A Relaxing Mid Week Break at Darwin Forest - Review

It is no secret that we love to be in the countrside, that we love to be at one with nature and out enjoying the fresh air.

So when we were invited for a mid week break at Darwin Forest in one of their Classic Vogue lodges I am not sure who was more excited, me or the children.

Sat in the beautiful Peak District between two of my favourite towns, Bakewell and Matlock, it is a wonderful location and with plenty to see and do in the area it is the ideal base to explore this wonderful part of the country.

Since you can't get into the lodge until 4pm we first headed to Bakewell, it is a stunning town full of wonderful independent shops, cafes and of course Bakewell Puddings. We spent the day there, eating chips by the river, looking in the shops and playing on the park.

The children were rather impatient to get to our home for the week, perhaps my biggest mistake was showing them everything that was on offer at Darwin Forest.

On arrival we were greeted by a friendly receptionist who gave us our key and explained where our lodge was, we drove around looking for our lodge and it was just so quiet and peaceful, the trees all beautiful with their changing leaves and colours.

We eventually found our lodge and it sat there looking all inviting in the cold and wet, with just a single light making the lounge glow a warm orange, it was super toasty and warm when we got inside and just what we needed on what wasn't the best autumn day.

With a modern kitchen/diner, lounge, bedrooms and its own veranda, it was such a lovely place to call home for the week.

I bought all of our luggage in and set about making tea, the kitchen was well equipped and had everything we needed for our stay, including dish clothes, tea towels, dishwasher tablets and washing liquid. So you don't need to worry about bringing anything really other than your food and maybe some tinfoil and cling film.

We had a picnic tea and sat in the toasty warm lodge looking out through the warmly lit trees, it was wonderful and with the log effect fire it felt so snug.

Our beds were comfy and warm and we all slept soundly, even though the rain fell through the night and into Tuesday, but not to fear, the rain did not stop play.

With a swimming pool on site we headed there first thing, as did a lot of other people, however it wasn't too busy and we had a good swim about. We drove that morning not really knowing how far it was to walk in the rain, but to be honest everything is within easy walking distance and wasn't too much effort being relatively flat.

Photo courtesy of Darwin Forest

After lunch we headed to the soft play centre, fortunately the children are still both of an age where they enjoy soft play and they made friends and had a great time. As a single parent this sort of thing is great, it means I can grab a hot cup of coffee and sit and read for a short time whilst they enjoy themselves.

It is a big soft play area and so the children didn't get board at any point, they also offer a good selection of food, perfect for hungry tummies. There is a charge of £3.50 per child, but for a few hours of fun this isn't too expensive and is about what we'd normally pay.

Wednesday saw the sun shine bright, sending down a gorgeous golden glow from the leaves above. So we headed out into the woods on the woodland walk and to find the trim track. We spotted a few rabbits, plenty of birds and an absolute abundance of fungi along the woodland floor. The golden leaves carpeting the floor made this a wonderful time of the year to be visiting, wrapping up warm in layers of jumpers.

After our walk we headed to the mini golf course for a quick game, it only cost a £5 and was a great way to spend an hour and for the first time ever I got a hole in one, a complete fluke I'm sure. Afterwards we popped to the park, whilst it was dry we made the most of it.

Since the children had enjoyed it so much the day before, we headed for another few hours at the soft play, it gave them time to blow off steam and me a few hours just to relax, since I was on holiday too.

Afterwards we walked back through the woods to get changed so we could head back out for some tea. I thought it would be nice not to have to cook for one of the evenings so I booked us in at The Foresters restaurant on site, it has a good varied menu including some classics like chilli, pie and pizza. They even have a take away menu, perfect if you don't fancy cooking but would like to eat back in your lodge.

After we'd finished eating there was time to pop into the games room which is just next door, it has pool tables, air hockey and some other arcade games. I got to teach the kids the pleasure that is pool, although not particularly easy with a little 5 year old and an ' I don't need you to show me how' 8 year old, but we had fun and afterwards we wandered back through the woods, listening to the owls hoot.

Once back in the warm cabin we watched The Great British Bake Off, it has been a bit of a guilty pleasure for the children the past few weeks and we haven't watched the last one yet, although we know who won.

On Thursday we had a slow morning doing some Halloween crafts and the children played outside, later that day we headed out so my son could have an archery lesson. We'd had a look at the list of activities before we arrived and my son really liked the idea of archery, so I booked him in for a session when we arrived.

I was a little worried about how he'd get on but I needn't of, he was a pro and Dan the instructor was really patient. It looked like everyone was having so much fun and almost instantly I regretted not booking myself on the course too. The session cost £12 and I feel this was worth it, my son had so much fun and it was definitely the highlight of his week.

With everything from bikes to hire, archery, a swimming pool, gym, tennis, woodland walks and the soft play, there really is something to do in all weathers. This makes Darwin Forest the perfect all year round location. I didn't use the car all week and it felt like I had actually had a break, I loved being able to walk everywhere, it made everything so much more relaxed. The lodges are all well equipped and some even come with hot tubs, this would definitely be the icing on the cake and I am already planning our return visit.

After a wonderful week we finished it off with a trip to Matlock and Matlock Bath, both great towns in different ways. Whether you love vintage and antiques or arcades and a walk down the river with some chips, they are both wonderful little towns.

*We received a midweek break at Darwin Forest to form this review, all words and pictures unless otherwise stated are my own.

A Day Aboard the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas

When we were invited onboard the Royal Caribbean, Navigator of the Seas, I was a little sceptical about how much I'd like it, I mean sure, I'd like the boat and it would be impressive but I didn't think it would be for us.

I thought that being confined to a boat would probably drive us all mad, so little space and nothing really to do other than sunbathe. Well I was wrong, hands down wrong!

We spent the day before our trip on the Navigator or the Seas in Southampton, we visited the city itself searching for the Zany Zebras currently residing in the town, we had dinner and we headed down to the quay to see if we could see the boat. It wasn't there yet, as it wasn't due to arrive until early Sunday morning.

So, when we pulled out of the hotel car park and saw this huge ship, I gasped and asked my husband if that was it? It was just huge and I honestly couldn't control my excitement, enthusiastically asking the children 'can you see that'? It really was something to behold and having never seen a cruise ship before I was amazed at how big it was.

We pulled up and headed to the departure lounge where we were given our passes for the day, each colour coded depending on your tour guide. When we eventually boarded, we walked along the passageways, up an escalator and onto deck 4, what we were greated with was lights, glitz and glamour and I couldn't believe we were there. I think at this point I was sold, imagining this being our holiday.

We started with a tour of some of the activities on board, with everything from a theatre, cinema, ice rink and casino I don't think we'd run out of things to do. Then with restaurants like something out of the Titanic I just couldn't stop the oohs and aahs! There are two main restaurants on the ship where the food is included in the price, then there are other restaurants around the ship which charge extra, these are something a bit different and offer the opportunity to have something a little bit special.

We then headed to the staterooms, also known as the bedrooms to me and you. We started with a suite with a balcony, this wowed us and I think would be the place I'd want to stay, with a separate master bedroom and a twin room for the kids, this was like a home from home expect being on a ship and having a balcony looking out into the ocean. It was just amazing and if we could afford this I'd be there every year.

We then went on to look at some of the other rooms which although they had a balcony, only had a bed and sofa bed, so unless we knew we were going to be spending every waking minute out of the room I think we would struggle for a week with two adults and two children in one of them.

The outside room would still be preferable to the inside rooms though, if you are at all claustrophobic or have sea sickness then these are not the rooms for you, with a large mirror instead of a window, there is a definite box feel, these really are only for people looking for somewhere to sleep in my opinion. I am sure that for many people these rooms are just fine, given the many other areas of the ship you can spend time and that they are the least expensive way to stay onboard.

Next on the tour was one of the Owners Suites, which had a swivel television, lounge area, balcony and jacuzzi bath as well as shower, it was very opulent and an amazing room, we would have to save up for a long time to afford this level of luxury. It was divine though and I can only imagine how it would be to spend a fortnight in this room.

We went on to see some of the other options of rooms, including one with a separate bunked area for the children, even these were nothing compared to the suite we first saw, with separate bedrooms and a balcony it would be the most amazing way to spend two weeks.

After we had viewed the rooms we headed to the sun deck, the perfect place to chill and relax and with a pool and bar, I couldn't wait to have a quick dunk later. We stopped off to have a look at the wave rider, it looked like a lot of fun, but maybe better suited to the sunny Med or Caribbean, than a british "summers" day, there was a mini golf, basketball court and climbing wall here as well, offering something for even the most adventurous of cruisers.

We then had an hour of free time to either explore or visit the pool so we headed to the pool area, there are two of these in fact, one for adults only and then the family area. With two pools and four jacuzzi's this was a great area to relax, enjoy some sunshine and an occasional dip as well as great cocktails and drinks in the bar pool.

This area in the evening even gets turned into an outdoor cinema, this ship really did have everything and I just could feel myself getting more and more excited about the prospect of maybe one day going on a cruise.

After a dip in the pool, which was just a dip as it was so cold and a good half an hour in the jacuzzi we headed to meet our guide David, who took us for some lunch. I have to say at this point how great David was, so knowledgable about the ship and open to answering any of my more mundane and boring questions.

We headed to Johnny Rockets, an American burger chain which to be honest on a ship I wasn't expecting much. However it had a real 1950s American vibe, with booths, cola floats and cheery music it was a welcome break to sit down and by this point we were all really hungry,

The fries and onion rings were on a constant flow, and something to munch on whilst we chose our burgers, I had the #12 which was Cheddar cheese, iceberg lettuce, white onion, pickles, mayonnaise & our signature “red red sauce®” (chili ketchup with a kick), it was really good and the cherry coke was the perfect accompaniment. My husband and son both had a Smoke House and my son ate every single bit. My daughter had the hot dog and since she couldn't manage it all I had to help finish it off,  it was rather tasty!

This is one of the restaurants where you have to pay a little extra for, I don't think it was a lot though possible an extra $7 or $10 a head which covers all your food, for a special lunch I'd pay this though and my it was good!

Feeling too full to even have puddings, we headed to see the childrens activity centre, here you can leave your children whilst you have some time for yourself. Now I have always been up until recently one of those parents who would never even consider leaving their children in holiday clubs, and a holiday is about all of us, together. However on seeing some of the other activity based holidays it occurred to me that myself and my husband only have so much to give our children in terms of energy and after a weekend of camping, they made friends and ran off to play without a second thought for us. Problem was, we were always worried about them and where they were, could we trust them etc. 

As much as I love spending time with them, wouldn't it be nice for me and hubby to have a meal together without worrying about whether I bought crayons and a colouring book with me, wouldn't it be nice to have a swim and relax without worrying about whether they were safely away from the waters edge, to be able to read a few pages of a book and generally manage to unwind on a holiday. 

Well, after seeing the activities on offer on the ship it made me think that maybe for a few hours a day we could leave them, they'd make friends and probably never want to come back to us anyway! It really was an eye opener to see what opportunities there are.

As well as all of this there are boutique shops and bars and with so much to explore during the shore days, with shore excursions or you can just make your own way round the port to explore, or you can just stay on the ship, great for a bit of peace and quiet.

So how do I feel now?

Well I would most definitely go on a cruise ship holiday, the thought of not having to drive anywhere, everything being in one place and hopping from one country to the next excites me and I am most definitely a convert. Certainly for the European visit you can drive down to Southampton, board the ship and thats it, no flights, no luggage to worry about finding at the other end. Everything there in one place, with plenty to do for all of the family and more food than you can shake a stick at, this really feels like a holiday to save for.

With all my worries of sea sickness, what happens if the norovirus strikes and if there enough lifeboats put to rest by David, I most definitely can see us on a cruise.

Thank you to Royal Caribbean for inviting us on the ship, it was truly a wonderful experience and we hope one day to see you onboard again.

NB: We were invited by Royal Caribbean for a day out on the Navigator of the Seas, lunch and travel were provided, all other expenses we paid for ourselves.

Glamping at Lantern and Larks Rutland

Last weekend we were invited to spend the weekend with Lantern & Larks at their wonderful site in Rutland, Leicestershire. Sat in what I think would have been the walled garden of Exton Park, it is a wonderfully secluded spot surrounded by trees.

On arrival we were greeted by June the host at this site, she was lovely and took us down to our tent for the weekend, she made sure we knew where everything was and how everything worked. We then set about bringing down our bags for the weekend, since cars aren’t allowed on site, you leave them in the car park and then use the wheelbarrows provided to bring your luggage and bags down. This means that with no cars you can spend your time free of the worry that they might run near traffic.

It is also really fun and the children spent many happy journeys back and fourth to the log shed, helping Daddy to pick the best logs for the firepit and fire in the tent itself.

With a double bed, bunk beds and twin room there was plenty of space for everyone, all kitted out with beautiful wood furniture. The comfy sofa made it the perfect place to relax whatever the weather.

The kitchen had a small hob and since there is no electricity, the fridge was instead two cool boxes which you kept cool with frozen ‘hot’ water bottles, it worked really well and we had no problems with our food being kept cool and fresh and we only had to change them a few times.

The kitchen was well stocked with utensils and crockery and had everything we needed to be able to cook proper meals. There is an oven which is part of the range that also acts as the heating for the tent, it is easy to get going and once all the doors are closed kept the tent nice an warm. There is an honesty shop stocking things such as cereal, drinks, marshmallows and just down the road is the fabulous Hambleton Bakery so great for fresh bread.

Outside is a fire pit which doubles as your bbq, it was a welcome spot in the evenings as well as allowing us to cook a hearty meal, there is plenty of outside space too with a picnic table and outdoor seating under the tent entrance which allowed for you to be outside come rain or shine. Two super bright deck chairs were the perfect spot for some reading and relaxing and when the sun shined it was a real sun trap.

The grass around the tents had been left long and it was great for the children to run around and play in, with a couple of mown areas for football they were soon playing with some of the other children on the site, although the other children were slightly younger, it was still sweet to see them so easily make friends. There is no park but they didn’t need one, it was so easy for them to kick a ball about, play Pokemon or lions in the grass.

We toasted marshmallows on the fire and the children both stayed up until late, you forget that once the sun has gone down there is no light other than from the many candles I had lit in the welcome hurricane lamps and lanterns that were dotted around the tent, it is strange how we become so used to putting on a light and is such a natural reaction to reach for the light switch, but it was lovely to be free from the confines of a normal house.

Over the course of the weekend we experienced every weather possible, but it didn’t dampen our spirits only made us appreciate spending time doing nothing. As the rain fell and the sun shone with a rainbow flying high above, us we sat in the window of the tent, it was so warm and was a lovely way to spend time with a book or just appreciating the swishing grass.

The Friday night we hadn’t really got the fire going and so it was cool but with our Mountain Warehouse base layers and some snuggly duvets we kept warm, so my top tip would be get the fire going inside so it keeps you warm once the doors are closed, with the sound of the tent gently flapping in the breeze and some owls made for a peaceful nights sleep.

Saturday was a little different but at no fault of Lantern and Larks, a wedding party for one of the girls from the local village meant loud music was being played until early morning. It was one of those things and very unfortunate it was whilst we were there. I spoke with Lantern and Larks and I was assured it was not from the Exton Park estate as they have an agreement in place to ensure music is not played after 12, they confirmed it wasn’t them and was in the village itself. Exton Park have spoken with the relevant people to make sure it doesn’t happen again. They have had people staying here for a while now and this is the first time something of this nature has occurred, I am mentioning this only because I am here to write an honest and transparent review.

The tent was clean and beautifully decorated, as it was my birthday they had put up banners for me, it was a wonderful way to spend my birthday weekend, so would I go again? Definitely, it was a truly wonderful experience, the children were able to run about and be free, we could sit and enjoy watching the children play whilst we had a little bottle of champers. The lake at the bottom of the site was fenced off, they had thought of everything to make sure it was a safe and relaxed environment.

Whilst we could have spent plenty of time exploring the local area from the tent we did venture into nearby Oakham, it has some wonderful independent shops and restaurants so if you have forgotten anything it is well worth a visit.

Then of course there is Rutland Water itself, with water sports, bike hire, parks and plenty of walking it is a great place to while away a few hours, and then the tent is the perfect place to come back to and sit and enjoy the sunset.

We had an amazing time here and I would love to go back, they have some other fabulous locations around the country including Lancashire, Suffolk and Somerset, so wherever you are in the country there isn't one too far away.

A huge thank you to June and the team at Lantern and Larks for having us and if you fancy glamping then why not take a look at Lantern & Larks fabulous Ultimate Guide to Glamping

NB: We were given a weekend break here in return for our honest opinion, all words and pictures are my own.