Waterside Cornwall Review | Self-Catering Lodges Near The Eden Project

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We started our February Half Term trip to Cornwall in the best possible way with a short stay at Waterside Cornwall. You'll find Waterside just off A30 outside of Bodmin and it's an ideal base for exploring Cornwall including the Eden Project (7 miles), the Lost Gardens of Heligan (15 miles), St Austell, Fowey and Mevagissey. Out of all of the places we stayed, Waterside was definitely the most central. Prices for a 3 bedroom lodge (sleeping up to 8) are available from £78 per lodge per night which I think is super reasonable. You can also pay a supplement and stay in a lodge with a hot tub and if there are less of you in the party, smaller lodges are available from £43 per lodge per night.

10 Reasons to Visit the Eden Project in Winter

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The Eden Project is somewhere which has been on my list of places to visit for years. I remember driving past the quarry site when I was on holiday in Cornwall as a child and the project was in its very early phases of development and I'm delighted that I was finally able to visit with my own children during February Half Term 2019.

First impressions of the Eden Project are that it's huge. Kind of like a mini town.

There are multiple car parks and it's so vast that there's a complimentary shuttle bus from the car park to the entrance (not needed on the way down but will save you climbing the hill on the way back).

Despite its size, the Eden Project did not feel busy or overcrowded and although we visited in school holidays, I am guessing it's quieter in the winter months than summer.

Northumberland in Bloom | My favourite gardens to visit with kids

I am showing my age here but these days I absolutely love strolling around a garden. I am going to be brutally honest here and say I actually prefer visiting gardens without the kids so I can actually spend time admiring the plants, flowers and wildlife but I do still like to bring the kids along to these kinds of days out too as gardens are always a nice place for a family walk with plenty to look at. 

My top tip would be to bring the kids there own camera and set them a specific challenge (eg take a photo of flowers from every colour in the rainbow). This will keep them out of mischief. 

We're super lucky in Northumberland to have many beautiful gardens on our doorstep and today I'm sharing some of my favourites with you. Let me know if you have any other recommendations for us to visit over in my North East Days Out Reviews and Recommendations Facebook group.

5 of the Best Family Activity Holidays in Scotland

I absolutely adore Scotland and it's a place I'd love to explore more of in the next few years. So far I've only made it to Edinburgh, Dundee, Loch Ness and Glasgow and I know there is so much more to explore and discover. I think an excellent way to do this with older kids is to try a family activity holiday and today I am sharing 5 of the best I've found. Let me know if you fancy trying one of these breaks with your family:

Rainy Day Trip Idea : National Science & Media Museum in Bradford

The National Science & Media Museum is around a 2 hour 15 minute (easy) drive from Newcastle. It's FREE to visit and ideal for a day trip. We popped in on our way home from Blackpool last October Half Term and really enjoyed our trip. I'd definitely recommend a visit.

£1 Bowling at Concordia Leisure Centre, Cramlington

Around once every 6 weeks or so, Concordia Leisure Centre in Cramlington will announce their fantastic £1 bowling offer. This ten pin bowling deal must be one of the cheapest family days out in the North East. The deal is not available all of the time (it's announced via Facebook when it is available) and the deals usually last for one week at a time from Monday/Tuesday-Friday 10am-6pm/7pm on selected dates. Keep an eye on the Concordia Facebook page here for announcements of when they are next running the deal, I will also post in my Uk Days Out Facebook Group if you'd like to join here.