Summer fun at Kelsey Park

Last Friday, the weather was once again glorious and Granny was visiting us, so we decided it was a great day for a picnic.  The youngest one wanted to go on a slide so a park was of course the obvious (only?) option for this excursion and we chose to go to the lovely Kelsey Park in Beckenham.

When we arrived we discovered that we weren't the only ones to have had this idea and we drove around for a bit before finding a parking space.  Happily, the roads around the park have free parking on them, although I'm sure the local residents must get a bit fed up with all the visitors coming to park on their roads.  But then they do get to live right next to a wonderful park, so I guess that should kind of make up for it.

It was lunch time and we were hungry so we headed straight for the fenced-off grassy area on the west side of the lake (this area does probably have a proper name, but I'm not sure what it is) to enjoy our picnic.

After we'd eaten, my oldest daughter made friends with a couple of other girls and they had fun doing cartwheels and handstands together, while I wondered how long before all her lunch came back out again..  Fortunately, it didn't.

This summer, we've been taking part in the Big Butterfly Count with a handy app on my phone.  Basically, on a sunny day, you just count how many butterflies you spot in 15 minutes and then submit your results via the app.  You can do it as many times as you like and in as many locations as you like.

We'd spotted a few small white butterflies over the flower beds while we'd been eating our lunch so we decided it would be a good place to do a count.  However, once we started the count, I think most of the butterflies had decided to take a siesta so we only spotted a few, but it was still fun.

Next we walked past the lovely rose garden, around the lake, stopping briefly to say "hello" to some ducks, and over to the play area, which was absolutely heaving with kids.

Sadly, the big rope climbing frame with a slide was still shut (I do hope they fix this soon - it's my five year-old's favourite thing there!) but both girls still had fun on the other slides, swings and other play things.


We then treated them to an ice cream at the cafe and (I probably should have been a bit firmer here) both girls chose the lurid blue "bubblegum" flavour ice cream.  I tried very hard not to think about how many artificial colourings and flavours were in them, and, needless to say, they both ended up with blue tongues, chins and cheeks, which they both thought was hysterically funny.  When I tasted a little of one of them (just catching a drip) I really couldn't see why they liked them so much (besides the hideous colour, I mean).  My pistachio cone was delicious though, so I can recommend at least that other flavour.

After our ice cream there was time for a short last play on the play area again before walking round the rest of the lake and back to the car.  It had been a lovely afternoon.

Ten of the best picnic spots in and around Croydon

We are big picnic fans in our family.  Alfresco eating always seems to make food taste better and it's a great activity for the summer holidays.

Here are ten of the loveliest picnic spots that we know in and around Croydon.

1.  Coombe Wood - these woods and gardens to the south-east of Croydon are a brilliant spot for a picnic.  There is a flat lawn area with beautiful colourful borders and when you've finished all of your food, there are more gardens, hilly woods and a pond to explore.

2.  Heathfield is just up the road from Coombe Wood and has always been really quiet whenever we've visited.  It has a walled garden, which is our favourite picnic spot here, and also more gardens and woods to explore, including an area with streams and stepping stones.  Just don't fall in the water!  There are lovely views over the surrounding fields.

3.  Kelsey Park - this great park in Beckenham has lots of lovely areas to picnic on so you're spoilt for choice really.  My favourite though is the grassy area over looking the lake (which is also great for scooting around).  The park has a huge play area with play equipment to suit a wide range of ages.

4.  Park Hill Recreation Ground is a great choice if you're looking for somewhere close to the centre of Croydon.  It has beautiful flower beds, an attractive old water tower, and a great view over Croydon whilst still managing to create a quiet oasis separate from the noise of the town.  It also has a play area, a walled garden and a small cafe.

5. Morden Hall Park is a short drive or tram journey from Croydon and provides a beautiful spot for a picnic, for example in its rose garden or by the rivers and streams that pass through it.  It has lots of grass and woody areas, a play area, a river (great for Pooh sticks), a cafe and also a garden centre.  It's a National Trust property but is completely free to visit and often has activities on during the holidays for children.

6.  Croham Hurst Woods are on a hill so it's a bit of a challenge but the promise of a well-deserved picnic at the top should be enough to lure kids up this hill.  It stunning views to the south from the top.

7. Beddington Park - this is a lovely big park with big grassy areas, trees, a lake, a river and a super play area and cafe.  There are great paths around the park for scooting and riding bikes on to help you work up an apetite.

8. Wimbledon Park isn't in Croydon but it's not too far by car or by tram and tube.  As well as providing lovely spots for a picnic, it has a paddling pool so it's great for kids on a hot day.  It also has a lake with lots of swans and ducks, a cafe, two play areas, a crazy golf course and beach volleyball.

9.  Emmett's Gardens is a National Trust property a little over half an hour drive or so from Croydon.  There is a glorious meadow for picnicking in, with wonderful views over the surrounding hills, a play area, a cafe and lots of gardens to explore.  There is a small hut by the picnic meadow which has a selection of outdoor games to play.

10. Crystal Palace Park is a short drive or train journey from Croydon.  It has plenty of grassy areas for picnics.  It also has dinosaurs, a maze, a lake, a play area and a cafe, so it makes a great day out.

Chester Tuffnut at the Polka Theatre

The other week I took my girls to see Chester Tuffnut at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon and we had a brilliant time.

Polka recommend that the show is suitable for 2-5 year olds, so with one two-year-old and one five-year-old it seemed like a perfect match for us!

It was shown in Polka's "Adventure" theatre which is smaller and more relaxed than their main theatre, and perfect for toddlers.

We arrived in plenty of time so the girls had a chance to do some colouring, try out the rocking horses and rocking lion, and play outside for a bit before the show began.

We went in to the Adventure Theatre and settled down on the softly-carpeted floor to enjoy the show.  (There were some benches around the back of the room too for adults who didn't want to sit on the floor).

The girls were captivated right from the start.  The show was very gentle but full of fun and lots of laughs.

Chester is a "tree mole" who loves adventure, sleeps very little and is always on the lookout for new friends.  The show is the story of a few days and nights in his life, during which he seeks out new adventures with new friends, with varying degrees of success.

The set is beautiful with lots of lovely details to spot, and the woodland creature puppets were wonderful.

At the end of the show the children get a chance to "meet" some of the puppets and give them a gentle stroke.  My daughter was thrilled when one of the bats landed on her head!

I would definitely recommend this show to anyone with young children.  It's a wonderfully fun and gentle introduction to theatre and the setting of the Adventure theatre is perfect for the very little ones.

A fun afternoon at Priory Farm

The other weekend we headed down the A23 to spend the afternoon at Priory Farm.  It's at Nutfield, just outside Redhill, and is about a 30 minute drive from Croydon.  We go here quite often as it has two play areas, a lovely cafe, a farm shop and a garden centre, so it's great for families with young children.

It also has a Discovery Walk, which is a trail around the surrounding fields and woodland, leading up to a ridge and back down again.  It had been a while since we'd last done the Discovery Walk so we thought it was a great time to do it again.

The Discovery Walk costs £2.50 per person and non-walkers (babies in carriers/buggies) go free.  It is possible to take a buggy around the walk although it's quite hilly so probably easier to use a carrier if you have one.  It's also well-worth (in my opinion) spending another £1 to buy a bag of fish food to feed the fish in the lake at the end of the walk - it's quite a spectacle!

The walk takes around 30-60 minutes to complete, depending on how fast you go.  You could spend a lot longer if your kids want to spend a long time playing on all the bits along the way.

Around the walk there are lots of different things for kids to see and play on.  There's a big wigwam with a huge drum to play on, logs and climbing apparatus to climb over and balance along, a "fort" with underground tunnels to explore, a lookout point, and a labyrinth with its own dragon.  So there was plenty to keep our reluctant walker going!

The views from the highest point of the walk, over the surrounding hills are really beautiful too.

Included in the admission, you also get a free nature quiz to do along the way.  The answers to the questions are on boards along the route.  My five year-old really enjoyed doing this and filling in the answers.

The final part of the walk takes you down around past the fishing lake where you can use your bag of fish food to feed the fish.  When we were there they seemed to be so hungry that they were almost swimming on top of each other, out of the water, to reach the food.

After the walk we headed to the pirate ship play area for a play and a cup of tea from Wendy's kiosk before heading home.

It was a lovely afternoon.

Ten rainy day ideas around Croydon

When it rains, it's often a challenge figuring out how to keep the kids happy and cabin fever at bay.  Here are some ideas of places to take your kids around Croydon this summer when it's wet out but you just have to get out of the house.

1.  Most kids seem to absolutely love soft play.  They can climb and jump and crawl to their heart's content.  The only trouble when it's raining is that everyone seems to have the same idea, so it can be a good plan to get their early to avoid the crowds.  There are quite a few options around Croydon, including Kidspace on the Purley Way (good for older kids too), the Phoenix Centre in Wallington, Antics in Warlingham which has a bouncy castle, toys and outdoor play areas for if the rain stops, the Kidplay Cafe in Addiscombe, Little Lambs in Sutton, Henry's in Caterham, Layhams Farm Shop in Keston and Mother Kitty's in a park in Coulsdon.

2.  The Horniman Museum in Forest Hill is great for kids and has plenty to see indoors including an aquarium, a natural history museum, a "hands on" base and a music gallery.  It also has a lovely outside area with an animal walk, gardens and nature base.

3.  Croydon has libraries all over the borough and they are always a good option when it's wet.  As well as being able to read and borrow books, there are lots of events on over the summer and kids can sign up for the Big Friendly Read summer reading challenge.  They even get a badge just for signing up!

4.  Swimming is a great option when it's wet outside as it still involves plenty of exercise.  Plus, swimming at any of Croydon's pools is free for kids over the summer holidays.

5.  Garden centres are often a good option for when it feels a bit too wet or drizzly for a park but some fresh air would be good.  Woodcote Green in Wallington is a great option as it has a lovely farm shop, a fish section which my kids love to see, two cafes and, if it's dry enough, an outside play area.

6.  Going to a cafe is another fun way to get out of the house.  There are quite a few nice independent cafes around Croydon now (although, in my opinion, there's still plenty of room for more!) including eBear's Attic in Hamsey Green, which is also a charity shop with a lovely selection of kids toys and books, Priscilla's Tea Room in Sanderstead, the Tram Stop Cafe in Addiscombe and Amano in Warlingham.

7. Little ones love to use public transport and there are lots of options around Croydon.  Why not take them on a bus, tram or train trip?  Or combine a couple of these for a fun round trip, possibly involving a cafe stop at the Tram Stop Cafe or London Victoria?  Under 11s can travel free on London buses and trams.  Children with a 5-10 Zip Oyster photocard can travel free on most National Rail services where pay as you go is accepted.  However, they are charged child-rate pay as you go fares on Southern and Thameslink services between Coulsden South and Gatwick Airport.

8.  There's nothing quite like live entertainment and the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon is a brilliant option for kids shows, even for the very young.  This summer it has on James and the Giant Peach for children aged 5-11 and Chester Tuffnut for children aged 2-5.

9.  The Remembering 1916 exhibition at Whitgift School in South Croydon has received great reviews and could be an interesting place to take school-aged children.  For younger visitors and their families, Reynard, a ‘flying’ fox, can guide them around with a series of trails, hands-on displays and special activities.

10.  Put on your wellies and waterproofs and get outside anyway!  There are heaps of parks and woods to choose from around Croydon and, if it's raining, you'll most likely have the place to yourself.  There will also be no need to worry about sun cream.  Why not go and feed some ducks at one of Croydon's ponds?

Ten places for kids to see animals around Croydon

Have you got a little one who loves animals?  Here are ten great places to take them to see animals around Croydon.

1.  Beaver Water World is a short drive from Croydon, just outside Biggin Hill, and it has loads of animals to see including snakes, lizards, beavers (if you're lucky!), birds and meercats.  It's great for little ones as it's not too big and it also doesn't cost much.  It has a small play area and cafe too.

2.  Deen City Farm in Wimbledon is also a short drive, or tram trip, from Croydon.  It is free to visit (although they are happy to accept donations!) and has loads of farm animals to see including pigs, goats, cows, horses, chickens, ducks, owls, rabbits and alpacas.  There are lots of different activities on over the summer holidays.  It also has a riding school and cafe.  It can be nicely combined with visit to Morden Hall Park as the two are linked by footpaths.

3. Godstone Farm is also a short drive from Croydon and is a large farm attraction with heaps of farm animals to see, great indoor and outdoor play areas and a cafe.  There are lots of different events on over the summer as well.

4.  The Horniman Museum in Forest Hill has a lovely aquarium and also an Animal Walk where you can see lots of different animals including alpacas, goats, sheep, guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens.  The Horniman Museum also has gardens and a natural history museum to visit, as well as a great cafe.  It's a short train ride from East Croydon Station.

5.  Battersea Park Children's Zoo in Battersea Park is a great place to take small children as it's not too big but still has a great selection of animals to see, and a wonderful play area.  It can of course be combined with a visit to Battersea Park itself as well.

6.  Bockett's Farm Park near Leatherhead is another big farm attraction with loads of animals to see and some fantastic indoor and outdoor play areas.   There's always lots on and not-to-be-missed is its famous pig race!

7.  Hobbledown Farm near Epsom is yet another big farm attraction but this time with the emphasis being on "mysterical" adventure, with its amazing adventure play area and indoor play space.  It too of course also has loads of animals to see. 

8.  Chessington Zoo has some wilder and more exotic animals compared with other places on this list, including tigers, gorillas, monkeys, penguins and sea lions.  It can be combined, of course, with a day a the theme park as well.

9.  Crystal Palace Park Farm is a small, free farm in Crystal Palace Park, run by Capel Manor College.  It has farm animals such as goats, chickens, Shetland ponies and pigs, rodents, such as rabbits and guinea pigs and exotics, such as reptiles.

10.  The British Wildlife Centre on the A22 in Lingfield is home to over forty different species of British wildlife, including snakes, minks, owls, moles, badgers, voles, otters, rats, rabbits, birds of prey, deer, foxes, stoats, weasels, wildcats, mice and hedgehogs.

A summer's day at Cliveden National Trust

Last Sunday we spent a wonderful day out with friends at Cliveden, which is near Slough.  

Setting off from Croydon, the satnav said our journey should take 1 hour and 3 minutes.  In the end, due to traffic on the M25, it took just over an hour and a half (and nearly two hours on the way back) and our two girls were definitely ready to get out of the car by the time we arrived.  However, it was well worth the trip and next time I think we'd just set off a bit earlier in the morning, to try to avoid the congestion.

Cliveden is a really big National Trust property, so there is heaps to do and lots of different areas to explore.  We were there for around five hours and there was still plenty of bits that we didn't manage to see, so we will definitely be back.

We arrived at lunchtime so we started our visit with a picnic in the field next to the overflow carpark.  This was handy because we could then put all our picnic paraphernalia back in the car before heading off to visit the rest of Cliveden.

The adults were in need of a cup of tea so after a short walk through some woods, where we stopped for a while for the kids to explore some dens that had been built around the trees with sticks and branches, we arrived at the Doll's House Café which overlooks a small, shady wooden play area called the Storybook Play Den.  The kids enjoyed playing on the various bits of play equipment and we enjoyed our drinks.

Next, we headed over to The Water Garden, which was fun to explore with its birds, fish, stepping stones and bridges, and then The Maze, which was actually surprisingly difficult!

Our visit then continued round to the house where we saw this beautiful fountain.  

The kids enjoyed standing next to it and getting wet from the spray when the breeze blew it towards them, and were enchanted when a mummy duck swam past followed by five little ducklings.

It was getting late by then so we walked back to the car park through some woodland and set off on the drive home.

However, as I mentioned earlier, we didn't have time to see all of Cliveden by a long way and next time I would especially love to do the Woodland Play Trail through the woods and also see more of the beautiful gardens.