North East Family Fun

Is my daughter a mini-me?

My 5 year old daughter Heidi certainly shares A LOT of my personality traits - she is stubborn, a people pleaser and always tries her best just like her mammy! I see myself in her every single day. We even have matching mum and daughter loafers from MyLoafers.

I arrived at the conclusion that I don't dress Heidi like myself at all. Heidi is way more stylish than I am (and has a lot more money spent on her outfits than I do). I always think she looks gorgeous but I do wonder if she'll look back on this blog in years to come and ask me what on earth I was thinking dressing her the way I do (as I do when I look back at old photographs of myself - see below).

Looking at photo's of myself with Heidi - I don't think she is my mini me:-

However when my own mum noticed Heidi wearing these Startrite buckle shoes she swears I had the exact same shoes when I was Heidi's age so maybe I dress Heidi more like a mini me than I thought?

What do you think? Is Heidi my mini-me? Do you and your daughter dress the same? I would love to hear your thoughts.

This post has been written in collaboration with Charles Clinkard, you can view their collection of startrite shoes here.

A stay at Kestrel Cottage

A few weeks ago I spent the most perfect evening catching up with the girls in Kestrel Cottage which is situated on the award winning Beacon Hill Farm in the heart of Northumberland. We all had such a wonderful stay and I can't wait to tell you all about it.

Arrival

We relied on our trusty Sat Nav to take us to our destination. We found Beacon Hill Farm without any problem. It is in a very remote area of Northumberland which means uninterrupted Countryside views. Perfect.

We were sent detailed arrival instructions prior to our stay and were instructed that Chris would meet us at our cottage. As we pulled up outside he was there to personally greet us which was nice. We were given a guided tour of our impressive cottage then Chris lit our wood burning stove for us and asked if he could pop back in half an hour once we had settled in.

Right on cue, Chris knocked on our door 30 minutes later and explained that all guests are invited to climb aboard his golf buggy and are given a private tour of the farm on their first day. We didn't expect this and it was definitely a lovely touch which gives you the chance to ask any questions about your stay. The farm is beautiful with never-ending countryside views and it's own private lake and woodland. I was excited to hear about plans to build their own shepherd's huts on part of the unused farm land. Everyone knows I love a bit of glamping and I think Beacon Hill Farm will be a fantastic location for this.

During our golf buggy tour we noticed lots of outdoor leisure facilities including an adventure playground for children, a tennis court, croquet lawn, cricket pitch, football pitch.......pretty much everything and more you could ask for from a luxury family holiday. We were very impressed.

Our tour ended at the spa (more about that later) and we were shown around the amazing facilities before Chris left us to enjoy our stay.

The Cottage

All of the 15 holiday cottages at Beacon Hill Farm have been awarded a Gold award by Visit Britain which puts them top of the list nationally for self catering cottages. The award recognises Gold standard quality and customer service so expect nothing but the best!

We were booked to stay in the stone-built Kestrel cottage (sleeps 6) which has been adapted to meet a mobility M2 accesibility grading for disabled guests (the cottage includes ramp access, widened doors and accessible bathroom amongst other features).

I just LOVED our private garden terrace with wonderful views. Although it was chilly during our stay I could not resist an al-fresco coffee with a magazine. There is an abundance of wildlife around the farm and it is wonderful to sit and watch the birds (or maybe I'm getting old!). Really though, we all lead such busy lives and being able to sit in the countryside with nothing but the noise of birds tweeting is like some sort of heaven!

Our living room was warm and cozy with it's own wood burning stove and lots of mod-cons including iphone docking stations, wifi and digital tv. Again though the best part of this room was the absolutely gorgeous views through the oversized windows.

There are three bedrooms and three bathrooms in Kestrel cottage which made it perfect for a group of girls. I grabbed the master suite and have to say it was one of the best night's sleep I have ever enjoyed.

Luxury Self Catering

Although you are only a few miles from the A1, you really feel as if you are in the middle of nowhere and Beacon Hill Farm have really ensured you have everything you need for your stay. We were greeted with a complimentary bottle of wine and a few local products on arrival (always nice!) and a fully stocked hospitality tray.

There are a few options for dining including restaurant food delivered to your cottage, pre-ordered local food, dinner party catering, supermarket deliveries and tapas in a box. Beacon Hill really do go above and beyond don't they! There are lots of fantastic restaurants and pubs to enjoy in Northumberland should you want to eat out (there are also lots of personal recommendations in your cottage welcome pack) and taxis can be arranged if needed.

We weren't sure what time we were going to eat so had decided to prepare afternoon tea between us - everyone brought one component and we found the cottage kitchen to be more than equipped for our needs. There was even a dishwasher so we didn't need to worry about the washing up.

A wonderful Countryside retreat

I honestly don't know how you could fail to relax at Beacon Hill Farm.

The Gym, Spa and Pool

One of the big advantages of staying at Beacon Hill Farm is that you get unlimited access to top class spa facilities from 7am-9pm 7 days a week included in your stay at no additional cost. There is a pool, steam room, Canadian redwood sauna, gorgeous laconium therapy room, jacuzzi, gym (which is being completely refurbished in time for Easter), orangery, garden room and beauty salon. The spa is just the most relaxing place to be and most of the rooms feature gorgeous views. You can help yourself to unlimited tea, coffee and water too which is nice.

The spa is next door to a well equipped games room featuring pool tables, air hockey, table football and more. This is perfect for stressed out mum and dads who can let their teens chill here for a bit whilst they sneak off to the spa. It should be mentioned that children are welcome to use the spa (swimming lessons are even offered) however the layout of the spa means that adults can still relax in the over 16's areas separately so if you are after some child-free time this shouldn't be a problem.

We enjoyed the spa so much that I blogged separately about our visit here:- Beacon Hill Farm Spa

Things to Do

There is one thing I am certain of, you will never be bored at Beacon Hill Farm! There is a comprehensive local guide full of recommendations of where to visit in every cottage and there is always plenty to see and do in Northumberland. Staying on the farm though, here are just a few of the activities you can enjoy:-

Private fishing on Meg's lake
40 acres of private woodland to explore (it is the sort of place where you are encouraged to build fires and cook sausages outdoors)
Bird watching with over 90 species of bird being spotted on the farm
Pamper days at Beacon Hill Spa
Adventure playground
Indoor games room
Outdoor park and sports pitches
A Harry Potter trail through the woods
Lake Swimming in the Summer
Cycling

Or maybe like me, you just like to curl up in front of the fire with a good book (from which there are plenty to choose from).

I can hand on heart say I have never stayed anywhere quite like Beacon Hill Farm. Alun and Chris really do go above and beyond and definitely deserve their gold award. Every little detail of your stay has been taken care of and thought about meaning that all you have to worry about is relaxing and enjoying yourself. My only regret is that I didn't take our children - I know they would have loved all of the freedom and outdoor space that the farm offers. This is a good excuse to book up again soon though I think!

We were provided with a complimentary stay for the purpose of this review. Don't just take our word for it though, check out Beacon Hill Farm's 5 star reviews and certificate of excellence on tripadvisor.

http://www.beaconhill.co.uk/

If you enjoy reading our travel reviews, we would love you to nominate us for a Brilliance in Blogging Travel Award.

Follow North East Family Fun on Facebook

Wine and Dine at The Vermont Hotel

Part of the reason I love blogging is the lovely new people you meet and friends that you make. After chatting with our other halves at The Botanist launch, Chloe from New Girl in Toon suggested a double date. We thought this was a lovely idea but that lead to a huge problem - where to go! It's bad enough when there is just one blogger trying to decide, never mind two! After emailing back and forth for several weeks we finally settled on The Bridge Brasserie at The Vermont Hotel. Chloe has previously visited during restaurant week and for afternoon tea and was still keen to return which speaks volumes about the place. I had never set foot in the building (unless you count Martha's Bar in my younger days) but was very impressed when our taxi pulled up outside.

The Vermont Hotel is my kind of hotel - they do things properly here. The door was opened for us as we entered the hotel lobby and we were directed towards The Bridge Brasserie.

Photo Source - New Girl In Toon

The brasserie is lovely - it has an elegant yet relaxed atmosphere and feels like somewhere special.

Just look at these magnificent views! We were lucky enough to be seated near the window. Our table was most definitely the perfect spot for a date night in Newcastle (where we ended up taking about our favourite places in Newcastle).

Chloe had recommended the hotel's 'Wine and Dine' deal. Three courses and a bottle of wine for two people for £59 (please note this is now £69). This proved to be excellent value - the quality of the food, service and wine were all second to none.

Winter Salad

Slow roast beef with mustard mash and wilted spinach

Lime Cheesecake

Apple Crumble and Vanilla Custard

Now I must admit to a HUGE blogging fail here - I normally take a quick snap of the menu on the night to remember the fantastic descriptions of what we've eaten - I wasn't sure if I was going to blog our meal or not (but then had to as it was just lovely) so I didn't do this! You can take my word for it though, all of our food was of the highest quality, full of flavour and beautifully presented.

Service throughout our meal was discrete yet attentive. The staff were knowledgeable about their menu and confident enough to make recommendations (why can't all staff be like this!). The Vermont seems like the sort of place that will remember you if you return which is a rarity these days. We were recommended to try the Vermont's afternoon tea - Steve's ears pricked up at the mention of Gentleman's Afternoon tea (think Scotch egg, mini vermont burger, ploughmans pork pie and a pint of Wylam ale) so we will no doubt be returning sooner rather than later.

Thank you to Chloe, Simon and the Vermont for a wonderful evening.

Tynemouth Priory

When we were staying at Martineau Guest house in Tynemouth last December, our room offered spectacular views of Tynemouth Priory. It was then that I realised I had never actually paid the priory a visit so when we started planning our Mother's Day weekend in Tynemouth, a trip to the priory was top of our list.

We hadn't read anything about the priory before and just thought it would be a nice place to walk around for a few hours and re-live history. It turns out there is lots more to discover and enjoy than we imagined including:-

A Life in the stronghold exhibition
A beautiful 13th Century chapel
A newly restored gun battery
Fantastic views across the North Sea

The Priory and Castle

The Priory and Castle are the perfect place for families to explore. Our children loved running around, reading the signs and climbing over walls. You can climb right to the top of the castle where the views from around are spectacular.

A Life in the stronghold exhibition

There is a lovely small interactive exhibition in the Warrant Officer's house which allows visitors to discover Tynemouth from it's Anglo Saxon routes right up to it's importance in World War II. Children can dress up as monk, listen to recordings, play games, complete fact sheets and borrow a book from the book box (Heidi loved the 'How to be a Princess' guide). For such a small space, there is lots to do and discover.

13th Century Chapel

The Chapel may have been my favourite part of our visit. It was peaceful, tranquil and full of history. The stained glass windows were gorgeous.

Gun Battery

Our children adored the Gun battery and accompanying underground exhibition. History was really brought to life as we walked through the underground bunkers. I had no idea this was here but there is lots to learn about WWI and WWII.

Fantastic views across the North sea

There are plenty of spots to stop for a picnic and enjoy the stunning Coastal views. We will definitely be returning in the Summer to do just that.

Family Fun and educational

We spent almost three hours at the priory. This was the first time our five year old daughter has been able to perfectly read information signs that were dotted around places of interest and it really did capture her imagination. We enjoyed learning about the World War's and the history of Tynemouth.

All you need to know

Tynemouth Priory is open 10am to 4pm on weekends only until 27th March.
From 28th March - 30th September it is open daily from 10am-6pm.
Entry is £4.90 per adult and £2.90 for children. Under 5's are free.
Tynemouth Priory is managed by English Heritage, if you are a member, entry is free!
The Priory is dog friendly (on leads)

There is no on-site catering but picnics are welcome and you are just two minutes away from a huge selection of restaurants, pubs, cafes and bars on Tynemouth Front street.