Planning our first trip to Walt Disney World, Florida

Planning a holiday is always exciting, but when it's a holiday of a lifetime it can be pretty overwhelming as well. This summer, we will be taking our children on their very first trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. Long term readers of this site will know that we are a family of huge Disney fans, so this really is the ultimate dream for us all. My husband has been three times before as a child but for myself and our two children, it will be not only our first visit to Disney World but also our first time in the United States!

We did take the children to Disneyland in Paris a few years ago and although they had a fabulous time and made some cherished memories, I found it a very stressful trip. Therefore I want to do as much forward planning as possible this time, to make sure I share the magic with them!

We have already booked our advanced dining reservations for the meals we will be having on site, booked our eight year old a princess makeover slot at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Magic Kingdom and of course linked up our tickets in the My Disney Experience App.

Top Tips for your first Disney World Trip from UK Family Travel Bloggers

Having just passed our double digit day I feel like I can really get into geeky planning mode now, we've started to buy bits and pieces ready to pack and we have our 30 day Fastpass+ day marked on the calendar! To help me get prepared I thought I would pick the brains of some fellow bloggers and WDW fans. I've pulled together some of the top tips that they have shared with me below:

Angela who writes a fabulous family travel blog filled with Disney themed content - Life of Spicers - says we should enjoy everything that you are doing and don't worry about what you're not doing, as it's impossible to do everything!

Amy from Livvy Bird Adventures advises her top tip is to get everyone in the travel party to choose one MUST for each park. Then treat everything else as extra. Whether you go for one or three weeks you still won’t get everything done. Do check out her Instagram for lots of Disney memories!

Karen from That Lancashire Lass took her family to WDW in 2017 and she tells me that fast passes are brilliant for minimising queuing time when you have young children.

Louise from A Strong Coffee to Go suggests that if you don’t get a fast pass for one of the really popular rides such as Flight of Passage, either go for rope drop on a day without early magic hours or get in the queue just before closing. Once the fast passes have stopped going in, the queue will go down much faster than the time that was shown. Thanks Louise, I shall remember that one!

Emma Read has written a great post sharing what she learnt from being first timers at Disney World, it's full of great advice and I would recommend popping over and reading it, but one tip I will definitely be taking on board is to take our own food and drinks into the park. As a vegetarian I am expecting that the choice will be limited and I know that eating on park will be expensive too. We have a couple of character meals booked but other than that we fully intend to take packed lunches and water bottles to refill with the free iced water available!

Steph from Steph's Two Girls wrote a great tongue in cheek post sharing her Top Ten Tips for a Florida Disney Holiday following her last visit in 2015. In this she says, 'Stress over planning your days out meticulously if you want to, but be prepared to scrap all those plans and go with the flow every day as soon as your first FastPass+ ride breaks down.'

I think that is the perfect piece of advice to leave this on, we really can plan everything down to the last detail but sometimes things don't go to as we expect, rides may break down, storms may happen or little ones may just get too tired. If you do plan, you also have to allow for things to change and be prepared to just go with the flow!

I'd love to hear your top tips!

Have you been on a holiday to Disney World in Florida? Do you have any tips to share with us as first timers? If so please do leave me a comment as I would love to read them!

Planning a Dream Family Holiday in Italy

Italy is a place I have been dreaming of visiting since I was a child, and after meeting my husband, the first place we planned to travel to together was the romantic city of Venice.

After trawling through stunning images of gondolas and beautiful sunsets reflecting on the peaceful waterways, we booked our dream break in a hotel overlooking the canals and spent five unforgettable days and nights exploring the Queen of the Adriatic.

In the words of Truman Capote, "Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.” We drank Bellinis at Harry's Bar, enjoyed Gelato while walking through Piazza San Marco, shopped for traditional Italian lace on the island of Burano and immersed ourselves in fascinating history at The Correr and The Doge's Palace.

Photo by Marco Secchi on Unsplash

As fate would have it, just after returning from this trip, we learnt the amazing news that we were expecting our first child, so this was our last holiday before we became parents.

Over a decade later, Italy still has a special place in my heart, and it's somewhere I would love to take my children. However, when planning my family trip to Italy, I've been researching villas in Tuscany with a pool instead of an extravagant Gothic construction on stilts.

Photo by SUTTIPONG SURAK on Unsplash

Our two children are currently 7 and 10 and they often tell us that their dream holiday would involve a delicate balance between adrenaline fuelled adventures and sunny days spent in amazing pools just kicking back and relaxing on a giant inflatable unicorn with a mocktail and a huge Gelato in hand.

Myself and my husband are happy with this of course, especially if it's accompanied by delicious Italian food and wine, so where better to experience all this and more, than Tuscany?

We always like to add in a little history and one city that would be a must on any Tuscan dream trip would be Florence, especially after reading Flying with a Baby's tips for making getting the most out of Florence with kids, I know my daughter would particularly love taking part in the Florence food tour and Gelato making class, I mean who wouldn't?! Another perfect addition for kids of this age would be the Uffizi Treasure Hunt Family Tour as experienced by Dais Like These on their recent vacation.

Photo by Puk Khantho on Unsplash

As well as spending time in such a awe inspiring city, a family trip to Tuscany would not be complete without exploring the picturesque countryside and the smaller towns hidden away in the Italian hills. I recently read about the visit Otis and Us made to the smaller town and hidden gem that is Volterra. It's incredible views, winding cobbled streets, and fascinating history which is still preserved in the remaining stretches of its Etruscan walls, built in the 4th century B.C, all make me dream of seeing it myself.

Photo by Chris Barbalis on Unsplash

There is just so much of Tuscany, and in fact of Italy as a whole, that I would like to experience, that I think I would find it difficult to stay in just one place. My dream family holiday to Tuscany would be jam packed full of days exploring everything the region had to offer.

After all these escapades, we would certainly be in need of some relaxation, and chill out time, so where better to spend some downtime, than the spa town of Bagno Vignoni, where we could take a dip in the various sulphurous thermal baths that I leaned about from That British Betty.

Top Tips for Italian Travel with Kids

If you've never travelled to Italy with your family, I've pulled together some top tips for Italian travel with kids, I hope you find them helpful!

• Plan your mealtimes - Italians eat late and restaurants open later in the evening than we are accustomed to in the UK, so plan accordingly with snacks to hand for hungry little mouths and a later lunch, or maybe even cook yourself some evenings to avoid later nights.
• Hire a car - (and make sure you have the right documents to do so!) If you want to get the most out of a trip to Italy and experience the countryside, you will want to explore as much of it as possible so being mobile is a must! Be aware that many of the Italian system of motorways (Autostrada) are tollways so ensure that you have cash or a card to hand to pay for theses when needed. Make sure you check out the local driving laws too.
• Choose the right time of year - Italy is a popular destination and can get really busy in peak season, especially the top tourist destinations, and these crowds can get a bit much for young children so consider booking your travel at quieter times such as Easter or half term rather than the main summer school holidays.
• Educate yourself (and your children) - Why not brush up on a little Italian history before you go? This way you can get even more out of those visits to museums and landmark places.

Have you visited Italy with children? What was you're favourite place to go? Were there any surprises? I'd love to read your top tips so please do leave them in the comments!

This is a collaborative post.

Five Ways to Save Money while Travelling

Photo by Brett Zeck on Unsplash

I've always had a passion for travel, back when I was in my early twenties I spent a month travelling around Europe, I loved discovering new places and experiencing different cultures and if I had the money at the time I would have continued on my adventures and expanded my horizons further. Fate has its way of working things out the way they should be though, as it was just after I got back to the UK that I met my now husband and father of my children.

My life took a different turn and within a few years we were married and parents to two wonderful little people. Ours travels now tend to be a lot more UK based such as our youth hostel adventures in Yorkshire.

I have to admit that my heart is still filled with wanderlust and world travel is certainly something in my future plans. One of the benefits for us of having our children at an early age is that once they are older we can fulfil our dreams to spend time travelling the world and satisfy that desire to see the the sun rise and set in far away locations filled with earth shattering beauty.

Photo by Pascal Debrunner on Unsplash

Even though our worldly travels may be a few years in the future, that doesn't stop me from from mentally planning them now and one thing that won't change is my compulsion to make my money stretch as far as possible, so while I'm dreaming of sunsets on far away shores, I've pulled together some top tips to save money for travelling the world.

Photo by The Enlight Project on Unsplash

Top Tips for Saving Money while Travelling

Lay Your Head Somewhere Different

Why not think outside of the box when it comes to accommodation? Rather than staying in a hotel room all of the time, just imagine the adventures you could have pitching a tent in Thailand, sleeping on a boat in Reykjavic or spending your nights on the road, travelling around the Australian Outback in a caravan you found on Gumtree. Closing the door on hotel rooms isn't just about saving money either, you will be able to see the city you are visiting from a truly different perspective.

Talk to the locals

It's a simple one, but it really can make a difference to how much money you end up spending. When you arrive in a new country or city, talk to the people who live and work there. Find out the best value places to eat, the hidden gems that the tourists usually miss out on and the the best times to visit those must see attractions. In these days of modern technology, you don't even have to wait until you arrive to do this, you can check out forums and facebook groups online before you even set off on your trip!

Visit fewer places and stay longer

The slow travel movement is really taking off. It makes so much sense when you think about it, how many times have you come back from a trip and just wished you had longer to take it all in. Instead of planning an action packed itinerary that will risk you burning out half way through, why not get to know somewhere really well?  As well as feeling more relaxed and being able to explore so much more of a destination, this will also save you a lot more money that you realise. Flights, bus trips, train journeys and driving long distances can really eat into your budget. You can also often negotiate better rates on accommodation if you are staying for longer, so the savings all add up. 

Slow down, take more in, save money and discover so much more.

Be Flexible with your Flights

If you have the luxury of being flexible with your dates of travel, it can really save you a fortune! Firstly, when booking flights, it's always best to use an incognito or private browsing mode so you see the best prices. The next step is to identify the cheapest day to fly, it is often accepted that this is a Tuesday, however that could be just a myth, so to be sure for the time that you are travelling you can do a search on a booking site such as Skyscanner. To do this, choose your departure and arrival destinations, select a the one way flight option, then select 'depart', but instead of selecting a date, choose 'whole month', then 'cheapest month', and then search flights. You should now have an idea of the best value dates to fly and can start to arrange your travel around these.

Walk More

When you are at home or in a place you are familiar with, you are much more likely to walk from place to place than when you are visiting somewhere new. When travelling, it can be almost instinct to jump on a tram or bus when you see one that displays your destination, even if it is within walking distance. However, by walking across a town you can see so much more of the place you are visiting and save those pennies for the important things!

This is a collaborative post.

CBBC Summer Social is coming to Liverpool!

My children are 7 and 10 and they are both big fans of CBBC. Being right in the target age group they really enjoy programmes such Horrible Histories, Deadly 60, The DEEP and Junior Bake Off.

When they heard that a brand new festival, bringing together the best of the CBBC stars and some top musical acts including New Hope Club and Shrek The Musical in the historic Croxteth Hall in Liverpool, they were super excited!


Now, as well as being excited by the children's joy, I was also rather delighted by the location as Croxteth Hall and Park was somewhere I spent so many days out as a child growing up in Liverpool and I can't wait to take the children back there!

Every time I look at the website, another awesome act seems to have been added to the line up, the latest of which are Awesome Authors and the Northern Ballet, who have joined the biggest ever BBC children’s event, which has already announced acts such as Mackenzie Ziegler, Union J, New Hope Club, Mr Tumble, Shrek the Musical, Sophia Grace and more.

The BBC has revealed that CBBC favourite Saturday Mash Up! will become Summer Social Mash Up! with special live broadcasts taking place every morning across the weekend. Ahead of the new series of Saturday Mash-Up! beginning in September, presenters Yasmin Evans and Jonny Nelson will take to the Summer Stage to bring awesome episodes full of mayhem, celebrity guests and live content from the festival.

The show will be live every day of the event on the mornings of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so those who wish to take the incredible opportunity to be a part of the show are encouraged to arrive early.


Set against the historic backdrop of the Grade II listed Croxteth Hall in Croxteth Country Park, festival goers can expect the very best of CBBC programming, including immersive activity zones, theatre shows, interactive and inspiring art workshops, top class musical experiences, cool outdoor and sporting activates, junior discos, themed treasure hunts, character walkabouts, vlogger meet and greets, live appearances from the most popular children’s authors and much, much more.

The CBBC Summer Social festival takes place from 3rd to 5th August 2018 at Croxteth Country Park in Liverpool.

CBBC Summer Social is the BBC’s biggest ever kids event, and the only festival to give 6-12year old’s and their families a unique lineup of CBBC favourites, alongside a host of international music acts including Union J, Johnny Orlando, Matt Terry and Mackenzie Ziegler.

Tickets are on sale priced from £28*. To purchase tickets, to see the latest line-up for each day and for more information visit bbc.co.uk/cbbcsummersocial


CBBC Summer Social is being organised in partnership with Liverpool City Council and forms part of Liverpool 2018 – a year of projects marking a decade since Liverpool was European Capital of Culture.

Win a fun packed UK Seaside Holiday in 2016!

Have you started thinking about your holiday for 2016 yet? How would you like to win an amazing fun packed Seaside holiday including lots of extras? 

Photo credit: David Street - Greater Yarmouth Tourism

The wonderful folk at Greater Yarmouth Tourism are offering My Mummy's Pennies readers the chance to enter a pretty awesome competition. One lucky reader could win a 7 night holiday for up to 8 people in Great Yarmouth in 2016. They will be able to experience the golden sands of Yarmouth, walk the Golden Mile, enjoy an ice-cream by the sea and lots more...

Photo credit: David Street - Greater Yarmouth Tourism

The very lucky winner and their family will be staying at the fantastic Haven Seashore in a caravan with a beautiful sea-view and can choose their dates from the 2016 season including school holidays.

But that's not all...

Photo credit: David Street - Greater Yarmouth Tourism

In addition to the holiday, the amazing attractions of Great Yarmouth will be supplying passes for the winner to visit them during their stay. The attractions include:

• Thrigby Hall 
• Great Yarmouth Sealife Centre 
• Hippodrome Circus 
• Great Yarmouth Pleasurebeach
• Time & Tide Museum 
• Deluxe Afternoon Tea at Sara's Tearooms
• Great Yarmouth Stadium (Greyhound Racing plus a meal)
• Merrivale Model Village
• Retroskate
• Hirsty’s Family Fun Park
• A Meal at Lacon Arms Hemsby

Photo credit: David Street - Greater Yarmouth Tourism

How fabulous does that sound? If you would like to be in with a chance of winning this amazing holiday packed full of activities then just follow the instructions in the widget below to enter the competition. The competition will be hosted across 10 family blogs and there will be one very lucky winner!

Good Luck!

Greater Yarmouth Holiday Comp



Terms and conditions

The competition runs from 11th September 2015 to 16th October 2015. The prize up for grabs is a 7 night holiday for up to 8 people staying at Haven Seashore, Great Yarmouth during the 2016 season(including School holidays), and tickets to visit Sealife Centre, Merrivale Model Village, Pleasurebeach, Great Yarmouth Racecourse, Retroskate, Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens, Hirsty's Family Fun park, Great Yarmouth Stadium (including three course meal) , Time & Tide Museum, Hippodrome Circus, a meal at Lacon Arms Hemsby and an afternoon tea at Sara's Tearooms. (Please check with each attraction before visiting on opening dates and times). Travel is not included. 

To enter.:
Entrants must enter via the Gleam Competition widget, each action will give one entry to the competition.
The competition is being run over ten blog sites, but you may only enter via one site.
The blogs taking part are Hex Mum, Boo Roo and Tigger Too, Emmys Mummy, Lucy's Madhouse, My Mummys Pennies, Mummy and The Chunks, A New Addition, Me The Man and Kids, Blog By Baby and Mummy 2 Five.
The winner will be chosen randomly via Gleam at the end of the competition.
Winner must comply with Haven's holiday booking conditions.
The competition is being run by Greater Yarmouth Tourism.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

This is a collaborative competition with Greater Yarmouth Tourism.

What's Happened? What's Happening? #WHWH 10/09/15

The last week or two has all been about fitting a few final days out into the summer holidays and getting ready for the start of the new term. Like many other four year old's my daughter started reception last week and is loving it so far, choosing to go into class without me from the second day!

Both our families love the outdoors so we have been making the most of the summer and getting out and about visiting local parks, camping and exploring the countryside. It was lovely to see so many linked up posts showing outdoor adventures so we've chosen a nature theme for this weeks round up. 

We really enjoyed reading about LifewithNaomi's Hedgerow Safari at Gazegill farm near Rimmington. It sounds like a really fun activity that both our families would enjoy. There are some beautiful pictures of a pair of baby shrews and a young toad that you must check out. If you live in the area I would suggest contacting the farm and finding out when the next free event is planned.

The second post we are featuring is InthePlayroom's write up of their day at Drusilla’s Park in Sussex. As our children love animal this seems to be an ideal place to visit if we are ever in the area as it offer lots of interactive activities from sensory trails to the zoolympics. As well as interactive walk through animal exhibits both our girls would adore the Hello Kitty Secret Garden, Europe's only Hello Kitty themed attraction!

What's Happening? was a little lonely last week however we loved We're Going on an Adventure's Ten Reasons Why York Maze is Amazing, with the puntastic laughs, the money back map and the friendly staff, it's somewhere that's certainly on our must do list for the future.

What have you been up to? What are you planning?


We'd love you to link up your blog posts to What's Happened? - featuring events, days out, holidays, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and any other 'happeneds'. What's Happening? is the place for you to link your event previews, ongoing events and ticket giveaways.


We read and comment on every one and share on Twitter, Facebook. Google+, Pinterest and StumbleUpon.


We've created a brand new #WHWH Facebook Page is where we'll be sharing all of your posts from now on so please head over and give it a 'like'.


There is also a Pinterest board where we pin all of your posts, feel free to follow it.

Follow What's Happened? What's Happening? on Pinterest.

As always, please grab our badge to show you've joined in and point your readers in our direction.

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An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

Exploring Malham with GORE-TEX Big Days

Earlier this year we were chosen to be one of the GORE-TEX Big Days 2015 families and both Ben and Elizabeth were sent some lovely new shoes to wear for their summer adventures!  

We've enjoyed so many adventures this summer it was difficult to choose which one to share with you, I settled on our trip to Malham though as we had so much fun in the great outdoors and the children really put their GORE-TEX shoes through their paces. I believe that good quality footwear is really important for my children, both for their comfort during a day out and for the future health of their feet. If we go on a long walk I don't want them to come home with blisters or sore feet.


We walked to Malham Cove and down to Gordale Scar, through fields and puddles, streams and garlic scented woodland and in one day experience both strong sunshine and pouring rain! It was the perfect day to test out some new footwear. Both our children love exploring nature and their GORE-TEX shoes were sturdy and supportive, protecting their feet and allowing them to continue their adventures even longer.

Ben wore funky demin blue Superfit trainers from GORE-TEX, they are smart to look at, have strong velcro fastenings and have been made using SURROUND technology so they are both breathable and offer durable waterproof protection. The large openings in the sole construction meant that stones and pebbles wouldn't dig in to his feet when walking along or climbing so they are ideal for active kids. Ben really likes the look of these and finds them really comfortable, even after a full day of adventure. The aren't just for outdoors either, they look just as good dressed up with jeans and a shirt as they do with combats and covered in mud!

Elizabeth wore the Primigi 3608000 SURROUND™ in pink. These stylish canvas style hi-tops have silver studs forming the logo on the outside, an inner zip and while laces at the front. These also offer breathable technology and weatherproof protection with open weave soles to catch stones and pebbles, however the fabric of these isn't as thick as the superfit version and after splashing in a fair few muddy puddles we found they weren't quite as waterproof either. They are sturdy and hardwearing through and seem to support Elizabeth's feet and ankles well even when climbing up rocks and trees.

My four year old daughter loves that they are pink and sparkly and will choose these to go with almost any outfit, however we do have one issue with them and that is with getting them on and off. The fit is great and when her feet are in the shoes they are comfortable and supportive but they are really difficult to get on and off and Elizabeth almost always needs help with this. Despite having the zip down the inside of each shoe, the laces, (which I thought at first were just for show) need to be loosened significantly to get the shoe on, this is not ideal for a four year old who has not yet mastered the art of knots and bows.

Overall, I'm really impressed with both of the children's GORE-TEX shoes, they are breathable and lightweight and despite climbing up rocks and waterfalls and walking miles around the Yorkshire Dales, neither child had any rubbing or discomfort. I look forward to sharing our next adventures with you soon.

Disclaimer: As a Gore-tex Big Days 2015 family, both children received shoes from the summer range, all views and opinions are our own. 

What's Happened? What's Happening? #WHWH 27/08/15

With the Summer holidays drawing to a close our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram timelines have been jammed with bloggers and their families getting out and about together both in the UK and abroad. It was great to see so many of you link up again last time and we're looking forward to seeing your further adventures this week. I apologize that I'm a little behind with commenting as I've spent a significant part of the last two weeks in a tent without internet access but I will be catching up this week, I promise!

There were so many lovely posts last time and we've chosen a holiday theme for this round up. Both The Brunette Says and Mummys Little Stars chose to holiday in the UK this Summer and their posts were a great recommendation for staying at home.

Mummy's Little Stars holidayed at Perran Sands in Cornwall with Haven. I'm a big fan of this site, having stayed there twice and highly rate it so it's good to see  another blogger who feels the same way. The week on the beach and being entertained around the site looked wonderful for the whole family. We can't wait to return next Easter!

Photo Credit: Mummy's Little Stars

Our second UK Summer holiday feature was shared by Lianne at The Brunette Says. With eleven years between her children it's important that their holiday destinations really keep the whole family entertained, They chose Butlins in Skegness this year and the lovely photos show that a great time was had by all. This is another UK holiday park that we have stayed at and enjoyed.

Photo Credit: The Brunette Says

What's Happening saw a few lists of ideas for things to do, pleasingly (for us anyway) they all had a Northern England bias and there are some top tips for getting out and about in there. We loved Helpful Mum's '16 Things to Do in North Yorkshire this Summer', with everything from ice cream to soft play and castles to butterflies covered, Sian gives a great local's view of her particular part of the world. We've visited a fair few of them already but there are some intriguing ideas that we weren't familiar with and they are suitable for a range of budgets too.

Photo Credit: Helpful Mum

What have you been up to? What are you planning?


We'd love you to link up your blog posts to What's Happened? - featuring events, days out, holidays, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and any other 'happeneds'. What's Happening? is the place for you to link your event previews, ongoing events and ticket giveaways.


We read and comment on every one and share on Twitter, Facebook. Google+, Pinterest and StumbleUpon.


We've created a brand new #WHWH Facebook Page is where we'll be sharing all of your posts from now on so please head over and give it a 'like'.


There is also a Pinterest board where we pin all of your posts, feel free to follow it.

Follow What's Happened? What's Happening? on Pinterest.

As always, please grab our badge to show you've joined in and point your readers in our direction.

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An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

Family Travel on a Budget: YHA Malham Review

Last weekend we packed up our waterproofs and our walking boots and drove up country and across to North Yorkshire for a weekend of walking and exploring the Village of Malham and the surrounding area while staying over night in a family room at YHA Malham.

Although Malham is only an hour or so drive from where we live in North Manchester, it's a part of Yorkshire we have never visited before as a family. My husband passed though here two years ago when he completed the Three Peaks Challenge and was pleased to have the opportunity to return and explore.

Before our trip, I'd researched the area and we were looking forward to walking to Malham Cove, the great Limestone cliff that reaches over 250 feet high. The impressive rock formation was featured in the  blockbuster movie; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and has been mentioned multiple times in literature and prose. We also planned some walks across towards Gordale Scar visiting Janet's Foss Waterfall in the Woodland. Another must while we were in the area was a visit to the nearby Skipton Castle on our way home. You can read about our walks and castle adventures in a separate post soon.

I'd not stayed in a youth hostel in this country since a school trip to Ambleside when I was 11, so I really wasn't sure what to expect. We were booked in a 4 bed family room with an en suite toilet. As a family that regularly camps, we were used to basic facilities so I was mainly hoping for somewhere clean and dry to rest our heads after a long day of discovering all Malhamdale had to offer.

What we got was so much more!

We arrived late morning and parked up in the car park that overlooked the two wooden camping pods that YHA Malham also offers as accommodation. We spent the afternoon exploring the village and walking up to Malham Cove. On return around 4pm we walked up to the reception building to check in with the friendly staff.  After being handed our room key we were offered free wifi cards for our phones and tablet and told about dining options. A communal dining room and kitchen facilities were available for all guests to prepare their own food and if we were staying for more than one night we certainly would have taken advantage of these.

Food and Drink

On this occasion feeling a little weary from the extensive walking we have all done we decided to take advantage of the dining options and booked ourselves in for both dinner later that evening and breakfast the next morning to set ourselves up for another day of adventures. I was impressed by the value of the food. A full cooked breakfast with continental options was just £5.25 for adults and £2.95 for children including a choice of drinks. Dinner was even better value, with four options for each course, two of the mains being vegetarian, two courses cost just £9.95 per person and a child ate free for every adult dining! Jugs of drinking water were provided at no extra cost and if like us you wanted to treat yourself to a stronger beverage, a choice of ales and wines were available to buy.

Accommodation

The room we stayed in contained two sets of bunk beds, four lockers and a chair, and the en suite had a toilet and sink. Showers were available to use just two doors down the hallway. All facilities were very clean, there was not a lot of space but certainly enough to store clothes and other bits for a couple of nights. All four beds were made with bedding in the distinctive YHA green, each bed had it's own power socket and nightlight and there was an additional double socket near the doorway. This was ideal for charging the varied tech devises we had brought along, from phones to cameras and the ipad.

The reception area offered a comfortable space to enjoy a drink and peruse leaflets of the local attractions and walks or read a book and the gardens outside had seating to enjoy the views in brighter weather.

Things to remember when staying at YHA Malham

Bring your own towels - they do have then available to hire for £2 but why waste money?

Bring toiletries, despite being very welcoming and comfortable YHA is not a hotel so you wont get those posh little toiletries. We remembered most of ours but forgot soap so had to use shower gel to wash our hands!

Bring evening entertainment, there is a communal lounge room that has a TV and some games for the children, but once they are in bed you are confined to your room so bring a pack of cards, a board game, book or take advantage of the free wifi and bring your tablet to watch your favourite show on Netflix.

If you are self catering, bring food! The village of Malham is beautiful but it only has a few basic shops that are centered around walking equipment and souvenirs, You are looking at a 15 minute or so drive to the nearest small supermarket.

Overall Thoughts

We have really enjoyed our first family stay in a youth hostel and would definitely do it again! With family rooms from just £29 per night it's a great way to explore the UK on a budget. We love camping and enjoy sleeping outdoors but sometimes it's nice to have more than canvas over your head, especially as it gets towards the colder months. It's also much easier not to have to pack up all our camping equipment in the car if we're only going away for one or two nights. The addition of free wifi allowing me to upload photographs from our adventures really made a difference to the camping trips we usually have where I can feel a little cut off from social media.

As for the area, we are smitten! We really enjoyed the walks we did with the children, but have talked about returning as a couple to do some more challenging trails. We've even discussed staying in one of YHA Malham's camping pods for our wedding anniversary next year.

If you are looking for a comfortable, friendly place for your family to sleep while exploring the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales then YHA Malham fits the bill perfectly and if you have yet to explore the beauty of Malhamdale then I would wholeheartedly recommend a visit.

I will now leave you with a quote from Bill Bryson that we saw over the weekend;

"I won't know for sure if Malhamdale is the finest place there is until I have died and seen heaven (assuming they let me at least have a glance), but until that day comes, it will certainly do."  

We were invited to stay as guests of YHA, we paid for all our food and all images and opinions in this post are our own.

Destinations on my Travel Wish List

My husband and I share a love of travelling and we have a long list of places we would love to visit together at some point. Although our family holidays have all been in the UK so far we have managed a few trips to Europe as a couple.

Discovering Places Together

Our first holiday together was to Venice when I was three months pregnant with our son. It's a truly beautiful city that has so much culture and romance to offer. From walking through St Mark's Square as the sun was setting to snuggling under a blanket in a Gondola while the elderly gondolier sang to us some of my most cherished memories came from those few days in Italy. This is somewhere that we would love to return to one day and maybe even take the children when they are older.

Image credit: RGB Stock photos - MeiTeng

Returning As a Couple

There are also places that I have visited on my own that we would love to revisit as a couple; Paris, Berlin and Krakow to name just a few. I was fortunate enough to have managed to spend a few months travelling around Europe in my early twenties and was able to discover some of it's hidden treasures. It was then that I totally fell in love with the Belgium town of Bruges and after regaling him with tales of it's beauty I was able to convince my husband that this is where we should spend our honeymoon. The Flemish capital famed for it's lace did not disappoint and gave us an idyllic start to married life. My highlight has to be the horse and carriage ride that my husband surprised me with on our final day!

Image credit: RGB stock photos scottmliddell 

Future Travel Plans

Then there are places we are yet to visit although the list is long and I could happily write and daydream about it all day one of the locations near the top has to be the Croatian City of Dubrovnik. Dubbed by Lord Byron as the pearl of the Adriatic, pictures of this city never fail to draw me in to it's troubled history and characteristic architecture. A dream evening would involve a walk around the ancient city walls followed by a romantic meal overlooking the shimmering Adriatic Sea. My husband tuned 30 last month and I admit to pricing up Croatia flights and wanting to whisk us off for a romantic break to celebrate. Unfortunately life got in the way and it wasn't meant to be this time but I see us walking along the crystal blue waters in the not too distant future.

Image Credit - RGB stock images purplepic

What destinations are on your travel wish list? Is there anywhere you've been that you would love to revisit?

This is a collaborative post.

Majorca - Sun, Sand and Family Adventure...

Image credit First Choice

Do you dream of lying on a beautiful sandy beach sunbathing all day with a cocktail in one hand and a book in the other?

Turn the clock back ten years and that's what I looked for in a holiday, now I have children and holidays are different. As a parent, holidays are about adventure and quality time together, they are packed with fun and tire me out so much I'm asleep by ten every night instead of partying until the early hours! When I was twenty I wouldn't have believed you if you told me I’d much rather be hiking through the mountains than lying by the pool, but now I wouldn't have it any other way. 

As you may know, we love camping and exploring different parts of the UK, but there is a large part of me that wants to take my family further afield. I'd love to take my children to the holiday destinations of my teens. The Balearic Islands aren't just about getting a tan and dancing until the early hours, there is so much more to a holiday in Majorca and I've been putting together a list of the places we'd love to visit on the island. 

Image credit Life of Spicers

Majorca Safari Zoo

What children don't love a zoo? The Majorca Safari Zoo allows you to ether take the Safari Train or drive through the open terrain to see giraffes, rhinoceroses, zebras, gazelles and many more exotic animals.

Palma to Soller Vintage Train Ride

My children both love trains and I can only imagine their excitement at the idea of travelling in the vintage mahogany panelled carriages of this quaint railway that takes you back to a time almost forgotten.

Castell de Bellver

We love castles and Castell de Bellver offers stunning 14th century architecture and the Palma History Museum provides a brief overview of the legacies that various civilizations have left the city, a great educational addition to our adventures.

Lluc Monastery

High in the Tramuntana Mountains stands the ancient Monastery of Lluc, offering breath-taking views and a real taste of Majorca History.  

What do you look for in a family holiday? Do you prefer to relax on a beach or get exploring with your children?

This is a collaborative post.