I had some fun adventures last month, coinciding with February’s half term holidays, in Scotland, Bristol and at home!
It started on the 9th February when I took a train up to Glasgow… well, as usual, that didn’t go entirely to plan! As I was on the train to get my connection from Manchester to Glasgow, I discovered that the Glasgow train had been kind of cancelled, in that all the stops prior to Lancaster had been scrapped because of a lack of drivers. I managed to get on another train that was heading north, and by some miracle got myself to Lancaster ahead of the time that my original train was leaving there, so I did eventually get on my actual train!
So I checked into my hotel in Glasgow city centre late afternoon, and then met up with Steve to grab some food ahead of our trip to the Highlands the next day!
Steve & Tanya picked me up on the Friday morning and we made the long trek up to Inverness where we were meeting up with Ali and her kids who were flying up from Bristol. We’d arranged it so me and Ali would hire a car between us, and split the cost of that and accommodation/trips so that it wouldn’t be too expensive! We’d booked a family room in a Travelodge in Inverness, so I had a camp-bed set up in the corner, whilst the others had use of a double and single bed. It wasn’t the biggest room, so was a bit ‘cosy’, and it was a bit of a new experience for me to be holidaying with kids and all the extra clutter they bring! Also we discovered that the bathroom door didn’t close properly, so I had to wedge it shut with my trainers when using it!
Tea in Inverness with Ali, Tanya, Steve, me, and the kids.
To take a break from the room, we nipped down to the marina to take a look around before returning for an early tea at the pub across from our hotel. That’s another thing when holidaying with kids – meal times are different!
The next morning we had breakfast in the room (made up from bits we had with us!), and then drove down to Dochgarroch Dock which was about 7 miles south of where we were staying, to get on a boat for a 2 hour cruise of Loch Ness!
Ali and me on Loch Ness.
I really enjoyed it – there weren’t many on the cruise so we were able to roam around a bit, and the weather wasn’t too bad. It was quite cold and windy, but the rain held off for most of it. We covered the top third of the loch, turning around at Urquhart Castle – it really made me realise how big Loch Ness really is!
After the cruise we had some lunch at a garden centre and then went north of Inverness to a lighthouse at Chanonry Point (where the kids threw lots of pebbles into the sea!), and after that went to a little beach at Rosemarkie where we walked in the sun, although it was quite cold, and the kids played with Steve’s dog Liza. And as if we weren’t quite cold enough, we went to a little cafe (sitting outside because of Liza) and bought ice creams!
Ali and the kids at Chanonry Point.
When we got back to the hotel, Ali had some work she needed to do, so I took the kids to the cinema to see the new Puss in Boots film, and they had a really good time – I wasn’t totally sure how it’d be because they still didn’t know me that well, and they’d be spending the evening with just me, but they were great.
On the Sunday morning, we let Steve and Tanya have some time to themselves, and took the kids swimming at the local leisure centre. It’s been years since I’ve been swimming, so was a little self conscious, but didn’t want to sit it out and miss out spending time with the kids. We had fun playing in the water, and there was a wave machine that activated every so often. Unfortunately the water flumes were closed – the session we were at also catered for really young kids so they didn’t open them, but there was still enough to keep us occupied for the morning.
Tanya and Steve (and Liza!) in Nairn.
In the afternoon we met back up with Steve and Tanya and went over the beach at Nairn, where after ice creams, Ali and the kids built some kind of fort out of bits of wood and sand (I just mostly took photos and was encouraging(!)), whilst Steve and Tanya left after a bit because there was nothing to do for them! Another early tea – this time at Nando’s, and then we hung out at Steve’s hotel for a while because they had a large communal area with free hot drinks, which was better than our small, crowded hotel room!
The next morning we drove down to Aviemore for (quite a long!) walk around Loch Morlich. It was a beautiful day – really sunny – although obviously still a bit chilly! Half way around there was a really nice sandy beach, so the kids played on there for a bit, before nipping into a nearby cafe for much needed sustenance!
Steve, Tanya, Ali, me and the kids at Loch Morlich.
After lunch, Steve and Tanya left us to spend the evening at a hotel they’d booked further south, on their way back to Glasgow. We went and checked into our next hotel – the Coylumbridge Hotel, which was just outside of Aviemore. I had been a bit worried about it because it was really the only place we could afford, and some of the reviews on Trip Advisor had been a bit scathing. But I think going with slightly lower expectations meant it was fine. We’d booked a family suite, which had a room with a double bed which Ali shared with M, and then there was a 2nd room with bunk beds which I shared with D. It also had a bit of a hallway leading to a pretty big bathroom, so it felt much less crowded than our Travelodge room! Also, the hotel was much more geared up for families, with a soft play area next door, which the kids spent a decent amount of time in!
On the Tuesday, Ali had booked a skiing lesson for her and the kids, so I went and took photos of them on the nursery slope, and after lunch when they went higher up the mountain, I went for a walk along one of the mountain paths for about an hour until they were done. Apparently they really enjoyed skiing – there was quite a bit of falling over, but apparently their ski instructor was really good and got them skiing properly up on the really snowy section higher up.
Ali and the kids skiing on the Cairngorm Mountain.
Next day, we took the kids to the Landmark Forest Adventure Park in Carrbridge, which is a park with loads of activities and stuff for kids to do, all with a nature / forest theme. Beforehand, the kids weren’t 100% about going, but once they were there they totally loved it! There were electric go-karts, mini diggers, dinosaurs, and really cool aerial nets which are big bouncy net ‘cages’ up in the trees, connected by net passageways, and they were in their element up there! I went up for a short while, and it was a nightmare! I couldn’t really get my balance, and it was really hard to walk on, especially when hyper kids are bouncing near to you, and I was soon collapsed in a heap, trying to get myself standing again! I mean, I laughed a lot, but I’m glad Ali spent more time on there with them than me!
Landmark Forest Adventure Park.
On the Thursday, after a one last visit to the beach at Nairn, we took a flight back to Ali’s in Bristol, where I was staying until Sunday afternoon. It was a pretty quick flight really, and it was quite easy to get the bus from the airport into the centre of Bristol.
Next day, I walked into the city to go to the Showcase Cinema de Lux to see the new ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’, and it’s a really smart looking cinema! There was hardly anyone else there though, but that was probably because it was the middle of the day. In the evening, Claire (from Greenbelt etc) came over for tea, and it was really nice to chat and catch up once the kids had gone to bed!
Ali, Claire and me.
On Saturday with took a drive over to the Mendip Activity Centre with a group of the kids’ friends, so they could go tobogganing on a dry slope they have there, and once we got back, I nipped out for a bit to meet up with Rob Kay for a few hours, for a chat over coffee and cake!
Tobogganing at the Mendip Activity Centre.
I travelled back to Manchester on the Sunday evening (after I’d cooked a roast dinner for my hosts!), and I felt pretty tired when I got home, but I’d had such a good time. There were times when it was quite intense, and it was a very different experience for me having to share my space like that, and trying to judge what to do if arguments or tantrums flare up, but I think I was okay with it all. I think it helps that I’ve known Ali for such a long time, so I guess there’s a bit of shorthand when you’ve been friends for nearly 30 years(!), but I was also really pleased that the kids were fine with me being with them the whole week. There was a slight wobble with M on the first evening, but she got over that pretty quickly, and both kids were really great to hang out with.
So with a slight respite just doing my washing on Monday, the next evening Mum and Brandon came to mine by train to stay for a few days. Neither Brandon or Chloe have been to mine before – they came up a few years ago to Manchester and I met them at the Trafford Centre, but this was the first time to my house.
I’d planned a trip to Sheffield on the Wednesday, so we headed over to the Meadowhall Centre where we had lunch, and then we took Brandon to Ninja Warrior UK. It’s based on the ITV show of the same name, and has various climbing and balancing obstacles, as well as the Warped Wall which you run at and have to get to the top in one attempt. He seemed to enjoy it, but I guess it was a bit difficult that he was doing it on his own. Obviously neither me or mum could go on with him, so it would be better if he’d had a mate to go on it with him, but I hung around the edge of the course trying to give him some encouragement!
Brandon at Ninja Warrior Sheffield.
On the next day, we took the tram into Manchester, and walked over to the new Mayfield Park near to Piccadilly Station, and I was really impressed how they’ve turned such a run down area into a really great urban park. We sat to eat some sandwiches, then hopped on the tram over to play a round of Junkyard Golf. It’d moved to a new location since the time I went before with work, and it felt much smaller and cramped, so it wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped. Also, I ran back to grab a replacement golf ball, and managed to trip over a step in the low light and scraped my knee pretty badly, so that was good! Also, Mum won, which didn’t go down too well with Brandon!
Mum and Brandon at Junkyard Golf.
Next morning, we played with Brandon’s Oculus headset in morning which was a weird experience – I saw a video of how I looked when using it, so I might not ever use one again! After lunch I took them back to the station for them to get their train home, and I was finally able to rest after a very busy couple of weeks!