28
Nov 2018
28Nov 2018 DAYS OUT
5 Walks That Follow in the Footsteps of Myths and Legends

Myths and legends form an important part of a country’s heritage and history, with many based or inspired by real locations. For those who love walking this presents a good opportunity to get out and visit these locations for either a day out or a longer trip. For those interested, here are a few of the most notable walks, both in the UK and Europe, which were a key part of some of the most famous myths and legends across the world:

Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire

Sherwood Forest is one of the most famous forests in the world and it is the home of the UK’s most celebrated outlaw. You can follow a path through the forest that runs from Nottingham Castle, where there is a statue of Robin Hood, all the way to Edwinstowe. If that whole stretch is a bit too much, you can visit Robin Hood’s base, which is more popularly known as the Major Oak instead.

Nottingham Castle features a statue of the famous outlaw

Tintagel Castle in Cornwall

King Arthur is perhaps the most famous king in British history. So popular is the legend that almost every part of the country claims to have a link to King Arthur. Tintagel Castle in Cornwall is where many stories say Arthur was born, and there are many walks around the castle. For instance, the coastal walk takes you through several areas including Trebarwith Strand. It will take you through rocky tracks, grassy fields, villages, and a cove, too. After that, you can have some tea at Wyldes Cafe or some local fish at the Mill House Inn. For the more dedicated hikers, there is Arthur’s Way, which is a 130-mile walk to another Arthurian location, Cadbury Castle in Somerset.

William Tell Swiss Path in Seelisberg

Not only is this hike reminiscent of the legend of William Tell, it also follows the historic beginnings of Switzerland. The Swiss Path begins and ends in the quaint little town of Brunnen. From the Brunnen dock station, you take a ferryboat to Rütli. From the dock, the first section of the path will take you through an uphill hike with beautiful views of the lake and mountains to the east. From there, you go to the town of Isenthal, through Seedorf to Flüelen where Lake Uri is. After some water activities at Lake Uri, you can head to Tell’s Chapel, which honours the legendary story of the Swiss hero, William Tell. There is a mural inside the chapel that dramatises the Rütli Oath.

South Loch Ness Trail in Inverness

If you’re ever in Scotland, don’t pass up a chance to walk along the trails of the iconic Loch Ness. This particular trail will take you through the quiet, less-visited southern shore where you will find the Stratherrick borders on the foothills of the Monadhliath Mountains. You can also stop by Falls of Foyers, which is one of the most famous falls in the highlands. Once you’ve explored that, you can go to the picturesque pebbled beach of Dores and then have a pint at the 19th-century Dores Inn. You can also ride a cruise on Loch Ness that you can take from Fort Augustus, Drumnadrochit, and Inverness.

Loch Ness is perfect for a scenic walk

Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg

The Black Forest in Germany is one of Europe’s top woodland hiking destinations. Visitors from across the globe come to walk through the thick forest. The long distance hiking trail, the Westweg is described by The Independent as covering 280 km, which “makes for a fine fortnight’s walk for a moderately fit person”. One reason that visitors love to come to the forest is that it was the inspiration for many European fairy tales, particularly from the Grimm brothers. Despite many of the tales being over a century old they are continually adapted, in order to appeal to new generations. From reimagining Red Riding Hood as a romantic horror, to taking classic fairy tales and putting them on platforms aimed at adult audiences, the myths and legends are continually being adapted. Online, the Big Bad Wolf title on Expatbets takes the classic cautionary tale of a dangerous animal in the woods and converts it to appeal to modern gaming audiences. As with all modern adaptions of myths and tales it retains the essence of the story while adding its own twist. This continued interest is why the media continues to evolve these stories and keep them in the public conscious. For visitors going to the Black Forest, these famous tales will be at the back of their mind as they hike through the woodland.

The wide coverage of these stories in the UK and Europe is also why nature walks inspired by myths and legends have become increasingly more popular. Just make sure that you are fit and ready before you take on any of the climbs on this list. If you are interested in a wider selection of walks,  I have a list of some of the best hiking trails in the world. Like the above trails these will take you to magical environments that seem straight out of fairy tale. So get your walking boots on and follow in the footsteps of the famous myths and legends.

 

28
Nov 2018
28Nov 2018 DAYS OUT
5 Walks That Follow in the Footsteps of Myths and Legends

Myths and legends form an important part of a country’s heritage and history, with many based or inspired by real locations. For those who love walking this presents a good opportunity to get out and visit these locations for either a day out or a longer trip. For those interested, here are a few of the most notable walks, both in the UK and Europe, which were a key part of some of the most famous myths and legends across the world:

Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire

Sherwood Forest is one of the most famous forests in the world and it is the home of the UK’s most celebrated outlaw. You can follow a path through the forest that runs from Nottingham Castle, where there is a statue of Robin Hood, all the way to Edwinstowe. If that whole stretch is a bit too much, you can visit Robin Hood’s base, which is more popularly known as the Major Oak instead.

Nottingham Castle features a statue of the famous outlaw

Tintagel Castle in Cornwall

King Arthur is perhaps the most famous king in British history. So popular is the legend that almost every part of the country claims to have a link to King Arthur. Tintagel Castle in Cornwall is where many stories say Arthur was born, and there are many walks around the castle. For instance, the coastal walk takes you through several areas including Trebarwith Strand. It will take you through rocky tracks, grassy fields, villages, and a cove, too. After that, you can have some tea at Wyldes Cafe or some local fish at the Mill House Inn. For the more dedicated hikers, there is Arthur’s Way, which is a 130-mile walk to another Arthurian location, Cadbury Castle in Somerset.

William Tell Swiss Path in Seelisberg

Not only is this hike reminiscent of the legend of William Tell, it also follows the historic beginnings of Switzerland. The Swiss Path begins and ends in the quaint little town of Brunnen. From the Brunnen dock station, you take a ferryboat to Rütli. From the dock, the first section of the path will take you through an uphill hike with beautiful views of the lake and mountains to the east. From there, you go to the town of Isenthal, through Seedorf to Flüelen where Lake Uri is. After some water activities at Lake Uri, you can head to Tell’s Chapel, which honours the legendary story of the Swiss hero, William Tell. There is a mural inside the chapel that dramatises the Rütli Oath.

South Loch Ness Trail in Inverness

If you’re ever in Scotland, don’t pass up a chance to walk along the trails of the iconic Loch Ness. This particular trail will take you through the quiet, less-visited southern shore where you will find the Stratherrick borders on the foothills of the Monadhliath Mountains. You can also stop by Falls of Foyers, which is one of the most famous falls in the highlands. Once you’ve explored that, you can go to the picturesque pebbled beach of Dores and then have a pint at the 19th-century Dores Inn. You can also ride a cruise on Loch Ness that you can take from Fort Augustus, Drumnadrochit, and Inverness.

Loch Ness is perfect for a scenic walk

Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg

The Black Forest in Germany is one of Europe’s top woodland hiking destinations. Visitors from across the globe come to walk through the thick forest. The long distance hiking trail, the Westweg is described by The Independent as covering 280 km, which “makes for a fine fortnight’s walk for a moderately fit person”. One reason that visitors love to come to the forest is that it was the inspiration for many European fairy tales, particularly from the Grimm brothers. Despite many of the tales being over a century old they are continually adapted, in order to appeal to new generations. From reimagining Red Riding Hood as a romantic horror, to taking classic fairy tales and putting them on platforms aimed at adult audiences, the myths and legends are continually being adapted. Online, the Big Bad Wolf title on Expatbets takes the classic cautionary tale of a dangerous animal in the woods and converts it to appeal to modern gaming audiences. As with all modern adaptions of myths and tales it retains the essence of the story while adding its own twist. This continued interest is why the media continues to evolve these stories and keep them in the public conscious. For visitors going to the Black Forest, these famous tales will be at the back of their mind as they hike through the woodland.

The wide coverage of these stories in the UK and Europe is also why nature walks inspired by myths and legends have become increasingly more popular. Just make sure that you are fit and ready before you take on any of the climbs on this list. If you are interested in a wider selection of walks,  I have a list of some of the best hiking trails in the world. Like the above trails these will take you to magical environments that seem straight out of fairy tale. So get your walking boots on and follow in the footsteps of the famous myths and legends.

 

15
Oct 2018
15Oct 2018 DAYS OUT
Review: Paradise Wildlife Park

A couple of weeks ago we had our first proper day out as a family of four to Paradise Wildlife Park in Hertfordshire. We’d never been before, so it was  a great chance to try somewhere new, plus it was a nice treat for Finn, who has not had as much attention as he’s used to since his little brother came along. We’ve all been rather cooped up lately as well, so some fresh air was very welcome!

Our first proper day out with a newborn was a great success!

The park is well signposted so we found our way there quite easily. Car parking is free, so we parked up, gathered our stuff together and headed in. We decided to see the animals first, so consulted the map and went off in search of some wildlife.

Paradise Wildlife Park has a variety of big cats-including this rather interesting lion!

Paradise Wildlife Park has an impressive array of big cats, including white lions, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars and snow leopards. They’re always my favourite so we headed straight to Big cat Territory at the far end of the park. It didn’t disappoint, it’s always a treat to get close to these beautiful animals. Paradise Wildlife Park isn’t the biggest zoo I’ve been to, but it does have a wide variety of different animals.

The big cats are always impressive; here Finn gets up close with a snow leopard.

Finn always loves to see the monkeys (kindred spirits?) so we had to have a good look round the Tropical Rainforest area, which had many varieties of monkeys and apes. I love watching their antics, although I find it a bit strange as they’re so human-like!

The park has a couple of species of gibbons (like these Lar Gibbons) plus marmosets and tamarins

There is also an outback section with wallabies and emus, plus zebras, penguins, a farmyard and lots of birds. There are some nice touches around the park, such as the fact that children can scramble through tunnels and get inside the meerkat mound. I also like the fact that Paradise Wildlife Park is fairly compact, making it easy to get around for families with young children.

The site is not particularly large, so easy for little legs to get around.

The park offers lots of different experiences so you can see the animals from a different perspective. They range from feeding the animals, to shadowing a keeper or even having breakfast with the snow leopards. We didn’t get the chance to do anything this time, but it is something to bear in mind for future, or for a special gift.

We had a quick lunch break in ‘Safari Sam’s Diner’. They serve the usual sort of cafe food you get at attractions. Finn had a children’s lunchbox meal, I had chicken dippers and Luke had the pulled pork sandwich. It was all reasonably priced and quite tasty, although the queue was long.

After lunch we headed over to the other side of the park to the bit that we were all most excited about.

We were all eagerly looking forward to World of Dinosaurs

World of Dinosaurs opened this summer and it looked amazing on the website when I researched this day out. It consists of a trail through the woods with life size models of various different dinosaurs, complete with sounds and movement.

The t-rex was impressive as you’d expect!

The spinosaurus was even bigger than t-rex

There were information points by each one so you could brush up on your dino facts-handy for a mum of two young boys. For example, did you know that Jurassic Park wasn’t entirely realistic and velociraptors were actually only the size of turkeys? The animatronics were really good, all of the dinosaurs looked really lifelike and the attention to detail was stunning. It’s hard to convey in words, so here’s a little video (and a bit of Finn’s commentary) to give you a better idea!

After the dinosaurs, we stopped and let Finn have a run around the play area before heading home.

All in all we had a brilliant day. The animals were interesting, but the star of the show was undoubtedly World of Dinosaurs. I recommend it for any dino fan, big or small.

Have you ever visited Paradise Wildlife Park?

Disclaimer: We were given complimentary tickets for the family in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own (and Finn’s).

 

17
Jul 2018
17Jul 2018 DAYS OUT
Highway Rat Activity Trail at Fineshade Wood

Finn loves a story before bed and The Highway Rat by Julia Donaldson is a firm favourite in our house. In fact, I’m sure that he pretty much knows it by heart!

I’ve spent a lot of time indoors this week, trying frantically to clear my desk before baby arrives, so we were all in need of an outdoor adventure. I’d seen that there was a Highway Rat trail at Fineshade Wood near Corby, so we set off for a family day out and some fresh air.

Finn was eager to get into the spirit of things on the Highway Rat trail

The activity set cost us £3, which contained a highway rat mask (as modelled above!) a booklet, a piece of string to make our ‘journey stick’, a pencil and crayon to do the rubbings. We also picked up some extra printouts with activities to do at home. This combined with the £4 parking fee, was a reasonably cheap way to spend a few hours.

There were a number of tasks to do along the route

We followed the marked route, which was about a mile long, finding the 10 boards along the way that had tasks to do and information about the woods around us.

The activities were suitable for younger children, I’d say from around 3-6 years old. Finn certainly enjoyed looking for the boards and was able to follow the arrows. He needed a little help with the rubbings, but he soon got the hang of it.

There were a few rubbings to do along the way

Finn demonstrating his bunny hop technique

There were also characters from The Highway Rat to find along the trail and tick off in the booklet.

We all had great fun ticking off the characters as we followed the Highway Rat Trail

It was a really enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours outdoors as a family. There was enough to do to keep Finn occupied and engaged with his surroundings-it’s one of the few times I can remember not having to cajole and bribe him to get him to walk a reasonable distance! He loved looking for treasure to tie to his journey stick and ended the walk with a good collection of sticks, stones and leaves. I shall be looking out for other trails near us in the future.

Have you done a Highway Rat Trail?

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and affiliated sites.

 

 

14
Jun 2018
14Jun 2018 DAYS OUT
Preview: Timber Festival 6th-8th July 2018

Timber Festival is a brand new event on the summer calendar which will bring together music, forests, art and ideas into a brilliant weekend of family-friendly outdoor fun. Created by the National Forest Company and Wild Rumpus (the award-winning team behind the Just So Festival), Timber will take place at Feanedock, a 70 acre woodland site on the border of Leicestershire and Derbyshire, right in the heart of the National Forest.

“An extraordinary new camping festival exploring the transformative impact of forests. Celebrating woodland culture in all its forms, join us for an intoxicating experience where music, art, philosophy and sustainability weave together into an unforgettable, exhilarating weekend.”

Over the course of the weekend, the festival will host more than 200 activities, including a plethora of music performed across three stunning bespoke wooden stages (including the enchanting Eyrie Stage raised between the trees) and around the campfire. There will also be an exciting array of art, from the premiere of Tree and Wood, a new interactive performance exploring our relationship to trees and forests, to comedy, spoken word, films and a fire garden.

At Timber you can explore all sides of the moon in the greenfield festival premiere of Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon

“Artists, musicians, scientists and thinkers from across the world will dive into the poetry of nature, explore what forests and woodlands can mean to us and our relationship with nature.”

There will be a whole host of family friendly activities, from outdoor theatre, workshops, interactive sessions and performances to make sure that the youngest visitors are fully immersed in the experience.

As well as being a feast for the senses, Timber Festival also has an impressive line up of speakers, debates and sessions designed to stimulate the mind and get us all thinking differently about the world around us. Stuart Maconie will deliver the keynote speech on Sunday in his role as President of the Ramblers, where he’ll muse on the changing nature of the landscape in a post-industrial Britain and the great pull of the natural world.

After all that excitement, there’s plenty of provision for rest and relaxation. From bathing under the stars, yoga and tai chi, to hanging around in Tentsile Tree Tents hung high up in among the leaves, everyone will leave Timber with a sense of well being.

Why not take the chance to bathe under the sky at Timber Festival?

We’ll be heading up to experience Timber for ourselves, if you fancy joining us head over to the website now for the full line up (I could only cover a fraction here!) and to book tickets.

Timber Festival runs from the 6th-8th of July 2018 at Feanedock,DE12 6DQ. Tickets are £130 for an adult weekend camping ticket, £45 for a child weekend camping ticket, £40 for an adult day ticket and £15 for a child day ticket. Under 3s go free. Residents of the National Forest are eligible for a discount.

Will you be at Timber this year?

22
Mar 2018
22Mar 2018 DAYS OUT
The Opening of Delapré Abbey & Celebrating 900 Years of History

Last week I, along with some other Northamptonshire bloggers and various local dignitaries, was invited along to the official opening of Delapré Abbey. We’ve visited many times before to explore the gardens and parkland, but up until now the Abbey itself has been out of bounds. After an extensive restoration programme, the building was opened last weekend and I got to take a look at all the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes.

The Abbey was officially opened by Sarah Beeny last Friday.

One of the reasons that Delapré is such a favourite of ours is that it is just 5 minutes from the town centre, yet it feels quiet with plenty of space once you’re there.

We have loved walking around the parkland and gardens at Delapre for many years.

The Abbey has seen it’s fair share of drama over the last 900 years. It was originally established as a Cluniac Nunnery, and was the resting place of the body of Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I, on her final journey to Westminster Abbey. The Eleanor Cross that Edward had erected in her memory still stands close to Delapré today. Two hundred years later in July 1460, the Abbey saw the Battle of Northampton bring the armies of the Houses of York and Lancaster together in a major event of the War of the Roses. By 1538, Henry VIII had dissolved the nunnery and the house and grounds fell into the hands of the Tate family. Over the next 200 years, they swept away the remains of the Abbey and created much of the building that is visible today. When the last Tate, Mary, died without heir in 1749, the house was bought by Edward Bouverie and remained in his family until the 1940’s.

The Bouveries oversaw a turbulent period at Delapre that included wars and family scandal.

The Abbey was bought by the council in the mid 1940’s and narrowly survived the threat of demolition in the years of post-war austerity. It became the Northamptonshire Record Office and the gardens and parkland were once again opened up to the public. Sadly, in the 1990’s the record office was moved to a new location and the future of Delapré was once again uncertain. Luckily, thanks to a determined band of supporters and some well needed investment from the Heritage Lottery Fund, a thorough restoration programme was undertaken and the results can be seen today.

For the first time in decades, the future of Delapre Abbey is secured

I was so impressed with all the work that has gone into this project. It was really exciting seeing it for the first time and I felt an enormous sense of local pride. This is such an asset to Northampton,  I’m sorry if you hear a lot about it over the next few months but in this time of council cuts and austerity, it is so refreshing to see ambition and forward-thinking win out.

The 18th Century Stable Block houses the Battle Rooms and introduces the story of Delapre.

The attention to detail that has gone into restoring the building and rooms is evident, as is the passion of the volunteers and team behind the transformation. All of the rooms were fantastic, but I particularly loved the library. One of the best things about Delapré is how interactive it is. As a parent it is so refreshing to know that I won’t be tutted at if Finn touches anything, in fact here it is actively  encouraged!

The library was a highlight for me, I just can’t resist a room full of books!

You can touch everything at Delapre, including the books and games in the library

I loved the south facing Bouverie rooms, they looked especially stunning in the sunlight

I heartily recommend a visit to Delapré, it really is a good day out, and at just £7 entrance for adults (under 18s free) and free parking, it’s also very good value. There is a whole programme of events running, from family fun at Easter with Peter Rabbit, to a beach, outdoor films and a village show in August. I for one can’t wait to head back with my family.

What do you think of Northamptonshire’s latest attraction? Have you managed to visit yet?