*This article was first published in March 2019 and updated in April 2023.
5 of the Best Family Picnic Spots in North East England
Sunday Lunch, Playgrounds & Birds of Prey at Walworth Castle, Darlington
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Walworth Castle is a 12th Century Castle in Darlington just 5 miles from the A1 and such a lovely spot for a family day out in North East England. Set in 18 acres of beautiful countryside, you feel as if you are in the middle of nowhere yet it's super easy to get to. We primarily visited for Sunday Lunch in the newly refurbished 1189 Bar & Kitchen but were really impressed with how much more Walworth Castle had to offer families. If you're looking for somewhere a little different to enjoy a fantastic value Sunday lunch and spend a full afternoon with the family, read on....
10 of the Best Family Festivals within a 3 Hour Drive of Newcastle
I love, love, love spending a weekend at a festival with the kids. Some of them can be pricey but when you consider how much you'd spend on camping and individual gig tickets, I think they usually work out to be pretty good value for money. Festivals are usually a very laid back affair and allow a little relaxation, a chance for the grown-ups to enjoy a tipple or two, time to laugh, time to dance and really let your hair down. Over the last few years, more and more festivals have popped up closer to home and today I'm sharing 10 festivals which are less than a 3-hour drive from Newcastle. Prices quoted do not include booking fees and as always, please double check all details before booking as things can change.
A Morning in Padstow : What to do with Kids
Steve and I live for cookery shows. If you pop to our house it's very likely we'll have one on in the background. Not that we ever cook any of the recipes we watch being made on TV of course but it's nice to get some inspiration. Nothing beats embracing slow living and watching Saturday Kitchen in the morning with a coffee to start your weekend. Because of this, we've watched hundreds of Rick Stein shows and Padstow is somewhere we've watched appear on our screens as a must-visit foodie destination time and time again. We've probably wanted to visit for around 10 years and this February, we finally had the chance during our half term trip to Cornwall.
20 of the Best Places to Stay near Flamingo Land
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Flamingo Land Theme Park & Zoo is one of the best family days out in North Yorkshire. There's loads to do for all ages from extreme rides like Velocity and family rides like Splash Battle to activities for little ones including HMS Bouncy and the zoo which is home to sea lions, giraffes, farm animals, meerkats, lions, hippos and more. It really is a full day out and sometimes, the thought of driving home after a full day out is too much. So in this post, I've put together 20+ options for places to stay near Flamingo Land. There's something for everyone from budget camping and hotels to pubs with rooms and even a luxury treehouse. You can find out more about Flamingo Land here. Let me know if you have any recommendations for places to stay.
5 Days Out for Tweens and Teens at The Gate, Newcastle
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In my late teens and early 20s, The Gate was the place to be. Most of our nights out started here and I think Mood was one of my favourite bars in Newcastle. In fact, I am pretty sure it was in Mood that Steve and I first drunkenly raised the idea of starting a family together.
The Gate also features as in our post 'What to do when it rains in North East England'.
The Gate also features as in our post 'What to do when it rains in North East England'.
The Sands Resort Cornwall Review | A Family Hotel with Kids Club near Newquay
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The Sands Resort in Newquay, Cornwall is a popular accommodation choice for families with little kids. There's an abundance of activities and facilities on offer here and it feels like The Sands has everything covered from easy pushchair hire to baby listening facilities and it's own soft play areas. You can read more about staying at The Sands Resort with younger children over on my friend Emma's blog here. I could not find many reviews featuring families with older children though and I was keen to put the hotel through their paces and discover what was on offer during our stay with tweens. We stayed for 2 nights over February Half Term 2019.
Sleeping In A Recycled Shipping Container At The Eden Project - Our Experience
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I planned our recent trip to Cornwall around visiting the Eden Project. It's somewhere I've wanted to visit for years and it did not disappoint (check out my 10 reasons to visit here). I've worked with YHA on a couple of occasions in the past and they invited me along to review YHA Eden Project a few years ago but it was a bit of a long way to travel for one night. So when I was planning my trip, I got back in touch and we organised a night in one of their recycled shipping containers.
Tips for Visiting Chester Zoo from Newcastle
Chester Zoo is somewhere I've always wanted to visit. I've heard so many good things and it was number one on my list of places to visit last October Half Term. I booked tickets and monorail tickets in advance which set us back just over £100 for the 5 of us. Not the cheapest of days out so I crossed my fingers that it was worth it.
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