Travelling Times: Our Top Places to visit in 2016

[caption id="attachment_3566" align="alignnone" width="1200"] At the Dandelion Hideaway - one of our two best places to stay this year![/caption]

Welcome to the fourth annual Family Travel Times Travel Awards! Once again, we have been lucky enough to visit some brilliant places, but which ones were our favourites? Welcome to the 2016 award ceremony and our best places to visit…

[caption id="attachment_3549" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We loved our trip to St George's Park - home of English football![/caption]

Best Day Out

Jess says: Our tour of St George's Park in Staffordshire was the clear highlight of my year. Our family are all huge football fans, so it was amazing to see the English Football training ground. It is absolutely massive, with state of the art facilities, and it is home to all 20 national football teams. The U-16 team was there when we visited, and it was cool to know that some of the people we were seeing could possibly play for the senior team in a few years. It was amazing to see the autograph wall (signed by Messi, Suarez, and Gerrard to name a few), the changing rooms, the pitches they play on, and the training centres. It was such an exciting and unique day, and I loved finding out facts that I never would have known otherwise.

Robert says: My best day out in 2016 happened to be on my birthday when I went to Thorpe Park with some friends. There were loads of rides to go on and attractions to see as well as plenty of delicious (and unhealthy) snacks to buy. I had never been on a roller coaster with a loop the loop before that day but when I left the park I had been on loads. There were rides that spun you around, a roller-coaster that lasted less than 20 seconds and of course the world famous spinning teacups. I had a fantastic time and it was one of the best days of my year.

[caption id="attachment_3541" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Loving Dreamland![/caption]

Sarah writes: We all absolutely loved the retro theme park which is Dreamland in Margate and would recommend a visit for all ages. It is just such a joyful place, as well as being gorgeous to look at!

Visiting Dreamland is like going back to the 1950s. There’s a wooden rollercoaster, fantastic bumper cars, a big wheel and much, much more. Even someone as ride-phobic as me had fun, and the children had a blast.

But Dreamland is not just the outside rides, there is an old fashioned arcade (fabulous) and roller disco too, as well as affordable food and old favourites such as candy floss and ice-cream. Even better, there’s a frosted fairground during the winter, which makes it the perfect time to visit.

Take a trip to the beach afterwards – it’s just 5 minutes walk away – and have yourself a traditional British day out!

Read more about Dreamland and watch our video

Best in London

[caption id="attachment_3550" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Big Ben at night[/caption]

Brian says: We were lucky enough to take a tour of Big Ben earlier this year, and it was one of the best things we had ever done in London. There was a lot of walking up steps, so you need to relatively fit. However, it was worth it for the breathtaking views.

There were two highlights of the tour. The first was walking behind the four huge clock faces. It was a sunny day, which meant that we could see the shadow of the hands on one of the clock faces. It was amazing to see the minute hand moving inch by inch every couple of seconds. You can also see the little pane of glass that is occasionally opened to clear the pigeons off the hands. It would have been a very tight squeeze for Richard Hannay in the 39 Steps.

The second was being in the belfry to see the bells in action at the top of the hour. There were four corner bells, and Big Ben itself in the middle. The guide gave us ear plugs but the chimes were still incredible loud. It was amazing to see the hammer striking Big Ben only a few feet away from us and to feel the room vibrate from the bongs. The guide then pointed out the large crack in the casing of Big Ben, as well as the microphone in the rafters which allows the chimes to be heard live on BBC radio.

It had been an exhausting walk up the spiral staircase to the top, but it was much quicker going down. We felt exhilarated afterwards, as it had been such a fantastic experience, so I would highly recommend writing to your MP for the chance to take the tour.

Read more about our great trip up Big Ben

Best Museum

Jess says: The Muhammad Ali Museum in Louisville, Kentucky is definitely one of the best museums I've visited this year. The museum has a perfect mixture of history, inspiration, and interactive exhibits, and is definitely an important place to visit after Ali's death. I learnt all about what it takes to be a boxer, the racial segregation Ali faced (such as when he was refused entry to a diner after winning his Olympic gold medal), and about the controversy Ali incited. A particular highlight was learning to box in a ring by watching a video, punching a punch bag, and holding onto another bag in order to feel the shock of a punch. It was a fascinating, and enjoyable, and there was definitely something for everyone. I would definitely recommend a visit.

Read more about the Muhammad Ali Center

Another museum I thought was brilliant was Battle Abbey, located in Battle, East Sussex. It is a little known fact that the 1066 Battle of Hastings actually took place in Battle, not Hastings, and I was really excited to find out more about such a famous battle. The visitor centre had lots to do, including a short film outlining what happened during the Battle, lots of games, an abundance of information, and the opportunity to hold armour. It was very heavy! Although it was raining, we went outside to try the audio tour, which I thought was brilliant. We learnt that 7,000 men had died where we were standing, and learnt all about the tactics used to win the war. It was a fascinating, enthralling trip: perfect for all of us.

Read more about our trip to Battle

[caption id="attachment_3545" align="alignnone" width="1200"] At the National Memorial Arboretum[/caption]

Robert writes: The National Memorial Arboretum was not my favourite museum, instead it was the one I found most interesting. The Arboretum is home to over 300 memorials, each with its own story. We were taken on a buggy tour of the site and were shown some beautifully crafted memorials and statues dedicated to wonderful groups of people. I found it extremely interesting learning about many people's fascinating stories and would recommend it to adults and older kids.

Read our blog post on the remarkable National Memorial Arboretum

[caption id="attachment_3543" align="alignnone" width="1200"] By the statue of King Arthur at Tintagel[/caption]

Best View

Brian says: We had a fantastic time in Cornwell over the summer, and we saved the best until last when we visited Tintagel Castle. The location doesn’t seem real, and you can understand why the legendary King Arthur was said to have been born here. The castle ruins are perched on cliffs that jut out into the Atlantic Ocean, with the waves crashing onto the rocks and caves.

There are lots of steep steps to climb, some of them on narrow paths that wind round the rocks. After reaching the cliff tops, the views were even more spectacular. I was mesmerised by the scenery, especially by the bit of the coastline that sticks out like a giant dragon’s claw.

The statue of King Arthur is also striking – it is partially formed like a ghostly apparition, and complements the windswept peninsula setting.

We walked for a couple of hours, stopping for long periods at a time to stare again and again at the mesmerising scenery.

Best Ride

Robert writes:  Apart from a cold slushy or an long lie in not many things beat a good ride. I've been to a number of theme-parks this year including Drayton Manor and Dreamland but my two favourite rides come from Thorpe Park. 

[caption id="attachment_3546" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The Rush ride at Thorpe Park[/caption]

Swarm is fantastic. After a long journey upwards, when you're suddenly have second thoughts about going on this ride, you spiral down a large drop followed by a course of twists and loop the loops. It was one of the best roller-coasters I have ever been on and could go on it again and again. Rush was also brilliant. After getting locked into your seats you are swung up and down like a pendulum, sometimes going forwards and sometimes going backwards. Every time you get higher and higher until you are almost lying down, looking at the sky. You then plunge down for another swing until the ride slowly finishes. Many people would look at Rush and think it looks too scary but I highly recommend it.

Read more about Thorpe Park from Robert

Best Beach

[caption id="attachment_3544" align="alignnone" width="1200"] At Daymer Bay[/caption]

Jess says: We visited lots of beaches during our trip to Cornwall, but the one that stands out the most is Daymer Bay. The bay is situated between the towns Polzeath and Rock, it stands out because of how gorgeous and unusual it is - you are surrounded by green fields. The water was gloriously blue and clear and the sand was soft and fine, making it the nicest and most memorable beach I've ever visited in the UK. It was gorgeous!

Best Place to Stay

Sarah writes: When it comes to great places to stay, I always enjoy the unusual, and this year, glamping at the Dandelion Hideaway topped the bill for me. I am not an enthusiastic camper – the only way to get me under canvas was to add a bit of glamour to the whole concept -  and I found it wonderful. That’s not to say that I’d do it again like a shot, but I am delighted to have experienced it.

The Dandelion Hideaway, of course, is not just any glamping. It’s top notch. We actually stayed in a little house with running water, but it gave me some idea about going back to nature. I found it incredible how dark it became when the sun went down, and how little light the candles actually gave us. It was also very cold at night and we needed all our duvets and blankets!

I loved experiencing the silence of being somewhere without a TV or computer (and little wi fi!) and the children really enjoyed all the space outside, as well as collecting eggs from the henhouse and meeting all the goats. It really was an incredibly special place and one I won’t forget.

Read more about our glamping trip and watch Robert's video!

[caption id="attachment_3547" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert having fun at Potters[/caption]

Robert says: I loved going to Potters Resort as there was so much to do. There was a large selection of sports to try including badminton, squash, tennis and golf as well as quizzes in the bar and shows in the evening. At every point in the day there were would be a number of planned activities being run, these included bungee jumping, rock-climbing and going on the giant swing. What I loved about Potters was that you could pick which activity to do. Everything was really fun and the desserts at lunch and dinner were delicious.

Read more about Potters and watch Robert's video!

Best Hidden Gem

[caption id="attachment_3539" align="alignnone" width="1200"] At the Museum of Norwich[/caption]

Sarah writes: We’ve visited many special places over the years, and tried to draw attention to many of them through our blog. This year’s little gem is the Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell, and it’s well worth a visit, as it’s bright, airy and extremely interesting. It’s also very interactive, making it perfect for kids, as well as being compact enough to ensure that they won’t get bored.

The Museum is full of surprises, from diaries and logs of those who were imprisoned there (when it existed in a former incarnation), to a recreation of an old coffee house - with wigs and hats to try on -  the story of immigration in the area, and a mock-up of an old pharmacy. It gives the story of the city from 1700 when it was England’s second city after London and goes right up to the present day. We all really enjoyed it.

Read more about what to do in Norwich and watch our video!

Best Overall Holiday

[caption id="attachment_3537" align="alignnone" width="1200"] At Lands End on the edge of Cornwall[/caption]

Jess says: Over the summer, our family spent a week in Cornwall, and had a really good time. We spent a lot of time driving around in the car, but there was so much to do, so much history to learn, and so many beautiful sights to see. Particular highlights of mine were walking around St Agnes and Tintagel and admiring the beautiful views, going to the most southernly point in the UK at Land's End, devouring ice cream and scones in the town of Mousehole, and so much more. We explored Penzance, visited the Eden Project, played squash, and so much more. The whole county is unbelievably picturesque, and it was a perfect mixture of excitement and relaxation.

Read more about our trip and watch our video

Read our Travelling Times from 2015, 2014, and 2013 and let us know your favourites too!

Trying out HipChips - crisps & dips for lunch!

[caption id="attachment_3556" align="alignnone" width="1200"] A conveyor belt of crisps![/caption]

We love finding quirky places to eat and HipChips is no exception. Who knew that London needed a restaurant for crisps?

This new concept opened only last month and we were delighted to try it out.

Located in Old Compton Street, in the heart of Soho, London, it’s an interesting concept – that your meal should be made up of crisps and dips. But you know what? It works. And it’s got that different kind of vibe which makes it great fun for a different way of eating out (in that way, it reminded me of the Cereal Cafe, which is also great fun for adults, teens and tweens). Mind you, Jess was supremely irritated that it was called HipChips and not Hipcrisps.

There are different options when it comes to the food. We chose a mixture of the savoury and sweet dips, a good decision as it made it a bit more like a conventional meal (we had the savouries first and then the sweet). The crisps, by the way, are made on site and from a variety of different potatoes.

You can choose your own dips, with a choice of two for £4.50, three for £6.75 and six for £11.50. Yes, I know it sounds mad to pay that kind of money for crisps and dips, but actually it’s lunch – and the six dips were enough for us, meaning it wasn’t actually that expensive for a London-based snack. And that’s disregarding the fun value.

We all particularly liked the baba ganoush (aubergine) dip, while Brian scoffed his way through nearly the entire pot of veggie ceviche (basically a kind of salsa made up of tomato, lime, coriander, onion and chilli) and we also enjoyed the katsu curry. I had a taste of the smoky cheese fondue, and the Moroccan Yoghurt also sounded good.

The salted caramel sweet dip was absolutely delicious, but the chocolate praline mousse  (nutella, praline crème fraiche) which we thought would be our favourite, was a bit too rich – even for us! Both the kids really liked the strawberry cheesecake one and polished it off, although we didn’t quite finish the crème brulee.

Robert was not a big fan of the crisps themselves, although the rest of us were very happy with them. They are a bit like “posh” crisps and not like the thicker, machine formed ones you buy in average packs (my son is not particularly one for posh food and that may be true of other younger children too). The ones for the sweet dips have a cinnamon sugar coating, but this was quite subtle.  We all enjoyed our drinks – which were the German make Fritz and a combination of apple juice, cola and lemonade. There is also wine, beer and soft drinks on offer.

[caption id="attachment_3558" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We did pretty well![/caption]

All in all we enjoyed our unusual lunch and thought it was a great place for sharing. We also think it’s good fun for kids – and were impressed by how busy it was!

Read Jess's piece on five cool places to eat in London

Read about our chocolate walking tour

The Jewel Tower, Westminster, London

London is packed full of amazing places to see, some famous and some which you have to search out. There is so much history and beauty here, great theatre, art galleries and museums - and as you'll know, if you're a regular reader of this blog, we like to explore as much of it as possible!

Although I'm a big fan of the Westminster area of London, I hadn't, until recently, discovered the Jewel Tower, which is right opposite the House of Lords. If you're coming to London, a walk around here is a must, to take in Parliament Square, with its iconic statues (including Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela), Big Ben and, of course, the Houses of Parliament themselves. Exploring the Jewel Tower is kind of an added extra - I wouldn't come here just for this, but a a visit won't take you very long, and is intriguing.

It's history buffs (like me) who will really enjoy this place. The Jewel Tower dates back almost 650 years - it was built originally in around 1365 to house Edward III’s treasures, mainly gold and silver - and is very different to the rest of the Gothic Houses of Parliament. In fact, it's one of only two buildings from the Medieval "Palace of Westminster" to survive the fire of 1834.

The Tower is three stories high, but not very wide. It originally had a moat going round it and you can see this when you go outside (although it's gravel now)..

It's a small place, the kind which will only take you an hour, or even less, to look around. We enjoyed our visit (be warned - there are steep stairs), finding out about the history and seeing the eight pieces of medieval sculpture (initially from Westminster Hall) which you can find on the upper floor. They date back to the late 11th century! We also enjoyed the old records room, which is in one of the turrets and is entered through an iron door which bears the date 1621 and the cipher of King James I, as well as seeing the items on display in the various cases, including a sword which was over 1000 years old.

[caption id="attachment_3487" align="alignnone" width="675"] The door to the Turret Room, with the year and James 1's cipher on it[/caption]

The tower was used for storing the treasures of many monarchs until 1512, when Henry VIII was on the throne and relocated his court to Whitehall.In 1547, an inventory listed an whole range of objects including clothing, table and bed linen, furniture, gaming-tables and even toy dolls used by Henry VIII’s daughters, Mary and Elizabeth.It seems it had become a bit of a overflow house!

Later on, the House of Lords began to use it as a repository for all its parliamentary records (these are now in a new archive), while later still it was used for storing and testing official weights and measures.

When we went into the shop afterwards, we enjoyed seeing some 14th century carvings on the ceiling, and some weights and measures on the wall. And it meant that I finally understood what a bushel and a peck are (they're in a famous song from Guys and Dolls, but I had never seen them before!)

Our visit to the Jewel Tower was free as we are English Heritage members. It costs £4.70 for adults and £2.80 for children. You can find out more about it on the English Heritage website.

More London history:

Taking a tour up Big Ben

A visit to Highgate Cemetery

Football and fun at St George's Park, Staffordshire

We love travel and we're all big football fans too, so a trip to St George's Park sounded like a good fit for us! And you know what? It was. We all had a great time. Let Robert, aged 11, tell you more....

St George’s Park is in Staffordshire and is the English Football training ground, home to all 20 of our national teams. The site was bought by FA in 2001 but the actual project only started in 2005. It took fifteen months and £105 million to build St George’s Park and so everyone would be happy it is located right in the middle of the country. The whole site is 330 acres in size although only 130 acres are currently in use (there’s space for a golf course so the players will enjoy staying there even more in future!)

[kad_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_AyKod7WCc&t=3s" width=200 height=100 ]

 

The Hilton hotel is connected to St George’s and is where all the players stay. It’s not just English footballers who stay there though, as foreign teams might come when they are playing an English side. Most of the Premier League teams have stayed and Barcelona have been there on two occasions. There are eleven executive rooms used mainly by managers and important club staff and the England team stayed there at the beginning of November, ahead of the World Cup qualifier game against Scotland and the friendly against Spain.

When we went to St Georges Park, the Australian Rugby Team were there, which shows that it’s not just footballers who come and stay. During the Rugby World Cup last year both the Irish and Argentinian teams rested at the Hilton.

[caption id="attachment_3496" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert and Harry Kane![/caption]

We were given a tour around the site and were shown some really cool things like an autograph wall which had been signed by countless famous people. Geoff Hurst was the first to sign his name and the list now includes Messi, Suarez, Gerrard, David Cameron and Ollie Murs plus loads of other footballers and celebrities.

Throughout our tour we saw some of the thirteen full size pitches that were scattered about. There was an exact replica of the pitch at Wembley Stadium which was 96 percent real grass and only four percent artificial. There was also a full size indoor pitch which cost £1m and is made of elite fibre. The indoor pitch is temperature controlled and can be watered although it is artificial. When we came, the England under 16’s were playing on this pitch.

[caption id="attachment_3497" align="alignnone" width="1200"] All of us by the Wembley replica pitch[/caption]

England has so many different football teams, including a men’s and women’s team, under 21’s, under 16’s plus a team for the blind and a team for the disabled. There are quite a few others which I haven’t yet mentioned like the English Futsal team who play Futsal, a game with a smaller teams and a smaller pitch. They train in the blue indoor Futsal hall which was paid for by St George’s main sponsor Nike and can also be used for basketball and netball. There are also a number of other pitches including a 3G pitch and one made of elite fibresand.

[caption id="attachment_3493" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The changing rooms were all named after players (or people connected to football!)[/caption]

On our tour around St George’s, which opened in October 2012, we were shown all the training equipment that players would use. There is a massive gym full of cross trainers and weights as well as three normal pools, a plunge pool and an underwater treadmill which cost a quarter of a million pounds. We were shown inside the human performance lab and I was amazed by all the machinery inside like the treadmill that takes away gravity from your legs. The room is mainly used for testing players’ ability but can also be used for player medicals.

[caption id="attachment_3494" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The state of the art underwater treadmill[/caption]

St George’s Park is home to top physios who treat the top players, although members of the public can also come as part of their medical treatment.

There are seven changing rooms on site and we were let into the under 21’s changing room and the senior team’s one where all the top English players like Harry Kane, Deli Alli and Eric Dier would have changed into their kit or had an ice bath after a game.

I loved going on the tour and learning about English football and England’s national training ground. Our rooms in the Hilton Hotel were lovely too, there was a great swimming pool we enjoyed using, and overall I had a great day.

Sarah adds: We all enjoyed our St George's tour and also staying at the Hilton. We had interconnecting rooms (always brilliant for families) and the pool area was large and really lovely. It is a huge hotel which is football themed - the bar is called Crossbar and there is a Centre Circle coffee lounge! We were particularly impressed by the excellent breakfast where there was lots of choice. It's a good place to stay if you're in the area as it's quiet and very convenient for Drayton Manor (read Robert's piece here) and the National Memorial Arboretum (read my piece here).

Disclosure: We went on the St George's tour and stayed at the Hilton as part of a “Staffordsheerescape” package, courtesy of Enjoy Staffordshire, although they had no input at all into this blog post. You can find details of the St George's tours on their website and they cost £9 per person. We also visited Drayton Manor, on a package which starts at £170 for a family of four, and includes an overnight stay (hence our stay at the Hilton St George’s Park), plus admission to Drayton Manor Park and two other attractions. There’s a basket of 10 to choose from in all, including the Snow Dome and Trentham Monkey Forest – so you’ll have a fun packed time. You can see the details of the Drayton Manor package here. You can add on the tour as an extra if you like! Rooms at the Hilton vary from £90 to £110 per room per night.