Staycation London: WWT London Wetlands Centre, Barnes

I can't believe that I lived in London for almost 3 years and didn't know that there was a huge Wetland Centre not far from Hammersmith! What's even more embarrassing is that for 6 months I was living in KEW...a hop, skip and a jump along the river! 

Thankfully, our friends in London have set me straight and took Lyra and myself to visit this incredible haven just off the River Thames Path in Barnes. It was such a lovely way to spend the day away from the hustle and bustle of Central London (we braved that the following day). 

The London Wetlands Centre covers a large area so we only really experienced a small part of it. It was difficult with Lyra, only because she is at that stage where she wants to walk walk walk but can't really walk THAT FAR or for THAT LONG but STILL WON'T GET INTO THE BUGGY. Because of that we took advantage of her timely nap and walked around as much of the South Route as we could and then made our way to the Explore Adventure Park when she woke up. 

There are picnic spots dotted around the site so you can bring your own food, and there are quite a few picnic benches within the children's explore area (also close by are toilets, drinking water and baby change facilities), so we had a little picnic before exploring the climbing frame and the water play area. She really loved trying to race the ducks down the chute and LOVED getting soaked in the process. There were quite a few children in bathing suits playing in the same area- they must have known what to expect! 

After playing we walked around some more in search of more "quackies" and eventually made our way over to the West Route to see the otters, who were very very very playful and cute. 

We all had a wonderful and peaceful time. There were times when I found myself forgetting that we were still in London (only to be brought back to reality by a plane flying overhead to land at nearby Heathrow). 

If you are visiting London, or even live in the city, and are looking for something a little bit different and a little bit quieter to do with children we would definitely recommend spending the day at the London Wetlands Centre. 

WWT London Wetlands Centre 

Queen Elizabeth's Walk 

Barnes 

London 

SW13 9WT

www.wwt.org.uk

@WWTLondon

Staycation London: Bean and Hop, Earlsfield

I took Lyra on an adventure to London over the weekend. It was crazy, it was fun, it was exhausting. BUT we had a ball, enjoyed the sights, discovered all the lifts at Kings Cross station, and ate really really well. 

We stayed with some friends in Earlsfield in South West London where we were treated to breakfast at their favourite local spot Bean and Hop, which specialises in good coffee and good beer (and good food obviously). We went at the weekend and the BRUNCH menu was A.MAZE.ING. My friend had Instgrammed a picture of the eggs benedict a while back so I already knew that was what I was having. 

Yeah, it was good. They kindly poached 1 egg for Lyra and she had that with some buttered sourdough and some of my thinly shaved ham. I'm always impressed when places will happily make a smaller portion of a menu item for Lyra.

The small cafe was busy, lots of people with dogs getting coffee to go (although it is a dog friendly cafe), and quite a few couples with a buggy and small person in tow. I can see why it is a local favourite. 

And the coffee...it was exceptionally good. 

Bean and Hop

424-426 Garrett Lane 

London 

SW18 4HN 

www.beanandhop.co.uk

@beanandhop

Meal Plan Monday

Since we bought our car I have been much more efficient at meal planning. Going to the supermarket once a week has made it so much easier for me to buy produce that will last me all week and to also be able to alter my meal plan based on what is on sale/ in season/ available in store. I still have to get fresh bread or rolls and milk and sometimes more fruit or cheese closer to the end of the week, but for the most part what I buy on Saturday morning will last us through the week. 

Here is a look at what we are going to be eating this week. Lyra and I eat together at breakfast, snack and lunch time and then we eat dinner together with David when he gets in from work. Most weeks I stick to the meal plan, sometimes I change snacks or lunch on a whim based on what I feel like or more recently what Lyra asks for. 

Eating out in Edinburgh: Hemma

Whenever we are over by Arthur's Seat, Holyrood, or Our Dynamic Earth we love escaping to Hemma for a sit down and a snack.  They do a good range of homemade cakes/puddings, excellent coffee and are very child friendly. 

Lyra and I visited recently after a busy morning exploring Our Dynamic Earth. I had originally planned to pop in for a coffee and a sweet treat before heading home, but once we made ourselves comfortable on the chaise lounge and dragged out some toys from the children's corner we decided to have an early lunch (it was almost 11:30 anyways) and take our time. Lyra had a very generous portion of scrambled eggs on toast (with cucumber and tomatoes on the side that very quickly ended up on my plate) and a cup of apple juice. I had an open face pastrami sandwich with sweet red onions and a remoulade, with a side salad and latte. We shared a portion of chips with plenty of "kekup". It was all delicious. We (I) felt really relaxed and we just took our time eating, and chatting, and playing and reading until it was time to pack up and go home. 

I really like the children's menu at Hemma because there is a good variety of food to choose from and the prices are so reasonable. The whole brand, of which Hemma is 1 of 6 restaurant bars, really gets the importance of a good children's menu and catering to their needs (books and toys to play with) and that's why we love visiting.  

Highchairs available and baby changing facilities. 

Hemma

73 Holyrood Rd.

Edinburgh 

EH8 8AU

www.bodabar.com/hemma/

@HemmaBar

Staycation North Norfolk: Rocket House Cafe, Cromer

The Rocket House Café in Cromer is another one of the cafés I keep vowing to try one day and never have gotten around to it, until now. It is situated above the Henry Blogg Museum and has fantastic views out over the beach. On a good day you can sit outside on the balcony and watch the crabbing boats come in. On a not so good day there is still some outside seating that is a little bit sheltered so you can still sit and see the water and the pier. We visited TWICE, on a not so good day and sat inside and on a beautiful day and managed to snag a table outside. Both times the food was great, service friendly and quick, and the coffee perfect. 

On both snack time visits I had a decaf latte and a enormous cheese scone. Both times I was very very happy with my selection. The scones were HUGE and very cheesy, and the coffee was strong and hot. 

Lyra is a sucker for a "cwasant" (croissant) with butter and jam and she was very happy with the ones she had at the Rocket House Cafe. They were warm, soft and oh so crumby! She is getting better at hoovering up her croissant crumbs though so there wasn't much evidence left when we got up to leave. Dad enjoyed the homemade cakes (Victoria Sponge and a Chocolate Fudge Cake) and the coffee too. 

The Rocket House Café breakfast menu looks very nice (local bacon and sausages), as do the lunch and Saturday evening menus. I'm really  happy to have finally visited here and am looking forward to our return visit in the Autumn. 

Highchairs available and easy access to baby changing facilities. They are also happy to heat baby food (with the disclaimer that it will be hot). 

Rocket House Café

The Gangway 

East Promenade

Cromer 

NR27 9ET

www.rockethousecafe.co.uk

@RocketHouseCafe

Staycation North Norfolk: The Jetty Cafe, Cromer

We've been visiting Cromer in North Norfolk for years now, and yet it still amazes me that there are cafés that we haven't tried before. This visit I vowed to change that. Sure, we still visited our usuals (Huckleberries and Breakers) but we also enjoyed discovering what goods were on offer at some of the other cafés that we walk past every day. 

We popped into The Jetty Cafe late one morning after a particularly intense sandcastle building session down at the beach. The café was busy with people enjoying their morning coffees and scones. Although it was a bit early we were in the mood for lunch (well I was anyway, I had been searching for a Cromer crab sandwich) and the ALMOST 2 YEAR OLD was hankering for a SNACK. 

The staff were kind and service was quick. Lyra devoured half her GIGANTIC tea cake (with butter and jam) and a huge glass of apple juice all the while declaring it "LICIOUS". I really enjoyed my Cromer Crab sandwich (on white because...holiday).  I love crab and I especially love Cromer Crab so I was bound to be pleased, but it was HONESTLY a good sandwich. Simple, just dressed crab and butter, but GOOD. I ended up putting the salad from the side inside the sandwich just for some crunch, but that is just what I prefer. The crab, of course, was lurrrvly. 

Highchairs available, but I didn't check out the changing facilities (will do next time). 

The Jetty Cafe

11 High Street 

Cromer 

NR27 9HG 

find them on Facebook 

Visiting Copenhagen with a Toddler

We recently spent a week in Copenhagen with our ALMOST 2 year old. It was amazing. The city is small enough that we were able to see most of, if not all, of the tourist highlights. We utilised prime napping time to whiz around some of the attractions that might be less toddler friendly/appealing like the Marble Church, Nyhavn and some of the residential areas. But, for the most part everything we did was well received by both adults and toddler alike. 

We were blessed with fantastic weather (we went during the first week of June) so we were able to spend a great deal of time outdoors, which is perfect for the short attention span of our toddler and her need to walk walk walk.

Our TOP 5 must dos

1. Copenhagen Zoo is slightly outside the city centre but it is easily accessible by public transportation. We walked from our apartment (which was close to the Central Station) and it took us about 45 mins. This zoo is fantastic. It was the most expensive touristy thing we did (170 kr. per adult, under 3s free) during our week in Copenhagen but it was worth it. It is a smallish zoo-with plenty of animal enclosures and even a separate Children's Zoo area complete with petting area and playground. You can bring a picnic or purchase food on site and there even wagons to borrow to wheel your coolers around with you. We ate at the cafeteria restaurant and the food was good, and not unreasonably priced for a tourist attraction (we paid 85 kr. each for a hot meal and a soft drink). We went on the weekend so it was busy, but not overly crowded. Our top choice, for sure. 

2.  The National Museum of Denmark was one of the few inside things we did in Copenhagen. It is a lovely, bright, modern museum with a fantastic hands-on Children's Museum on the ground floor where children can try on costumes, play games, ride a horse, sail in a viking ship and much much more. There are also mummies on the top floor of the museum and an amazing collection of old dolls houses on the 2nd floor. If you have a stroller or pram, be prepared to leave it (safely) at the entrance and use one of the ones the museum provides. The cafe wasn't open when we visited but we were able to sit in it to eat the snack we had brought with us. 

3. The Botanic Garden is a lovely green space in the centre of Copenhagen. There are areas where you can sit on the grass, as well as designated picnic areas and cafes. It is a great place to let your toddler loose if they have been strapped into a stroller for a while. There are plenty of outdoor areas to explore, as well as the glasshouses (but you will have to leave your stroller outside of those). We walked through the gardens a number of times on our way to and from other parts of the city centre, and really enjoyed exploring the different pathways. 

4. Ørsted's Park was, thankfully, a short walk from our apartment close to the Central Station. In it is a wonderful children's area. We only played in one of the 2 play areas, but they both looked fantastic. The, what I would call, younger playground has a couple of slides, a huge sand box, swings, climbing frame, and little play huts. There are communal toys to use for digging in the sand and I honestly think our munchkin could have stayed there all day every day. During the week the bigger kids play area is supervised by park staff and it looked like they had loads of fun toys to play with and activities to do. 

5. The Round Tower is right in the centre of the main pedestrianised shopping area. It is free for children under 5 (25 kr. for adults). It was easy enough for our toddler to walk up (there is no elevator) and she loved looking out over the city from the observation area at the top. We visited The Round Tower on our last morning in Copenhagen and it was a nice, gentle way to end our trip. It isn't suitable for prams, we just left ours beside the ticket booth.  

In addition to these TOP 5 attractions we really enjoyed taking our toddler on a Canal Tour. The cruise was 60 mins, and was maybe a little bit too long for her...but the prospect of looking for tunnels kept her in good spirits for the whole trip. Again, we had to leave the stroller at the ticket booth so be prepared for that.  The canal tour was a good way to see a lot of the sites that are just a bit too far outside the city centre to drag a toddler along to, like The Little Mermaid statue and The Opera House. 

Copenhagen is a great city to explore with little ones. If you stay in the city centre most of the main attractions are within easy walking distance, or accessible by public transportation. We found the train trip from the airport to the Central Station very easy. There are ticket machines where you can select your language and pay using a credit or debit card, and the train only takes 15 mins.

Be prepared to leave your stroller outside shops and restaurants. Everyone does it, so don't be worried (besides if you are travelling with a cheapo umbrella stroller like us no one will want it anyway...the prams in Denmark are like SUVs).

Embrace the outdoors and definitely visit Torvehallerne food market to stock up on picnic supplies to enjoy in one of the many public parks.

Just go and enjoy it!