20 Fabulous Things To Do in the Test Valley with Kids, Hampshire

Earlier in June, we spent a few days in the Test Valley and we had such fun. It is definitely an area we fell in love with. It feels like you are in the depths of the countryside but then it is only a 10 or 15-minute drive to a major town or the motorway. I'd highly recommend the area for a short break, either as a couple or with your family.

Here is just a taster of some of the many, many wonderful things you can get up to in the Test Valley when you have your kids with you (and of course, many of them are suitable without kids too)

1.  Walk the Test Way. This runs alongside the Test River for 44 miles and it is divided up into eight sections so you can navigate it easily. Many parts pass through gorgeous market towns and villages, where you can stop for a nice drink.

2.  Stop off at Paultons Park/ Peppa Pig World. Depending on how big your kids are will dictate which part of the park you visit and if you have kids of both ages, don't worry as the entrance fee covers both parts. We have visited a number of times but not for a few years and the girls are keen to go back and experience the new Tornado Springs area.

3.  You're sure to have a great day if you visit Marwell Zoo, as there are 140 acres filled with hundreds of animals and five adventure play parks to enjoy and explore. We last visited in 2015 and the giraffes were a highlight for us. 

Visiting Herstmonceux Castle and Gardens, East Sussex

The castle gardens and grounds will re-open 13th February 2021.

We've lived about a ten-minute drive from Herstmonceux castle for over seven years and had never yet visited it. We've been talking about going for quite some time and finally, in early October 2020 my husband and I headed over there and I am so glad we did, as it is lovely. Just as nice as many National Trust sites I've visited before and a good price too.

We paid £7 per adult to visit the gardens and grounds, and it would have been £17.50 for a family of 2 adults and 2 children. Normally you can have a tour of the castle, which is used as a study centre for the Queen's University in Canada, but not at the moment during the pandemic. It didn't matter though as there are 300 acres to explore and in nice weather, you could spend a number of hours here.

An Amazing Slice of History

Herstmonceux castle really is a beautiful example of a moated castle. It started to be built in 1441 to replace the original manor house that stood here. On completion, it was the largest private home in the country. It was lived in as a private dwelling for the next 300 odd years and started to fall into disrepair. It was remodelled in 1776 and then parts of the castle became a ruin, until 1911 when a new owner started a restoration project, which was finally completed in 1932.

Hogwarts in the Snow - Our Family Visit to Warner Bros. Studio Tour

Last weekend we went up to Hertfordshire to visit my husbands parents and seeing as we were in the area we thought it really was high time that we visited the Warner Brothers Studio Tour again. After all, who doesn't love Harry Potter? The tour is advertised as being in London but it is actually on the outskirts of Watford and for me as a local of 15 years that will always be Hertfordshire. Not that it matters it just means it is super accessible by public transport from central London as well as being close to major roads such as the M25, A1M, M1 and M11.

It really is the easiest place to get to and with the brown attraction signs everywhere, you'll have no trouble. The parking lot is also enormous and has no charge which makes a nice change from many of the major UK attractions.You also do not get any traffic jams heading in and out, well we haven't on the two occasions we have visited and we went on weekends at peak times. 

The last time we visited was about two and a half years ago and I wondered how much would have changed but actually I can fully advocate a second visit as many things had changed and of course there is also the special Hogwarts in the Snow Christmas feature running at the moment, from Saturday 19th November 2016 to Sunday 29th January 2017. I notice that most of December is already sold out, so if you fancy going, get in quick and book your January tickets now.

View from the Brighton BA i360 Tower

Saturday our family took a group of the volunteers who live as part of our community over to Brighton. I think everyone knows that Brighton is a great place to visit. There is so much to do with dozens of cafes, bars, restaurants of every type, the beach, the gorgeous lanes shopping area, modern shopping in Churchill Square, museums, galleries, theatres, the cinema and so much more.

Our plan for the day was very loose but our family did have some tickets to ride the new British Airways i360 attraction, which is the worlds first vertical cable car where you travel up 450 feet in a stunning glass pod and have 360 degree views of Sussex. My husband and son both said they didn't really want to take the ride (or flight as BA call it) but that was fine as we had a couple of Romanian friends who were keen to try out this new experience.