Newnham on Severn - Gloucestershire Picnic Site with Great Disabled Access

Days out are always a bit of a struggle when you have problems getting around. There are lots of potential pitfalls and choosing where to go is something to consider very carefully. Accessibility and appropriate facilities are a must for a stress-free visit and if you want to just go for a nice drive and find a picnic spot, it's not always easy to find out what's there in advance. So, when we recently discovered a beautiful picnic spot on the edge of the River Severn, in the Forest of Dean, I thought it would be a good idea to share it here, as it's got great disabled access and has the best views and offers an excellent viewing point for the Severn Bore. 

The Magic of Bath Christmas Market

I have never been to Bath. I had an idea in my head that it was quite tricky to get to on public transport, so I've never got around to it. When I was invited to a blogger event with Visit Bath, to visit the Bath Christmas Market, however, I thought it was time to put on my big girl pants and have a go. How wrong I was! The city is really well served for buses and they run every half an hour from the town centre, and various other points around the surburbs, such as Parkway Station and Cribbs Causeway. The journey does take up to an hour and a half, but at £6.50 for a day rider, it's a very easy, low cost way to travel, with no concerns about parking, either. You can enjoy some lovely scenery, with no traffic worries and know there isn't a huge gap between buses if you miss one! 

Holiday Inn Cardiff, A Short (and Curly) Stay

I don't stay in hotels very often, but when I do, my needs are few. It's usually because we are travelling somewhere via the Megabus and need somewhere to stay for the night, because it's too far to go there and back in a day, so a bed is the main requirement. This week, it was just L and I travelling to Cardiff for the DanTDM Live Tour at St David's Hall. We ended up staying at The Holiday Inn, which was a new hotel chain for us and we were interested to see how it compared to some of the other chain hotels we had stayed in previously, such as The Travelodge. When we first arrived, we found a large and welcoming foyer. There were comfortable chairs to sit in and even computers where you could take advantage of the free wifi that was available for guests throughout the hotel.

Beautiful Birmingham, a City of Culture and Cordiality

Recently, I visited Birmingham with my daughter, to go to a Blogger's Conference. I have been promising myself since then that I would write a post about it, because everytime I go there, which isn't often enough, I'm reminded what a beautiful city it is. It's not just the architecture, it's the people too. Wherever I've travelled, I've never come across a more naturally friendly population! The atmosphere is friendly and relaxe and it always makes me want to go back again. Read on to find out more about this fair city, through the eyes of an infrequent visitor!

7 Things that Always Happen on a Family Road Trip, and How to Avoid Them

For some reason, us parents often have very short memories. We are also gluttons for punishment and so it is that, every now and again, we decide to gleefully pile all the children into the car and take off on an impromtu road trip to visit pastures new. Forgetting, of course, that most children don't actually travel very well and car journeys are often frought with drama and despair, as your car is quickly reduced to somewhere between a zoo and a warzone. So, I've written this list to remind you of why you promised yourself you wouldn't travel that far trapped in a metal box with your kids ever again, and how to avoid some of the horrors that await you if you do.

Scary Encounter with Sinking Mud on Burnham-On-Sea Beach

I've lived near the South West coast for most of my life and was brought up with stark warnings about not walking out onto the mudflats. The mudflats are the exposed area between the shoreline and the sea which, most of the time, seems to be about five miles out from the shore. This is how Weston got its nickname; Weston-Super-Mud! Every year, the coastguard rescues groups of people who have ignored the warnings and ended up stuck in the sticky sinking mud. However, when L encountered the sinking mud, it was close to shore and indistinguishable from the usual puddles you get when the tide goes out, or it has rained a little.

What Made Me Smile at Blog Camp

There have been a lot of brilliant posts already produced about the Blog Camp in Birmingham last weekend. It was a lot of fun and I felt quite priviledged to be able to hang out with some of my lovely friends. Which is the best part of going, if I'm honest. That, and the cake! I thought I would approach this post from a different angle so, what follows is something a bit different. A collection of photos of everything that amused me, made me happy, or was just a little bit bonkers at Blog Camp. I hope even non bloggers can appreciate the silliness.

Travelodge Review; Newhall, Birmingham

When I travel, there are certain aspects that are really important to me, to ensure a stress free trip. They include; a clean room, a comfortable bed, friendly service and a good breakfast. These requirements may seem fairly basic, but I am not travelling to stay in a hotel, I am travelling to explore the area, so I would rather have a good, reliable base and not spend the crown jewels, leaving more budget for good food and fun. I have stayed in a few Travelodges over the years and found them to be perfectly suited to my needs. They offer a comfortable place to stay and the facilities have always exceeded my expectations for a place that is often interpreted as fairly low budget. This was my first visit to Birmingham Newhall Travelodge and this is my review of how it measured up to my previous stays. We were offered a free stay in return for an honest review. 

When Wookey Hole went Wrong; What to Do in Cheddar

We planned a family trip to Wookey Hole just before Christmas. We had been looking forward to it all week. My son was especially excited, as he, like most ten year old boys, is obsessed with Minecraft and has always wanted to see inside a real cave. I had been given a media pass by the lovely folks at Visit Bristol and had spent the previous couple of weekends enjoying some fantastic days out at some great local attractions. This one wasn't quite so local, though, which was why we were pleased to have the media pass. It's not cheap and there was an element of petrol involved for the 40 mile cross-country journey. It took over an hour to get there. Then it all went wrong.

Fantastic Fun at The Gun Powder Mills

Last year, we visited the Royal Gun Powder Mills at Waltham Abbey. It featured briefly in our 40 Days of Summer posts in 2014, but I have always wanted to give it its own post. So here it is, a gun powder post for Guy Fawkes night! We had no idea what to expect at the Gun Powder Mills, but there was a surprising amount to see and do. We learned all about the fascinating history of the Mills in the interactive museum and there was an opportunity to view and handle various guns and weaponry in the Armoury. L was fascinated to see what our soldiers had to carry during past battles. Some of the guns were nearly as big as him!

Dismaland: A Review by Mel

I often lack motivation, so it is with some irony, that I must report I have yet to find the time to travel down to Weston super Mare for the Banksy exhibition. I would really like to go, but it's tricky bus-wise and I don't think it's an appropriate place for a nine year old, which obviously limits when I can go. All is not lost though, as my intrepid explorer friend Mel, from Diary of a Jewellery Lover did all the legwork for me and reports her findings below. After reading her answers though, I would now really quite like to go. That's more irony, right there. Over to you, Mels.

Location Hunting; Richard Briers and Midsomer Murders

A Guest Post by The Husband... 

War Games, Stamp Collecting, Blogging, even Pole Dancing, most people have a passion in life and I'm no different. Mine is reading and researching. When I take an interest in something or someone, I like to find all the facts I can. My head is full of little pieces of knowledge that nobody else cares about, but they all matter to me. I know I drive my wife mad at times, when I recite an episode of Only Fools and Horses, word for word, or rattle off Dean Martin's life story but she does nod occasionally and humour me, bless her.