York and the Eden Valley
I had booked a week off work without any particular plans for what to do. Up until a few days before we were still browsing package deals for trips to sunnier spots. We decided against it for the simpler idea of just getting in the car and finding things to do with the boys.
H was already down in Hexham for a few days, so I took the train down with Jack. He’s only been on a train once before, so it was a bit of an adventure for him. I thought we might need entertainment with us, but we spent the journey spotting things out of the window and tucking into our ham sandwiches.
We headed to York, first stop: Piglets Adventure Farm. This was a great day out. We met with friends and their kids. The farm has animals (which we did not see), go-karts and tractors (which we spent a lot of time with), and a “beach” area with water pumps on a large sandpit. Jack had a great time, even trying out the larger go-karts.
The next day we spent exploring the National Railway Museum. There were lots of old trains to look at, although Jack was disappointed that we couldn’t actually ride in them. The attached “WonderLab” was excellent with many interactive demonstrations to play with. The ball run and the pneumatic tubes were particular highlights.
Our next stay was at Bramble Barn in Hunsonby near Penrith. The area has lots of lovely little villages and winding roads. I had stopped at Little Salkeld on my C2C Cycling Trip a few years back and really enjoyed the peaceful views.
The cottage we stayed in was a barn conversion, right on the edge of a farmers field. It was a very relaxing place to watch the sunset.
We decided to visit Lowther Castle and Gardens, mostly because the reviews consistently mentioned the excellent adventure castle. We weren’t disappointed - there was a great play area for Jack with a castle, swings and zip lines. It wasn’t busy, and there was lots to explore. We took a walk through each of the gardens on the way back.
On the way home we stopped at Long Meg and Her Daughters, a standing stone formation which is around 5000 years old.
After the Eden valley we headed over to Dumfries and Galloway to stay with my parents. On the way over we stopped at yet another adventure park: Dalscone Farm Fun on the outskirts of Dumfries. What a great place! Go-karts, tractors, a small animal room (with lizards, spiders, rabbits, birds, hedgehogs, meerkats and the like), plus a large goat barn where we fed the animals. It was a great way to spend a few hours.
