right through the housing estate.

7. tuturn left and then left and head towards a roundabout and Caldecott Road.

8. Cross caldecott road and walk along the footpath lined with trees.

9. you will reach the iron bridge, cross this, pass infront of the "the Old Anchor Inn"

10. just beyond the Anchor turn left down an alley way passing Alms Houses and st Helens church. bear right and then left into West St Helens Street and the car park will be a few steps up on your left.

Harcourt Arboretum, Nuneham Courtenay, Oxfordshire

2010-08-09T11:41:00.002+01:00

Approx time: min 1 hour
Paths: gravel and grass
Points of interest: peacocks, trees, wildlife
Amenities: toilets, car park
Grading: any type of pushchair
Weather: any

Adults do have to pay to enter Harcourt Arboretum, but its such a lovely place to visit it's worth it.
Your visit can be as long or as short as you would like. take a stroll around the inner area of the Arboretum, among the rhododendrons or take a longer walk around the edge with areas like "plants from high places". Play hide and seek among the trees, hunt out the peacocks or take a picnic and spend a few hours. A visit during April and May for the bluebells is essential.
Before a visit its worth checking out the website
http://www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk/Harcourt/obg-harcourt-intro.html
for events and opening times (its closed at weekends during the winter).

Thrupp/Radley Lakes, Abingdon, Oxfordshire

2010-06-01T15:29:00.006+01:00

Approx time: 2 hours
Paths: cycle path
Points of interest: lake
Amenities: toilets at the car park during peak season
Grading: any type of pushchair
Weather: dry

This is not a circular walk, so how ever far you get you have to come back on yourself. It could be made circular by walking further onto Radley and getting the bus (Oxford Bus Company City 35) back into Abingdon.
Start at Abingdon Abbey Meadows car park and follow the sustrains national cycle route 5 towards Radley.
The cycle path will take you through the abbey meadows following the river, then through Barton Meadows and eventually a left turn onto Thrupp/Radley Lakes. Thrupp/Radley Lakes is now owned by the Noorthmoor Trust, and over the coming years I believe they are going to create a circular walk around the lake and also build a visitor centre.

Minster Lovell, Witney, Oxfordshire

2010-04-11T22:03:00.005+01:00

Approx time: 30mins - 1 hour
Paths: road, paths, tracks
Points of interest: Cotswold village, church, ruins
Amenities: 2 car parks, one at the church for route 1 and one at the recreation ground (just over the bridge) for route 2.
Grading: route 1: any except a double buggy, route 2: baby carrier
Weather: all (bad weather would add to the atmosphere!)

Minster Lovell Hall is the remains of a 15th century manor house.
If you are taking a pushchair take route 1, if you have a baby carrier or your child can walk then route 2.
map for route 2.

Route 1, park at Minster Lovell church and take the short walk along the road to the church and beyond that to the ruins.

Route 2, park at the recreation ground, cross the ground taking a kissing gate at the far side of the field into the next field.
Through a couple more kissing gates and then across a small stream and head towards the church, the ruins of Minster Lovell Hall are to the right.
After exploring the ruins (and possibly taking a stroll to the Dovecote) leave the ruins through the graveyard and to the opposite side of the church and follow the road back to the recreation ground car park.

If you have walking children or a baby carrier and would like a longer walk the following AA walk is good
http://www.theaa.com/walks/mysteries-at-minster-lovell-656486

Cowleaze Wood, Stokenchurch

2010-03-14T15:29:00.005Z

Approx time: 1 hour
Paths: mud
Points of interest: open areas, picnics, trees, wildlife, red kites, scenery, sheep
Amenities: large car park, no toilets, often an ice cream van in the summer
Grading: 3 wheeler/all terrain only, baby carrier would be better
Weather: dry

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/Recreation.nsf/LUWebDocsByKey/EnglandBuckinghamshireNoForestCowleaze

This was once known as the sculpture trail but after funding was withdrawn they were all removed in 2008, it’s still a good walk though.
There is a circular walk starting from the north end of the car park, there used to be picnic benches here but they have also been removed. Just follow the mud track through the wood, lots of little short cuts and detours to take along the way.
On the west side of the road is the Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve. We haven’t yet done any of these walks but there is an information board at the car park with details of the various walks.
http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designatedareas/nnr/1006007.aspx

Christ Church Meadow, Oxford

2010-02-25T11:40:00.003Z

Approx time: 1 hour
Paths: gravel
Points of interest: open areas, picnics, trees, wildlife, birds, scenery, river
Amenities: very limited parking in Oxford city centre, no toilets but cafes close by
Grading: suitable for all pushchairs
Weather: Good for all seasons
Warning: open water along most of the walk
Enter Christ Church Meadow from the west side through the memorial garden from St Aldate’s. These are the only gates wide enough for pushchairs to get through. Walk through the gardens and past Christ Church College on your left. This is a circular walk first following the boundary of Christ Church and Merton College, followed by the river Cherwell and then the River Thames and back to the memorial gardens.

Depending on the time of year there may be sports being played on the college sports field, rowing on the river and cattle grazing on the meadow.

The Oxford Botanical Gardens can be accessed from the Rose Lane Gate, but you have to pay to enter (you will have to fold down the pushchair to get through Rose Lane Gate). The Colleges are open most days to the visiting public but again you have to pay to enter.

Neptune Woods, Northmoor Trust, Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire

2010-01-29T22:26:00.009Z

Approx time: 45mins
Paths: mud and gravel paths
Points of interest: open areas, trees, wildlife, birds, scenery
Amenities: car park, no toilets
Grading: any pushchair, designed for wheelchair access
Weather: Good for all seasons
Neptune Woods was planted in 2006 by local children. The woods are to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar (Neptune being one of the ships) with each tree representing a crew member. There are various types of trees all of which would have been used to build boats at the time. There are boards around the walk with more information.
The walk goes in a figure of 8, so for tired little legs you don’t have to go far. There is a bench at the half way point for a breather. There is a small pond and stream along the walk.
There are Willow tunnels and shapes beside the car park (as of 2009/2010) which are good for kids to run around.

Millets Farm, Frilford, Oxfordshire

2009-12-14T15:29:00.002Z

Approx time: 20mins +
Paths: gravel, mud, footpaths
Points of interest: open areas, animals, PYO
Amenities: parking, toilets, cafe, farm shop, garden centre
Grading: any pushchair (but could be bumpy with a stroller)
Weather: Good for all seasons

Millets was once a small farm but has now gone more commercial with a large garden centre, shop, restaurant, cafe and craft shop.
http://www.milletsfarmcentre.com/
Millets Farm centre has free entry. There is a small “farm yard” with pigs, goats, pony, cows, sheep, alpacas, ducks etc. does vary sometimes with more or less animals. Next to the farm animals is a good size children play area.
It won’t take you long to look round the animals but if you want to stay a few hours (and spend money) you could go round the garden centre or farm shop and have something to eat in the cafe.
In the summer you can do some PYO, great fun for all children.

Oxford University Parks (Oxford)

2009-12-02T14:31:00.004Z

Approx time: 45 mins +
Paths: gravel
Points of interest: open areas, picnics, river, ducks, pond
Amenities: very limited parking within Oxford City Centre, toilet within park, cafes and shops about 20mins walk
Grading: any pushchair (but could be bumpy with a stroller)
Weather: big puddles after heavy rainfall and flooding. Good for all seasons.
Warning: open water along some of the route

A map of the park can be found at http://www.parks.ox.ac.uk/map750.jpg

We usually enter the park opposite Keble Road. There are a number of entrances from all corners of the park. There is a circular route round the park which you can follow so no explanation needed. Lots of large open spaces so worth taking a ball to kick around in the summer or other outdoor games. Collecting conkers and leaves in the autumn. Snowball fights in the winter! Any budding botanist will like picking out trees and plants, full lists can be found on the park website http://www.parks.ox.ac.uk/index.htm
Cricket can be watched in the summer and rugby in the winter.

5 mins walk south along Parks Road is the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers museum. Always worth a stop here as it’s free and great for children (and adults) of all ages.

Ock River Walk, Abingdon (Oxfordshire)

2009-11-13T10:33:00.006Z

Approx time: 45 mins
Paths: mixture of footpaths, some main roads, some gravel, some mud.
Points of interest: river, old buildings, bridges, ducks
Amenities: Public parking off West St Helens Street (pay and display), pubs on route, town centre cafes and shops close by, toilets in car park
Grading: any pushchair
Weather: can be muddy after heavy rainfall
Warning: open water along most of the route
1. leave south out of St. Helens car park and follow the footpath to the right. There will be houses on your left and garages to your right.
2. few feet along there is a large tree and a footpath on your right leading to a bridge. take this.
3. this is now the ock walk, follow the path, it split at a few points but soon joins up to the main footpath. older children might like to explore. just over half way along there will be a bridge to cross. at the start and end of the walk there are displays boards.

4. at the end of the ock walk the footpath forks carry on ahead until the the main road.
5. at the main road turn to your right, Marcham Road, at the roundabout turn right (Ock Street).
6. Ock street has many old buildings and alms houses scattered down it along with some new houses.
7. turn right apon reaching Coopers Lane and The Brewery Tap pub. this used to be Morlands Brewery, the old buildings are now flats. at the end of Coopers lane you will retun to St Helens car park.
8. alternative route, don't turn down coopers lane but carry on until you reach Abingdon Town center for shops, cafes and restuarants.

Occombe Farm, Torquay, Devon.

2009-09-08T15:59:00.001+01:00

Approx time: 10mins if the animals an hour for a leisurly stroll
Paths: gravel, boardwalks
Points of interest: animals
Amenities: carpark, cafe, shop, toilets, picnic area, play area
Grading: all types of pushchairs
Weather: depending on how far you want to go all weather
This is a farm but it features here as it is free (at time of writing anyway) and has a lovely walk with the bonus of animals too.
Occombe Farm has a lovely nature trail walk which is suitable for all pushchairs with boardwalks for the wetter areas. The walk is about 45mins , longer if you have little ones finding the clues. It starts off at the farm with cows and horses when we were there then walk down quite a steep incline but the path zig-zags to make it more accessible. This area had chickens and ducks roaming free and in the field next to it were baby pigs. At the bottom of the slop is the nature trail with a bird hide. You can buy a quiz type sheet from the shop (50p) which you can stamp as you go around. The website says you can also hire handsets for an audio trail (but we didn’t spot this).
There were details about activities such as feeding the animals but you will have to contact the farm directly if you want to attend these, some were free.
At the car park there is a shop selling local, organic and fair-trade produce and also a cafe.
http://www.occombe.org.uk/

Golitha Falls, Bodmin Moors, Liskeard, Cornwall

2009-09-08T15:51:00.003+01:00

All the details about this walk said that this was suitable for those in wheelchairs, I think we visited at the wrong time of year, a very wet summer. This walk would be accessible using all forms of pushchairs if there had been a long spell of dry weather.

We started off with our pushchair, the route suitable for disabled access was a shorter version of the long walk but after about 5mins the ground was just too wet and muddy. Daddy’s shoes were also leaking it was that wet. We weren’t to be defeated though and went back to the car to get the baby carrier out. This meant we could do the longer walk (about an hour) with a few diversions from the path to avoid the really muddy bits.

Probably not suitable for very young children if you are doing the longer walk, after some wet weather as it’s a bit slippy and the path wasn’t marked out very well. There is a swing that goes out across the river at one point, i’m sure this has been featured on “you’ve been framed”. Daddy made a start at hooking his foot in but Mummy said he was stupid and didn’t want to sit next to a stink wet person on the way home if he fell in, so daddy had to sit that one out.
There are toilets at the car park and a good pub, Jamaica inn, about 15mins up the road.

Looe, Cornwall

2009-09-08T15:41:00.003+01:00

Approx time: 1 hr depending on route
Paths: mud
Points of interest: picnics, river
Amenities:pay and display car park adjacent, toilets, shops, cafes and restaurants in the town, beach
Grading: baby carrier only
Weather: best on a dry day
Ok we were told that this was a lovely walk in a forest at the end of the Looe Millpond car park. What they neglected to tell us about was the steps. We set out with our pushchair with all best intentions to get only a ¼ of a mile up the track before we saw the steps going up into the forest. We forgot to take our baby carrier so no chance of turning round and starting again. I have been led to believe that this is a lovely walk in the woods so great for children and those in baby carriers. There are walks of varying lengths and a picnic bench at the half way point.
As we had paid for our parking we went into the centre of Looe and spent a while on the beach which kept little one amused for quite a while.

Albert Park, Abingdon (Oxfordshire)

2009-08-26T10:51:00.008+01:00

Approx time: 20 minutes
Paths: gravel paths
Points of interest: open area for kicking a ball, picnics
Amenities: no public car parks close by, nearest are 10 mins walk, Stert Street Multi-storey pay and display or east saint helens pay and display, nearest toilets are in town center, 10min walk.
Grading: all forms of buggys and pushchairs, maybe a little bumpy in a stroller.
Weather: best on a dry day

1. No directions for Albert Park needed, there are entrances from all sides of the park and there is a footpath running around the park.

The Abbey, Abingdon (Oxfordshire)

2009-08-26T09:20:00.011+01:00

Approx time: 1 hour
Paths: footpaths along most of the route, some gravel paths and 1 stretch of uneven grass
Points of interest: large play park for children of all ages, good areas for picnics (green key rated gardens), large spaces to kick a ball or play, outdoor swimming pool during the summer, paddling pool with jets weekends in the summer, weir, river, lock, museum, ducks.
Amenities: parking off the A415 (Rye farm, pay and display), pubs on route, town center shops and cafes, toilets at Abbey Meadows
Grading: ideally an all terrain buggy, can be hard going with pushchair or stroller
Weather: summer for the pool and water features, can be wet and muddy after lots of rain.
Warning: open water along most of the route

1. Turn right upon leaving the car park heading towards Abingdon town centre (up Bridge Street).
2. At the top of Bridge Street you will have the town center in front of you for shops and cafes and the impressive Abingdon County Hall Museum to your left (free entry and the roof is open in good weather), turn right at the church and go under the arch way.

3. After passing under the archway the town hall will be on your right, continue to the right for a short distance cross the road and on your left will be a small arch way leading to the Abbey Gardens.
4. Explore the Abbey Gardens, either going through the flower beds or the steps down to the Abbey Ruins.

you will soon come to a large open playing field with a pond at the bottom of the slope, follow the footpath through the grounds and to the right is a gate.
5. Passing through the gate you will reach a small car park and ahead of you will be a stream and bridge.
6. Cross the bridge and turn to your left. Follow this path all the way to the weir and lock (you may wish to divert here for the toilets, swimming pool, paddling pool, play area or feeding the ducks).
7. Cross over the weir and lock and turn to your right and through a gate (if you wish to avoid the uneven ground you may take the road but this is a very boring route).
8. Follow the river to the bridge, if you are all on foot you can go up the steps which will bring you out next to the car park, or carry on under the bridge to a slope the other side. Warning - taking the slope will bring you out to a busy road you will have to cross to return to the car park.

The Trains, Steventon (Oxfordshire)

2009-08-24T22:19:00.004+01:00

Approx time: 1 hour
Paths: footpaths along the whole walk, the route follows an uneven causeway
Points of interest: 2 level crossings (with regular highspeed trains), stream with ducks, cottages, farm land, play park, waterfall.
Amenities: parking at Steventon village hall, pub on route, village shops
Grading: all terrain buggy or baby carrier
Weather: suitable in all weather, great for conkers and blackberries

1. From the carpark cross the road and head up the slight slope to the left of the war memorial, The Causeway. Warning – this is a busy road to cross, keep children close.
2. The tree covered footpath runs beside some allotments and at the top of the path is a well equipped play park.

3. Cross the road to the right of the pub, carrying on along the causeway with the school to your right. You will soon come to a level crossing.
4. Beyond the crossing you will turn left into mill street where you can feed the ducks by the stream, just beyond this is a waterfall.
5. Follow the path into castle street, on your right will be an open field often with cows grazing.
6. Turn left into stocks lane and again cross the level crossing.

7. Once you reach the pub turn right and you are going back along the causeway to the car park.

Welcome to caniwalkmummy.blogger.com - a blog for walking mummies and strolling babies

2009-08-24T21:18:00.001+01:00

This blog is about family friendly walks, in Oxfordshire. there will be photos of our walks, points of interest for older children and what type of buggy or pushchair is suitable for the majority of the walk.