Berkshire Mummies

1Mar

By Berkshire MummiesNo Comments

Great places to visit in South Wales

Did you know this week is Wales Week Berkshire? So I thought I would mark the occasion. Despite not being Welsh, I lived in South Wales for a good proportion of my later teens / early adulthood years and have some very fond memories of the country. Today we visit South Wales on holiday and to also visit family, so in support of Wales Week Berkshire, I thought I would share some of my favourite places to visit. Did you know that Cardiff, the Welsh capital is only 2 hours 10 minutes away by car from Reading according to Google maps and now the toll on the Seven Bridge has gone Wales is even more accessible from Berkshire. Here are several places we enjoy visiting when we head to South Wales: Market Towns Cowbridge is a quaint market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, not too far from ...

11Feb

By Berkshire MummiesNo Comments

Places to Walk, Outside Of Berkshire

A circular walk at Ankerwycke, Surrey

We really benefit as a family from exploring and discovering walks with our National Trust Membership card and look forward to discovering more National Trust properties and sites. One place we have found through our membership is walking at Ankerwycke, this site is special as it’s home to the National Trusts eldest tree - just over the Berkshire border in Surrey and across the River Thames from National Trust site Runnymede. Ankerwycke makes a good circular walkwhich is dog friendly. We have been in both winter and spring, it was pretty muddy in the winter (so we suggest wellies!) The Walk goes across several fields and through trees and isn’t suitable for a buggy. There is also a pond and views of the River Thames. Part of the Ankerwycke Circular Walk Pond at Ankerwycke

28Jan

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Places to Walk, Places To Play And Learn, Days Out, Outside Of Berkshire

Visiting Mill Meadows, Henley on Thames

Despite being in Oxfordshire, Henley on Thames is just over the Berkshire boarder (approx 25 minutes / 30 minutes from Reading / Maidenhead) and worth a visit. It's not only a quaint town to visit but you can have some great walks along the river watching the boats and wildlife. One of our favourite parts of Henley on Thames to visit is Mill Meadows. In terms of walking we generally head back from Mill Meadows towards the town for a walk, if we want a short walk we turn back at the bridge, by The Angel on the Bridge pub (this path is mainly hard standing and buggy friendly and takes about 15 / 20 minutes each way). However, if we are looking for a longer walk, we will cross over the bridge onto the other side of the road and river and walk as far as 'little feet' will go and turn back on ...

3Jan

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Free Things To Do, Places to Walk, Outside Of Berkshire

Walking at Dorney Lake

Dorney Lake is a 2,200m purpose built lake owned and financed by Eton College, set in 400 acres of parkland. The land includes an arboretum and nature conservation area. The lake was made for and used in the 2012 Olympics and still has its Olympic rings on display today. The lake is situated in Dorney, Buckinghamshire not far from Eton and Windsor. The lake can be accessed by the public for walking. When we visited there were lots of walkers with their children who were on their bikes and scooters as the paths around the lake are flat, which is also great for buggies. During our walk at Dorney Lake we saw a swan, grebes and cormorants and it was wonderful to see the grebes diving up and down in the water fishing. Once you enter the Dorney Lake entrance, there is a public c...

16Jan

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Places to Walk, Outside Of Berkshire

A family walk in Marlow

We recently went for a family walk along the river at Marlow, Buckinghamshire. We parked in Higginson Park and walked along the tow path along the River Thames. The path was flat and well maintained with lots of families pushing buggies and walking dogs, there were a couple of well maintained bridges to walk over however. The walk was really scenic with views of Marlow Bridge and All Saints Church Bisham, across the water to look at. We fed the swans and ducks on the river during our walk and also watched the boats on the river. We also enjoyed watching the Red Kites flying over. We didn’t have chance to use it but there is a good children’s playground in Higginson Park and a skate park plus open playing fields.

10Jan

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Free Things To Do, Places to Walk, Outside Of Berkshire

Alice Holt Forest, Gruffalo Sculptures

On Sunday 6th January 2019 we had a family trip to Alice Holt Forest in Farnham, Surrey. The Forest is approx 23 miles from Bracknell, 28 miles from Reading and 29 miles from Windsor. We had never been to Alice Holt Forest but I knew there were Gruffalo sculptures there and I was keen for my little one to see them as we all enjoy reading The Gruffalo and the other children's books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Forest which is Forestry Commission run is vast, spanning 850 hectares. Once parked we headed to the information desk to find out which trail The Gruffalo sculptures were on. The information desk staff were very friendly and helpful. After a toilet stop we then headed to the Easy Access Trail (following the pink signs and arrows) which was a 1 1/2 mile walk and suit...

9Jan

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Reviews, Outside Of Berkshire

AD – Review // The Ivy Marlow Garden

On 3rd January 2019 we were invited as a family to dine at The Ivy Marlow Garden in exchange for reviewing our experience. It was great to be able to extend our Christmas and New Year celebrations out a little bit further before getting back into our normal routine again after the festive period. Upon arrival we were greeted at the front desk, where our coats were taken to the cloakroom, we were then escorted to our table which was beautifully laid out with white table cloths and we were presented with a selection of menus. We were offered drinks whilst looking at the menus before having the choice specials presented to us by our waiter. The waiting staff were extremely attentive. We ordered our food, there was not a specific children’s menu but we opted for the fish gou

4Jul

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Places to Walk, Days Out, Seasonal, Outside Of Berkshire

A day at West Wittering Beach

On Sunday 24th June we headed for a day on the beach at West Wittering in Chichester. It’s one of our favourite beaches to visit, especially as it’s a sandy beach with good car parking facilities (we paid £8.50 to park for the day, which we paid by card on arrival) and is generally a relatively straight forward journey from Berkshire, traffic dependant. We arrived at about 10.30am and the car park was very busy but there was still room to park. The beach was also busy but due to its size it still felt to me as though there was enough room for everyone. There are toilets and showers at the beach plus a cafe with ice cream shop. There were life guards on the beach. Water sports are also encouraged in a different part of the sea to the swimmers, which I thought was a sensible idea. We

Justin’s Band, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay

8Apr

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Places To Play And Learn, Outside Of Berkshire

Justin’s Band, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay

My aim for this blog is to share our family friendly experiences as much as possible in Berkshire. However, on occasions we do go further afield and I aim to write up blog posts about holidays or weekend destinations around the UK that we visit. I have come to the conclusion that we are visiting them so I might as well share our experiences in case you happen to find yourself heading there. In the Autumn we headed to the Lake District and I put a blog post together about our wonderful time in the national park. We decided to go away for Easter this year and as part of our trip visited Cardiff Bay (blog to follow shortly). The bay is a great part of the Welsh capital and only 2 hours - 2 1/2 hours from Berkshire in good traffic. Whilst in Cardiff Bay we went to see Justin’s Band with J

8Mar

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Days Out, Outside Of Berkshire

Visiting Runnymede, Egham, Surrey

Runnymede, known for it's connections to the Magna Carta, is situated in Egham, Surrey on the outskirts of Windsor, Berkshire and we visit regularly. There is plenty to do which is all closely located to one another. There is a pay and display car park at the Runnymede Pleasure Ground and they offer an hourly and an all day car park rate. You can take a stroll alongside the River Thames with an opportunity to watch the wildlife and boats. If you walk along the river (heading towards the Runnymede Hotel) you will find the Bell Weir Lock perfect for the inquisitive mind! The Runnymede Pleasure Park has a paddling pool (open in the summer), go karts, bouncy castle (open in warmer months), play park and a large open green space - perfect for picnics when it's warm enough. You can also...

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