I always have a lot of questions about accommodati I always have a lot of questions about accommodation when we stay anywhere as a family so I thought I’d share this little tour of our room at @windjammerlanding which was a pretty perfect place to stay.

It’s the ‘Ocean View Two Bedroom’ which was like a little house, with an upstairs and downstairs, built into the hillside. Both rooms had outdoor space and their own shower rooms. Such a great option for a family.
A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. We’ve been back a few days now but still miss the heat, the food, the pool, the constant sounds of wildlife and the lovely people. It was such a great holiday and I’m sure we’ll be back one day.
And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is watching her grow and what a wonderful young woman she is becoming. We could not be more proud. Love you Pickle, have a great birthday.
We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in S We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in St Lucia staying at @windjammerlanding and it was just the holiday we needed. Two weeks of sunshine and relaxation in what must be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. 

We can’t wait to go back again in the future. Here’s just a little snippet of our trip.
AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @na AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @national_motor_museum despite the rain! The children loved the Little Beaulieu play area and we loved exploring the National Motor Museum and Top Gear exhibit before having a ride on the monorail! We went on an old open topped bus, explored the Beaulieu Manor House and loved the gardens. 
Beaulieu is always a great day out - whatever the weather. This summer they have a whole ‘Summer of Fun’ planned, with activities most days - parades, bird shows and hundreds of sculptures within the grounds too. If you’re looking for a day out this summer definitely think about heading to Beaulieu.
AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to t AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to their first concert - but it was so much more than just a concert! @abbavoyage is incredible. With CGI ABBA and a live band, it’s like being at an ABBA concert 40 years ago but with modern lighting, effects and sound. ABBA look and sound real, it’s a mind blowing experience.
The set includes all the songs you know and love as well as a few less familiar ones.
You can’t take photos during the show which actually made a refreshing change. A whole arena focused purely on the show and soaking up the moment. It’s definitely something the four of us will always remember.
Now, I’m off to sing Dancing Queen all the way home.
AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdo AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdockyard today. They have a fantastic Ultimate Explorer ticket that lets you visit all the attractions as many times as you like for 12 months - and after a day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard we can see that you need more than one day to really do everything!

We explored HMS Warrior, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Exhibition - which is incredible! We also saw where ships are built and restored and spent time in Action Stations where the kids climbed and did an assault course.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is such a fun, educational day out with something for all ages - we can’t wait to go on their harbour tours next time we visit!
AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To cel AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To celebrate #100YearOfARoads National Highways have launched their #ARoadsToSummer competition! It's all about celebrating summer holiday moments, time together, fun in the sun, days out and more.

So why not be in it to win it? To enter, all you have to do is send @nationalhways a DM on here with a photo or video of your favourite holiday moments. You can also comment on their Facebook or Twitter #ARoadsToSummer posts with your holiday photos. I've shared a few of our favourite photos to give you some inspiration.

The best six entries will each win a £500 @nationaltrust holidays voucher! SO what are you waiting for? Dig out your favourite holiday photos or take some new ones to share!

The #ARoadsToSummer competition runs from 24 July to 10 September 2023. Winners will be announced in September 2023.

Good luck!
Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. As school draws to a close at lunchtime, I’m looking forward to a whole summer with them. My favourite people.

They’ve both had a great year at school this year. Troy’s first without his sister by his side and Athena’s first at secondary school. 

They both had great reports, always did their best and have made some really lovely new friends this year. I could not be more proud of them.

Now, let’s go and enjoy the next six weeks before school starts all over again!
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Days Out, Days Out and Attractions/Events, Reviews · December 15, 2021

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor Review

We finished last weekend off with a trip to Waddesdon Manor for their Christmas at Waddesdon Event. We hadn’t been to Waddesdon Manor in a few years and it was lovely to go back – especially for such a lovely, festive event.

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor

What is Waddesdon Manor?

Owned by the National Trust and managed by the Rothschild Foundation, Waddesdon Manor is a country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire. It’s one of the National Trust’s most visited properties and is a really lovely day out for the whole family.

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor

Waddesdon Manor has plenty of car parking but the car park is about a 15 minute walk from the main manor house and grounds. There are free buses you can get to and from the car park or you can enjoy the walk, although it is up hill on the way to the manor house and nicely downhill on the return!

Before you start your walk – or get the bus – there are toilets available. For the event, the main toilets were women only with men asked to use portaloos provided. The toilets weren’t very busy when we arrived or when we left and they were perfectly located, especially if you’d had a long drive like us.

Waddesdon Manor Christmas

As soon as you arrive at the manor house you’re thrown into the Christmas at Waddesdon event. The manor house is lit up, trees are covered in lights and the main walkways are lined with a Christmas market. It’s beautiful, festive and has a real buzz about it.

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor

We started our evening by exploring the Christmas fair, enjoying the mix of food stalls, gifts, jewellery and homeware on offer. It was a real eclectic mix of businesses and everyone was super friendly. It felt like such a nice alternative to going to a city Christmas market.

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor

The Waddesdon winter light trail

After we’d had our fill of the festive offerings, and the sun had gone down, we made our way to the start of the light trail. This was well signposted and took us past the glorious Waddesdon Manor aviary and into the grounds.

The aviary was really popular but it was too dark to really see any birds so we focused on the lights instead. Between the two sides of the aviary there was an interactive floor that young children absolutely loved but we skipped past as it just felt far too busy.

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor

One of our favourite light exhibits followed, with huge tubes of bubbles all lit in different colours and with the lights changing as buttons were pressed. It was a beautiful start to the trail. There was also a huge string of lights next to it that changed colour as a button was pressed.

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor
Christmas at Waddesdon Manor

We carried on along the paths, loving that so many trees were lit up. The hillside was awash with lights and some had even been designed to go on and off in time with music. It was beautiful to see.

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor
Christmas at Waddesdon Manor

The trail led us past elephant sculptures, a colour changing field of roses and tree after tree that was lit from below. We ended up in a tunnel of lights which was one of the first real congested areas as everyone stopped to take photos – which is to be expected at any event. But, the children loved walking through the tunnel and were so excited by it.

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor
Christmas at Waddesdon Manor

Afterwards there was a pyramid full of almost floating balls of light, balls of light hanging from trees and giant dandelions waiting for wishes to be made. Every installation was well thought out and beautiful, with each one being more stunning and colourful than the last.

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor
Christmas at Waddesdon Manor

The light trail finished with a walk down a hill where strands of light flowed down from the trees, almost like shimmering roots across the ground. On the other side of the manor house, disco balls had been strung from the trees, dazzling the area with droplets of light.

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor
Christmas at Waddesdon Manor

We loved the light trail but it was shorter than we expected. We were only at Waddesdon Manor for around an hour and a half, taking in the stalls and walking through the lights so it’s not something I would travel far for in the future but it was a really lovely experience that we all really enjoyed.

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor

We arrived just as the sun was going down and it wasn’t very busy but, obviously, it got much busier once it was dark as everyone wants to see the lights in all their glory. Although numbers were limited and it was purely a ticketed event, it still felt really busy at times, mainly around the main light installations and at the food stalls.

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor

We finished our trip with dirty fries and hot dogs from the Kurbside Kitchen food stall before walking back to the car park and heading home. We loved seeing the lights and it was a great way to finish our weekend, doing something really festive before Christmas.

Christmas at Waddesdon is on until 3rd January. You can find out more and book online over on the National Trust website. Christmas at Waddesdon is a paid event with a reduced cost for National Trust members.

You can see a video of our trip to the Waddesdon Light Trail over on Instagram here:

View this post on Instagram

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

Christmas at Waddesdon Manor
Christmas at Waddesdon Manor

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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