August 2020 Round Up
August 2020 Round Up.
August started on a more positive note, with our first weekend away this year. A family member of mine has a caravan in Welshpool and had loaned it to us for a long weekend. The site is small and quiet, mostly for those who stay long term. We explored locally and generally chilled out.
Montgomery Castle
Our first visit was to Montgomery castle, in the small little village of Montgomery. I mean, you can’t go to Wales without visiting a castle! Unassuming, yet good for exploration, the kids enjoyed reading the information boards dotted around and soaked in some Welsh countryside views.
Mitchells Fold
The next day, we trotted up to an English Heritage site called Mitchell’s fold stone circle. Free parking and trails to nowhere are the perfect day out for us. The kids are able to run freely, the space is open wide and we are able to blow away some cobwebs. After our trek out into the hills, we ventured down to Welshpool and had a mooch around the shops. Social distancing of course, but we didn’t stay too long as we aren’t quite used to mingling around people just yet.
Beach Day
Our last day was with family. They were staying over in Twywn so we met up with them and had a walk to the beach. Again, being in Wales means you have to do two things. Castles and Beaches! The kids played with their cousins, us adults chilled out and enjoyed the sunshine. And best of all, because they hail from there originally, they knew the best place to go on the beach. We walked through to an estuary and had a lovely section all to ourselves. Complete with rock pools for shrimp excavation and crab hunting.
Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre
As the school holidays are in full swing, I arranged to visit a few places with my brother and his children, to get ourselves out of the house. We headed to the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre. This is a free day out, with only a donation for parking. There is a mammoth replica on display which fascinated the kids and a fantastic exhibit on how the remains were found and the process on which they got there. Outside of the exhibition centre, there are trails to follow. I must admit, they were overgrown and a bridge was broken, meaning we couldn’t get through very well. My brother has a pushchair and I thought the routes would be accessible. It was a nice day overall but I do think that the routes could have been better maintained.
Due to the fantastic weather we have been having, I purchased a swimming pool for the kids (and me!) to cool off in. We spent some time in the garden topping up our tans and having a splashing good time.
Badger Dingle
As Dad is still at work during the week I try and keep it local with the kids so we sourced a place that promised waterfalls and trails. Badger Dingle is tucked away just outside of Bridgnorth and gave us just that. Even though it had rained and we hadn’t brought towels or a change of clothes, the kids jumped straight in the water after removing their socks and shoes. The trail is small but entertaining, with follies to find and an ice house to discover.
A failed attempt at going to Haughmond Hill meant we ended up in Apley Woods. I got caught in horrific weather on the motorway and ended up diverting back on myself. We abandoned our initial plans and headed to the woods on the back of a recommendation from my mom. The woods are small but gave us enough freedom to run around in the rain!
A Birthday!
Finley turned eight and we did the best we could to celebrate. He enjoyed himself on his new trampoline and spent the best part of a day bouncing around!
To round off August, we booked a camping trip to the Cotswolds. To have a break and test out our new #gifted tent from OLPRO. We enjoyed exploring a new area, but did get caught in the winds. I think I’ll leave that for another blog post though!
Back To Normal
September is rolling in and normality will resume. Oliver is starting a new chapter of his life, in senior school and we will hopefully settle in to a regular routine.
We shall go back to our Sunday expeditions and annual leave planning!
I hope you are all well and have survived the 6 week holidays in one piece.
August 2020 Round Up
