A Weekend Exploring Seaham Beach & Durham's Heritage Coast

This post features a press stay at the Seaton Inn Lane. All other costs were covered by ourselves. I have not been paid to write this post and the Inn Collection have had no editorial control.

It's no secret that I love our beaches here in Northumberland. They go on forever, are beautiful and sandy and are always so quiet and peaceful. Because of this, I've never really had any inclination to explore any of the other beaches in our region and just preferred to visit my same old favourites again and again.

Air Trail Tees Barrage Review

This post is based on a visit in summer 2019. Prices have been checked and updated in February 2023. 

During our stay at The King's Head Inn, I was looking for things to do in the Teesside/Stockton-On-Tees area before climbing Roseberry Topping. 

We ended up visiting Guisborough Forest Walk, RSPB Saltholme and the Air Trail at Tees Barrage. All of these attractions are fairly close together and it's a good idea to combine a couple of attractions and make a day of visiting the area. 

The Tees Valley really impressed me with how many low-cost 'outdoorsy' experiences they have available to families and I'd definitely say that Air Trail deserves its place in my list of 'Best Family Days Out in North East England'.

13 Reasons to Visit Windermere Jetty with Kids

Windermere Jetty covered our expenses but have not paid/asked for this post and have had no editorial control. 

I am always saying we need to visit the lakes more often - it's only a couple of hours drive from where we live in Newcastle and such a gorgeous part of the world. This year I promised we'd make at least one trip over there and on an overcast and windy day in the summer holidays, we travelled across the Pennines to explore Windermere Jetty.

Can You Guess Britain's Favourite Florida Holiday?

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Our trip to Florida in 2017 was one of the best holidays of our lives and something which we still regularly talk about. We LOVE a bit of Florida chat in our house so when Ocean Florida asked me to take and share their quiz to try and guess Britain's Favourite Florida Holiday, I did not need to be asked twice. The quiz is based on actual customer data from bookings made with Ocean Florida over the past 5 years.

10 Reasons to Visit Woodhorn Museum (A Review)

Woodhorn is a former coal mine, museum and heritage centre near Ashington in Northumberland. It's super easy to get to (just off A189), especially if you are travelling along the Northumberland coast. Parking is free and an annual pass is just £7 for adults (£6.50 if buying multiple at the same time) or £6 for OAPs and students. Under 16s are admitted free of charge. We're annual pass holders and have probably visited Woodhorn 20+ times over the years. We love it and think it provides excellent value for local families. Here's why we recommend a trip:

Climbing Roseberry Topping with Kids

This post was published in 2019. 

Steve and I are both overweight and definitely not the fittest of people but we try not to let that get in the way of our adventures and really enjoy exploring the great outdoors with the kids. 

A few weeks ago, our sense of adventure took us to Newton-Under-Roseberry and the Tees Valley and if you followed our weekend on Social Media, you'll know we packed loads in.

 I was really impressed with just how much this area has to offer adventure-loving families and if you like to keep active with the kids in tow, I'd recommend planning a similar trip.

You can watch highlights from our trip over on my Instagram stories here. 

Exploring the Southern Merlin Theme Parks with Tweens

We bought Merlin Annual Passes this year which allow us access to over 30 UK Merlin Attractions across the year free of charge. We have two premium and three standard passes and pay around £50 per month. I intend on making the most of them and getting our money's worth (we've already saved £900) so planned a trip down south for us to visit the Southern theme parks this summer. You can read more about paying monthly for a Merlin Annual Pass here.

11 Top Tips for Visiting Brighton with Kids

Brighton is somewhere I have always wanted to visit (I blame watching too many Location, Location, Locations in my early 20s). I am so pleased that we finally made a trip in July 2019 with our children aged 8,10 and 12. It's a place that really lived up to my expectations and somewhere we will definitely return to at some point. I just wish it wasn't so far away from us here in Northumberland. Today I am sharing 11 top tips which I hope will help you to plan a trip of your own.

9 Reasons To Visit The Sill in Northumberland National Park

The Sill is the 'National Landscape Discovery Centre'. Situated in Northumberland National Park next to Twice Brewed Inn and close to Sycamore Gap, the Sill is a perfect spot to visit as part of a wider day out exploring Hadrian's Wall (Vindolanda, Chester's Roman Fort and Housesteads are all within 10 miles). Probably not a contender for the best family days out in North East England, but still definitely worth a visit. I'd recommend planning to spend around an hour here with children, perhaps a little longer if you tend to read every single exhibit/take your time or plan on enjoying a bite to eat.

Elmer's Great North Parade App, Trail & What's On

This post will be updated across the year as we complete parts of the parade. This first update (at the beginning of August) is designed for information only.

A Short Break at Cameron Lodges, Loch Lomond

Ad - This post features a press trip with Cameron Lodges

11 of the Best Hotels in (or near) County Durham

I'm a #Durham19 regional ambassador this year and I'm really enjoying spending more time exploring the region. I have not been paid/compensated to write this post (although I have worked with some of the hotels in mentioned in the past) but I really wanted to share some of the wonderful places you can stay when visiting the region.

20 Features All Hotel Rooms Should Have

I've stayed in lots of hotel rooms over the years yet I'm still to find a room which ticks every single box for me. Here's a quick run-down of the 20 features I think all hotel rooms should have.....