Wet and dry weekend plans

The weather is decidedly changeable at the moment, which really doesn't help with plan-making.  However, I'm considering a few options for a day out this weekend, and the final decision will of course come down to whether the weather is wet or dry.

Here's what I'm considering:


Dry-weather options

1. Strawberry picking at Flower Farm.  Flower Farm, near Godstone, is open 9am - 5pm for strawberry picking.  The two year-old has recently decided that she does, in fact, like strawberries but has yet to experience the joys of fruit picking so this weekend might be the time to do it before the strawberry season is over.  The cafe here is lovely too, and it has a huge selection of teas, so it would be great for a spot of lunch or afternoon tea afterwards.

(Photo from Flower Farm website)


2. Reigate Festival - this is running in Reigate Priory Park from 10.30 am - 10.30 pm on Saturday and has an enormous list of fun and family-friendly things going on, including a "Kidzone" with lots of different activities for children such as an obstacle course, wet sponge stocks, peg-shooting tin can alley, giant Jenga, quoits, climbing wall and a 'Get a Gory Shakespearian Wound' photo opportunity. Looks like it would be a brilliant day out.

3. Mayfield Lavender - the lavender is out and blooming, and we will definitely go at some point this summer.  This weekend might be the time.  My five year-old loves creepy crawlies and is very keen to do some beetle-collecting with the jars that they provide as well.  These lavender fields are near Banstead.

Wet-weather options

1. Whitgift School's Remembering 1916 Exhibition - this local exhibition has had some great reviews and is only on until the end of August.  This weekend there's half-price admission on Saturday and Sunday (and it's free on Friday) so it could be a good time to go.  There is also a nice-looking Edwardian cafe which could be fun to try.

(Photo from Remembering 1916 Exhibition website)

2. Croydon Airport - this is open on the first Sunday of every month, 11 am - 4 pm and is completely free.  They are also giving out free stickers for kids.  I've never been before but would love to find out more about this fascinating part of Croydon's history.

(Photo from Croydon Airport website)

3. Shirley Windmill - this is also only open once a month, and this Sunday is its day for July.  It's open from 1 pm - 5 pm.  It's free to enter (but they accept donations) and a guided tour is provided.  We drive past this windmill quite often but have never been inside so this could be the time to do it.

(Photo from Shirley Windmill website)

30 places to visit with kids in and around Croydon this summer - part 3

Following on from my earlier posts here and here, here are the final ten places from my list of "30 places to visit with kids in and around Croydon this summer".

Since starting this series of posts, I have (unfortunately?) thought of more places which I could have included.  However, since these posts all say "30" now, I will have to leave those for later!

Here you go:



21. Crystal Palace Park - I've mentioned lots of parks in this list, but this one is the only one with dinosaurs!  It also has a maze, a lake, a play area and a cafe, so it makes a great day out.

 (Photo from Wikipedia)

22. Mayfield Lavender - I love Mayfield Lavender (the background photo for this blog is from there) and I can't wait to go back again this summer.   Located near Banstead, it's a short drive from Croydon.  It is utterly beautiful and so much fun to wander around.  Last summer they offered tractor rides around the field and the cafe, with lots of lavender-flavoured treats (ice cream, cakes, biscuits..) was lovely.  Kids are invited to take a jar from the cafe to collect the beetles which are harmful to the lavender (but harmless to kids!).

23. High Elms Country Park - I've not been here yet but have driven past a few times and it's one of those places that I've always said we should go to to see what it's like.  It is a nature reserve with a cafe (yay!) and visitor centre.  It's in Farnborough, near Bromley (not the other, larger, Farnborough).

24. Oaks Park - this is just next to Mayfield Lavender (see above) and has a great mixture of gardens, trees and open grassland to explore.  It also has a cafe!

25. Heathfield - no cafe here, but the walled garden is a lovely calm spot for a picnic, with great views.  Perhaps due to the lack of a cafe, I've always found Heathfield to be pretty quiet (a good thing!).  It has some great gardens to explore and small streams to cross over via stepping stones.  This is in Croydon.

26. Kenley Aerodrome - a great open space for scooting or riding bikes. 

27. Reigate Priory Park - a bit further afield but worth it as it's so attractive.  It has a super play area with a large sandpit and water play area.  There is a cafe and the rest of the park is made up of gardens, a lake and woodland.

28. Richmond Park - a bit of a drive away, especially in traffic, but this is a great option for a more "wild" park, with its deer.  Although it does still have a cafe!  It's also a great park to cycle round and bikes can be hired here too if you don't have your own.

 

(Photo from Richmond Park website)

29. Deen City Farm - this free City Farm makes a lovely visit with heaps of animals to see including sheep, cows, pigs, horses, rabbits, ducks, chickens, owls...  There are often opportunities for kids to touch the animals.

30. Pottery cafe in Purley or Wallington - OK so this is really two places, but it's the same idea and so you'd probably only want to visit one.  Purley pottery cafe is called Get Fired! and Wallington's is Glazed all over.


So, that's it, my suggestions of 30 places to go in or around Croydon this summer with kids.  I'd love to hear from you if you visit any of them, and what you think.  Also if you have any other suggestions of places that could be added!

Yummy fun in the sun at Croydon Food Festival

It was with a somewhat jet-lagged Croydon Daddy that we set off, with hungry anticipation, to the Croydon Food Festival yesterday.

The sun was out and, as we got closer, we could smell the food being cooked.  This and the fresh air did wonders to revive our jet-lagged Daddy.

We arrived at the festival soon after it had started and, turning the corner onto South End, it was great to see that the event was already in full swing and bustling with people.

Our approach was to walk the entire length of the festival once (whilst happily accepting every sample offered) and then decide where we wanted to go back to to buy our lunch.

It was a tough choice but in the end we plumped for delicious folded pizzas from Panzerotto Blues, tasty jerk chicken, and some mouthwatering Vietnamese pork.  Unfortunately, I have a terrible memory and can't remember the names of who sold us the chicken and pork dishes, but they were absolutely delicious!

We then went back to Lick a Lix for some refreshing fruity ice lollies for dessert, which we enjoyed whilst listening to some great music on the main stage.

After all that wonderful food, we headed over to Park Hill Park to for some relaxation, swinging and climbing.

It was a lovely day and we'll definitely be going back to the Food Festival next year if we can.

Sanderstead library rhyme time and lunchtime visit to Layhams Farm Shop

Yesterday we managed two outings in a row.

First stop was Sanderstead Library for its toddler rhyme time.

We were a very select group yesterday although a couple of late arrivals (who didn't actually realise rhyme time was on but joined in anyway) gave a welcome boost to our numbers.

We started, as usual, with a rousing rendition of "Happy and you know it" and made our way through various other toddler classics including "Sleeping bunnies" and "Wind the bobbin up" and ended with, ummm, I can't remember what now but I'm sure it was another classic.

Then the toy box came out for a little play, we checked out a few new books, and made our way.

I deliberated for a few minutes at this point whether to head up to Sanderstead Recreation Ground and have lunch at the cafe there (Pricilla's), or to try out Layhams Farm Shop for the first time.  Since it was threatening to rain, and as you can probably guess from the title of this post, I opted in the end to go to Layhams Farm Shop.

Layhams has just (this June, I think) opened a new tea room and toddler play area.  The play area is indoors, right by the tea room, and signs said that an outdoor play area would be coming soon as well.

We got down to the important matter of lunch straight away and, although the cakes looked extremely tempting, we opted for sandwiches.  My two-year-old had a ham sandwich, which was served on a plate with a few crisps and slices of cucumber, and I had a cheese and pickle salad sandwich.  Both of them were made to order, the ham was thick slices of proper ham, and the bread was soft, fresh and tasty.  I had a cup of "tea pigs" tea with mine, which was lovely.  It was a really nice lunch, very good value, and I'd be very happy to eat there again (especially if it included trying one of the cakes as well).

The only downside was that the table was slightly sticky and could have done with a wipe.  The cafe was quite busy though (we arrived just after a morning story-time session) and I got the impression that the staff were still finding their feet a little.  With more frequent table-wiping, I'd say lunch would have been near perfect.

In terms of play areas, there was a fenced area with foam mats, play tents, tunnels, small see-saws and various ride-on toys which my daughter explored for a short time, but she was more interested in going to the soft play area in the room next door, which consisted of some large soft blocks of various shapes arranged around some soft mats.  She had soon figured out a circuit around these blocks and was happily climbing around, sliding and jumping for quite some time.  Fortunately, there were tables and chairs around the edge for parents to sit and watch from.

I'd really like to come back to Layhams and try some of the many activities that they are putting on (including story-time, toddler fruit and veg sessions, music time..) as it seems like they're making a real effort to make this a great place to take toddlers.  I'd also like to try the cake.

30 places to visit with kids in and around Croydon this summer - part 2

Following on from my earlier post, here are the next ten places from my list of 30 places to visit with kids in and around Croydon this summer:


11. Croham Hurst Woods - a bit of a challenge but I think that the promise of a picnic at the top should be enough to lure my two up this hill, which has stunning views to the south from the top.

12. Beddington Park - this is a great park for scooting and riding bikes in.  It's a mixture of trees and open grassy spaces, with a river flowing through it.  It also has a lovely big play area and a cafe too. 

13. Wimbledon Park - this isn't in Croydon but it's not too far by car or by tram and tube.  And it might be worth the trip one hot day for its paddling pool.  It also has a lake with swans and ducks, a cafe, two play areas, a crazy golf course and beach volleyball courts.  Probably best avoided during the Wimbledon Tennis Championships though, as it's usually full of campers then.

14.  Emmett's Gardens - these National Trust gardens are a little over half an hour drive or so from Croydon but well worth it.  They have a glorious meadow for picnicking in, a play area, a cafe and lots of gardens to explore.

15. Chartwell - another National Trust property, again about half an hour from Croydon.  The woods are great to explore and boast some enormous tree swings which are wonderful for swinging (and singing) in.

16. Tandridge Leisure Centre - this leisure centre in Oxted has a great swimming pool for kids, with a wave machine, water features, slide and flume.

17. Library - Croydon has lots of libraries, many of which have events on for children over the school holidays, as well as regular weekly rhyme times and story times for younger children.  Plus of course the summer reading challenge.  Even when there's nothing on though, they're worth a visit to borrow some new books and maybe do a spot of colouring.

18. Priory Farm - this is also about half an hour from Croydon.  There is a cafe, two play areas, a "Discovery Walk" nature trail , a garden centre and a farm shop - plenty to keep everyone occupied.

19. WW1 exhibition at Whitgift School - this "Rembering 1916" exhibition is on until the end of August and looks quite interesting.  I think my five year-old would especially like the Edwardian house scenes and, of course, the Edwardian cafe.

20. Horniman Museum - this museum in Forest Hill is brilliant for young children with lots of interesting natural history exhibits, an aquarium, a lovely cafe and lots of outside space to explore.  It also has lots of special events on over the holidays.

30 places to visit with kids in and around Croydon this summer - part 1

I've always been a planner and a list-maker.

My oldest daughter started school last September and I've been planning for her summer holidays for a couple of months now.

As well as my five year-old, I also have a two year-old and if we all spend too much time at home together we tend to drive each other a bit batty.  So getting out of the house is good.  It also helps them sleep more at night, so it's a no-brainer really.

One of the first things I did when I started thinking about the summer holidays was to start a list of all the places that I could take them in and around Croydon.  Some of the places we've been to before, some are firm favourites, and some are ones I've heard of and would like to see what they're like.

The list has grown quite long and currently has around 30 different places on it so I'm going to post it in installments.

Here are the first ten places from my list of 30 places to take your kids in and around Croydon this summer:

1. Coombe Wood - we'll probably go here quite a lot as it's so nice.  See my earlier post here.

2. Lloyd Park - this park is big, great for flying a kite on a windy day, has a good play area including a zip-wire.  The cafe closed recently though, so you'd need to take your own refreshments.  It's tight by the aptly-named Lloyd Park tram stop.

3. Littleheath Woods - not been here before but they look very pleasant.

4. Woodcote Green - this garden centre in Wallington has two cafes, one right next to a small play area with a sandpit which my two can happily spend an hour or so playing in.  There is a great farm shop and lots of fish to see.

5. Kelsey Park - this is a fabulous park in Beckenham.  It has a large lake with tarmac paths around it which are great for scooting on.  There are lots of lovely areas to picnic and it has a huge play area, with a small cafe right next to it.

6. Wandle Park - this is in Croydon.  We've not been here before but I'm keen to try it out for a change.  It's on the tram route too which should make it easy to get to.  I hear it has a good sandpit and also a bandstand.

7. Park Hill Recreation Ground - this is close to the centre of Croydon and has a play area and a walled garden which is fun to walk around.  It has lots of flowers but is on quite a steep slope so not such a safe place for the two-year-old (who has no fear) to scoot.

8. Sanderstead Recreation Ground and duck pond - the Recreation Ground has a good play area, which is all in one enclosed rectangular area (good when you're trying to keep your eye on two kids at once).  It also has an enclosed skating/scooting area which my two love scooting around.  There is a path around the perimeter of the Recreation Ground which is great for riding a bike around, and Priscilla's Tea Room, which is just next to the play area, is lovely for a drink or lunch.  Priscilla's often runs crafts activities for children too (good for a rainy day). The duck pond isn't in the recreation ground but is just a short walk further down Limpsfield Road.  There is usually a good number of ducks to feed.

9. Morden Hall Park - this isn't in Croydon, but it's not far and is also very easy to reach by tram.  It has lots of grass and woody areas, a play area, a river (good 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.

10. Addington Hills - as these wooded hills don't have toilets or a cafe, we haven't made a trip to them yet.  However, they are high on my "to do" list (another of my lists..) and look like fun to explore with the girls.  There is a viewing point which might be a good spot for a picnic.

Coombe Wood - introducing Croydon's rather lovely natural, woody and flowery side.. And a great cafe too!

Coombe Wood was one of the first places my husband took me to when we moved to Croydon.  And it made me realise that, actually, there's a lot more to Croydon, and many more different sides to it, than you might at first think.  This rather lovely natural, woody and flowery side to Croydon was a wonderful surprise!

Coombe Wood is a mixture of well-tended gardens with colourful flower-beds, and natural woodland.  There are plenty of places for children to explore, trees and logs to climb on, and hills to clamber up.  There is also a lawn area which is great for picnics, and a small pond.

Cafes (and their associated toilets) are almost an essential feature of our family outings and, luckily, Coombe Wood doesn't disappoint.  The Coach House Cafe is lovely, good value and has both indoor and outdoor seating.  In winter, warming up with a hot chocolate in front of its open fire is just the thing.  In summer, the outside seating in its courtyard is cool and relaxing.  The cafe serves the usual hot drinks, cakes and ice creams and also serves a wonderful selection of hot food, as good as any gastro pub.  It can get very busy though, so it's worth calling to book a table to avoid disappointment.

Coombe Wood (or probably the flat above the aforementioned cafe) is also home to a few (I haven't managed to count them) friendly cats who like to lounge about on the benches in the sunshine.  My girls are always pleased to see them.

On a Monday morning, there is a free nature play group in Coombe Wood.  I haven't managed to make it to this group but it looks like lots of fun.

Getting there:  Coombe Wood is just off Coombe Lane and is a short walk from either Lloyd Park or Coombe Lane tram stops (both on line 3).  There is a car park next to the entrance to the wood.