Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Romsey, Hampshire - Fun for all the Family!

{Dislcosure: We received free entry and a drink in exchange for an honest review}

A couple of weeks ago we stayed in the Test Valley, Hampshire for a few nights and we had the most wonderful stay. The glorious weather, of course, helped but more than anything, it is just a fabulous area to explore. It is easy to access, close to both towns and countryside and there is an abundance of things to do on your doorstep.

One morning we visited the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, which were just a 10-minute drive from where we were staying at Michelmersh Manor Farm near Romsey. You might not think that some gardens are the perfect place to take teens but we had some really lovely family time there. As we wondered and enjoyed all the different vistas, plants and the sunshine too we just chatted and mused about our lives.

Any parent of teens will know how important it is to be able to easily chat and sit alongside their teenager. So much of the time they are super busy and out with their friends or chatting to them online, so this kind of relaxed downtime together is perfect.

Birthday Party Fun at Go Ape (Moors Valley, Dorset/ Hampshire)

It was my twins 10th birthday last week and they enjoyed an evening out with my husband and I but due to school and all sorts of end of term commitments there wasn't a big fun birthday adventure. So to rectify this gaping hole Go Ape stepped forward with a Tree Top Junior adventure for the girls and their brother to enjoy whilst we were on holiday in Dorset.

We tried out Go Ape at Bedgebury in Kent back in April and all three of them loved it, so they were super keen to go back and had we been home rather than on holiday I'd have happily booked a Go Ape party for the girls and some of their friends.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard for Adults - A Great Day Out

At the beginning of May my family headed over to Portsmouth to visit the Historic Dockyard and we had a wonderful day. It felt as if our visit was too short and with so many attractions in one place there wasn't enough time in one day to fit them all in. It wasn't a problem though as when you pay for entry to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard you get a whole years access for that one price.

I think this is an absolute bargain and if you are in the position to return multiple times it makes entry extremely cheap. When you book online an adult ticket is £28 and I think this is reasonable for a whole days fun, let alone a years worth. The prices are even better as a family and when we visited, our family of 5 was £60, that breaks down to £12 each, seriously good, right?

Funnily enough it was lucky I wanted to visit again as the community that I live in had planned a community day out to Portsmouth last week. So last Monday I set off in the coach with around 70 other adults for a day in Portsmouth and at the Dockyard. I was really thrilled to find that the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is as much fun (if not more) with a group of adults as it is with your kids. Whereas when I went with the kids the fun was focused on mast climbing in Boat House 4 and adrenaline thrills in Action Stations, it was quite different with my adult friends. Much more chilled and a great way to spend time together.

We were only at the Historic Dockyard for around five hours and again it wasn't enough for me. I'm already coveting my next visit and don't be fooled into thinking I am a naval freak or a history buff. I'm really not but the place is just so vast and diverse and it has captured my heart.

A Whole Year of Fun at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

On the Sunday/ Monday of the early May bank holiday weekend we headed two hours down the coast to Portsmouth to visit the Historic Dockyard. For a few years now I've been seeing posts from other bloggers and FB posts from friends sharing their great day at this huge attraction. It is somewhere I'd been meaning to take the family to explore for a long time but you know what it is like, life is busy!

I'm so pleased we made time to visit, even though the weather was miserable and rainy and I can tell you from the start, we will definitely be going back. We didn't even manage to get half of the attractions done in the five hours we spent there. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard really is a great day out for all the family - old and young. It offers a unique experience which spans 800 years of British Naval history and as it is situated within a working Naval Base, the dockyard is the only place in the world to see the Royal Navy past, present and future

So what attractions are there?
First off there are two main parts of the Historic Dockyard, there is the main site which houses the Mary Rose, HMS Victor, HMS M.33, HMS Warrior 1860, the Action Stations interactive kids area, Boathouse 4, harbour tours and The National Museum of the Royal Navy. Also at the moment there are a couple of special exhibitions in the museum - 36 hours: Jutland 1916 and Women and the Royal Navy. Looking at the map I wondered if we would have to do a lot of walking during the day but actually the site is really compact and whilst we did lots of walking, as we toured the boats etc, there wasn't actually far to go.

Then there is the Gosport site, which you can access by waterbus from the main dockyard site. Here there is the Royal Navy Submarine museum and Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower. There is also the Royal Marines Museum a Eastney too.