A Thoroughly British Holiday

There were a lot of changes here in The Mummy Diary house during the summer holidays, with life so busy it meant I hadn't managed to plan any time away for us.

I knew I wanted to take the children to the coast though, so I decided to take them back to one of my old childhood haunts, Mablethorpe on the Lincolnshire Coast.

It was busier than I had expected, with the streets, arcades and shops bustling with people. The beach was packed and it was hard to find a space that wasn't occupied. Although this would normally have bothered me, it made my heart swell, that so many people had come back to a place I once loved and that for some years had lost its appeal to many.

We spent a good few hours playing in the arcades, eating ice cream and playing on the beach. However, before long it was time to head back to our chalet to clean ourselves up, so that we could head out to the local fish and chip shop for some traditional seaside food.

We were staying in Trusthorpe just between Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea, it is a quiet little village with a few caravan parks dotted along the coastline.

Our chalet at Seacroft Holiday Estate was every bit the 70s classic from the outside, however it had been refurbished on the inside, with a new kitchen, sofa and telly and comfy beds to sleep in. The bath was another story, with my 5'10 frame being unable to even lie down, but I laughed about it and there was a shower block just across the park which I didn't realise until it was too late.

I managed though and it was the perfect place for us to stay, with the beach just a short walk through the estate it meant there were no roads to navigate and instead we were just straight onto the sand.

We headed down to the beach about 10am and spent the whole day on it. Running, jumping, making sandcastles and playing in the sea, we even spotted some seals in the sea. We had a picnic and my son made friends, it was just perfect and the archetypal British holiday of my childhood, it seemed it was equally as great for two of todays technology loving children.

We went back to the beach after we'd had some tea just as the sun was setting, it was empty apart from a few people having an evening dip and some curious seagulls and crows digging through the scraps of the days visitors. The unforgiving wind off the North Sea was still there and as our hair whipped up around our faces it was difficult to get a family picture of the three of us.

So instead I just sat and watched my children running, laughing and jumping over the holes that we had dug earlier that day. It was great to see that this holiday was as fun for them as it was for me back when I was their age.

With summer days slipping away and autumn tip toeing in, I am making the most of my sandals, and until I have battered out the last few grains of sand from our beach bags and buckets then summer will remain in my heart. What did you get up to  this summer holidays.

Outdoor Fun at Belton House

On Friday, we visited Belton House, it was possibly not the best day to choose as the traffic was queuing for miles to get in. However, the sun was shining and the daffodils were out in force, which made for a beautiful day out. Starting with a picnic, then heading to the adventure playground. we enjoyed the warm sun and the masses of grass, perfect for running about and letting off steam.

I remember visiting Belton House as a child, the adventure playground was as impressive to me back then as I am sure it was to the children now, one of my fondest memories was of the huge slide they used to have there, I remember sliding down it clutching my newly purchased Victoria Plum book.

Now they have so many wonderful slides, bridges, swings and zip slides it really is an adventure play and was obviously the place to be, as each corner was full of excited children and slightly bemused parents who weren't sure where to stand.

After the playground we headed to the gardens, for me this was another highlight, if you were a child of the 80s you may remember Moondial by Helen Cresswell, I loved the series and have fond memories of running down the path to see the the exact spot of the where the Moondial stood, it is definitely one of those childhood memories that never leave you. The children rolled down the same grassy banks I remember rolling down with my brother., it was perfect.

The beautiful gardens and church were great to walk around in the sunshine and the children loved running amongst the hedges and around the pond. The pond, although empty, was still beautiful and very much reminded me of the one on which we floated boats in Paris last summer.

Heading into the woods, we came across some breathtaking views and daffodils as far as the eye could see. It was a quieter place to be. Away from the hustle and bustle we found a stream where we did some exploring. The children and their dad collected some water from a stream to check for signs of life, they couldn't see anything but we found so many flowers, they more than made up for it.

Further round the woodland we found a wonderful boat house, painted bright yellow, it looked like a little cottage in the woods. I can only imagine what this would have looked like back in the day. So much space and wonderful places to sit and think.

The vast woodland was a great place to explore, we looked under bits of wood to find creatures, and we saw everything from centipedes to beetles and snails to woodlice. Under old logs is the perfect place to look for bugs and insects and searching underneath them together is a great way to get children into wildlife and exploring. Old trees are often a great place to see the tiny holes from woodworm. This old tree trunk was teaming with life and showed the effects of the weather where the rain had worn away the bark.

We had a great time walking around the lake and walking amongst the daffodils, which gave us time to reflect on the busy start to the day. We walked about 5 miles in total around these beautiful grounds, we didn't make it into the house this time but it seemed a shame to be inside when the sun was shining outside. We'll be back on hopefully a less busy day.

Have you been to Belton House? If so which was your favourite bit?

Black & White Photo Project Wk 12

With the sunshine still upon us, we used the warm weather as an excuse to take a trip to the coast, I wished we lived closer as the children both love the beach. 

Linking up to the Black & White Project on