For the last few years we’ve had an artificial Christmas tree. We bought it a few years ago after the Christmas tree we had bought dropped most of its needles before Christmas Day! My husband was so fed up with our real tree that he went out and bought an artificial one. It’s a great tree, easy to store and put together, but we just miss the smell of a real tree. So this year we promised to think about getting a real tree. We found the Christmas Tree Farm in Chesham and decided to pay a visit. A visit…
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Iver Environment Centre is located in the Colne Valley between Uxbridge and Slough. It is one of four environmental education centres across the UK which are owned by the National Grid. Set up in 1990 the 4.5 acre site includes a poly tunnel rainforest, an orchard, woodland area with a fire pit, two allotments, mud kitchen, ponds and more. They run a series of educational events, family activities and volunteering opportunities. A trip to Iver Environment Centre I’m not sure where I first heard about Iver Environment Centre but I wish we’d found out about it sooner! During the Summer…
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It’s been 9 months since our last visit to Hughenden. When it re-opened in June we found tickets were like gold dust, but we finally managed to visit this weekend. A lot of things have changed since our last visit but it’s still worth a visit. So let me tell you a little about our socially-distanced visit to Hughenden Manor. âHughenden Manor was home to Queen Victoriaâs favourite Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli. It provided a backdrop for political drama, royal visits and an enduring love story. And it has a secret wartime story to tell. A socially-distanced visit to Hughenden…
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For the past few years I have enjoyed putting together a post about the best pumpkin patches near London. Living on the edge of London we are able to travel into Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey and more to find the perfect pumpkin patch. There’s just something wonderful about a walk (and a photo or two) at a pumpkin patch. I’m sure I would never have said this a few years ago but it’s something the whole family enjoys, and the perfect Autumnal day out. Pumpkin patches near London {updated for 2020} As pumpkin patches are outdoors I’m hopeful that the…
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We have explored so many amazing places that I feel like I will never get a chance to write about them all. It seems weeks ago since we made it to exploring Denham Country Park with the kids. It’s another one of those places right on our doorstep which me had never got around to visiting, until now. Exploring Denham Country Park with kids We’re lucky to have a few Country Parks within easy reach of us, definitely one of the perks of living on the outskirts of London. Whilst we haven’t been able to enjoy a trip into the…
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Our first picnic of the year took place at Langley Park. Now we are allowed to venture out further from home, we thought we would love to visit somewhere new. We’re frequent visitors to Black Park which is the other side of the A412, but had never visited Langley Park before. We packed the puppy and a picnic and set off to explore somewhere new. A trip to Langley Park Country Park, Bucks Langley Park is one of Buckinghamshire’s best kept secrets. Langley Park is steeped in history and a nationally important haven for wildlife. The car park is quite…
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Before anyone gets excited I should perhaps clarify the title of this blog post. No, we haven’t been invited to spend Christmas Day at Hughenden Manor, but we visited last weekend to meet Father Christmas and enjoy their winter activities. Hughenden Manor is our favourite National Trust property and we try to visit at least once during the seasons. You might think a visit in winter would be a little dull but we love it as the staff and volunteers make sure they pull all the stops out. Having visited Father Christmas there a few years ago, we knew we…
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A few weekends ago we visited the Chiltern Open Air Museum. Can you believe it has been on our list since we moved to Hillingdon 6 years ago? Yet it took us 6 years to find a free weekend! Anyway, we had a fantastic day at the Chiltern Open Air Museum with our tweens so now I want to tell you why you should visit too. Chiltern Open Air Museum with tweens Chiltern Open Air Museum is an outdoor museum in Buckinghamshire. You can explore over 30 rescued and reconstructed historic buildings from the Chilterns in a beautiful countryside setting.…
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I still can’t write about our trip to Centre Parc Woburn just yet (there was just far too much sick and blood!). However on the way home we decided to stop off at Bletchley Park. We hadn’t visited in over 10 years and definitely not with tweens, so were long overdue a visit. A visit to Bletchley Park with tweens Bletchley Park near Milton Keynes is a lovely Victorian country house built in the Victorian Gothic, Tudor, and Dutch Baroque styles. During the Second World War it was the home of the British Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) and home…