A cracking afternoon and evening out in Barcelona! We kicked things off at the Science Museum—such a fun and fascinating visit, especially the amazing Pixar exhibition. Everyone loved it!
Huge thanks to Judith and Joel for playing host. It’s been so lovely catching up after all these years—just like no time had passed.
Continue readingYesterday, the three of us—Oliver, Lewis, and I—headed over to the Rural Life Museum in East Kilbride for a lovely day out. The sun was shining, but it still had a bit of a chill in the air, making it the perfect day for a little adventure. Armed with a picnic, we were ready to make the most of it!
Since it’s the Easter break, the museum had some fun activities lined up for the kids, all centered around bees. We joined in on a candle-making activity using beeswax, which was super simple but fun. The boys got to roll a sheet of beeswax around a wick, and they loved making their own candles. It was such a lovely, creative activity!
Afterwards, we took the 10-minute walk up to the farm area, where we saw a bunch of baby lambs, pigs, and calves. The boys were absolutely enchanted with the little animals, and we spent some time wandering around the farm, checking out the other animals and the farmhouse. To get back down to the museum, we hopped on the tractor—what a fun way to travel!
Back at the museum, the boys were fascinated by the old tractors on display, and of course, they couldn’t resist a visit to the adventure park for a bit of playtime.
We ended up spending a great couple of hours there, and to top it off, the museum now offers an annual pass for the same price as a single entry, which was an unexpected bonus!
All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend the day, and we’ll definitely be back soon for more fun.
Today, we made our return to the beautiful city of York! We had originally planned to visit the Viking Museum, but we didn’t realise that you needed to book tickets in advance. So, a little change of plans, and we decided to finally check out Clifford Tower, which we had spotted during our visit last week but didn’t get a chance to explore.
Clifford Tower is the keep of York Castle, and it’s such an impressive building! The climb to the top is definitely worth it, as the views from the top are absolutely amazing – you can see all over the city from every angle. After taking in the breath-taking views, we had a lovely lunch at the bottom of the steps, enjoying some well-earned food after our mini adventure.
Just on the other side of the tower is the York Army Museum, so we popped in for a visit. It was a fantastic experience! The museum had some incredible relics on display, and the boys had an absolute blast trying on army uniforms – definitely a highlight for them. Afterward, we enjoyed a wander around and even treated ourselves to a cheeky McFlurry, which was just the perfect way to finish off our museum visit.
Next on the agenda was the National Railway Museum, which was where Alexander had really wanted to go. And boy, did he love it! All the boys had an incredible time, but Lewis especially couldn’t get enough of the trains. The museum is fantastic, featuring iconic trains, including those that Queen Victoria, Prince Edward, and Queen Mary had travelled on. It’s such an interesting place to visit, and what makes it even better is that it’s completely free to enter! You can make a donation, though, if you wish, but it’s an experience that doesn’t cost a penny to enjoy.
Overall, it was a wonderful day in York, filled with history, culture, and lots of fun for the boys. We would highly recommend the National Railway Museum to anyone with young kids – it’s definitely a must-see!
Total steps: 11,000
Today’s adventure took us to Pateley Bridge, a charming little village nestled on the River Nidd, not far from Harrogate. We arrived around lunchtime and managed to snag some incredibly cheap parking at just £1.20 for 4 hours—what a bargain! The River was right there, so we grabbed our picnic lunch and a blanket, then headed off to find the perfect spot to relax. We stumbled upon a lovely area beside the Riverside Caravan Park, which turned out to be ideal for a peaceful lunch by the water.
After lunch, we went for a stroll along the river, and it was glorious! The scenery was beautiful, and we would have loved to walk further, but we hadn’t brought enough water with us and it was scorching hot, so we decided to save that for another day.
On our way back, we discovered a fantastic little park where the boys (and us) had a blast playing for a while. It helped burn off some energy (and left them a bit more tired—bonus!). We then wandered around the village and came across the Nidderdale Museum, which is housed in an old workhouse. The museum had loads of interesting local memorabilia, and for just £2 per adult, it was a bargain! We spent about an hour there, and I particularly enjoyed the coal mine tunnel exhibit. It was fascinating to see how life used to be in the area.
Before heading back to the cottage, we made a quick stop in Ripon for some shopping, and then the boys had even more fun playing in the garden back at the cottage.
All in all, a lovely day exploring a beautiful village, learning a bit of local history, and making some great memories!
We were up bright and early today for a day trip to York by train from Northallerton. This is a place I’ve always wanted to visit, and I was really looking forward to it. York is absolutely stunning, with its beautiful buildings and surroundings, but York Minster Cathedral definitely stole the show—its beauty is just incredible. Unfortunately, we didn’t go inside, as the boys weren’t in the mood to be quiet and calm, so we opted to walk around Dean Park Gardens instead.
From there, we tried to get our bearings, though I don’t think I ever quite figured out the layout of York (I was hopelessly lost most of the day!). We wandered down The Shambles, which reminded me of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter and the Ramblas in Barcelona. We couldn’t resist stopping by the Harry Potter shop, and Alexander was in absolute heaven there.
For lunch, we grabbed some sandwiches from Tesco and headed back to Dean Park for a picnic under a tree—half in the shade, half in the sun. It was the perfect spot to relax and enjoy some food.
After lunch, we explored a little more and came across a garden behind the museum that had an “edible wood,” with lots of plants that can either be eaten raw or cooked. It was such a cool discovery! We spent some time at the York Museum next, which kept us entertained for a few hours. The museum had a great collection of Roman and medieval artefacts, and the boys had a blast with the dressing-up station (David even joined in!). Lewis was especially excited to see the dinosaur display, and there was an excavation exhibit where the kids got to try their hand at digging—such a fun experience for them.
Afterward, we headed back out into the sunshine for a snack on the grass and a leisurely walk along the River Ouse. Of course, no day trip is complete without a sneaky McFlurry, which we grabbed along the way. We finished our visit with a McDonald’s dinner before heading back to the train station.
Travel Tip: We parked at Applegarth Long Stay Car Park, which was just a 10-minute walk from Northallerton Train Station. It was only £3.20 for the whole day, which was a great deal.
All in all, it was a fantastic day exploring the beautiful city of York, with a mix of history, sunshine, and a little bit of magic!
Today, we decided to take a trip to two charming local towns—Leyburn and Bedale. When we arrived, we quickly realised that we’d actually visited both towns during our trip to Yorkshire back in October last year! Still, they’re such quaint and beautiful little villages that it was a pleasure to return.
The boys had a great time playing in the park behind Bedale Museum. It’s a lovely spot for kids to run around and burn off some energy, with lots of green space and fun little areas to explore. After letting the boys enjoy the park, we continued our journey and made a brief stop at Thornton Steward Reservoir on our way home. It’s a lovely spot, but word of advice: don’t wear sandals! The area is covered in sheep poo, so next time, we’ll be sure to bring trainers!
It was a relaxed and enjoyable day, revisiting some familiar spots and discovering a few new ones along the way. We’ll definitely return to these towns, but with the proper footwear next time!
Gilchrist Family Adventures 