Raindrops on trailers and toddlers in mittens It’s a long time since I pulled a toddler in a trailer up a hill, but the sensation hasn’t changed. It’s just as painful a business as ever, both mentally and physically. The only difference is it’s not my kid in the trailer today; it’s my 3 year [...]

10 great reasons to visit Blackpool It’s a bucket and spade. It’s fish and chips on a tray. It’s a slow waltz to a Wurlitzer. It’s bingo in your B&B. It’s a glitterball on a neon prom. Blackpool is a holiday resort that knows what it is, and delivers what it promises on budget. And [...]

Is your family divided on how much fun you find a theme park? Would you choose  a gentle spin on a carousel over those stomach twisting, mind bending, gravity defying drops from the sky that your kids favour? Or is it you that has a crush on the coasters? Perhaps you should get yourselves down [...]

Looking for life in the waxworks Our Big Ticket family pass for Blackpool offered entry into Madame Tussauds. I’d never been to a waxworks before so we popped in for the chance to get up close and personal with some old and new celebrities. But while the waxy celebrity exhibits were undeniably lifelike and entertaining, to [...]

Valentines Day is coming and of course you’re going off together for that five star champagne spa break in the most romantic city on the planet.  ”Yeh, right!” I hear you cry, “Who’s going to have the kids?”  Well, why not take them with you? Family and romance are not incompatible.  In fact going somewhere [...]

London 2012 Olympic Park Tour Can The Olympic Games provide a lasting legacy for those in London’s East End? Will the 500 acre Olympic Park and surrounding boroughs become a ‘destination’ to rival the West End of the city? On our post Jubilympic Tour of London, we walked around the perimeter of the Olympic Park [...]

When is a bridge more than a bridge? When you get to check out the view from Tower Bridge I thought a bridge was just a bridge. And then I visited The Tower. No not the place where Henry’s Wives were beheaded. I’m talking about London’s Tower Bridge; a Victorian marvel and modern city icon. When [...]

Anyone for Afternoon Tea? An afternoon tea is great British tradition and there are dozens of fine hotels in London that serve this uniquely British meal, complete with polished silver teapots, cucumber sandwiches, scones, cream and tiers of handmade pastries and cakes. On our post Jubilympics tour of London we experienced this ritual in the kitchen [...]

Climbing Up over London One of our missions during our week in London was to view the city from the air as many different ways as possible. London is good for this; novel opportunities range from flying across The Thames in a cable car to circling above it in a giant Ferris Wheel. And coming soon, [...]

Artists have taken over Kensington Palace You can’t do London without doing the Royal Family. But what if you’re allergic to stuffy Palaces, with all their boring portraits and dusty bedding? Personally I’d rather be locked up in The Tower than spend my holiday dragging around dull royal lodgings. Having stayed around the corner from [...]