Traditional Fairground Fun with Gore-Tex Footwear

The problem with the weather in September is that you never know what to expect. It can be sunny and hot one minute and snowing the next. You just never know! We decided to take a chance and enjoy the changing of the seasons with a trip to the traditional 1900's funfair at Beamish in Durham.

I don't know if you've ever been on a traditional carousel but it was fascinating watching this one that was actually powered by coal and fire.

Next up was the coconut shy - 50p for 3 turns and the winner was awarded with their very own coconut!

Although it wasn't raining, the ground was wet and muddy and there was a definite chill in the air. It wasn't really suitable to wear our wellies to Beamish but our Gore-Tex footwear was up to the job. Using their GORE-TEX SURROUND technology they ensured our children's feet were at the correct temperature and stayed dry and warm at all times. 

We had a lovely time at the traditional Beamish fair and are pleased we are still managing to play outside despite the plummeting temperatures and rain. I would definitely encourage all families to do the same.

5 money saving tips for your family holiday

1. Flexibility is Key
For families with children in school, being flexible about holiday dates can be tricky, as they can't control term times. However, it is still possible to be flexible about destinations. By checking out package holiday deals, sites that list cheap flights, and hotel sales, as well as when it's cheapest to fly, it's totally possible to piece together a cheap family trip somewhere sunny. If travellers are willing to consider multiple destinations -especially at the last minute when package tours are cheapest- they could be on to a budget-friendly trip to boast about. Flying out midweek is often cheaper.

2. Use A Travel Agent
Strange to admit in a world where we do so much online, but a travel agent can really help travellers to find a good deal. Talk to them about budget, family situation, and what's required from the holiday, and they can often help to find something more quickly and cheaply than by looking at the overwhelming amount of info online. Being travel experts, they might also be able to suggest a destination or a way of travelling (such as a cruise) that might not have occurred to holiday makers, and at a great rate, too. Booking online can still turn up great deals though lastminute travel voucher codes such as those offered by couporando can make travellers a healthy saving when booking their next getaway.

3. Alternative Accommodation
When travelling with a large group, it will almost definitely be cheaper per head to rent a cottage or villa than staying in a hotel (and as a bonus, groups might even have exclusive use of a pool or other amenities). Camping and caravanning can also be budget-friendly, and don't forget the rise of sites such as Airbnb, where holidaymakers can stay in a local's house -either with them there or while they're away- for a fraction of the price of even a midrange hotel. Equally, money can be made by families by renting out their property while they're away. Youth hostels can also offer great deals- the YHA in the UK is normally quite family-friendly, while family rooms in hostels are quite commonplace in countries such as Germany and Austria.

4. Free Walking Tours
Just about every major city will have companies offering these- just google to check out your options ahead of time. It can be a nice way to meet like-minded others, too. Walking tours are free for different reasons: sometimes companies ask new employees to do their free tours as a way of them gaining experience. Although the tour's free, most guides will appreciate a small tip, and perhaps that's the only way they'll make money. So be generous- and it's still much cheaper than an expensive commercial tour.

5. Cost of Flights Vs. Cost of Living
If a short-haul holiday is a necessity, there are some surprisingly cheap places to travel within Europe. While western Europe is pretty expensive, head east for some surprisingly good deals. Bulgaria, for instance, has amazing weather in the summer and travellers can soak up the sun on the Black Sea while staying somewhere comfortable and indulging in cocktails without breaking the bank. Even a 5* hotel in Prague will cost less than even a very modest hotel in London or Paris, plus the capital of the Czech Republic has lots to offer in terms of culture and history. If it's possible to travel further afield, while the flights are pricier, countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos are all very cheap to spend time in. 

Visiting Stonehenge with children (and making the journey from the North East)

People said we were mad travelling to Stonehenge and back from the North East with three children but it has been on my bucket list forever and this Summer seemed like the best time to visit. Luckily, our children travel well so we set off after breakfast on a sunny Wednesday morning.

I am always looking for alternatives to service stations to stop and this time we decided to stop at Bolsover Castle near Chesterfield for lunch. We spent a good few hours here and left feeling rested and ready to continue our journey,

Unfortunately, the next part of our journey to YHA Cholderton hit rush hour and the motorways were at a standstill on more than one occasion. We survived though and checked into YHA Cholderton at around 8pm before heading to a local pub for dinner and enjoying an early night.

We woke early the next morning and spent some time exploring Cholderton Charlie's farm and watching the animals as they woke for breakfast. Admission to the farm park is free if you are staying at the Youth Hostel which was a huge plus point for us.

We headed to a local farm shop a few miles up the road for a hearty breakfast before making our way to Stonehenge. Tickets to Stonehenge are time allocated (pre-book online here) and we had booked to visit at 10am. The journey was straight forward and took less than 10 minutes from YHA Cholderton. I think it pays to visit earlier in the morning as after lunch the queues did seem to be considerably longer as we were leaving at around 1pm.

It is free to enter Stonehenge if you are an English Heritage member as we are (if not - it is soooo worth signing up). Or you can pay £41.60 per family including gift aid. It also costs £5 to park if you haven't pre-booked although this will be reimbursed when you buy your tickets.

The actual Stonehenge site is about 2 miles from the entrance - you can walk this which is recommended to gain perspective. It was raining though and we had three kids with us so we opted to take the free shuttle bus which leave every 10 minutes or so.

I knew there would be crowds and I didn't expect to be able to take any photographs without people in them - the pathways around the henge have been cleverly designed though and this is perfectly possible. There were lots of people with selfie sticks (erm us included) and stopping to take photos but there was room for everyone.

Stonehenge was really spiritual and definitely had some magic about it. It was definitely worth the journey. I would visit again if I was in the area - it really is special.

Below is an example of how busy it was at around 10:30am in the school holidays in August.

I just LOVE this shot of an impromptu hug between H&H

Although you cannot walk amongst the stones (unless you book on a special event) as the path snakes around you do actually get quite close.

After our leisurely stroll around the stones, stopping to read the information signs that were dotted about and looking at points of interest we hopped back on the bus towards the visitor centre. 

We wandered around the Neolithic houses and imagined what life was like 4500 years ago. 

We imagined how the stones would have been transported.

And even had a go at moving one ourself (we needed 95 more men).

Then it was into the indoor exhibition which is small but full of information. We loved this immersive cinema screen which showed us the history of Stonehenge through time and different seasons.

Of course we exited through the gift shop which wasn't too extortionate (fridge magnet £3.50 and mousemat £8). Harry had been learning about Stonehenge at school and knew that Woodhenge was close by so we decided to pop in - after all we had travelled this far! Woodhenge is only 2 miles away from Stonehenge and considering how busy Stonehenge was we couldn't believe it when we found Woodhenge to be deserted! Woodhenge is completely free to visit and is said to date back to 2300 BC. The original markers are no longer in place but have been replaced with wooden markers so you can get a sense of what it was like. There are information posts for you to read too and we were amazed to learn that originally the wooden posts were 9 metres tall! Amazing! After not being able to walk amongst the stones at Stonehenge (without sounding too crazy) it was wonderful to be able to run around Woodhenge - if you visit Stonehenge, don't forget about this gem too!

After our morning at Stonehenge we had built up an appetite so decided to drive an hour North to Oxford and stop for lunch. I had high hopes for Oxford and in my head I expected it to be like gorgeous York. Unfortunately, I was left un-impressed. It was just like any other high street and didn't have any of the charm I was expecting at all. Boooo! We did enjoy our lunch at the museum of modern art though - a nice healthy salad for us and Jack had the biggest cookie known to man for his pudding.

After our late lunch and a rather disappointing trip to Oxford we headed North towards YHA Sherwood forest. We arrived at around 7pm and popped to the local Chinese takeaway for supper which we enjoyed in the communal dining room. We were very lucky that our room had it's own private terrace so we enjoyed sitting outside as the sun went down and the kids practised their cartwheels before settling down for the night.

After a wonderful night's sleep at the YHA Sherwood Forest we enjoyed a cooked and continental breakfast (available at additional cost) before driving back home to Northumberland. Our whole trip took less than 60 hours! I can hand on heart say that it was completely worth it. Stonehenge is unmissable! I would urge everyone to make the trip and see it at least once in their life. If we can survive it with three children in budget accommodation, I'm sure anyone can! In our school, children learn about Stonehenge in year 3 so it was fantastic to be able to take our children and let them see Stonehenge with their own eyes - they loved it too and it was definitely a highlight from our Summer.

Buddha Lounge Tynemouth - A review

As posted over on Life As Mrs R last month, this year is 'the year of me' and part of that plan is to make time for lunch dates with my husband Steve. We have a huge list of places to visit however when photographs continuously popped up on my facebook feed from the newly opened Buddha Lounge in Tynemouth, I knew this had to be our next place to try. We booked a table for lunch on a rainy Monday afternoon.

Buddha Lounge is situated on Front Street Tynemouth (in the building that used to be Lorelei's home) and I was shocked to see the transformation. There has been a lot of attention to detail to transform the already beautiful space into something even more special.

Most of the seating was booth style which was perfect for us. We loved the huge Buddha that was the centre of attention and I'm sure will feature on a fair few instagram photos in the next few months.

I decided to start proceedings with an Asian-inspired cocktail and was spoilt for choice. There was a nice selection to choose from and they all featured an Asian twist. Our server recommended the Passionfruit sour however I was torn between a Sakirinha which was interestingly made with sake and Momotaro which was Bombay Sapphire, lemon juice, passionfruit, homemade peach puree, ginger beer and cinnamon. I opted for the Momotaro and was very impressed - it was a long drink (and there was plenty of it) and it really captured a taste of Asia in a glass.

Now onto the food - the menu is flexible with sharing platters, dim sum, Asian tapas, noodles, salads and mains. We decided to order a selection of tapas to share between us. 

Crispy Duck Spring Rolls

Chicken Satay

Chilli Salt Squid

Crispy Pork

Proper Sticky Rice

Thai Red Curry Mussels

Prawn Dim Sum

Our bill was £53 for two people but for 5 tapas, dim sum, a side of sticky rice, a cocktail and a soft drink. This might seem on the expensive side however in hindsight we definitely ordered way too much food. The portion sizes are very good and there was probably enough to feed four people on our table. I think you could easily enjoy a couple of Asian tapas and a cocktail for less than £20 per person.

Our food was all extremely fresh - the mussels were soft and plump, the rice was the best sticky rice I've ever tried and our squid was nicely spiced and not at all on the chewy side which is so often the case. The crispy pork also deserves a special mention. We tried to pick our favourite dish but genuinely enjoyed them all and could not pick just one stand out dish.

The staff were all friendly and helpful and when asked seemed to know the menu inside out which is always a good thing. The atmosphere was welcoming to all - there were a few couples on lunch dates, a group of friends, a family with a toddler and a couple of lone diners during our visit and all seemed to enjoy their experience.

We give the Buddha Lounge a huge thumbs up. There is nowhere outside of the city centre serving up platters of sushi or Asian Tapas (that we can think of anyway) and it is a great addition to the Tynemouth dining scene. We will be back soon - I have my eyes on the fillet of beef teriyaki next!