Summer Holiday Excursions

Well we're into week 2 of the holiday season and so far the sproglets haven't had time to say 'I'm bored, there's nothing to do.'

Last week, thanks in part to Tesco Club Card Deals, and the procurement of Merlin Cards, the hubby, sproglets and I toured the country seeking out amusement parks. Our school broke up earlier than most, so the parks were really quiet with queueless rides plus the weather was fine, which is more than I can say for this week.

On Tuesday we went to Legoland, Wednesday was Chessington and Thursday Alton Towers (the 6yo calls it Autumn Towers and we never correct him.) On Friday we got our historical fix (in actual fact I was more hysterical, being that I was over tired and we had to have an unscheduled stop in a opticians before we could continue our quest to Warwick Castle.

In my opinion Legoland was the best of the parks for a 6yo and an 8yo. There are rides for every degree of scaredycatness. The 8yo is getting rather daring and pointed to several mechanical trials that I had no intention of getting on. Unfortunately it seems I have been designated the wild-rides-parent as the hubby just looks at me with those eyes and rubs his back where his scar resides....

'I'd love to go on with her,' he says. 'But my back may not make it.' [Yeah sure! I've seen how he drives Dizzy 'round our fields; that's a whole theme park in itself!]

We attempted one ride as a family, Chessington's Runaway Train looked harmless enough. A baby roller coaster with just enough speed to satisfy all. Wrong!

The hubby and I sat in front of the sproglets as they were determined to sit together. The 6yo diligently listened to the instructions given by the Legoland crew, he's very rule orientated that one. Health and safety, health and safety!

Within seconds of setting off the 6yo was sure this wasn't the ride for him, the whites of his knuckles visible as he held the safety bar. I must confess that the hubby and I started giggling, naughty parents....  payback time! I did try to extend my arm back to the boy but he was furious shouting.

'No Mummy, you hold on, you hold on!'

The 8yo, whose personality has a strong dose of carer, looked worried and put her arm around him, this sent him into an even wilder panic.

'No!' He shrieked as the train carriage hurtled towards a dark tunnel, 'Hold ON! YOU MUST SAVE YOURSELF!!'

Sorry but it was so funny.

What was less funny, when the ride was finally over and we were just pulling into the station, was the teenage ride operator on the microphone calling out.

'Did you enjoy that?.... Cool, let's do it again...' And blow me down if he didn't give us all an extra ride - sending us around twice more! Yikes.

Late on the Thursday afternoon and at our third park, we reached the ride we'd saved till last. The Pirate Battle Gallions at Mutiny Bay is a very gentle ride where a swimming costume would come in handy! I kindly stood on the side to mind the bags while hubby took the sprogs for a shower! The little gallions have water cannons aboard but on the quayside sit other water cannon and naturally battles are fought and won/lost here every day.

As the Archer gallion came towards me I was sorely tempted to leave my post, [the bags,] to utilise the closest water guns until I noticed a gang of twenty-somethings passing by. On such a lovely warm day it was relatively easy to press gang them into service and they happily set about drowning my family.

Ooops! Hubby's glasses were never recovered from that ride. They slipped off his nose and into the murky depths rendering him blind for the rest of the day. I was not popular. 'Nuff said! 

***

Warwick Castle was another great day out [even if it was a little shorter than we'd hoped thanks to a trip to the opticians.] A great adventure for all the boys seem to especially love the trebuchet action.  If you go with a girly-girl, make sure you pick up a free ticket to the Princess Tower. If you are accompanied to the Princess Tower by a boy or a hubby expect scowling!