Our Journey in 2023 to more sustainable lifestyle

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Since learning about global warming in detail back during my pre-GCSE years I have always been concerned about how we act and the impact on the planet, but was much less educated about the ways to improve, I liked things like a fast car without thinking about the pollution and had a much more wasteful lifestyle.

Fast forward to the birth of Munchkin, I suddenly had a good purpose to change as it was hard to imagine a world where Munchkin wouldn’t meet an orangutan and instead grow up living on food containing microplastics. This began the start of our more sustainable lifestyle.

What we do now shapes the world our kids will live in after all…

By 2030, the demands from 5.6 billion consumers will be draining the Earth for resources so fast that we need two planets to support us. If everyone lived like western consumers, we would need five.

The World Counts

and that says a lot. Two planets? Last time I checked, we only have one.

This is why we chose to live an ever developing (as I’m still learning and finding new things to change) sustainable lifestyle.

Sustainable life

What do we mean by ‘sustainable living’?

If we take these two things into account:

  1. ‘Both people and nature are facing severe consequences if our current consumption of resources increases’ – WWF.org
  2. ‘The world population is growing by over 200,000 people every single day. It will reach 8.5 billion by 2030 with 5.6 billion people being part of the consumer class’ – The world counts

Then we all need to reduce what we use to keep our consumption at, or below, current rates.

This means we need to use less, use better, reuse more and recycle more.

Otherwise, we risk dangerous global consequences with bigger extremes in climate, with more flooding, fires and drought, more microplastics in our food and more risk of disease.

The beginning of our sustainable living life style.

There’s many things we could change so we looked at starting with the biggest impact. With a baby at the time the answer was simple – plastic – and more specifically wipes and nappies. We keep it going and keep our promises each year by making and posting more plastic free and environmentally sound promises.

Munchkin sporting a reusable nappy - a sustainable lifestyle swap
Munchkin excited to sport a reusable nappy

Then once we had those changed that we looked further – moving around the house and looking at all of our behaviours and changes we could make.

The key was to change gradually. Switching products and lifestyle choices little by little.

Four years on we live, guided by our eco-warrior guidelines, to live our lives as a more environmentally friendly family. So, here we go here are our:

Our eco-warrior guidelines for a more sustainable lifestyle

1. Reduce plastic use

One of main swaps has always been around reducing our plastic use and waste as ‘By 2050, virtually every seabird species on the planet will be eating plastic.’ – The national Geographic .

Ways we have changed this include but are not limited to:

  • Using reusable or plastic free baby products such as nappies and wipes and eliminating bags – We changed nappies with The super reusable nappies and eco-friendly alternatives from Kit & Kin.
  • Cleaning our house without buying plastic contained cleaning products. – We switched our cleaning products to Koh, Smol and, more recently the Bower Collective.
  • Using plastic free deodorants and shower products – I currently use and recommend Wild deodorant Bare bar and Grumm skincare.
  • Removing washing up sponges and using alternatives.
  • Recycling as much as possible with Terracycle and Plastic bag recycling.
Kitchen cleaning plastic free

2. Reuse and recycle

It feels like single use plastics are getting phased out slowly from many consumers however:

‘Plastic production and use is forecast to double over the next 20 years, and quadruple by the early 2050s’

The National Geographic

And furthermore; more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic are already in our oceans. Plastic that endures from 450 years to forever (the national geographic).

This means we first need to reuse and reduce our consumption.

We do this by:

  • Avoiding use of plastic straws by using paper or our own
  • limiting our purchase of plastic by sourcing eco-friendly alternatives
  • Using reusable containers to store food
  • Use metal drinking bottle alternatives

Then for the plastic we do generate (because inevitably there will be some):

We recycle everything we can, filling that bin up every fortnight.

Go one step further by taking a majority of plastic bags to large supermarkets too. This service takes chocolate and crisp packets, frozen food bags, carrier bags, bread bags and more.

Then to top it off we due Terracycle to recycle the things we can’t at home or at larger stores.

3. Save energy

With energy costing horrific levels right now I wouldn’t be surprised that most people are doing their bit to save energy anyway.

We have reduced our thermostat and heating use, swapping for hoodys, installed solar panels and have got smarter with smart plugs turning off devices when not in use.

Solar panels on our roof

We get the rest of the energy we do use from an eco-friendly provider ensuring no energy we use comes from fossil fuels.

Following from the solar panels, I’ll be looking for an electric car in the next few years.

Watch this space🚗

4. Reduce food waste.

Food takes a astronomical amount of carbon, water, and energy for its production, storage and transport and then so much goes to waste:

Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year – approximately 1,3 billion tonnes – gets lost or wasted.

Stop wasting food movement

We make an effort to only buy what we need, and make sure its all used before sell by date, keeping leftovers for the next day.

We compost our food waste, returning it to the soil, which we would use to make more food ourselves if we had the space – something we hope to do one day in the future.

5. Use eco-friendly household products

Eco-friendly household companies exist tackling two problems; plastic packaging and the presence of toxins which are harmful to the environment.

We use/recommend:

  • Smol – Eco-friendly dishwasher, washing machine tabs and surface sprays

See our Smol review here ➡️

Smol surface spray
  • Splosh – Plastic free washing up liquid, soap, toilet cleaner and other household products.

See our review here ➡️

  • The Bower Collective – Plastic free washing up liquid, soap, toilet cleaner and other household products

Review coming soon

  • Koh – all purpose surface cleaner

Here is our review ➡️

6. Chose eco-friendly toys

When the kids are young this was simple. For every plastic car there’s a plastic free alternative. You can also get wooden kitchens and food, train sets, garden toys etc, etc. One of our favourite toys that Munchkin has enjoyed over the years is the wooden Mutable. Review here ➡️

This has admittedly had to change slightly when Munchkin approached 3 to 4 years old. His interest in Lego grew, as well as other plastic-only toys which don’t seem to have the same plastic free alternatives. So I had to alter my perspective.

I decided toys like Lego and Magnetic tiles allow endless opportunities. We could have a Lego city now, and build a Lego aeroplane in a few years on a magnetic tile runway. These toys will then get easily sold one day (not that I’ll ever want to get rid of Lego!). This way we can have some plastic, without feeling too guilty as it will get used for years and years and passed on.

7. Go paperless

With every retailer and bank owning a phone app, its easier than ever to tick that box and go paperless.

Having digital versions of what you previously locked in a box in the wardrobe also makes them easy to archive and then search and find again too plus it saves those precious carbon storing trees🌳.

8. Donate don’t dispose

This is one thing we notice when we had Munchkin. Babies go through new clothes every few months at what seems like a lightning rate. Likewise as adults, we stop wearing otherwise perfect clothing.

Similarly children move on from one toy craze to the next (although we try to limit this waste with adaptable toys like Lego as mentioned before).

To prevent this we store all our children’s clothes and toys in the loft, and now with Sprout, we bring them down eliminating the need for new clothes and toys.

Then when we know we won’t need them again, we pop to the recycling donation boxes and give our clothes to people who may need them more.

This means, in all, close to zero waste.

9. Save water

Water is easy to take for granted, as most of the western world has a continuous clean supply however;

Increased frequency of drought across Europe lines up with climate projections

Energy saving trust

meaning this is an international issue. Furthermore on home soil, 12 our of 23 water companies operated last year in ‘serious’ stress meaning this really can affect us all.

We save water by;

  • Taking short showers, and using the minimum water in the bath with the kids.
  • Use cold water rather than hot when possble
  • Only run the dishwasher and washing machine when they are full (an easy one with two children!)
  • Use the dual flush function on the toilet correctly.
  • Installing a water butt this year

All these little differences add up.


Living by these 9 sustainable lifestyle guidelines we save plastic, water and carbon, but we know we can do more.

So here are some of our future guidelines…

Our future ‘sustainable lifestyle guidelines’

1. Grow produce.

If we eventually move house and have space I will certainly grow our own food, eliminating all the carbon associated with transport and storage. It would also be a great way to teach our children to appreciate where food comes from and put our composting to better use.

2. Eat less meat

This is a huge one as ‘Meat production accounts for 14.5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions’carbonbrief.org, and is something we were really good at in recent years but have more recently fallen off the wagon. We will aim to make some simple switches, with tons of meat-less options available now, to increase our meat free days in the coming months.


These have been our sustainable lifestyle swaps because we only have one planet. Do you have any others? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks for reading,

Daddy, Munchkin and Sprout

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Two parents and their child in the sun with the forest behind. With the url 'daddyandmunchkin.blog' and the post title 'Why choose a forest staycation. Center parcs review.
Why Choose A Forest Staycation? Center Parcs Review

Center Parcs has always held a special place in my heart, from countless family holidays with both my family and my wife’s. Naturally we would love to instil that love in Munchkin and Sprout too.

But what is the fuss all about..? Here are my top reasons to consider a forest staycation with our Center Parcs review.

Two parents and their child in the spots center. Center parcs review
Sherwood Forest Winter 2021

There’s multiple locations

You pack your bags, fill the car to the brim and jump in. There’s five UK locations and one in Ireland, so likely one close by to you, though it is nice to try a new site from time to time.

We usually stay local but ventured 4 hours to see the Redwoods of Longleat on our last visit and it was so worth the longer journey, even with a small child in tow.

Longleat Summer 2022

Everything is on site

When you’ve had a wonder you can take your car to the Villa, unpack and relax, knowing everything is on site and you don’t see to see another car, apart from the odd center parcs van, for another few days or a week. Everything is in walking distance, but you can also hire some wheels if you want to travel faster.

There’s an included fantastic pool, multiple restaurants, an on-site supermarket and tons of activities, so you never really need to leave. Over the many holidays we have had I’ve tried nearly every activity, from a relaxing spa day to jumping 10 metres on to a blow up cushion with no harness!

Relaxed, away from normality

You really feel the benefit of nature here. They are all in forests so you can instantly connect with nature. You walk or cycle to the facilities and can breathe in that fresh air and truly relax. You’ll often get visits from swans, squirrels and ducks and if you’re very lucky, may spot a muntjac deer even at your villa door.

If you need more there’s the Aqua Sana; award winning standalone Spa’s with a huge choice of spa experiences and treatments. It’s something I always add to the break to get a bit of chill time with the wifey, away from the kids!

Fantastic pool

What drew me as a child was the pool. Always at tropical temperatures, with mutiple flumes and outdoor rapids and lazy rivers. Then now they’ve added some thrill rides too to keep me coming back. It’s the best pool experience I’ve had in the UK and will keep the kids entertained for hours on end.

Fantastic activities

If you want to try something new, there is something for everyone. There is a huge lake in each location where you can take a boat, try paddle boarding, or take on the aqua park.

For adeneraline, you can then trek in the trees, take on quad biking, jump from a 10 metre tall tower, or get messy in paintball. You can then take it slower with pottery painting, falconry, or a wildlife walk. There’s a creche for children too and many many childrens activities from football school, to arts and crafts to exploring nature.

Super restaurants

When you need a bite to eat there’s a plethora of restaurants including well known companies such as Starbucks, Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge and Las Iguanas as well as their personal offerings like the Pancake House (where everythings either in a pancake or on a waffle), Rajinda Predesh (their Indian) and Forester’s Inn, with a woodland pub feel.

At the Villa there’s a fully equipped kitchen, and food delivery service too.

Perfect family time

With everything easily accessible all you need is you. We have had holidays here with 3 month olds up to 70 years old as it really is a destination for everyone.

Munchkin has been twice in the first year of his life, twice in his second and will go twice in his third year too (the lucky sausage!). Next year we will also be introducing it to Sprout too.

Sum up and those all important stars

Center Parcs always delivers for us, from a couple retreat to a family holiday. Its expensive, but worth every penny and that’s why we revisit year after year. So it deserves the full 5 stars.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

So that’s our Center Parcs review. What’s your favourite UK holiday spot? Let us know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, check out our other UK family reviews such as Hobbledown, Camping or Chessington.

Thanks for reading,

Daddy and Munchkin

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Seriously, Take Kids Camping in 2023!

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Some of my best childhood memories came from the camping trips I had with my Grandparents and Mum. We would find a good site, pitch up, get the croquet and games out, play endless garden games and relax. It was childhood at its best.

Ready or not, I’m coming to find you! – Hide and seek camping style!

It’s something I always wanted to pass to Munchkin. This year, Nanny and Grandad were already planning to go to a local site so we joined them for a one-night trail run. The short, it was fantastic, so seriously, take kids camping!

The sky’s awake so I’m awake!

As a parent, we often worry about our child sleeping well. So the thought of camping in the summer with an early sunrise and sharply rising tent temperatures was enough to add a bit of fear with taking Munchkin camping.

Going to a local site eased the fear a little. If worst came to the worse we could escape home in the middle of the night and return the next morning.

So, we put our fears aside. Bought him his own character airbed and a new Paw patrol nightlight and took familiar things like his pillow, duvet and favourite bed toy from home. We made sure we had long walks, lots of activity and a little bit of a later night after a late takeaway dinner.

The result: he slept through undisturbed until morning.

kids camping
Phew. Out light a light switch.

Home away from home

To make him feel at home and included, we made sure whatever we had, he had. He had his own little camping chair so he could sit around the firepit with us, and his own personal airbed. We let him help with activities such as pumping up his bed, helping with the washing up and building the tent – he especially loved the mallet, offering to help hammer in the pegs. We took a good selection of toys which could be used outside and garden games. Ensuring he never got bored.

Playing like at home

We also take his tablet with Amazon kids+ (I’ve review that here). This was good whilst we pottered around getting food ready and for his usual bedtime routine with a few stories.


For great days out with young children see our reviews of Hobbledown and National Trust properties ➡️


Affordable holidaying

The most important thing, especially with the current cost of living crisis, is that camping can be affordable. You can pick up a good sized tent for a family of 3 or 4 for under £50 and pay a quarter of what is it for a low budget hotel room for the pitch. There’s a bit of prepayment for things like chairs and airbeds, but at this time of the year you can find cheap camping stuff everywhere, for example, we picked up our foldable chairs for a little over a tenner and borrowed other bits from my parents. It was obviously more pricey this time, but will make an affordable getaway next time and the next…

A reasonably priced tent for us three. Oh and a car to store everything else

The trial run

As it was Munchkin’s first time a we opted for this as a trial run for future camping.

The reason for a short trial run of camping was two-fold. Firstly we needed to see if Munchkin would sleep. Second, we needed to see what items we needed and inevitably you will forget something the first few times! Like any holiday, imagine going away and forgetting the baby milk, or a favourite cuddly toy!

Prepare for all weather

In the UK we all know we can experience all four seasons in one day. We went in June.

Summer is probably the hardest as you never know what you are going to get. So pack the sun cream and shorts, the coat for the cooler evenings and the wellies and waterproofs if it rains. Plus, plenty of spares if they get muddy or wet. Be overprepared.


Given this was just our trial run I imagine ill update it over the trips to come.

Do you have any advice on camping with kids?

Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading,

Daddy and Munchkin

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Go Wild at BeWILDerwood review

What’s Bewilderwood About?

Based on the book series by Tom Blofeld, BeWILDerwood is a magical forest playground for the whole family. With wooden playgrounds, a sky maze, ropewalks, balancing beams, and the fastest and longest slides, all set within the trees in a beautiful forest setting. Everything is suitable for the entire family too so adults can play alongside their children for a truly enjoyable but exhausting fun family day out, so here is our beWILDerwood review.

Entry costs* £17.50 for an ‘Almost Wild’ child of 92 – 105 cm, £19.50 for over 105 cm to 65 years and £12.50 for the over 65’s. Entry includes all day climbing and exploring, free parking, and is inclusive of story times, dancing events and craft activities, so there’s no extra cost. *as of August 2021

bewilderwood review

A brief word on Covid

With restrictions lifted, I think its still nice to mention the Covid restrictions in place. BeWILDerwood supported digital ticket entry and cashless payments so there was no wasted paper and no handing over of tickets or payment cards. There were signs for social distancing in queues (although widely ignored by most) and instructions to keep left on pathways. There were also hand sanitiser stations at every section of the park (and most were full, which is quite the accomplishment as this has been a rarity elsewhere).

Munchkin’s (a two and a half year old toddler’s) experience

The forest is munchkin’s favourite place so that was a good start. Then, to add to that, there were slides, things to climb, and plenty of things to explore. Munchkin had a absolutely fantastic day, given a longish wait to enter and for the (very short) boat ride.

Which is probably my only negative. While Munchkin was excited for the boat, a 30 minute wait for a generally unexciting 2 minute journey isn’t really worth it. That said, it may be better for fans of the series as sets the scene of the books.

To avoid the long wait to enter, I recommend arriving early to beat the queue, get straight onto the boat and arrive first on the large structures such as the sky maze.

With only one or two things that were too big for his height, such as large ‘demon drop’ style, almost vertical bag slides, he was in his element. Climbing ladders, going across rope ladders and down the largest and fastest slides he’s ever seen! There was nothing he didn’t want to do. Ultimately proven by falling asleep before we even left the drive out of the wood!

Food and Drink

For this one we took a picnic, and there were numerous picnic spots, including one right next to the car park for an each lunch grab, so it was a breeze finding a free table.

If you to find something to eat there, there’s sausage buns, hotpot, nachos, sausage rolls and picnic food, such as sandwiches, crisps and fruit. Although we didn’t try their food, it was reasonably priced (£4.35 for a sausage hotpot), so we will likely eat there next time. They also do ice cream!

Where do you find Bewilderwood?

BeWILDerwood can be found in two spots in the UK, in Norfolk (north west of Norwich) and Cheshire (half an hour south of Chester). Here’s their handy dandy maps from their website.

Star Rating

No complaints here. A fantastic day out for the whole family.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Daddy reviewed, Munchkin Approved.

Other Places to visit?

Where else shall we take our toddlers I hear you ask?

Hobbledown Review

Sundown adventureland review

Chessington World of Adventures with a toddler review

National Trust properties

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Daddy and Munchkin

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Our National Trust Top Four

While we only started our membership during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have managed to visit a good handful of National Trust properties. While Oxburgh Hall and the Dunstable downs and a few others didn’t quite make the list, here are our top four of the National Trust properties so far. (This post will get updated over time as we visit more locations).

4. Clumber Park, Worksop

Clumber park is a huge expanse of woodland and park land situated off the A1, south of Worksop. It has many a peaceful walk surrounded completely by nature, letting you feel totally disconnected. This is the property we first saw Munchkin’s love for nature grow. His little nine-month old eyes lit up when he first saw the trees towering above him and his love for nature hasn’t changed since.


3. Belton House, Grantham

Belton House is a one of the properties I visited as a child, and we have revisited many a time with Munchkin. It has a giant wooden park which, for a little one, stretches for miles, is the National Trusts biggest play area, and is topped off with a woodland train to give you a swift ride through the trees. Belton House hosts fantastic Christmas light displays (which we will certainly be visiting this winter) and has a fantastic property (which you can visit again now).


2. Anglesey Abbey, Cambridge

Just pipped by Cliveden for the top spot, Anglesey Abbey was the first property to fuel my passion for visiting National Trust properties. Set in 114 acres, north-east of Cambridge, Anglesey abbey features a fantastic woodland park (which is sadly currently closed due to Covid-19) and fabulous seasonal gardens which surprise us on every visit. We love a stroll or toddler-run up and down the tree -lined grass walkways and an amble alongside the river which leads up to a working water mill.


1. Cliveden, Maidenhead

Set on a stretch of the Thames, north-west of London, this property has miles and miles of woodland and riverbank to wonder. It boasts a fantastic property (albeit one we’ve only seen from the outside as we visited during Covid times, during our October getaway). There’s a fantastic wooden storybook themed play area, a wooden play trail, options for boating trips and absolutely stunning gardens.

We learned a lesson at this one which we found out the hard way. If you walk the many miles up to the southern car park and then down the Thames, this may be a beautiful walk but there is a chance your toddler will get tired, go in the pushchair and fall asleep. But that’s fine right? Well not when the return up the hill is many many steep steps, which is a challenge with all the day’s bags, a pushchair and a toddler sleeping inside!

That said, it is such a fantastic and beautiful property. The view of the Thames is spectacular, and there’s plenty for the kids to do when not wondering through the woodland. That’s why its made the top spot.

National Trust Membership

As mentioned in the intro, we have a National Trust membership which grants us access to the houses and gardens, free parking (at most properties) and a handy dandy guidebook. For two adults its only £10/month and for a family of two adults plus children its only £10.50. To compare, a visit to Cliveden costs £15 per adult and £7.50 per child aged 5 – 17, with children under 5 go free, so membership was a no brainer for us.


Which is your favourite National Trust? Let me know in the comments.

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Munchkin’ing around at Hobbledown review

On the final day of our UK break away we visited Hobbledown, a farm and activity park a stones throw from Chessington World of Adventure, north of Epsom. So, here is our Hobbledown Review.

Covid Restrictions

For starters let’s talk Covid as this visit was in October 2020 just before wave 2. Hobbledown had it totally right. They had bookable arrival slots so it was quiet on arrival, an app to book and order food and activities, a limited time at the park for busy days and bookable soft play time. We felt safe from the off.

Our Experience

Aiming to please all ages; there is a decent number of animals from the recognizable tortoise, lemur, pig and goat to the more unusual Rhea, Nilgai (Mighty Bloo) and Gibblegook parrot. It was a learning experience for Mummy and Daddy too! There’s also exciting ways to get up close with the animals such as the new Lemur walk-through.

Hobbledown Review

There is then the soft play for the little ones (perfect for Munchkin who has recently realised that soft play is the play of dreams) with bookable slots (due to covid). This is split into a large soft play for the tiny humans, a bigger one for the older kiddies and a hard play zone.

Back in the farm, for the older adventurers, there’s also the added experiences of zorbing and a small high ropes course which can be added for a tiny supplement (high ropes was just an extra £2).

During the day they have an itinerary of events. On our visit was a fire show and bug eating try outs. On other days there are also bird of prey events and many more…

There’s also the best play park I’ve seen in my time as a parent. It’s huge, with a bouncy pillow, role play stations, a water play area and numerous slides and climbing frames, all designed around the quirky Hobbledown theme.

One of the amazing park areas.

Lunch

When you need some munch, the onsite Hobnosh restaurant provides delicious street food in eco-friendly packaging. I had a chicken katsu curry and chips which was divine! For Munchkin, there was a healthy variety box, with fruit and sandwiches.

Price and location

The best part for us adults is that it doesn’t break the bank. At £16 for adults and children midweek and £18 at weekends (Oct 2020) and free for under 2’s. Its an affordable fun-filled day out.

Hobbledown is located a stones throw from Chessington World of Adventure in Surrey, three miles from the A3 and 5 miles from the M25. Click the map to visit google maps.

Hobbledown Review Overall and Star Rating

Hobbledown was the perfect end to our little breakaway, well suited to a 20 month year old. It’s already on the ‘visit again when Munchkin is older’ list!

As we had such a fantastic day, there is no more accurate rating than the full 5 stars!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

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Daddy reviewed, Munchkin Approved

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A National Trust Double Down

Sadly, this is nothing to do with KFC, though I can confirm the double down is superb!


The last time we took Munchkin on a long journey (3 hours) was to see some family in Eastbourne in 2019. It was hell, with tears for the whole journey. With that in mind, we planned to break our journey down to Surrey into a few stops, putting our National Trust membership to good use.

Dunstable Downs

I think Natalie could have killed me when we stepped out the car into the fierce freezing winds of Dunstable downs, the highest spot in Bedfordshire, just off the M1, north of Luton. But the view was amazing with a sky that didn’t seem to end in any direction.

We had a short walk (there are several routes from 2 to over 6 miles) but as Munchkin wants to walk whenever he can, we only managed a short stroll down the hill and back.

On the amble, Munchkin pointed out all the people flying kits, with yells of ‘kite, kite, KITE!’. So we popped up to the cafe for some warmth, a coffee and a snack, and bought a kite.

We popped outside and got the kite into the air. We thought the amazement would reach sky heights however….there were some wooden posts nearby and well, Munchkin was more interested in them. Oh well, at least we have the kite for future fun.

Slide left to see our lovely kite, right to see what Munchkin was interested in

Dunstable downs NT is free for everyone to explore, however there is a charge for parking, but it is free with membership.

Cliveden

We popped back in the car for a short 50 minute journey to Cliveden, the main event for day one of our trip. This National Trust had a bookable slot system, with half an hour arrival times. Luckily due to Daddy’s impeccable planning (hehe), we arrived just 1 minute into our slot.

Cliveden is a huge estate, with a storybook play park, a woodland play trail, all set in beautiful woodland, high above a route along the Thames. We loved the park, pointing out all the storybook additions, as well as the wooden tractor and train (‘choo choo!).

There’s several routes along the woodland above the Thames. We took one of these then a slope down to the river. It is such a beautiful place for a woodland walk.

However when we got the few miles back down the Thames, we found the only was back up to the top, was many steep steps. To top that, Munchkin was asleep in the pushchair. It added a tough exercise to our otherwise relaxing day.

This has now probably topped our previous favourite National Trust property which was Belton House (Grantham).

Cliveden is £10 for adults and £5 for Children and free for NT members.

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Munchkin’s Love of Nature

We discovered Munchkin’s love of nature young on a trip to a Natural Trust garden when he was just months old. His faced glowed as he admired the trees towering above him, the plants floating on the lake, the birds flying above and the beauty of the flowerbeds. Now at 17 months, on stormy days he crawls to the window of his playroom, stands, and tries to reach the handle to get outside.

Our first National Trust visit.

Writing this in lockdown, the situation has been slightly different with being limited to our garden and the local area. At home, we make sure we get into the garden whenever we can. We take some toys, but he soon gets distracted by the bugs that crawl across his mat. He has learnt how while he can stoke a cat, he shouldn’t stoke a delicate bug, and this makes for a proud Daddy. We planted some sunflower seeds and so are watching them grow day by day and learning what they need to grow. We will soon see them flowering too which is very exciting.

Planting his first seed was a messy affair

We are mid – garden development currently (although we may be mid-development for a while). Lucky for Munchkin, the future plans now include a mud kitchen, bug hotel and bird feeding station 😊.  We have chillies and tomatoes growing this year but will set up a planter so he can grow and learn about all different kinds of vegetables this time next year.

It’s fascinating to let Munchkin roam free in the garden, see where he goes and what interests him. If its not a bit of mud to squelch, he always admiring a new plant, or weed intruder on our new grass. He also often can just sit there and watch the birds overhead, pointing them out to us or having little conversations with them.

When we walk, which we do daily, we often try to escape the paths and roads and find ourselves powering down farm tracks or into fields. We admire the trees and we ‘talk’ about the farm fields and the crops, the wind turbines providing natural energy and the beauty of natural spots away from the hustle and bustle of the town.

A walk into the fields rocking the lockdown hairstyle

We recently found a huge field, just a short walk away which is the perfect spot for spontaneous picnics to explore the outdoors during lockdown. Its also been a perfect spot to count and wave at the numerous dogs, and more recently we also met a lovely little man of a similar age.

We recently took Munchkin back to the original National trust property which fuelled his love of the outdoors. We had opportunity to spot a rabbit and a frog, admired the plants and trees and enjoyed the fresh air.

When we are outdoors I’m always explaining what we can see, whether that be the plants and animals, or how wind turbines utilise natural energy. While we have these conversations with him, I know he’d rather hear about ‘Incy wincy spider’ or the ‘Five Little Ducks’, however I feel by talking to him about everything, including the natural world so young, he will learn to fully appreciate it.

Thanks for reading,

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