AD | Christmas has arrived at @thelexiconbracknell AD | Christmas has arrived at @thelexiconbracknell and there’s so much to entertain the whole family whilst you do your Christmas shopping! 

Visit The Lexicon Glow Room for a magical light experience that will dazzle you with 20,000 LEDs. It feels like the room goes on forever! Then, take a dip in the Light Pool, a magical ball pool with golden balls to be found and prizes to be won!

If that wasn’t all, have a photo in the giant Christmas bauble ‘sparkling selfie station’ and follow the Twinkle Trail, spotting baubles in shop windows to collect the clues and enter to win fabulous prizes this Christmas. Plus, share your sparkling selfie station pictures, tagging #thelexiconbracknell or email them to marketing@thelexiconbracknell.com and you will automatically be entered in a competition for the chance to win a restaurant gift card too. 

There are also special performances from local choirs, bands and singers and even the chance to meet Bluey, Hey Duggee and Chase from Paw Patrol! You can be sure that a trip to The Lexicon will have something for everyone over the festive season this year. We loved our visit to The Lexicon last weekend and know we’ll be back again before Christmas!

Find out more on @thelexiconbracknell website.

#TheLexiconBracknell #Merry&Bright
AD - Press Trip | What a lovely evening that was! AD - Press Trip | What a lovely evening that was! We had our first Glow Marwell experience tonight - and we loved it. It may even be the best light trail we have been to.

We spent well over two hours at @marwellzoo, enjoying the light installations, indulging in the food stalls and cafe, toasting marshmallows and even meeting Father Christmas! 

Glow Marwell was such a nice way to kick off the festive season - and it’s on all the way through December! If you’re looking for a really nice festive activity the whole family can enjoy, this could definitely be it!
AD | Are you looking for gifts for the grandparent AD | Are you looking for gifts for the grandparents this year? @famileo_uk is a wonderful gift, giving the recipient a personalised gazette of family news regularly throughout the year - and it costs from just £5.99 a month. 

Multiple family members can use the same subscription, all posting messages to be added to one gazette - and sharing the cost of the subscription too! It’s great for parents, siblings and children to all share their news with grandparents each week, fortnight or month. 

We’ve been sending my dad Family gazettes for a while now and he absolutely loves them. It means we tell him all the little things that are happening and not just the big news you remember to mention in phone calls. The children get to upload their own messages to their grandad and it’s definitely made them feel closer, building a stronger relationship despite living far apart.

Find out more about Family over on the blog - link in bio - and buy a subscription for your nearest and dearest this Christmas. It’s a gift they will definitely love to receive.
Two weeks of Fred & George! I won’t be doing the Two weeks of Fred & George! I won’t be doing these updates every week but I like having somewhere to put all these photos!

They’re now three months old, super loving and happy, making biscuits and purring constantly.

They stay in ‘their’ room overnight but explore the house during the day, getting more confident as time passes. They even got to the point of relaxing on the sofa with us last night.

Fred & George are now very much part of our family and I can’t imagine them not being there now - even at 7am when they’re miaowing at the door for breakfast!
AD | Stuck for screen-free entertainment that your AD | Stuck for screen-free entertainment that your kids will love? Claim your FREE Banjo Robinson activity pack today!
 
Reading for pleasure is a key indicator of a child’s future success, but if your child doesn’t love to read, what can you do? We know it’s not always easy keeping kids entertained and away from screens, so we’ve partnered with the award-winning @banjorobinson to gift you a FREE activity pack, worth £9.99.

Here’s a little look at the Banjo Robinson subscription - Troy loves it! Travelling to world with Banjo is so much fun! You can read our full review over on the blog and claim your free activity pack too - link in profile.
A whole week of Fred & George. We weren’t meant A whole week of Fred & George.

We weren’t meant to get more cats just yet but sometimes the universe sends you things when you don’t expect them.

These little guys needed a home and a family to love them. And we had a home and a lot of love to give. We still miss Leia but this pair are definitely helping make me feel whole again.

They are both used to us now, and love us. They’re less nervous, give us cuddles and let us pick them up. They’re still living in our spare room but starting to explore the rest of the house under supervision. 

They play fight constant. Love toys, especially a crinkly feather thing on a string attached to a stick, and love being up high. They are an awesome pair and we are so glad to have them.

Thank you @millbrook_rspca @rspca_official for trusting us with ‘Lonestar and Starfish’. We could not love them more. 

#catsofinstagram #catstagram #catsofig #catsofinsta #catlovers #adoptdontshop #rspcarescuecat #kittensofinstagram #kittens_of_instagram
[AD - Press Trip] I’ve just finished writing abo [AD - Press Trip] I’ve just finished writing about our half term break at @pottersresort and it’s over on the blog if you want to go have a read.

I wanted to put some of my favourite photos on the grid too as the kids did so many fun activities - they had THE best time. 

Giant swing, segways, climbing, archery, laser clays… there was so much to do that we couldn’t fit it all in - we need another trip!
And there ends our October half term - well, apart And there ends our October half term - well, apart from Troy who has a bonus week off!

This half term has been pretty lovely. Troy had his school residential the first weekend and then we had a really lovely few days in Norfolk before heading home and picking up two new members of our family - Fred and George. 11 week old rescue kittens who have pretty much stolen our hearts.

It’s been so nice to have a chunk of quality time with this pair and now I’m looking forward to the Christmas holidays. These two are the best company and I really do live for the school holidays. 

How has your half term been?
[AD - Press Trip] We’ve loved spending half term [AD - Press Trip] We’ve loved spending half term at @pottersresort in Norfolk. With great food, an action packed schedule of entertainment and activities plus everything included in the price of your break - even drinks - it’s a fantastic way to holiday as a family, giving quality time together in the nicest of surroundings. 
I’ll write a full review soon but for now here’s a little Reel  of our trip.
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Days Out, Days Out and Attractions/Events, Reviews · August 20, 2021

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace – Oxfordshire

Disclosure: We were invited on this day out for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.

We last went to Blenheim Palace six years ago, when Little Man wasn’t quite two and we were in the days of pushchairs and changing bags. I couldn’t wait to see what Blenheim Palace was like with LP and Little Man being so much older.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

What is Blenheim Palace?

Blenheim Palace is in Woodstock in Oxfordshire and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s looked after by The Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation Charity and it’s the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and the only palace in the UK that isn’t owned by royalty. It was home to the Churchill family and Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

Blenheim Palace is also so much more than just the palace. When visiting Blenheim Palace you quickly realise that the palace is just one part of what a day at Blenheim Palace offers and there is so much to see and do that you would need multiple visits to really feel like you’ve done it all.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

At the moment, Blenheim Palace works on a booking system to make sure it doesn’t get too crowded. It means that you can wander around the palace at your pace and once inside you can spend as long as you like admiring the rooms and learning about Blenheim Palace history.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

Blenheim Palace has more rooms than Buckingham Palace and you’re allowed to explore a good chunk of the ground floor. There’s so much on display to look at and each room was beautiful, it was like stepping back in time.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

What else is there to do at Blenheim Palace?

Outside Blenheim Palace there is so much to do and our next stop was the Stables Exhibition, a permanent exhibition. This is an immersive and interactive experience in the stable block. It showcases the importance of horses at Blenheim through the centuries.

It includes the original tack room and a recreated stable office plus an area for live horse displays where we got to meet Teddy, the painting pony.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

The exhibition also includes a life size model of Churchill’s childhood pony Rob Roy and gave the children the chance to dress up, attempt to ride side saddle, sit in a fancy wagon and put a harness on a model pony. It was great fun and they both really enjoyed it.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

This led us nicely through to the new Churchill Exhibition, another permanent exhibition at Blenheim Palace. It features so many historic artefacts that document the key aspects of Sir Winston Churchill’s life. There are photographs, letters and excerpts from his most famous speeches and I felt like we all really learnt something, it was like walking through his footsteps.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

It was then time to head outside and we found ourselves in the formal gardens which are utterly beautiful. With so many places to sit, fantastic water features and places to get refreshments, it’s a great place to spend time and gives wonderful views of the surrounding area.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

We took some time to walk around the grounds, exploring the woodland, park and grassy areas of Blenheim Palace and walking around the Great Lake. We loved that you can hire a boat for a bit of traditional boating on the lake and we’ll definitely do that next time!

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

Our walk took us to the cascades where we got to see the original pump house and learn about how much water is pumped from Blenheim to be treated and used locally. It’s the sort of thing you never even think about!

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

We also saw the Rose Garden, a beautiful place where the children were happy smelling roses and running around for ages. There were plenty of benches to sit and enjoy the beautiful colours of the roses and it’s somewhere we could happily have spent the whole afternoon if we didn’t have more to see.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

Children’s Activities at Blenheim Palace

Unlike many other historic houses, Blenheim Palace has a big focus on making sure children have a great time. The Pleasure Gardens are pretty much dedicated to younger visitors and there’s even a train to take you from the main palace to the gardens at a small extra cost.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

We walked to the Pleasure Gardens and it was lovely to take in statues, fountains and so much more on the way. We got to see the Bird Cage installation plus a smaller country house in the grounds before walking through the Walled Garden. I will never tire of how much Blenheim Palace has to see and do.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

When we got to the Pleasure Gardens we went in the Blenheim Palace maze – the Marlborough Hedge Maze – first, and what an incredible maze it is! With two bridges you have to cross to find the middle of the maze, and great views from each of them, it’s a real highlight of any trip to Blenheim Palace. Definitely do not miss the Marlborough Maze!

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

Afterwards we explored the rest of the Pleasure Gardens. There’s a great adventure play area, with climbing frames and swings as well as some activities that are an additional cost – bouncy castles, trampolines and rides. But, there’s enough to keep the children happy without paying extra.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

Our next stop was the Butterfly House which was fantastic but does get quite congested as people work their way through it. We saw so many huge butterflies, with one even landing on LP’s head. It’s definitely somewhere not to be missed when you visit Blenheim Palace.

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

Food and Drink at Blenheim Palace

There are so many places to eat and drink at Blenheim Palace from sit down restaurants with beautiful menus through to stands to buy hot drinks or a cake from. There were even ice cream vans dotted around! But, there are also plenty of places to sit and enjoy a picnic too.

There are also plenty of toilets and hand sanitiser everywhere. Masks are encouraged in indoor settings and there’s a lovely shop with so many gifts and souvenirs available. It’s really hard to leave without buying anything!

We had just the best day at Blenheim Palace. It’s the sort of day out where you leave feeling fulfilled, like you’d done as much as you possibly could and were completely content. The kids loved it, the adults loved it and we cannot wait to go back. It was great to learn more about Blenheim Palace heritage and just have a lovely day out.

Find out more about and book Blenheim Palace tickets over on their website. You can also upgrade your day tickets to an annual pass at no extra cost. Return all year for just the one day entrance price! For reference, the Blenheim Palace address is: Blenheim Palace Woodstock OX20 1PP

You can see a video of our day at Blenheim Palace over on Instagram here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Donna – What the Redhead Said (@genuineplacebo84)

A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
A lovely day at Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire

In: Days Out, Days Out and Attractions/Events, Reviews

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Hi everyone! I'm Donna. Mummy. Blogger. Social Media Manager. Traveller. Lover of stars, rainbows and gin. Firm believer that tea and cake can fix most things.

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