Map of our Adventures in Great Britain
Family Adventures in the UK
Follow our family’s adventures in the UK with this interactive map!
Zoom in and click on the various points of interest. Each point may contain pictures and links to the blog or Daniel’s YouTube videos.
This map is being updated on a daily basis!
Visit these Parks Canada places for FREE in 2017
Parks Canada Places to Visit for Free in 2017
For all of 2017 you will get unlimited opportunities to enjoy National Parks, National Marine Conservation Areas and National Historic Sites across the country… for free!
Order your free pass here
Our family has visited so many National Parks across the country.
When you go with kids, be sure to sign up for the Xplorers Program at the main entrance to any park or historical site. These are great activities for kids to complete, and they will get a prize at the end!
Our favouite though is the Spy Kit at Citadel Hill in Halifax! Check it out!
Here are our reviews and suggestions by province and region.
Annapolis Valley
Nova Scotia
Cape Breton Highlands National Park and Fort Louisbourg
New Brunswick
Kouchibouguac National Park
Alberta
Elk Island, Banff, Jasper and Glacier National Parks
We hope to add a few more to the list by the end of 2017!
A Bike Ride Along the Wirral Country Park
A Bike Ride Along the Wirral Country Park
When we arrived in England, our family had made sure we were outfitted with bikes so we could fully enjoy the countryside.
Our first stop was to the Wirral County Park.
According to the website, Wirral Country Park is home to a wide variety of wildlife, a 12 mile long Wirral way, a visitor centre and Thurstaston Common which overlooks the beach and is an ideal picnic spot.
This are was very close to where David grew up, so of course he wanted to take the boys to one of e places he loved the most as a child!
We first explored the Thurstaston Visitor Centre
with a great big field overlooking Wales.
My favourite part of the centre, which David and I also visited in 2003 on my first trip to England with him, was the bird hide.
Go inside and sit quietly and watch all the birds that come to the feeders. What a great idea that we should have at home, too!
There were even bird identification charts to help get us started on learning the British birds!
Including this little Robin, which is much smaller than our North American robins.
From there, the boys biked down the Wirral Way which is a former train line, much like our Rail Trail through the Annapolis Royal.
The unique part is that there is a separate trail just for horses! Although we didn’t see any, we saw lots of birds and rook nests along the way.
So glad to have the bikes and more so, to be biking in January!
A Walk on the New Brighton Promenade
A Walk on the New Brighton Promenade
We needed to stretch our legs and were getting restless for an adventure to headed to the New Brighton Promenade on the tip, top right corner, of the Wirral peninsula, overlooking Liverpool.
This is a lovely paved walking path that follows the Mersey River. The waves were in full force today, because it was rather windy!
Along the route is an old battery called Fort Perch Rock, which is a coast battery defence.
The boys were pretty excited to learn there were palm trees growing everywhere, too!
Further along the trail, there are great views across the Mersey to the Liverpool waterfront!
But the best part of the trip was seeing an entire pirate ship made out of driftwood and left on the beach as public art and as a place for people to play!
What a great place for an easy first family walk!
Arriving in England
Arriving in England
Our Arrival
We arrived safe and sound in England on January 10, 2017. We flew from Halifax to London in about 5.5 hours and the most sleep anyone got was about 2 hours!
In our tired stupor we made it across the terminal, having to walk about 4km (according to my fitbit) to the train to take us to the next building for our connecting flight. We then flew to Manchester in the North where we were picked up in our own car by our brother-in-law, Paul.
It took us about an hour to drive to their home on the Wirral (near Liverpool). We are camped out here for the next few days.
The first night the boys had a family reunion with their cousins, and when it came time for bed, they fell asleep in about 30 seconds!
The next few days, we spent getting over jet lag and hanging out at the grocery stores where everything is new and exciting!
Did you know you can get wine and beer right in the grocery store?
This is the biggest bag of flour I could find (1.5kg). I think I would go through several of these in a week!
Food prices in the grocery store are cheap, especially milk and bread!
We are also looking forward to having a day dedicated to eating “sweets” and “crisps” to appreciate all the new flavours!
We are in England for a few days and then heading to Wales on the weekend to get settled there and begin our routine and schedule of home schooling and adventures!
Stay tuned!
Easy Christmas Baking for Kids
Recipes to Try for Christmas Baking
We don’t do a lot of baking at Christmas time because I tend to eat it all! But, there are a few things we like to make that are always a big hit with the kids.
Chocolate Mice
These are such a cute addition to any sweet tray! Made with Hershey Kisses and cherries!
Gumdrop Cake
This is my grandmother’s recipe. Sometimes we make these as mini loaves or into muffins. No matter the shape, they are big hits with kids!
Toblerone Pastries
I’ve seen kids devour a try of these pastries in less than 5 minutes. They are a big hit.
Gingerbread
Although good any time of the year, there is nothing better than warm gingerbread at Christmas time! The kids love this cake, especially when I make it in my gingerbread man shaped pans!
Ritz Holiday Peppermint Crackers
What recipes do you make for kids at Christmas?
