RSPB Big Bird Watch

Hi Everyone,

The RSPB Big Bird Watch is taking place tomorrow (29/2/21) until Sunday. To take part you just need to spend one hour watching your garden or any out door space and count the birds. There are guides, tools and activities you can download on the RSPB website to help with your bird watch. They even have a live bird watch event you can watch online too: 

https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/

This is a perfect lockdown activity to get kids and adults engaged with the nature outside of our windows.

Brimham Rocks and OFFER

 Hi Everyone, 

Today we visited Brimham Rocks National Trust in Harrogate. This is definitely the place to go for adventure lovers and kids who love to climb. Our youngest especially, was in her absolute element here.

As the name suggests this site is filled to the brim with rocks of all different sizes and shapes making some absolutely wonderful structures and most importantly perfect for climbing opportunities. With the varying sizes and shapes there is a definetly a rock that can be climbed by everyone. We really loved that there were, toddlers through to teens and of course adults all having a go and enjoying this outdoor adventure.

Our youngest who is 8 loves to climb anything and everything so attempted pretty much every rock we came across (within reason).

From the various vantage points you can see some amazing views of the country side and lots of farm animals to spot too.

If you don't want to climb the rocks you can just follow the trails rounds and admire the scenery we saw lots of dogs walkers doing exactly that.

The site is free to enter but parking in the large onsite car park is chargeable unless you are national trust members. The toilet facilities and kiosk were open and there was a lovely ice cream at the entrance. This was the busiest site we have visited since lockdown but as its so vast there are plenty of routes you can take to get away from any busier spots. We would definitely recommend going earlier in the day so you can make the most of it being quieter and if you fully explore the site we would say you'd need at least 4 hours.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/brimham-rocks

#ad Click below for link to join the national trust, with family tickets for only £9.50pm:

https://tidd.ly/3eZrU9X

Thornley Woods

 Hi Everyone,

Today we visited Thornley Woods in Gateshead. The woods is free to enter with an onsite car park and visitors centre open for take away food orders and toilet facilities. They have a lovely covered picnic area too ideal to take a break. 

This is a lovely wood and was very quiet and peaceful on our visit. There are various trails you can take all clearly marked along the route. They are different lengths and intensities so you can choose which you want to do. 

We took the sculpture trail route today and found some amazing sculptures carved into the trees. This route was only half a mile long and would be fine for little legs and prams etc.

We also did a bit of off track exploring. We found some lovely walks in the woods directly across the road from the Visitor Centre however there was quite alot of steps and hill climbs so more suitable for older kids.

You can walk to derwent side play park along the routes. We didn't visit the park today but have been previously, its a good size play area and should keep the kids occupied for a while. 

This woods is definitely worth a visit and a explore.

Ultimate Activities List August 2020

Hi Everyone,

Alot of people have been asking about places to take the kids over the summer holidays so we have created a new guide of places and activities all spilt into areas so you can pick from where is local to you. As more and more places and businesses are opening up over the coming weeks we have included some places that are currently closed but may open during the summer so please do check before heading out.

Due to the current situation please stick to social distancing guidelines and try to plan your visits to avoid peak times and have a back up plan incase where you visit is too busy.

As always this is not a complete list and is subject to change. If you know of any places not included please let us know so we can update our list.

Below are the links to all our past reviews that are highlighted in yellow on the guide:

Derwent Waterside Park

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=996253947460633&id=674273372992027

Tyne Green Park 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=992321361187225&id=674273372992027

Bolam Lake

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=986753855077309&id=674273372992027

Richardson Dees Park

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=983576372061724&id=674273372992027

Treetop Nets

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=978464465906248&id=674273372992027

Saltwell Park

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=889896324763063&id=674273372992027

Bowlees and Highforce Waterfalls

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=864669687285727&id=674273372992027

Wallington National Trust

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=840307593055270&id=674273372992027

Gibside National Trust

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=800459313706765&id=674273372992027

Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=788025034950193&id=674273372992027

Spilmans Farm

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=787759851643378&id=674273372992027

Plessy Woods

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=773081293111234&id=674273372992027

Stephenson Steam Railway

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=768378250248205&id=674273372992027

Web Adventure Park

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=759774267775270&id=674273372992027

Safari Zoo

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=756175354801828&id=674273372992027

Fountains Abbey

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=743386959414001&id=674273372992027

Ouseburn Farm

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=736436443442386&id=674273372992027

RSPB Saltholme

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=733993197020044&id=674273372992027

Whitworth Hall Hotel and Deer Park

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=721439304942100&id=674273372992027

Jesmond Dene

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=712807612471936&id=674273372992027

Knowsley Safari Park

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=703851510034213&id=674273372992027

Life Science Centre

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=703803120039052&id=674273372992027

Carlisle Park

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=699510043801693&id=674273372992027

Tilesheds Nature Reserve

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=692704047815626&id=674273372992027

Herrington Country Park

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=685944905158207&id=674273372992027

Gibside National Trust

Hi Everyone,

Today we visited Gibside National Trust for the first time since it had reopened. There is currently a new booking system in place to ensure the sites don't get too busy and I must say it worked wonderfully. We booked the 10:00-10:30am entry slot and it felt like we had the site to ourself.

We headed straight along the beautiful avenue (completing some wild challenges along the way) upto the stables and onto the play scape, which comprises of various wooden obstacles and objects to navigate round.

From there we headed to the low ropes challenge, this is a favourite spot of ours. Set in beautiful woodland you navigate various rope obstacles. We always time each other and see who can be the quickest to complete the challenge. The ropes are trickier than they appear and keep us entertained for a good while. We stayed here to enjoy our picnic on the table and benches.

After lunch, we headed to the den building area. Another favourite pass time of ours. We spent almost two hours on our creations today and they were pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.

We spent a full day here and didn't get round half of the site. We will keep the river walk, walled garden and geo-caching for our next visit.

The toilet facilities and cafe are open but the main playground and stables are still closed. This didn't take away at all from our day as there is so much to do at Gibside.

Gibside is chargeable but free for National Trust members. I couldn't recommend the benefits of a National Trust membership enough there are a huge amount of sites to visit and enjoy. We've found that the Scottish National Teust membership is cheaper and allows you into all the English sites. For more information on the National Trust Memberships follow the below link:

https://tidd.ly/3eZrU9X

#Ad

South Shields

Hi Everyone,

We just wanted to share some of the stunning views from the South Shields coast that we have capture during lockdown. We are very lucky living in an area with such beautiful sandy beaches, amazing rock pools teaming with wildlife and spectacular views. Sometimes it's easy to forget the beauty on our door steps.

Kids Pass

#Ad

Hi everyone,

We've  recently signed upto Kids Pass and wanted to let you know that there are hundreds if not thousands of offers available through them including free child entry to Tynemouth Aquarium, free kids meals,discounts on cinema tickets and theme parks including Diggerland as well as savings on online shopping at The Entertainer (Great for a particular winter holiday that is fast approaching).

You can join Kids Pass for £1 which will give you 30 days access and monthly membership starts at £2.99

Click the link to find out more

https://tidd.ly/2ZOtWoN

Finchale Priory

Hi Everyone,

We visited Finchale Priory on Sunday and wow what a beautiful place it is. The area is free to visit but there is a very reasonable £3 all day parking charge.

The priory itself is large with lots of ruins to explore, it reminded us alot of Fountains Abbey. The kids loved being able to run around and explore all the different areas. There is also a large grass area surrounding the ruins which is perfect for taking a break and enjoying the views.

The priory is connected to a woodland walk by crossing a bridge over a stunning section of the river wear. The woodland walk is very picturesque taking the path to the right hand side will lead you to lots of different routes to take. In this section there are plenty of tree climbing opportunities and we  found a tree swing which we thoroughly enjoyed. You can even have a splash in the river or just relax on the sandy river banks.

The path to the left of the bridge is a straight narrow walk along the river with some very sweet looking pigs near the end. It is a lovely walk but can be restrictive if people are trying to pass. 

We arrived for opening time and the area was fairly quiet which made it very easy to maintain social distancing but by the afternoon the area really started to get busy. We definitely recommend arriving early or later in the day so you can enjoy the priory and walks. Very importantly the toilets facilities and the cafe kiosk were open.

Plessey Woods and Northumberlandia

Hi Everyone,

Today we visited Plessey Woods Country Park, this is a firm family favourite but it was extra special today as the play area, toilets and cafe have now reopened.

We arrived at around 10am and the playground was fairly quiet. We had no problems enjoying the fab equipment that has been recently re-built. The play park would suit a range of ages from little ones upto around 12.

After enjoying a play, we headed into the woods and enjoyed the trails taking in the sculptures along with tree climbing and having a paddle in the river. We took the scenic route into the Blagden Estate which takes you along the river path. It was very peaceful and we even spotted a lovely family of ducks.

When we emerged from the woods at around 2pm the playground and visitor centre was a lot busier so we decided to head along to Northumberlandia.

Northumberlandia is a very quirky and unique tourist spot. It takes you on a lovely walk around a lady carved into the landscape. Along the walk there are lots of viewing points to see the beautiful countryside. The kids loved being able to climb onto the top of the various body parts.

There is also a woodland trail to be enjoyed, which included areas for den building, stepping stones and wooden sculptures to enjoy along the route, all under an amazing woodland canopy.

When we arrived at Northumberlandia there was a few people milling around but its so spacious keeping a distance wasn't a problem. We had lots of opportunities to admired the views undisturbed. The cafe and toilets are also open with picnic tables dotted throughout the site.

We had a wonderful full day out at these two amazing outdoor sites. We would definitely recommend visiting earlier or later in the day to avoid busy periods and the combo definitely worked well for us.

Tyne Green Park

Hi Everyone,

At the weekend we visited Tyne Green Park in Hexham this was a first visit for us after receiving a recommendation from a friend.

It took just under an hour from South Shields to get there. When we arrived there were plenty of free car parking spaces which was great.

We headed straight to the play area which firstly, was open and  well equipped. There is also alot of outdoor fun equipment which has a  ninja warrior feel to it, the kids loved. 

The park was very quiet so we had it to ourselves but the equipment is quite spaced out so social distancing wouldn't be too much of an issue when children are supervised.

Very importantly, the toilet facilities were open and were directly opposite the play area which is ideal. There was also a lovely ice cream van and even a mobile barber van!

Tyne Green Park also boasts a lovely walk along the Tyne which is perfect for bikes and scooters. There was vasts amounts of open green space with picnic tables dotted about. They even have a professional golf course.

We spent a lovely few hours  here and Hexham is a beautiful town so you could easily make it a full day out.

Feed the birds

#ad

Hi Everyone,

Head to the beautiful Gibside Nation Trust this Saturday and Sunday (25th and 26th Jan) for their Feed the Birds Weekend. 

You can make a bird feeder to take home, visit the wildlife hide, chat to their resident experts and discover how you can support local wildlife where you live.

11am-3pm, activities free, normal admission applies.

Don't forget we have this brilliant offer just click the link to get your National Trust Family membership from only £6pm:

http://tidd.ly/1178fc7e

Read our recent psot for further information on the National Trusts which can be found here:

http://www.notboredoutdoors.co.uk/2020/01/scottish-national-trust-offers-ad-hi.html