Reviews - NorthHantsMum

Review 2014: Moors Valley Country Park

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 30th October 2014 in Reviews of Days Out 0 Comment

Moors Valley Country Park

Moors Valley Country Park, nr Bournemouth

Moors Valley Country Park is about an hours drive from Basingstoke towards Bournemouth, assuming there is no traffic on the M3 and M27.

It took us about an hour to get there, in September 2014, with no traffic.

I’ve been meaning for us to visit Moors Valley Country Park for ages, but when we were down in Bournemouth recently on holiday, we finally had the time to visit!

I can safely say that it’s brilliant!

Way better than other country parks that I’ve been too.

I was so impressed with the way the park is set out and how much there is to do.

We only stayed for an hour and a half as we popped in on our way home and Miss NHM was already tired, but we had a fantastic time and I can’t wait to go and visit for longer next time so we can properly explore.

Play

There is loads to do in Moors Vallye Country Park. Far more than I expected.

We parked in the car park that was closest to the entrance (not the first car park, but a small car park near the Go Ape building) and stumbled across the Gruffalo!

and a totem pole!

Miss NHM found this fallen tree trunk which was hollowed out for her to climb through:

We spent a lot of time wondering through the forest, past Go Ape (which is spread over a large area, much larger than Bracknell’s Go Ape) towards the Park Explore.

We then went into the forest and discovered LOTS of different areas to play on.

I went on and explored the little hut which was awesome, but we didn’t want Miss NHM to become covered in sand, so quickly avoided this and went to find the pond maze.

This was my favourite structure by far.

There were loads others, but we didn’t have time to explore unfortunately.

I love this pond maze. We spent ages running through it!

Miss NHM wanted to climb up this, but at 3.5 years old, I didn’t think she was big enough. Would be perfect for older children though.

We stumbled across this spider’s web.

Miss NHM LOVED the wooden spider and spent about 20 minutes playing in here and exploring.

We were getting hungry by this time and headed back to the restaurant.

After the restaurant we went over to the play park to explore and discovered that there is a small steam train. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to go on it this time, but it did look very cool.

The train rides looked brilliant!

There was a lovely big lake here too, that we didn’t get time to explore :-(.

Tips

Don’t park in the main car park, keep following the car park round so that you go past the disabled parking and then park in the smaller car park near Go Ape.

It means you don’t have as far to walk and it’s easy to get to the main area.

They have a Gruffalo’s child trail on over winter.

Food

We had cake and hot chocolates for our mid morning break and it was actually a really yummy hot chocolate.

The cafe area is really large and has indoor and outdoor seating and has a very comprehensive menu.

There is also an ice cream shop which opened as we were leaving.

Facilities

Are really good. All eco toilets too, which I was impressed at.

There are lots and lots of picnic benches dotted across the park and a few covered areas too.

Baby Facilities

There are baby changing facilities but you need to get the key from the main reception.

There are also lots of highchairs in the restaurant.

Parking

Is expensive but you don’t have to pay for any other costs. You can easily spend the whole day here, so I feel that the parking is probably value for money.

Is comprehensive and there is extra overflow car parking for when it’s needed.

Prices

There are no entry charges but you will need to pay for parking.

If you have a large family, this could be a bargain day out!

Rating out of 5

I’m going to give Moors Valley Country Park 5 out of 5 because it way exceeded my expectations and we had such a brilliant time there.

We hardly explored the place at all, but you can see that we covered a lot in our 1.5 hours there.

I can’t wait to visit next time and explore even more!

Review 2014: Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 28th October 2014 in Reviews of Days Out 0 Comment

Monkey World

Monkey World is about 2 hours drive from Basingstoke and would be less, except the traffic is pretty horrendous as the roads are busy at all times.

We had a fantastic time at Monkey World when we went although I’m sure that the weather helped.

Play

I was really surprised to see how much is on offer at Monkey World.

The park is really well laid out, despite being quite hilly, and it’s easy to walk around and see all of the monkey’s.

Miss NHM found some of the larger monkeys a bit intimidating, but she really liked the small monkeys and we spent a lot of time looking at them.

We spent a lot of time watching the Chimpanzees but Miss NHM wasn’t too impressed as they were quite large and intimdating

There is a really good play area at the beginning of the park, with swings

and even a swing for a wheelchair!

There was also a covered area here if it rained.

We spent a lot of time looking at the smaller monkeys

We also went up the tree house, which gave fantastic views across the park.

We accidentally stumbled across the Woodland Walk which was lovely and peaceful and had a lovely area to sit in, next to a Buda.

Towards the bottom of the park there is a really big picnic are and events field.

There is a fantastic play area at the bottom of the park.

However, make sure you read the sign first, which says that only 8 year olds should use this equipment. Opps!!!!

We didn’t see this so all of us spent about 30 minutes clambering over the equipment. Not great parenting! lol.

Tips

I probably wouldn’t visit Monkey world on it’s own as a day trip from Basingstoke. It’s too far for us to drive with Miss NHM for a day’s outing.

However, if you are visiting near Monkey World or are on holiday, then it’s completely worth a visit.

It’s very hilly. So take a pushchair if your little one doesn’t walk too far.

We don’t use our pushchair anymore so Miss NHM had to walk and at 3.5 years of age, she did walk the whole way round, but she was very tired that evening.

There are lots of picnic tables dotted throughout the park, and a cafe and play area half way round.

There aren’t many covered areas if it rains.

Food

We took a picnic with us, so we didn’t try the food on site.

However, we did have hot drinks and they were what you would expect.

Facilities

Were ok but clearly needed an upgrade. They were clean though, but definitely needed a bit of love.

Baby Facilities

Were ok.

Parking

Is free and there is loads of it!

Prices

Very reasonable considering you are helping a very worth while cause!

Rating out of 5

I would give Monkey World 4.9 out of 5, only because the toilets weren’t great.

However, we had a brilliant day and if we were down that way again, we wouldn’t hesitate to visit again.

Review 2014: Wagamama’s Basingstoke

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 23rd September 2014 in Reviews of Places to Eat 0 Comment

I’m a massive fan of Wagamama so I was REALLY pleased when Festival Place asked me to review the Basingstoke Wagamama restaurant.

You can keep up with the latest activities at Festival Place via Facebook, Twitter and their website.

Wagamama Basingstoke

Wagamama

We’ve been very lucky that we’ve eaten in Wagamama’s several times since it opened in Festival Place.

Miss NHM started using chopsticks when she was a year old at Wagamama’s. I have video footage of it because I was gob smacked that she could use the chopsticks at all, let alone to get food in her mouth when she was weaning! lol.

When we arrived we were greeted by Charlotte who looked after us so well and was really good with Miss NHM.

We were given an activity colouring mat for Miss NHM and some crayons which kept Miss NHM quiet whilst we looked through the menu:

Food

As we eat in Wagamama’s quite a bit we decided that we would try something different this time.

For starters we had chilli squid which was YUMMY and not too spicy at all:

Mr NHM chose grilled pork bulgogi wraps which were not what I expected but very tasty:

I couldn’t not order my beloved peach iced tea. I’ve tried the fruit juices before and they are yummy too but I was in a peach iced tea mood! lol:

For our main courses Mr NHM tried something new, Teriyaki chicken donburi with a side of kimchee:

However, although I wanted to try something new I couldn’t stop my self from having my usual dish, prawn kare lomen.

This is only because it was off the menu for a couple of years so I’ve got to maximise it before they take it off the menu again! lol. It was YUMMY as always:

Miss NHM had the mini chicken yaki soba which she loved and ate most of using chopsticks

(I didn’t get a chance to take a photo when the dish arrived because Miss NHM tucked in straight away! lol):

For pudding Miss NHM chose the raspberry natural ice fruit lolly which she demolished in record time! lol

For pudding I had coconut reika which was sooooo yummy:

and Mr NHM had the chocolate fudge cake which I wasn’t allowed to try as I had tasted his starters and main 😀

The food was so yummy as it always is and I was pleased to see that there was no difference between when we normally eat here and aren’t doing a review.

Tips

The food comes out when it’s ready although the children’s meal nearly always comes out first so sometimes your “starters” come out at the same time as your main meal.

There is a children’s menu:

Wagamama also provide chop sticks for little ones but Miss NHM won’t use them because we don’t use them.

There is a shelf under the table for your personal items and hooks on the walls for your coats.

You can also ask for adult “bibs” if you think your dinner is going to get messy as it can with some of the Ramen dishes.

Play/Ambience

Wagamama Basingstoke is always really busy and has a really good buzz.

There are always lots of families eating in there and they really do cater for everyone.

All of the children get their own activity mat and colouring pencils which helps to distract them whilst waiting for food.

It’s a great place to eat if you are on your own with a little one. On the odd occasion we had enough money I would take Miss NHM on my own when Mr NHM was working shift on the weekend.

Facilities

There are lots of condiments available if you would like them and the staff are very amenable to helping out

The floor is wipeable! So not too much guilt when food ends up all over the floor.

Be careful with the benches. They can be very slippery for a wiggly toddler/ pre-schooler.

Also, the place mats can be a bit of a pain with a wriggly toddler as we discovered when Miss NHM knocked her milk over. It can’t be helped, just be aware of this.

Baby Facilities

There are special high chairs that fit on the side of the table. Miss NHM always used to sit in these when she was tiny.

There is also space for pushchairs at one end of the restaurant.

The baby changing facilities are in the disabled toilets:

Parking

Is in Festival place and is the standard rate for parking.

Prices

Are very reasonable when you consider what you are getting for your money.

Rating out of 5

I’ve given Wagamama in Basingstoke 5 out of 5 and not just for the way we were treated on our visit this time.

Every time I’ve eaten in Wagamama in Basingstoke I have been impressed with the staff and the food.

Thank you very much to the team who made our visit so enjoyable!

Thank you also to Festival Place for arranging this opportunity for us.

Disclaimer: This post is a review of Wagamama Basingstoke in conjunction with Festival Place.Our meal was supplied free of charge for the purposes of the review. I was not expected to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are my own.

Review 2014: The Gruffalo at The Haymarket

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 23rd September 2014 in Reviews, Theatre 0 Comment

I was VERY lucky to be invited to review a number of places within Festival Place this weekend.

You can keep up with the latest activities at Festival Place via Facebook, Twitter and their website.

I am going to be publishing all of the reviews throughout today so look out for them!

Gruffalo at the Haymarket

Festival Place is a great shopping centre and has so much on offer.

So I was delighted when I was offered the chance to review a performance of the Gruffalo at The Haymarket in Festival Place.

Unfortunately Miss NHM wasn’t.

Last year we went to see “Room on a Broom” at the Haymarket and much as I enjoyed it, Miss NHM (who was two and a half at the time) spent the whole time wrapped around my neck wimpering. She’s a bit of a wuss (like I was at that age) which those of you who were at the NHM Meet Up on Friday would have seen! lol.

After the performance she did say that she really enjoyed Room on a Broom but I haven’t taken her to a performance at the Haymarket since.

I got completely confused and thought the performance was at The Anvil. We could have possibly got away with it had been at the Anvil.

I did think that maybe now that Miss NHM was a year older (three and a half) she would be ok. She wasn’t.

We had complete meltdown when she realised where she was and she refused to even go into the theatre.

The Haymarket team were fantastic and said I could rescheduled the performance so I asked my lovely friend Sophie who has been a long time supporter and Guest Blogger on NHM, whether she would like to take her little girl instead, so the review could still be done.

Thank you very much to Sophie for stepping in with less than 45 minutes before the performance started and thank you for your fab review below!

Here are her words!

The performance

Three ‘storytellers’, four simple costumes and five pieces of scenery equals an hour of engrossing entertainment.

I took my three year old daughter and nine year old step-son to the Haymarket this morning to see the Gruffalo.

They both enjoy reading and/or watching The Gruffalo on a weekly basis (I have had to put a limit on it as I found myself quoting the story randomly throughout the day) so I was intrigued to see how they would respond to a live version.

Well, they loved it!

The story telling included all the lines from the book with extra lines and a few songs interspersed.

The costumes were (very) simple but made the characters easily recognisable and also added to the character accents used – upper class fox, RAF owl and Spanish (possibly Mexican as I’m not great on accents) rattle-snake.

There were also some great snippets of humour to do with this characterisation which totally went over both my children’s heads but had me giggling.

All in all it was a very simple but cleverly put together show which we all enjoyed and which has given me the push I need to make sure I don’t miss the next Julia Donaldson live show.

On a practical level

I was a bit stressed to be arriving at the Haymarket at 10:30 thinking there would be queues not to mention fitting in toilet stops before the hour long performance. (Louise – I gave poor Sophie 15 minutes notice, so I’m not surprised she was stressed! lol).

I needn’t have worried, the staff were so well organised it took just two minute to pick up our tickets and there were plenty of toilets (and a baby changing room) on both floors so there was no queue here either.

The ushers were really helpful; pointing out an alternative set of stairs, double checking the seat numbers as they were a bit faded, fetching a booster seat for my little one (which had two heights – not seen that before) and pointing out to my step-son that he had forgotten his coat. I am sure I would have noticed, eventually!

The volume was just right, I was really surprised at the level of the volume at the cinema the last time we went and I was worried this might be the same. The loudest noise was my daughter joining in with the Gruffalo song.

The lights also stayed at a good level so I could always see how the children were reacting to the show. I didn’t have to delve into my bag for any child related items but I am sure I would have been able to find them if I’d needed to.

Tthank you very much to Festival Place and The Haymarket for organising our tickets!

Disclaimer: This post is a review of The Gruffalo at the Haymarket Basingstoke and is in conjunction with Festival Place. Our tickets were supplied free of charge for the purposes of the review.

I (and Sophie!) were not expected to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are our own.

Review 2014: Queen Elizabeth Country Park

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 22nd August 2014 in Reviews of Days Out 1 Comment

Queen Elizabeth Country Park

About 50 minutes drive South from Basingstoke

I’ve been visiting Queen Elizabeth Country Park for as long as I can remember. I was born in Portsmouth and I remember we used to take the dog for a walk in the Country Park a lot.

It’s been strange going back there as an adult as it really hasn’t changed a bit!

Play

Queen Elizabeth Country Park is massive! There is so much to do that you can easily spend a day here.

There are lots of different sections to the park and lots of car parks dotted across the hill. We always drive to the top of the hill because it’s easier to avoid the crowds up here. You can park next to the Visitors centre but it’s always a bun fight for parking spaces.

For children aged eight and over there is an extensive range of equipment at the Adventure Play Trail near the Juniper BBQ site. Also for children under 8 years there is a range of animal themed play equipment in the Tots Play Area close to the Visitor Centre.

At the top car park there are great spots for picnics and lots of wooden play structures.

Unfortunately on this particular day I completely forgot to take photos without people in them. So you will need to take my word for it that there are lots and lots of wooden structures for children to play on! 😉

Other play

Play a family game or fly a kite in one of the fields on Butser Hill
Join our Little Squirrels group – Under 5’s themed walks
Ranger-led Woodland Birthday Parties
Ranger-led holiday activities
Caterpillar Crafts – Familly fun – see What’s On
Do some bark and leaf rubbings in the woodland

Tips

Get here early as it can get very busy on a nice sunny day.

If you are a mountain biker (Hi Matt!!! :-D) bring your bike so you can go for a ride as the trails here are really good.

Food

You can hire the BBQ’s at the top of the hill which we have done a few times now. There are 4 sites that you can hire.

You need to arrange them in advance and I think they are about £10 for two hours. Mr NHM organised it so I’m not exactly sure how much it costs.

There are a couple of really big BBQ areas that you can hire which also have covered shelters in case it rains.

The Visitors centre at the bottom of the hill is well equiped and has a cafe. The café opens 10am weekdays and 9.30am weekends and you can find a copy of the menu via the link at the top of this page.

At the top of the hill there is also a snack hut which sells ice creams, drinks and snacks.

Facilities

Are good. There are toilets at the top and bottom of the hill.

Baby Facilities

Mr NHM says that the baby changing facilities are good.

Parking

£1.50 per hour or £3 for the whole day.

Prices

Free!

Rating out of 5

5 out of 5 because we always have a brilliant time at this Country Park!

Review 2014: Dinton Pastures Country Park, Berkshire

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 25th July 2014 in Berkshire, Reviews of Days Out 1 Comment

Thank you very much to this week’s Secret Reviewer, Jo, for her fab review of Dinton Pastures!

Dinton Pastures

Davis Street, Hurst, RG10 0TH

Dinton Pastures Country Park covers just over 335 acres and has 7 lakes, 2 rivers, 3 public bird hides and meadows.

It offers scenic walks, wildlife watching, fishing, golf, orienteering, water sports and a large play area for children.

I have to be honest and say I have been visiting Dinton year in and year out since I was the same age as my children so it holds a special place in my heart as I have so many memories here!

Walks

Dinton is a lovely place to go walking and given the large number of lakes and footpaths you can make these as long or as short as you like really.

The wildlife trails are colour coded and signposted so you can follow these or wander to your hearts content if you prefer.

There is a short route marked for wheelchair and buggy access however in my experience if you have a robust pram/pushchair you should be able to follow any paths.

I have certainly had no trouble pushing my Phil & Teds Sport for miles around some lesser trodden tracks in the park although I wouldn’t attempt a longer walk with my Maclaren stroller.

The lakes are beautiful to walk round and I love them equally in the brilliant sunshine of spring & summer, the autumnal colours and the winter crispness.

There are plenty of benches at various points around the lakes to sit down & rest or take in the scenery and there are lots of places where the Ducks, Swans & Geese gather where you can feed them.

One word of warning, if you feed them at the main deck by the far end of the play park then it can become a bit like a scene from the birds.

The Swans & Geese are in large numbers here and are not frightened to surround you which can be very intimidating even as an adult let alone for small children!

I prefer to take our bread to a quieter point round the lake to feed the ducks there.

Play Area

In May this year the new play area was finally opened at Dinton (after delays due to the flooding earlier in the year) and boy was it well worth the wait!

The play space that has been created is nothing short of amazing! It features giant nest towers, swinging hanging logs, zip wires, funnel net trap, willow maze, a storytelling area & woodland obstacle course.

There are swings & slides and lots of sandpit areas.

At the far end closer to the lake is a woodland picnic area & den building structures plus a ‘hobbit’ tunnel and small trampoline suitable for toddlers.

There are other features such as a giants chair and dinosaur eggs to enthral your youngsters and really help their imagines run wild.

The only criticism I can make of this area is that it is so large that it can be very difficult to keep track of your little ones if you have more than one and for toddlers not all the equipment is suitable so you do need to be careful to keep tabs on them.

All in all though this is probably the best play area we have yet visited and there is no concrete in sight. I think it will keep my children entertained for many years to come.

Water Sports

The Dinton Activity Centre part way round Black Swan Lake offers a multitude of water sports including Sailing, Kayaking, Paddleboarding & Windsurfing.

For younger children they also offer pond dipping.

Advance booking is generally required for these activities.

Lots more information can be found on their website via WBC: http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/parks/countryside/dac/

If you are solely visiting for the DAC there is a separate car park which is generally a lot less busy.

Other Activities

Orienteering is available and you can pick up a pack from the café for 50p.

There is a Pay & Play 9 hole golf course (par 70 standard scratch) and clubs, trolleys & buggies are all available to hire again from the café.

For any keen bird watchers there are 3 bird hides available at various points around the park – bring your own binoculars!

Refreshments

Refreshments are available at The Dragonfly café next to the main car park. The café is lovely and has a vast amount of outdoor seating and an outside covered area plus plenty of space indoors too for when the weather isn’t so good.

They are very accommodating towards children & babies.

Prices are very reasonable and I can highly recommend the homemade cakes they serve.

Picnic Areas

There are plenty of picnic benches both inside and outside of the play area and there is also an abundance of green spaces which are perfect for a picnic blanket if the weather is good.

Toilets & Baby Changing Facilities

There are toilet facilities at the café, the rangers office in the main car park and at the Activity centre.

The facilities at the café are the nicest as you would probably expect.

You can access them without having to go through the café. Baby changing facilities are available in the disabled toilets and these are clean and adequate.

Parking

There is a decent sized car park at the main entrance which also has an overflow section if it does get busy.

Alternative parking is available at the Water sports centre or at the aviation museum.

If you use the aviation museum car park you are at the very far end of the country park about as far as you can be from the main entrance and play area and I would allow a good 30-40 minute walk to get there, though on the plus side parking is free in this car park.

Charges for the main car park & the activity centre car park are as follows:

Up to 1 hour – £1.20

1-4 hours – £2.00

Over 4 hours – £2.50

Summary

Dinton is a great place to visit with children of all ages (or even without children). Weather dependent you could spend anything from an hour to a whole day here quite happily.

Rating

5 out of 5

The new play area is worth this alone.

Review 2014: Marwell Wildlife

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 24th June 2014 in Reviews of Days Out, Walks 0 Comment

I am terribly remiss for not posting this up sooner. Unfortunately life got in the way, but better late than never!

This post is in conjunction with the recent review that I did on Giraffe at Festival Place. Thank you very much to Festival Place who organised this opportunity for my family!

Marwell Wildlife

I love Marwell. I’ve been visiting the zoo/park for over 30 years (Eek!).

I vividly remember the zoo, as it was, when the Tropical World was actually a Lion sanctuary. I must have been about 9 years old because my sister was 4 years old. The reason why I remember this so vividly was because there were signs all over the place warning you that the Lions could spray you (with wee!).

My sister had a brand new clothkits coat (the fashion in those days!), and she got too close to the Lions and got sprayed on. I may have laughed. A lot. It’s funny what you remember!

Anyyyyway, I’ve seen a lot of changes at Marwell over the years. I remember we used to go there on school trips, and when there used to be fairground rides next to the entrance, near the building that used to house the cafe.

I went to Marwell for a family outing just before I went to Canada on the Bunac program in 1993. I wasn’t planning to be back for my 21st birthday, so we celebrated at Marwell, in advance.

Marwell has also been important in recent years. It’s the place we took my Mum and Mr NHM’s parents, when they first met. We had a picnic at the far end of the Zoo and that’s when Mr NHM asked my Mum for her permission to marry me!

So, I was delighted when we were given the opportunity to visit Marwell and do a review. It’s been on my list of places to review for a while, so this gave me the motivation to get it done!

Unfortunately, the day we visited, the weather was appalling, but we still had a great time, despite getting drenched.

Several of the photo’s in this review were taken on the last time we visited Marwell, when the weather was much better.

We visited on the first day of the “Rise of the Dinosaurs” and it was great fun spotting the Dinosaurs throughout the park.

If your little one’s like Dinosaurs I TOTALLY recommend bringing them to Marwell to walk the adventure trail.

It runs from now until 2nd September, so all through the school holidays.

Play

There are LOTS of things to do at Marwell.

The park is huge and takes most of the day to walk around. There are lots and lots of animals to see.

We always start at the Penguin Cove. Miss NHM loves the penguins and it’s awesome how close you can get to them.

If you go behind Penguin Cove, there is a little cool play park. I might have a photo of Mr NHM with his head in this shark…

We then wander past the big cats. I’m quite proud of this photo of a cheetah that I took, but it’s not a patch on the ones I took when I was in Africa! lol.

We then walked up past the Rise of the Dinosaurs show stage and spent a lot of time looking at the Giraffe’s.

We then went to the African Valley house

Then we wandered up to see the Leopard

This time we didn’t eat at Cafe Graze but we’ve eaten here several times before and the food has always been good and reasonably priced.

We stopped for lunch at the Indoor Picnic area. This is my one criticism, the park was full of school children who all had packed lunches, so we couldn’t even get in the Indoor Picnic room as it’s quite small.

Given that it was chucking it down and we had Miss NHM with us, I wasn’t very impressed that we had to eat our lunch in the rain. We weren’t the only families who had to do this too.

So we ended up eating our picnic lunch trying to see the Tiger here:

After lunch we spent some time in the play park which is brilliant!

We then stopped to look at T-rex, but Miss NHM was a bit scared of him cause he kept roaring!

At the top of the park we stopped to see the Wallaby’s and Kookaburra’s

We also had a look at the playground near the Fur, Feathers and Scales area:

Then we stopped off at the Siamang Gibbons

We missed the lemurs this time, because the rain was dreadful, but I recommend checking them out as they are very cute and entertaining to watch.

We then went into the Tropical World because it was covered and warm. We had to tag team this though as pushchairs aren’t allowed in Tropical World.

Miss NHM loved looking at the bugs and we spent ages looking at the ants in their very long tunnel:

We finished our day at Marwell watching the Snow Leopards who are beautiful and I was quite proud that I managed to get a good shot of them, despite the rain:

We completely missed the road train and the rail train this time, but I’ve done the road train before and it was fab!

Unfortunately, because of the weather, we missed quite a lot of what is available at Marwell. However, we still had a brilliant time and Marwell will always have a special place in my heart!

Tips

Marwell is massive, so take your pushchair. As mentioned above, you can get the road train and the rail train but there will still be lots of walking involved.

It can get VERY busy at the weekend and during the holidays, so plan to start your day early to avoid the crowds, although the do disperse the further into the zoo you go.

Try going in the opposite direction to everyone else, going anti-clockwise around the park.

Buy your tickets online in advance and avoid the queues.

Upon entering the Park pick up one of our “lost child” stickers, add your mobile number and place it on your child’s back, where they cannot reach it with their hand.

Little ones can take scooters but the use of scooters is now limited to children under 42 inches tall.

For a much more comprehensive list of tips, check out Marwell’s top tips HERE.

Food

There are several areas to eat throughout Marwell. Click HERE for more details.

Is a bit expensive but it’s always been good quality when I’ve eaten there. The picture below shows the cost of the Hot Dogs at Bushtucker.

Facilities

Are always excellent.

Baby Facilities

There are baby facilities throughout the park.

At Cafe graze there is a microwave to heat up baby food.

Parking

Is free and there is lots of it! However, it isn’t on tarmac.

Prices

Considering that you can easily spend two days at Marwell with all that is going on, I feel that the price is very reasonable.

If you can afford annual membership, this is a total bargain as you would cover the cost in three visits.

Rating out of 5

I’ve given Marwell 4.9 out of 5. I love Marwell and really wanted to give it 5 out of 5.

However, as we had to eat our lunch in the pouring rain with a pre-schooler, this wasn’t much fun. Hence the 0.1 being taken off.

I think this is very generous considering we had to eat our lunch standing up! lol.

If you do visit Marwell after reading this review, don’t forget to tell them (like any reviews you read on NHM) that you are visiting because you read the review.

Disclaimer: This post is a review of Marwell Wildlife in conjunction with Festival Place. Our entry was supplied free of charge for the purposes of the review. I was not expected to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are my own.

Review 2014: California Country Park, Finchampstead

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 25th April 2014 in Berkshire, Reviews of Days Out 0 Comment

Another fab review by one of our lovely Secret Reviewers!

Thank you Secret Reviewer! 😀

California Country Park

Nine Mile Ride, Finchampstead, RG40 4HT

California Country Park covers 40 hectares and is set within 100 acres of ancient bogland and lowland heath. It offers scenic walks, wildlife watching, fishing and more.

Play

There is a lovely children’s play area next to the main car park. It has plenty of climbing ropes, balancing logs and a small zip wire suitable for pre-schoolers as well as slightly older children.

There are couple of swings and slides for babies & toddlers and a pirate climbing frame with larger slide that my son loved.

The play area is probably most suitable up to the age of about 7 years.

Paddling Pool

Within the play area is a fenced off paddling pool. This was still closed when we visited but is open in the summer months and I think it would be a great hit with children of all ages. It looked a grubby at the moment but sure once it is cleaned up & filled and the sun is out you could easily bring a picnic and spend the whole day here.

Walks

There is a short walk of 0.9miles around Longmoor Lake or if you want to go a bit further you can do the Woodland Walk which is 2.2miles long. We did both and my 2.5 year old managed to walk the whole way as he was very interested in picking up sticks and batting them through the long grass on the Woodland Walk.

The longer walk takes you through the 8,000 year old Longmoor Bog on a specially constructed boardwalk. This was great for pushchairs and my son who loved running up and down the boardwalk. There are a few areas before and after the boardwalk that are still quite boggy and wellies would probably be advisable especially if you have children like mine who love nothing better to run and jump in mud at the first opportunity!

The shorter walk round the lake was very pleasant and tranquil as there weren’t too many other people about. We stopped at lots to look at the ducks and for my son to swirl the water with the sticks he had collected on the Woodland Walk.

Refreshments

Unfortunately the California Dreaming Café has been closed down and there are no other café facilities at present. There was a note in the window saying that the Council were looking to provide a permanent replacement in Spring 2014 so hopefully the café will reopen in some form or another soon.

In the meantime make sure you take drinks and food with you.

Picnic Areas

There were only 4 picnic benches that I spotted but there is plenty of grassy areas both inside and outside of the play area which would be lovely to sit with a picnic blanket if you couldn’t get a bench.

Toilets & Baby Changing Facilities

Despite the café closure the café toilet facilities are still open between 10am & 4pm.

The disabled toilet has enough space for a double buggy and a pull down baby changing mat with straps. The light wasn’t working when we used it so it was pitch black which wasn’t very helpful.

The Ladies has 4 stalls and a bench area that you could put your own changing mat on.

If the weather is nice I would suggest changing baby on the grass is probably easier. The toilets were fairly clean but not brilliant.

Parking

There is a small car park area next to the old café building and play area and if this is full there is plenty of additional parking a short walk away. Make sure you have the right change whilst the café is shut as there is no means of getting it otherwise (unless you bump into a kind person like me who gives you their remaining ticket). Charges are as follows:

Up to 1 hour – £1.20

1-4 hours – £1.80

Over 4 hours – £2.40

Summary

This is a lovely place to visit for a couple of hours if the weather is nice (or more if you take a picnic). And I suspect it would be a good days entertainment in hot weather when the pool is open.

Rating

3.5 out of 5 – Only due to the lack of cafe facilities

Review 2014: Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 22nd April 2014 in Reviews of Days Out 0 Comment

Today’s review by me (Louise) is: Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway

Exbury Gardens are in the New Forest, near Beaulieu and just 20 minutes from junction 2 of the M27, near Southampton.

It’s about a 50 minute drive from Basingstoke.

The Gardens postcode is SO45 1AZ

Play: Gardens

We went to Exbury Gardens a couple of weeks ago, when the weather was a bit drizzly and pants. We had a fabulous time though!

The Gardens are HUGE! There are over 200 acres. We only saw a fraction of the gardens in the 4 hours that we were here. I would have loved to have stayed longer, but Miss NHM was getting to meltdown point as she was tired.

We had a picnic whilst we were there and were very lucky because it didn’t rain and we had the picnic area to ourselves.

We spent some time wandering through the gardens.

We wandered over to the Five Arrows Gallery to see the display that was currently showing. Miss NHM really liked looking at the pretend birds and I loved the pretend Humming birds. She wanted to touch everything though, so be warned that your little ones might want to run riot in here too! lol.

The seating outside the Five Arrows Gallery looked lovely but it wasn’t appropriate weather to sit out.

We also spent some time in the new Play Area that has just opened which is fabulous!

As you can see, we mostly had it to ourselves for over an hour!

Play: Steam Train

The Steam Train journey was AWESOME! One of the best I’ve ever been on.

It last’s for just over 30 minutes and goes through a viaduct, bridge, tunnel and there are LOTS of things to see on the way.

The train stops at a small station halfway through your journey and the Guard gave us a short talk about the gardens, which I found fascinating (turning into my Mother. No comment!!!).

Miss NHM even got to wave the guard flag on the return journey! I was far more excited about this than she was! lol.

The Guard advised that the best time to Exbury Gardens is in May, when the Rhodedendrons are out. I’d also love to go back in the autumn as I bet the colours are stunning.

We had a brilliant day out and the gardens and steam train were much better than I expected!

Tips

Book your tickets in advance online as they are cheaper.

Take a picnic with you.

Check the train times before you leave reception so you know which times the train is running.

Watch out for the geriatrics. They are everywhere! lol. Hence it’s a great place to take Grandparents who love gardens ;-).

The M27 can be busy on weekends, so take this into consideration for your travel time.

Food

We had hot chocolate and cake in the Cafe onsite, Mr Eddy’s Tea Room just before we left.

It was good but expensive so I’m glad we took a picnic with us for lunch.

Facilities

The toilets are in excellent condition. They even have Dyson hand dryers and everything is electric, including the soap!

There are also Dog water bowls next to the toilets.

Baby Facilities

Even the gents in the middle of nowhere has baby changing facilities!!!! Mr NHM confirmed that they were also in excellent condition.

The Seats inside the engine shed could be good for breastfeeding if it’s raining and you are looking for a bit of privacy. Could be a bit cold though.

Parking

Gravel Parking but there is LOADS of it.

Prices

There is no doubt that it’s expensive getting access to the gardens and the steam train, however the family ticket was very reasonable and would have been worth it if we had another child.

Gardens & Train: It was £15 for an adult and £6 for a child aged 3-15 years. For a family ticket (2 adults and 3 children) it is £38.75.

Gardens Only: £11 for an adult and£3 for children aged 3-15 years. For a family ticket (2 adults and 3 children) it’s £24.75.

Children under 3 were free for both Gardens & Train or Garden only.

However, if you buy your tickets online in advance, you do get a discount.

Rating out of 5: 4.9

The rating is just under 5 because it’s expensive. Otherwise, we had an absolutely brilliant day out and I was very impressed with the facilities.

The best time to come is May but keep an eye on when flowers are blooming at home as this will give you an indication of precisely the best time to visit Exbury.

Review 2014: Legoland

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on 17th April 2014 in Berkshire, Reviews of Days Out 0 Comment

Another Secret Review for you today. I was a bit reticent taking Miss NHM to Legoland, but having read this review, I’ve changed my mind!

Great tips on when to buy passes. Thank you Secret Reviewer, whoever you are! 😀

Legoland

For the last year we have been enjoying some really nice days out at Legoland with our just turned 3 year Monkey, my husband and myself on our Legoland annual passes courtesy of supermarket points schemes.

We have spent a lot of our visits in Duplo Valley which is a perfect area for Toddlers. We’ve been visiting since he was 2 and we’ve always felt we have had value for money. Some of our favourite rides in the park have been:

Fairy Tale brook (any height is ok)
A gentle boat ride. The queue goes quite quickly for this ride.

Duplo Valley Airport (Riders must be 90cm and above)
A mini helicopter that goes up and down and turns around. You control the speed and height with your own controls. This ride is hidden away in a corner so the queue is not that bad.

Brickville Play Village
Lots of things to climb on and play on. Princess castles, bake shop, fire stations and police stations. No queue time just run in to play.

Duplo Theatre Puppet show (any height is ok)
Covered over auditorium with rows of low benches. You can always see from the back if the benches are full.

Atlantis submarine ride (any height is ok)
We love this ride in a submarine through an aquarium. It’s a popular ride so try this ride as early as possible as it’s always a long queue.

Dino Safari (Riders must be 90cm and above)
Ride along in a jeep on a track to see lots of big lego dinosaurs. The queue for this ride is usually quite quick and one of our favs.

Orient expedition train ride (any height is ok)
Train ride around a section of the park. A firm favourite for all the family.

Boating School (any height is ok)
A ride in a battery powered boat around a water track. Try this ride as early as possible as it’s always a long queue.

Dragons apprentice Mini roller coaster (Riders must be 90cm and above)
A new one for us last weekend. It’s a fast bendy ride. I was worried it was a step too far for monkey when we riding but at the end he sat there and clapped his hands in delight.

I found the best time to visit is a week day during term time, you can pretty much walk on to any ride you choose. During Summer holiday weekends the park is heaving. What we have tried doing is going to the park late afternoon and making use of the park until closing time, this only works if you have a pass though.

In the two blocks of toilets I checked out at the park the toilets by Dino Safari were the best. They have lockable cubicles which have a fold down changer, sink and toilet. The toilets by the Pirate lake only has 2 baby changing areas which are built in to the same unit as the row of sinks. So you do the change in the communal area.

I would really recommend taking a picnic for your trip. The cost of food and drink in the park is super expensive. In fact anything you buy when you are in the park is expensive even with pass holder discounts. Luckily for us our monkey doesn’t ask us for much from the shops but if you have older children who do ask it could be an expensive day out for you. I did think I could pick up some cheap Duplo in the main gift shop but to be honest the prices are not that dissimilar to my beloved Amazon. Bank machines are available inside the park at the entrance.

If you want to buy any pictures from your rides Legoland are offering this year a photo pass. It’s £20 for 4 pictures which you can spread over the course of multiple visits, otherwise it’s £10 for one photo.

Our monkey had a phase of not wanting to sit in his push chair but wants to be carried instead. We have been hiring a plastic push cart for him outside the main gift shop which has a play steering wheel, sun shade and a drinks holder. He quite happily hops in and out of it and saves our arms and backs! There are single or double push carts to hire.

Legoland is expensive to attend for just a day visit. But if you think of it as an investment purchase it can work out cheaper. We bought an annual ticket to Legoland through Tesco Clubcard voucher deals which this year costs £28 of Clubcard points for an Adult. We were then sent a voucher which we cashed in as a photo ID pass on our first visit to Legoland. The pass also gives us free parking and 10% discount in the restaurants (not food kiosks) and gift shops. If your monkey or princess is under 3 they can get in for free.

An annual pass online with Legoland direct is £99 inc 10% discount. But keep an eye out for their sales, during 2013 there were sales in January and July. There are deals in national newspapers at certain times of the year for Legoland tickets so it’s a question of waiting for the right deal for you.

It takes 45 minutes to reach Legoland from Basingstoke via the M3.

Post code for your sat nav is SL4 4AY.

The Legoland website says please follow the brown signs when visiting as the post code does send some sat nav users to a residential street.