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.

ParkLives - Free Outdoor Activities for all the Family

A few weeks ago I was asked if i'd be interested in trying out one of the activities as part of ParkLives, if you haven't heard of it, which I hadn't, ParkLives provides free activities in your local parks and green spaces.  

I had been wanting to try yoga for a while as i'd been told it may help with my Fibromyalgia. There were a few places with Yoga sessions, but Wollaton Hall was the easiest to get too and meant the family could come too if they wanted.

Unfortunately, there was another event on so it meant paying £4 for the car park as opposed to the usual £2, had the family been with me, we could have spent the whole day there but it kind of negates the free aspect of it so I was a little disappointed. However this is just Wollaton, most other locations have free parking.

When I arrived, Lisa, the instructor was just setting up, it was easy to see where she was because she had the ParkLives banner with her, details of the location are also on the activity booking form so make a note of where you need to meet.

Mats were provided but if you had your own then you could bring it along, I didn't have one so I used the ones provided, I did take some water though.

Lisa was really lovely and I spoke to her for a bit before it started, as I am a complete newbie to yoga I was worried I wouldn't be able to do any of it, especially with the Fibro, however she explained if I couldn't do it to stop or she could give alternative positions for me to work in.

There were a few regulars to the event and another newbie on the session, it was really nice and I felt completely relaxed and not at all like I was being judged by anyone who had more experience.

There are so many different events as part of ParkLives, from netball to frisbee, football to tai chi as well as healthy walking and best of all it's free. 

I can highly recommend checking out what ParkLives has to offer, I for one will be back for more sessions, I may even take the family this time. ParkLives sessions are currently taking place in and around Nottingham, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester and the London Borough of Newham.

NB: This is a collaborative post, however all words and opinions are my own.

Weekend Box Review

We were recently sent a Weekend Box to review, a life saver on a rainy afternoon.

The box comes addressed directly to the child, so it is an exciting bit of post especially for them to open.

Although I am not sure if it was just my ineptness but without ripping the box it was a little difficult to get into, maybe just ‘super’ glue.

However once in the box is an endless treasure trove which I can see a child looking forward to opening every month with something to something to Cook, something to Make, something to Explore and, something Green.

With stickers, pictures and activities all beautifully colour coded in paper bags (great as everything is recyclable) it is a wonderful box of fun for children of all ages (even us grown up children).

First of all we made the our rocking springy birds, we ended up using an extra piece of card to the one supplied in the box so the children could make one each, but with everything included even glue you don’t need to worry about making sure you have anything in (only slight issue was the glue had gone all jelly like and wouldn’t actually stick but this isn’t a problem with the Weekend Box more the supplier of the glue).

Simple and easy to follow instructions guided us through the making process, my son was able to follow them on his own and he is almost six.

I think you’ll agree these are rather cute…

Next up was the sound explorer activity, a fun activity getting the children to make sounds like animals and match the animal to the sound.

Next we attempted to make the Robot Voice box and with practice, I am sure we will get it to work but as the video states it does take a little practice, the video itself was really interesting and informative and was certainly great to find this, I have even made a note of it to pass on to school as it was so interesting.

The whole idea behind the box is great, although we like to get creative and craft it is sometimes difficult to think of things to do and to get the children interested in the actual craft at hand, however with the aid of the stickers and characters from the box it was much easier to get them to work through to the end.

Each activity has a card and a bag which is colour coded, perfect for older children who can work through the box themselves if they want.

A subscription would make a great gift for a child either at Easter, Birthday or Christmas and I am sure this would be appreciated by both child and parent.

It fits through the letter box so there is no need to worry about being out and the bright colourful packaging is easy to see and something for children to look forward too.

It only costs £7.50 (inc P&P) which I think for a weekend of activities I think this is reasonably priced, and it doesn't have to be limited to rainy days, get out in the garden with a blanket on the grass and make in the sunshine.

Best of all the lovely people at The Weekend Box are offering my readers their first box free with code ELLIE28 so what have you got to lose? Why not pop on over and try this fantastic box of activities, perfect for your own children, grandchildren or if you just fancy a treat for the children a month.

NB We were sent this box to review, however all opinions and pictures are my own.

Picnic in the Park and Getting Back in Touch with Nature

Last week we went to Rushcliffe Country Park for my husbands birthday, we took a BBQ and went with loads of friends. As it was another scorcher of a day we decided to go back just the four of us and have a picnic and a walk around.

It is a huge space with lots of areas for picnics and lots to see and do for the children, we found this gorgeous little area to eat in with benches and a very hungry caterpillar as well as some little huts made out of trees.

We then went for a walk around the woods, it's a really lovely ladybird spotting walk where you can spot loads of little painted ladybirds, the woods are lovely and perfect for den building. Which I believe they do over in the school holidays with the park rangers.

The flowers and wildlife are in abundance and we all had fun looking at the pretty flowers and lichen on the trees.

Finally and in the cool of the woods again we found the sensory garden, a really lovely area where scrap and household items had been turned into fun instruments and games for children.

Can you move the spoons across?

These old pipes cut at different lengths made a great sound!

Old steel bars made a wonderful sound too!

Fun game for children and adults alike

How does a fly see the world?

Clip Clop i'm a horse.

Can you tell the shape?

Can you hear me mother?

Old plastic pipes make a great sound too.

We will definitely be back here time and time again, with plenty of parking, a fabulous huge park, toilets on site and plenty of space for picnics and games it is a a great place to get out into the country side and for kids to get in touch with nature.

Linking Up to