NHM Readers Recommend: Local Places to go for Large Groups with Pushchairs

I recently asked the NHM Community “I’m looking for suggestions of local places to go for large groups of Mums with pushchairs and little ones under 6 months old, especially places to eat or drink at.”

Many thanks for all your responses, listed below in no particular order:

NHM Readers recommend local places to go for large groups with pushchairs

Rachel said “Wellington country park, eastrop park, memorial park. When I met up with the mum’s from my NCT group we found Longbridge Mill to be accommodating (we just used to warn them when we booked).”

Emma said “Beggarwood park- there’s a cafe at the new community centre

Kate said “Tea bar quite roomy in the afternoon when it’s quieter.”

Helen said “Giraffe have always been very welcoming for our buggyfit socials. They have a big room at the back they let us use and Mums can bring in buggies and feed comfortably

Lisette said “Our NCT group often met at Starbucks in festival place. At the tables and chairs outside. Always plenty of room”

  • Mary replied “We also cause total havoc on a weekly basis as the ‘outside’ seating upstairs means we aren’t in anyone’s way.”

Hannah said “Hook garden centre are good”

  • Lottie replied “Another vote for hook garden centre here”
  • Pauline said “Hook Home and Garden Centre great kids play area and cafe with amazing cakes!

Jessica said “Aingels Cafe and Bistro, lots of parking, relaxed environment and plenty of room.”

Tracy said “Dome cafe Brighton Hill is fab.”

Sarah said “Nando’s rearranged their outdoor tables for a big group of us!”

Jo said “More of the Good Stuff has lots of space and a little fenced off indoor play corner too. LOVELY cake!

Steph said “The cafe in John Lewis has loads of room but that’s more lunch/cake”

Karen said “Roses cafe

Kathryn said “Redfields garden centre in church crookham might be too far for your group”

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NHM Readers Recommend: Bus and Train Journeys for Kids

An NHM Reader recently asked “My daughter wants to go on bus/train but I don’t know of anywhere from Basingstoke to really go that has something at the other end worthwhile doing with 2-3 children. Good way of avoiding some of the wet weather!!”

Thank you to the NHM Community for your responses, listed below in no particular order:

NHM Readers Recommend: Bus and Train Journeys for Kids

Victoria said “We like going to Bramley on the train and the bakery-simple but the kids love it. The other place is Whitchurch silk mill but it’s a little trek from the station to the town-my 3 and 6 year old walked it though”

Wendy said “You could feed the swans on the Thames at the back of Reading station or there’s this 10 min walk from Southampton parkway http://www.steamtrain.co.uk/ You could also just get the bus to Chineham and go to the library.”

Holly said “There’s the new WWF centre in Woking https://www.wwf.org.uk/…/living-planet…/plan-your-visit

Mo said “You could take the Newbury bus and go to 4 kingdoms – as bus stop right outside entrance..”

Stacey said “Only a short journey but you could take the purple bus from town to the leisure park – lots to do there – Milestones, bowling, skating, swimming, food etc”

Lianne said “Little Street in Frimley is really good. I think you have to change trains though to get there from here”

Katie said “We quite enjoy getting the bus to/from Sainsbury’s and popping into Sainsbury’s cafe. Or you could just choose something from Sainsbury’s to take home?”

Lindsey said “Train to Winchester…loads of coffee shops, the library, the cathedral, there are usually buskers on the high street.”

  • Becky replied  “I was going to suggest Winchester!”

Karen said “Milestones.(or swimming/ice-skating/bowling/cinema) Get the shuttle bus from town. Hatchwarrren Sainsbury’s and go to pets at home or beggarwood park. Train to winchester – the library is a few mins walk or there’s the water mill you can visit. Little street frimley although the train to the weybridge one is more direct. To Andover and it’s about 10 minutes walk to the shops and there’s a play place inside (role play sorry I forget the name) Bus to chineham park (6) and walk behind Lidl and you’ve got playdays on stewart road or change to the number 4 and go to chineham for the library they’ve got crafts from 10-12 today.”

Colleen said “If you’re looking for a big day out, Portsmouth is direct train from Basingstoke and you have the spinnaker tower and historic dockyard right next to the train station. Eastleigh lakeside railway is short walking distance from Southampton airport parkway station, and has a miniature train, country park and a v reasonably priced cafe.”

Kim said “Look up the Watercress line. Some lovely journeys on it and you can take a picnic on the train.”

Sasha said “We take the bus to town and do the discovery centre or play den at the sports centre or go and get eggs from the market on a Friday. Keep it simple and have fun”

Joanna said “We love getting the train to Winchester, it’s a really pretty train ride and there is a really nice library and play park in Winchester”

  • Colleen replied “And the sweet shop… mine like a trip there.”

Amanda said “We used to do train trip to reading just to do Disney store, it’s not there anymore but for the kids it’s more about the trip than anything. As long as we visited the sweet shop in the Harris arcade before getting the train back they were happy.”

  • Pauline replied “There is a pop up Disney store in the Oracle at the moment.”

Larissa said “Winchester is lovely to wander about and the sweet shop near the train station always a winner”

Ruza said “Start your your day of exploration off by bus to the train station. Children are so excited by this because. We have then been to London just to walk along the embankment, the London eye was a bonus. Highly recommend SeaCity museum which is a short walk from the station.”

Samantha said “Train to Bramley and there is a lovely little coffee shop just next to the train station. Drink and a biscuit and then back home!”

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NHM Reader Recommendations: Places to go with an 8 month old and no transport

An NHM Reader asked “I was wondering if you could help me out. I live in Basingstoke and have an 8-month-old son. I would love for us to be able to go out for the day somewhere, but I’m not sure where is good for babies. I don’t drive either, so it would have to be accessible by public transport or walking distance. I do have a railcard though. Do you have any ideas?”

Thank you to the NHM Readers for the below replies. Thank you also to Juliet for putting this post together! 

NHM Reader Recommendations: Places to go with an 8 month old and no transport

Lottie says “There’s a bus to Marwell Zoo which I think you can pick up in Winchester so you could get the train there”

Hannah says “Beale Park is a short train ride away. Also Millers Ark on the way to Hook…. has a bus stop not far from its entrance.”

Helen says “I second the Beale Park suggestion. As well as animals and the train they have a big sand pit and paddling pool. Go during the term time and it’ll be quiet.”

Vicky says “I downloaded this app it’s really good tells you what’s going on groups etc in your area for the age group you are looking for” https://hoop.co.uk

Wendy says “A walk by the Thames at Reading (there’s a park by Reading bridge and lots of swans). The New Forest has tourist buses in the summer. Paultons Park has a bus from Southampton station. The number 11 bus stops outside Manydown. Bus to Shakespeare Road (Popley East) for the Splash Park.

Jason says “The New Forest also has a train station”

Cathy says “Lots of free events coming up around town http://www.basingstokefestival.co.uk/…/cate…/free-events

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NHM Readers: 7 free things to do in and around Basingstoke with children

I recently asked the Friends of my “Louise nhm Smith” profile on Facebook “I’m currently putting a post together with the following subject and wondered if you had any suggestions?: “7 free things to do in and around Basingstoke with children”.”

Thank you for your replies, listed below in no particular order:

NHM Readers recommend 7 free things to do in and around Basingstoke

1. Local Libraries

Vanessa said “Board games and Lego club at Basingstoke Discovery Centre on alternate Saturdays. Board games this week, Lego next. Lego construction club at South Ham library, weekly on a Tuesday afternoon. Ages 3-12. They also do free crafts on the first Saturday each month.”

Helen said “Go to the library. We have so many lovely libraries and events at them.”

Jo said “Borrowing books from the library…timeless!”

Karen said “Lego Club Saturdays 2pm Chineham library. They do crafts too, I think 1st Sat of the month at 10:30. Library’s, books rhyme time, use the computers.”

  1. Willis Museum

Louise said “The Willis Museum, they always have craft upstairs as well”

Karen said “ Crafts at the Willis museum (donation)”

  1. Basing Wood

Rebekah said “Basing Woods”

  1. Black Dam and Crabtree

Cesca said “Feeding the ducks at Black Dam and then walk over to Crabtree”

  1. Beggarwood Park

Gemma said “Beggarwood Park. Beggarwood is a fab place for using scooters and bikes”

  1. Wyevale Garden Centre

Karen said “Wyevale Garden Centre have turkeys and goats and a fish shop”

  1. Pets at Home

Gemma said “A visit to Pets at Home in Hatch Warren”

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BASINGSTONES: Top Tips

The Basics

All you need to do is paint a stone and write “Basingstones” on it. Then hide it somewhere safe for someone to find and hopefully brighten their day!

If you find a Basingstone, please post a photo of it on our Facebook Group page so we can see how far it travels. Either keep it and replace, or just hide it again somewhere new.

 

The Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/basingstones/ The magic of Basingstones is what happens off social media ie the spending time together, being creative, getting outdoors, sharing and the small acts of kindness concept.

Our facebook page allows the wonderful Basingstones community to come together online to share photos and smiles but it shouldn’t be the focus.  That said, here are a few tips on using the facebook group page:

  • Pinned Post

Please make sure you have a read of the Pinned Post – lots of important information in there!

  • Searching

There is a SEARCH bar which allows you to search out key words in posts – very helpful for when you are looking for a particular post by an individual or regarding a certain topic. Just type the person’s name for example and hit SEARCH.

  • Reporting posts

Please help us to keep the page free of sales posts, unrelated page links and spam. If you see anything inappropriate or disrespectful, please press the three dots in the right hand corner of the post, then select the option to “Report post”

  • Sharing photos

Note that this group is public and can be seen and accessed by anyone, so please be mindful when sharing details and posting pics. Do NOT post photos of other people’s children.

Did you know…?

…there are often competition basingstones for you to keep a lookout for!
Try searching “competition” to see what you could win

…there is a Basingstones Admin photo album for Basingstones news
hit Albums and select Basingstones Admin

…there is a thread to track international Basingstones so that we can see them pop up all over the world! (This can be found in the Basingstones Admin album)

…Basingstones has been on the radio, in the newspaper and even nominated for a community project award!  Check out the Basingstones Admin Album for details

FAQs

Where can I get stones from?

Lots of garden centres and large DIY stores sell big bags of stones/cobbles for about £5.  Locally, you can try The Range, Wickes, Conkers, Home Bargains, B&M, Bunnings and many more.

Taking rocks from beaches is discouraged and you could actually be fined.  Whilst taking the odd stone will do no damage, we don’t want to have a negative impact on the environment.

How should I decorate basingstones?

You can paint the stone however you wish, perhaps with a pretty pattern, a fun cartoon character, an inspirational quote or an artistic design.

Please avoid sticking things to the stones though which could potentially fall off and be harmful to wildlife. We want to be friendly towards our environment and our furry friends too.

What paint is best to use?

Sharpie pens, permanent markers, nail polish, acrylic paints and clear varnish or spray (to make it weather proof) all work really well.

Why haven’t I seen a photo of the basingstone I hid?

There are thousands of group members and hundreds of posts each day. You cannot keep track of them all.  Also, some people may choose not to share their photos or finds online.

Don’t worry that not all hidden basingstones get a finder post – each one makes someone smile and each one is special!

I hope this helps.

Have fun!

Rachel x
Basingstones Admin

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Things to do in Basingstoke with a 3 year old

Things to do in Basingstoke with a 3 year old

Visit a library

Below is a list of Libraries in the North Hampshire area:

  • Aldershot Library
  • Alresford Library
  • Alton Library
  • Andover Library
  • Basingstoke Discovery Centre – Open on Sundays!!!
  • Chineham Library
  • Farnborough Library
  • Fleet Library
  • Kingsclere Library
  • North Baddesley Community Library
  • Odiham Bridewell
  • South Ham Library
  • Tadley Library
  • Whitchurch Library

Or Try out one of the following activities featured on NHM

What would you add to this list?

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NHM Readers: Places to take toddlers paddling in a stream

As part of “North Hants Mum Question Time”, I was asked by Juliet “Is there anywhere close to Basingstoke where you can take toddlers paddling in a stream?”

My response, as well as those received from the community, are below.

NHM Readers: Places to take toddlers paddling in a stream

Louise NHM replied “There is a “secret” place in Hook that is safe for little ones to paddle. Plus there is the stream in Eastrop or the streams that are all over Chineham. In fact on Sunday, Mr NHM and Miss NHM walked through several streams in Chineham for two hours and had a blast! I still feel bad about the insects they probably destroyed though! lol”

Hannah said “piggy dams off Newnam Lane is lovely for paddling. At the village hall in basing you take a right down Newnam Lane and on the left there’s a dirt path….if you follow it there’s a stream and little bridgey thing. when we last went someone had put a tyre swing up too!”

Louise said “Hannah – I know exactly where you mean. It’s where the river curves off to the left. There is a footpath sign and a red post box? (I cycle that way a LOT in the summer! lol)”

Saretta said “There’s a lovely stream to paddle in in Overton. It’s down Station Road, once you go over the little bridge it’s just on the left”

Katie said “Saretta – the Overton one is is called Flashetts and is actually the River Test. We were there today”

Charlotte said “The Crabtree there is a little steam my little boy loves it”

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Review 2018: FlipOut Basingstoke

Thank you to S for today’s NHM Review!

Review 2018: FlipOut Basingstoke

I visited FlipOut last Saturday( just before the half-term) as part of NHM community. I was there with my 3 year old son and husband for 1 hour between 11am and 12pm. It was quite easy to buy tickets once you are there, they also offer online pre-booking which has a separate queue. However the entrance is quite narrow which can make it busy during peak time, so be prepared well in advance.

All sessions are timed and they start every half hour. Once you bought the tickets you are then asked to go to the briefing room where they show a 5 mins safety video of do’s and dont’s.

I really liked the graffiti artwork. It was beautifully used throughout the whole of Flip Out which made the place very colourful. My first reaction once I got into the park was “It was enormous”, they have over 50 trampolines of different sizes. They have lots of different areas to cater all age groups.  

The park has :

  • Main trampoline jumping area
  • 28 ft Ninja slide ( for teens/adults)
  • Foam pit.
  • Total wipeout( Kids loved it )
  • Climbing walls
  • And lots more ( I didn’t get to go into the teens/adults area )

The main park is for all age group but a few areas are height restricted which means under 6s weren’t allowed. They have a special trampoline area with FlipOut’s signature car in the middle. Kids loved jumping from and on to the car. Foam pit and total wipeout was my son’s favourite of the day. Unfortunately we didn’t use much of the teen/adults section but by the look of it I was sure they were all having lots of fun. It was a busy day with lots of toddlers, kids, teens and adults thought it didn’t look over-crowded.

Safety team:
They had a good number of safety team staff members spread all over the park. They had a keen eye on the jumping area to avoid double jumping. They are also very interactive and lively.

Baby Softplay area:
They also have a separate baby soft play area on the other side of the cafe which is small but good size for 1 and 2 year old babies when you have other kids to jumping on the trampolines.

Prices and Sessions:
All sessions are on hourly basis. You can either buy 1 hour session or add another hour for half price.
Standard jump ( 1hr) : £9.95 (2hr):  £14.95
Under 6: £5.95

You can buy FlipOut socks for £2 or they allow other parks socks as well.

Facilities and Activities

Lockers:
They have a huge locker area which works with a pound coin. The locker sizes are quite small so I had a tough time shoving my big bag into it. They are good size for shoes and coats though!

Cafe and viewing area:
There is a cafe in the mezzanine floor above to the main jumping floor with seating area. It is gallery styled and got a view to the jumping area, it allows parents to enjoy a coffee while keeping an eye on their kids.  The menu is a standard one which caters for all ages. The cafe seating area seemed to be always full and was quite a task to get a seat.

Toilets with baby changing area

Toddler Time:
Every weekday between 9am-11am  there is a dedicated toddler session in the park. Parents with under 5s can find this time appropriate as you don’t want older kids to run around at the same time.

Fit Classes :

They offer a structured Flip Fit class led by qualified fitness instructors on Wednesday 7pm. It is a pay as you go class and also you can buy 6 session for the price of 5.

Kids and adults party:

They offer different party packages according to your need which also includes exclusive room and arena hire

Website: https://www.flipout.co.uk/locations/basingstoke/

Overall experience

It looks awesome and is an excellent place for a trampoline park. Fun place and lots to do for all age group. 3 and above would enjoy their time in FlipOut. If you have only small babies then I would ask you to get an idea of what FlipOut is as it could be disappointing for a few who expected it to have big soft play areas. I really liked FlipOut and would go again.

Disclaimer: This post is a review of Flipout Basingstoke. The session was supplied free of charge for the purposes of the review. S was not expected to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are her own.

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Review 2018: Riverside Bowl, Andover

Thank you very much to today’s NHM Secret Writer for today’s post and to Juliet for formatting this on wordpress!

Riverside Bowl, Andover

Riverside bowl is a bowling alley, arcade and glow in the dark golf centre.

They have 8 lanes of ten pin bowling, various arcade games and 10 crazy golf holes based around the world (London, New York, China etc).

They also have function rooms and a bar/diner.

Tips

Riverside bowl is on the high street in Andover, next to Wilko. You have to go up 3-4 flights of stairs but there is a lift if you struggle with stairs (wheelchair/pushchair etc).

Food

There is a 90’s style diner and bar serving freshly prepared burgers/hot dogs and chips.

Food was as you’d expect in this sort of venue; not haute cuisine but edible and presented in a fun way (in baskets).

They also have an extensive milkshake menu (chocolate, butterscotch, jelly baby and caramel to name a few). I’ve given up chocolate for Lent so I went for butterscotch and it was very nice

Facilities

Male/female and disabled toilets available. Clean and perfectly usable. I didn’t use them but hubby did and said they had hot and cold running water and were perfectly adequate.

Parking

There is no specific parking for Riverside. We parked in the Chantry Shopping centre as we had a meander through Andover before going to the venue as we were early.

Parking is charged Mon-Sat up to 4pm and is free on a Sunday. This is probably the next place to park for Riverside as it is a 3 minute walk from the car park.

Prices

We paid £15.50 for three of us (2 adults, one child) to play golf. We paid £25 to eat burger and chips each (child meal was £5.50 and included a drink). My milkshake was £3.20 and probably about same size as a cooler drink from Costa/Starbucks).

We also paid £17 for a game of bowling – we haven’t done this for a long time so not sure if this is average price or not.

Rating out of 5

I would give it 3.5 out of 5. It was nice enough but for what it is I thought the price was a little bit steep.

The bowling lane broke down while we were on it and we had to be moved. The golf I was a little disappointed in as the way the holes are set up, it’s pretty impossible to get a hole in one. You have to get the ball through a structure and it has quite a slope to get up.

I think the next hole we played was done in four or five shots and this was hubby who is a dab hand compared to me and LO.

We also had a family behind us in the golf who let their son start playing while we were still on the hole.

There is no staff actively monitoring this section (there are CCTV cameras).

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Mum2Mum Markets Hampshire

Thank you for the opportunity to tell everyone about my events!  I’m Linda and I run the Mum2Mum Markets in Basingstoke, Eastleigh and Southampton.

Mum2Mum Markets are community events where parents (and grandparents and friends!) can buy and sell high quality nearly new baby and children’s toys, clothes and equipment.  Our friendly, popular markets are all held indoors and usually see between 200 and 300 shoppers at each event. Our stalls are packed with toys, games, books, clothing, shoes, walkers, buggies, play mats, bedding, travel cots, trikes, ride-on toys, sterilisers, nursery equipment – and more!  Our events are aimed at age 0-6 years and maternity. 

The Basingstoke markets are held at Hatch Warren Community Centre and Queen Mary’s College, the Eastleigh markets at Pavilion on the Park, and the Southampton events at Woodlands Community College.

Our upcoming market dates are as follows: 

To book a stall, simply visit our bookings website at http://www.mum2mummarket.co.uk/book-a-stall.html and select your market.  We supply the tables, and you keep 100% of your takings on the day!  Each stallholder receives our useful Information Pack a couple of weeks before the market, which is packed with information, tips and advice on sorting, displaying and pricing their goodies.  We have a loyal group of repeat sellers at each location and stalls usually sell out well in advance of each market.

If you’re looking to shop at our events, you’ll find our stalls packed with amazing bargains!  A huge range of high quality nearly new baby and children’s toys, clothes and equipment at a fraction of the retail price.  You really can save a fortune! There’s no need to book to come and shop, just come along on the day. Adult entry is £2, children are free and there’s free entry for everyone for the last 30 minutes of each market.  You can also download a 2for1 entry voucher from our website and bring a friend for free (or pay £1 each of course!). 

We also work with local baby and child related businesses, who promote their products and services through our events.  There are a variety of ways to do this, including placing flyers in our goody bags, booking a business stall, or sponsoring our events.  We love working with other local small business, so would love to hear from anyone looking to engage with local parents. 

So whether you fancy selling or buying, we’d really love to see you at one of our markets – come and join us!  

Join our Facebook page for our latest news, event dates, market photos and preview of items for sale! https://www.facebook.com/Mum2mum-Market-Hampshire-166582593693636/

Please email me at linda@mum2mummarket.co.uk with any questions or enquiries – I’d love to hear from you.

Linda x

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