GLAMPING: Escape to the Herefordshire Countryside to an eco-cabin called The Carn

*Press Discount

Down a steep, bumpy track you'll discover The Carn, an eco-cabin nestled in the Herefordshire hills, right on the border with Wales. Be prepared to escape every day life, internet, television and get back to nature with a touch of luxury that makes staying at The Carn so magical. Glamping is such a unique experience and something that I fell in love with prior to having children. Now that we are a family of five it can be very challenging to find a glamping experience that can accommodate five people, as well as being child-friendly. But The Carn has brought to life all our glamping hopes with it's five beds, ample space for the children (or dog) to explore, a fire pit for s'mores, a flushing toilet inside the cabin, a chest full of games and an outdoor bath for yet another magical unique experience. As you open the large glass door you're surrounded by plants, earthy hexagonal terracotta floor tiles and a decision of which side of the cabin to explore first. 

PARENTHOOD: Tips for Visiting Family or Friends with a Newborn Baby

*Advertorial Content - Gifted Items 

Travelling and staying over at family or friend's houses isn't always the easiest thing to do with a newborn baby. Despite being so small they somehow require a lot of equipment, have an intense feeding routine and the witching hour is never any fun! Over Christmas we spent a lot of time travelling around to visit different family members with our three children, who are 4 years old, 2 years old and 8 weeks old, which came with a number of challenges to overcome. When it came to coordinating travel times, planning ahead with regards to packing and fitting in with other people's plans it we became well practiced in the skill of travelling and visiting family with a newborn baby. There are many events throughout the year that may require travelling around to see family or friends, including Christmas, Easter, Holidays, Birthdays, Weddings, Christenings etc. I thought I might be helpful to share some of the ways which we found the whole experience a lot easier, calmer and generally more enjoyable.

TRAVEL: Family Holiday in Copenhagen - Cost, Weather, Places to Visit, Tips and Tricks

Copenhagen is renowned for being a really family-friendly city, not to mention beautiful and filled with history. On paper it seems like the ideal place for a family city break, so how did we find our family holiday to Copenhagen in February of this year? Now to be honest, the idea of flying with two young children in tow terrified me, so the only way we were going to be going abroad on a family holiday was if my husband organised it. So on Christmas morning when I started opening a pass the parcel style package with a picture of the world, going into Europe, going into Denmark, going into Copenhagen and finally going into an air bnb I was filled with excitement! Although I wasn't brave enough to book a holiday abroad myself, we had discussed about making the most of Isabella's last year before school and going abroad this year. Little did I know my husband had secretly planned a trip to Copenhagen for us all.

PARENTHOOD: Getting around with ease using the JANE Rocket Compact Stroller

*Advertorial Content - Gifted Item

Established in 1936 Samuel Johnston Ltd is a pram specialist that has grown to become one of Europe's leading online Nursery, Pram and Baby Equipment retailers. They have a range of over 80 top nursery brands and are therefore the home of everything you could possibly need for when your little one arrives and into those first few years of life. On our recent family holiday to Copenhagen we had the pleasure of taking the JANE Rocket Stroller (£199) from Samuel Johnston with us. It is a compact stroller that is lightweight, urban and fully-folding, whilst still having a quality finish. Travelling around with small children can be quite intimidating because space is often limited, whether that be with hand luggage allowance of car boot space, and this can make getting children around safely a bit trickier.

TRAVEL: Flying with children is easy with the Micro Eazy Luggage

*Advertorial Content - Gifted Item

I don't know about you, but just the idea of flying with young children in tow scares me. It's something I've put off since having children to be honest, despite a love for travelling and exploring new places. But when my husband booked a family holiday to Copenhagen for my Christmas present the excitement over took the nerves. Isabella is almost four now and Poppy is 20 months, so they aren't little babies anymore. The risk of them crying throughout the whole flight is minimal and distractions can work a treat. It was just getting them through the airports that made me a bit nervous. When Isabella was around 22 months we went to Iceland as a family of three and I remember the most stressful part of the airport experience was getting through security and encouraging Isabella to go the way we were going!

TRAVEL: 31 Top Tips for a Stay at Bluestone National Park Resort in Wales

*Advertorial Content - Press Trip

I recently shared all about why we fell in love with Bluestone in Wales, so I thought I'd now share some of my top tips/recommendations if you are planning or have booked a holiday there. We absolutely loved our stay and there were so many incredible experiences, moments and memories made during our stay. As our holiday approached I spent hours searching the internet for reviews, tips, recommendations and blog posts all about Bluestone so I could be as prepared as possible, which is why I wanted to put together this post sharing my top tips. 

TRAVEL: Why we Fell in Love with Bluestone in Wales

*Advertorial Content - Press Trip

We recently has the pleasure of visiting Bluestone National Park Resort in Wales on a family holiday and we fell in love with the place. If you're not familiar with Bluestone it is a large National Park in Pembrokeshire that is filled with a range of different size lodges, children's activities, parks, woodlands, restaurants, cafes and facilities. Everything you could need for a fun filled holiday is all included within the park, so there is no need to leave if you don't want to. Come rain or shine the whole family can enjoy what Bluestone has to offer, which is exactly why we fell in love. 

TRAVEL: 3 Must Visit Child-Friendly Things to Do in Mid-Wales

*Advertorial Content

Mid-Wales is one of my favourite places to go on holiday, after discovering it at the start of this year. It has landscapes like I've not seen before, so many beautiful places to visit and is a family-friendly place to go too. We recently enjoyed a long weekend there with my family and it was really nice to be able to share familiar places, discover new ones and make special memories together. 

TRAVEL: A review of our stay at Green Knowe Cottage in North Devon with Rural Retreats

As the school summer holidays draw to a close, everywhere gets that bit quieter and the sun is still shining (if you're lucky), September is one of our favourite times of year to go away as a family. This year we headed to North Devon to stay at Green Knowe Cottage, which we booked through Rural Retreats. If you're looking for places to stay that are luxurious, have those extra touches and are in stunning locations then Rural Retreats is the website you want to lose hours browsing. We usually head all the way down to Cornwall, but this year fancied discovering somewhere new. North Devon has the benefits of being a lot more accessible (cutting the journey there down from six hours to three), lots of child-friendly attractions and a beautiful contrast of moorland and coastline. 

TRAVEL: An Autumn Family Getaway in North Norfolk

Autumn is now upon us and I for one am very excited about it. The crisp mornings, stunning sunsets and all those crunchy leaves under foot make it the perfect time of year to escape somewhere new. We recently joined my husband's family for a long weekend in Norfolk, which was just the perfect place to spend quality time together, eat good food and enjoy all of the seaside towns. As someone who live in the Midlands, it is always very exciting and such a novelty being by the seaside. This was our first time visiting the north of Norfolk and we fell in love with the area. There is so much to see, explore and discover for the whole family.

SUMMER: How to Prepare for your Family Holidays

If you're lucky enough to be heading away as a family this summer then there is a high chance you have lists all over your house, on your phone and stuck to the fridge door with things you need to do before going away. As soon as you become a parent you say goodbye to spending hours browsing for the perfect peaceful accommodation (priorities being the number of sun loungers, minimal children around and a well stocked bar), instead you find yourself drawn towards the places that have entertainment for the children, swimming pool with some sort of sea creature inspired slide and anywhere that isn't too far away. For many of us, just the idea of flying 10+ hours with young children is enough to shut down your computer and stop the holiday searches there and then. Places like France, Majorca, Spain, Germany, Holland, Ibiza and Italy seem so much more feasible or there is always the good old staycation option.

FAMILY: What are your must-have features for travelling in a car?

As a family we love going on adventures; we spend our weekends exploring new places, having picnics and enjoying quality time together. This is us all year round, we'll be that family braving the cold weather in January to have a picnic in what are usually pretty gardens. But we wouldn't be able to go on any of these adventures without our cars, for us they are an essential. We live in a small village, which only has one bus leaving to the nearest town each day, so driving is an almost everyday occurrence. However, when it comes to travelling around as a family there are some features of cars that we need, look for or aspire to have to make life that bit easier.

TRAVEL: New York - CitizenM in Central Manhattan

If you're spending a few days in New York then staying in Central Manhattan is ideal, as you're close to many tourist attractions, incredible shopping, as well as the general hustle and bustle of the buzzing city. There's plenty to do within walking distance, so you can pack as much or as little as you want.

TRAVEL: New York - The Nolitan in Lower Manhattan

New York - Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do now you're in New York (sang beautifully just like Alicia Keys). Personally, being in New York does give me a sense of 'anything can happen here'. Like most cities it's filled with endless adventures, opportunities and experiences but there's something extra when you're in New York. It's an incredible place to visit and if you ever get a chance to then I'd highly recommend grabbing it with both hands.

TRAVEL: 11 Must-Visit Places in Cornwall

We're quickly approaching prime holiday season and one very popular area of the United Kingdom to visit is Cornwall. Known for it's beautiful coastline, slightly better weather and delicious cuisine - what is there not to love? We've been on holiday to Cornwall almost every year since leaving university back in 2011 and it has become a really special place to us.

CORNWALL: 10 Family-Friendly Places to Eat

While on a family holiday to Cornwall we had the pleasure of enjoying (well as much as one can with two young children!) lots of delicious meals, many of which came with beautiful views too. Whenever I go anywhere new to me I will usually do lots of research into tourist attractions and places to visit, but rarely consider where we are going to eat. I'm not sure why because eating is probably one of my favourite parts of the day, but it is perhaps as there are just so many places. Where do you start? As we had stumbled across so many amazing places to eat in Cornwall I thought I'd put them altogether, so that if you're planning a trip there anytime soon then you'll know exactly where to head for delicious food.

TRAVEL: A Winter Mini Break at Meadow Cottage, Wales

One Friday my husband text me asking if we should go away for that weekend, a spur of the moment mini family break. This isn't like us at all; I'm all about the planning and looking forward to a holiday. However, after hours of browsing the internet for areas to visit and hotels that would allow four people to sleep in one room, we decided to abandon the idea. The United Kingdom is a big old place to search for hotels when you have no idea where you want to go. We didn't give up on the idea completely, but instead started searching airbnb for a self catering place to stay. That way we would all have our own bedroom, space to relax in the evening and believe it or not it is a much cheaper option.

ICELAND DAY FOUR: Road trip further West and Blue Lagoon

On our fourth day in Iceland we started off by going for a drive further west. There are so many almost empty roads to drive along, take in the views and pull over for photographs. The landscape changes so dramatically and I can imagine that when snow covered it looks very different again. Just going for a drive is really worth it if you've hired a car because there are many areas tours don't cover.

ICELAND DAY THREE: Reykjavik, Harpa Concert Hall and Hallgrimskirkja Church

Our third day in Iceland landed on a Sunday, so most places didn't open until 12pm and even then there were a lot of shops/cafes/restaurants shut. Obviously a lot of the attractions in Iceland are outdoors and therefore don't have opening times as such, making it great for a long weekend. A few years ago my husband and I went to Barcelona for the weekend, only to find out when we got there that barely anything was open to see or do on the Sunday.

ICELAND DAY TWO: Golden Circle, Waterfalls and Geysers

On our second day in Iceland we checked the rather erratic Icelandic weather and decided to head off on the Golden Circle route. Driving in Iceland is very easy, there are few road options and little traffic. The Golden Circle road trip is around 300km and takes you to the most stunning natural wonders, including waterfalls and geysers. As we had hired a car we drove ourselves round (well my husband drove and I may have taken a few short naps, flying with a toddler was exhausting!), but there were plenty of tour companies offering tours too.