Treasure Trail

Hi Everyone,

We recently had our first try at a Treasure Trail Hunt. The trail is a self guided walk which led us around Seaburn starting near Roker Park and along to Whitburn. 

Along the way we were solving clues to identify a person and a weapon in our murder mystery themed trail. We absolutely loved the trail with  clues that are a good mix of skill levels. There are clues which are easy enough for the kids to get involved and some hard enough to make the adults think. It is sometimes hard to find activities to keep the whole family entertained but this certainly ticked that box.

The trail itself is very scenic and despite visiting Seaburn and Whitburn many times we have now discovered places we didn't know existed. We also had the pleasure of visiting and discovering different landmarks that we usually wouldn't pay too much attention to.

There is a fair amount of walking involved but it's easy to split the trail up and do it over 2 days if little legs start to get tired. Alternatively, there's plenty of places to stop for a picnic or a break along the route as you head along the coast. There are also two brilliant play areas enroute too within Roker park and Cornthwaite park.

We are really looking forward to trying more trails as there is a huge amount to choose from in different areas of the UK. This is a brilliant idea as it helps everyone to explore both locally and areas further afield. The directions given are fabulous so there is no need to worry about getting lost.

If you'd like to try a trail you can get one at a discounted price on the below link:

https://tidd.ly/2PaQ7Q1

For more information visit:

www.treasuretrails.co.uk

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Tynemouth Park

Hi Everyone, 

There's lots of outdoor fun to be had at Tynemouth Park they have the Jungle Wipeout Inflatables back priced at £5 (book a slot on the day) , Lost World Adventure Golf from just £3 and Pirate Quest Maze just £2. (£1 extra for fun treasure map and prize)

Tynemouth Park itself also has a free play park, a lake, green areas and toilet facilities. It is also directly across the road from the beach making it an ideal spot for a full day out. On our last visit we even managed to see dolphins 😁

Big Kid Circus

Hi Everyone, 

We are so excited that BIG KID CIRCUS is back on tour and is coming to Whitburn Sunderland on the 5th August with an amazing offer of all seats for every performance for only £7.99. Due to limited capacity be sure to book early to avoid disappointment. 

We can't wait to go and support this wonderful circus! Click the link below for our review from last year's fantastic  show:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=741182169634480&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

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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

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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.