And just like that, Christmas is here! Our tree is And just like that, Christmas is here! Our tree is up, the Santa hats are out and the first doors on our advent calendars are open.

I love this time of year. It is my favourite. And it’s one of the few times still full of magic even as an adult. I’m going to be soaking up every minute of joy the next few weeks bring and I hope December is full of moments of joy for you too.

Happy December! 🎄
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?
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Holidays & Accomodation, Reviews, Travel · March 12, 2020

Holiday in the Peak District: Landal Sandybrook or Darwin Forest?

Disclosure: We were invited on the mentioned breaks in order to review but weren’t asked to write this post.

Over the last couple of years we’ve been lucky enough to have a winter break at both Landal Sandybrook Lodges and Landal Darwin Forest, giving us so much time to explore the beauty of the Peak District National Park.

So, if you’ve been looking at staying with Landal GreenParks in the Peak District you might be wondering which park is better to stay at, which park is best for you? Sandybrook or Darwin Forest? How do you choose?

Both parks are fantastic for exploring the local area, everything the Peak District has to offer and days out like visiting Chatsworth House, exploring the Monsal Trail or popping to a National Trust site.

We first stayed at Darwin Forest Country Park, a 44 acre holiday resort between Matlock and Bakewell, full of 137 Scandinavian Redwood lodges and fantastic facilities. There’s a great size indoor swimming pool and gym, a pub restaurant, a convenience store and the Little Monkey’s children’s play centre.

In comparison, the Sandybrook country park is home to just 53 lodges making it a small and peaceful holiday park. The luxury lodges are set in what used to be the grounds of a 19th century manor house with a beautiful and historic bluebell wood. There’s an indoor swimming pool, Coach House restaurant and games room on site and it’s located close to the picturesque market town of Ashbourne.

As you can see, Darwin Forest is a lot bigger than Sandbrook. But, both have their similarities:

  • A nature trail and woodland walk for families to explore and plenty of outside space
  • Fantastic leisure facilities – swimming pools, jacuzzis, saunas and steam rooms.
  • On site restaurants so you can choose to either self cater or eat out, the perfect balance on a holiday.
  • Activities for all the family – Archery, Body Zorbing, Fencing, Mini Golf and so much more.
  • Play areas and games rooms.
  • Top quality lodges that provide a home from home, many with hot tubs and many are pet friendly too.

Both locations give a fantastic family holiday with all the facilities and amenities that you could need for a break away. But, having experienced both locations I would have a preference for each site depending on the type of holiday I was after.

Sandybrook is great for a quiet break away, a weekend as a couple, a break with extended family or even just a low key, relaxed break as a family. It’s a beautiful, tranquil site that is just right for down time at any time of the year. But, it’s also only 25 minutes from Alton Towers making it a great base for a trip to the theme park.

Darwin Forest on the other hand is a bigger site that would be perfect for a busier break away. If you were looking for somewhere with something to do all day every day then Darwin Forest could be the place. With all the benefits of Sandybrook as well as an on site soft play and a trim trail in the forest it’s a great location for a family great to keep children entertained.

But, Darwin Forest is also great for down time, just like Sandybrook, with the nature trail, mini golf, outdoor space, leisure facilities and beautiful lodges.

Writing this I think I’ve only reinforced that both Darwin Forest and Sandybrook are fantastic holiday locations for down time, time together and a break from the norm. I wonder which Landal site we’ll venture to next? If you have any questions about either site let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them.

In: Holidays & Accomodation, Reviews, Travel

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Comments

  1. Gemma says

    March 13, 2020 at 4:56 pm

    I’ve never visited the Peak District before, but Sandybrook and Darwin Forest sound like such a great place to visit for a break! Especially for a staycation. Nature trails sound like so much fun! xo

    Reply

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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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