Disconnecting and Reconnecting in Wales

We're just back from a weekend away in Wales, still clinging to the complete sense of relaxation we had while there. I think what brought the most peace to me that weekend was the cottage we rented and its immediate surroundings. Which is ironic because our accommodations were a bit of a headache to plan.

I had originally thought we'd camp that weekend, but my husband had the good sense of questioning whether it would really be warm enough for that. (He's a smart guy... it rained about 75% of our trip and was quite cold... we would have been miserable in a tent!) I then struggled to find a self-catering property suitable for us. Big Arrow is becoming ever more allergic to dogs and cats and so I'm now trying to avoid staying in any property that accepts pets. Yet Wales is a popular area to bring dogs along since it's a great spot for hiking. I was also trying to stay within a 4-hour drive of our house, which meant we were limited to the Snowdonia area. At the last minute, I booked a small cottage I found through the National Trust's website. (Link to the exact cottage near Bets-y-Coed here.)

We had been quite busy leading up to the trip. Lots of commitments, busy schedules, visitors, etc. Something all families can relate to, I'm sure. I was craving time just with just the four of us more than I have since we moved abroad. What better place to cozy up for a few nights than an old, tiny cottage.

Postcards from the Lake District: Wray Castle

In my post earlier this week, I explained that one of the ways I organize plans for our trips is by weather. Meaning I keep a list of outdoor activities and a list for rainy or cold days. I knew both from looking at the forecast and from what I've learned about English weather that I better be prepared for rain when we visited the Lake District.

At the top of my rainy day list was a visit to Wray Castle. It looked really unique... a medieval-style castle built in the mid-1800s. Because its somewhat strange history, the castle was given to the National Trust completely empty. Meaning no paintings, sculptures, furniture or other relics that typically fill these types of properties. Much to our delight, the National Trust has instead packed the castle with incredibly family-friendly activities.

Dover, England for Families

A stop in Kent in southeast England was my husband's idea.

That's not a sentence you'll read very often on this blog. I consider us true partners in most aspects of life. But travel planning is almost entirely my domain. (Hauling bags and children, map reader, and suitcase packer? All him.)

He had traveled to Kent a few months prior for work and thought it seemed like a fun area (even though all he saw was a hotel conference room). And once we had decided to drive to Belgium over Easter, he suggested it as a way of seeing more of England while also breaking up our drive home. Made sense to me, so I worked with the folks at Visit Kent to figure out logistics for a 24-hour visit there. (Ok, so the trip was his idea, but true to form, I still executed the planning.)

I wrote about our stay in Dover over at Anglotopia, too.

This was the portion of our Easter trip that surprised me the most. I frankly thought we'd pass through, see the sights, give the kids a break from the car, and then be on our way. In the end, it was a real highlight of our long holiday weekend and I'm really glad we carved out the time for this stopover.

Cornwall's Coastal Beauty

I initially looked into a stay at Bosinver Farm Cottages (full review at Ciao Bambino here) because I saw photos from another travel blogger who stayed there, and it looked like great fun for kids. To be honest, I knew nothing about Cornwall, the southwestern most part of England.

Once we were booked to visit the area, I naturally started reading up on it, and more importantly, started seeing pictures of the area. I was simply stunned... I had never realized that some of England's coastal areas were so spectacular. While I'm learning all about the beauty of rural England just by looking out my window each day, it's relatively flat around the East Midlands where we live, and we're about a 90 minute drive from the coast (in the Norfolk area... also relatively flat). So I was really excited to see a more unique English landscape for myself, and introduce this part of the country to my parents during their visit.

And it definitely lived up to the hype (and made the 5+ hour drive worth it!). Our first taste was a trip to the beach closest to Bosinver (about a 10 minute drive away), called Carylon Bay.

Kids in Europe Must-Have: Digital Camera

One of my biggest fears in coming to Europe with children as young as mine (4 and 1) was that it would be challenging to take them to some of the cultural sites: historic homes, old castles, abandoned ruins, towering cathedrals, etc. (You know, basically everything that makes Europe so charming and beautiful.) It just seemed such a shame to come all the way across the ocean and not get to experience those things, forever confined to amusement parks and playgrounds.

But we have pushed past those fears and pressed on. And I have to say, 90% of the time it's a fun experience for everyone. I hope to share some of my tips and tricks in the months ahead. First up is my top tip for keeping preschool-aged kids happy at sites like this:

Visiting Belton House with Kids

One of the things I'm learning from this experience is the value of a personal recommendation. You see in Indiana, I was already pretty well-versed on the great spots to visit, best hikes, gorgeous parks, and fun weekend getaway ideas. While occasionally someone would suggest something I hadn't done or wasn't aware of, it wasn't my primary source of travel ideas.

Now here I find myself, staring at a map of England without much guidance other than brochures or websites, all proclaiming to be the best sites to see. So I'm learning that word-of-mouth to be extremely valuable, the places our realtor or a new friend or our neighbors suggest as a good place to go with the kids.

A visit to Belton House is the perfect example. Had I stumbled upon its listing in the National Trust guidebook or flipped through the pamphlet, I probably wouldn't have planned an outing there. Not that it didn't look beautiful. It just didn't seem to be anything beyond a fancy house. But someone told me they used to visit often with their kids, so we gave it a try.