A couple of weekends ago Liverpool was hosting the Battle of the Atlantic festival to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the longest continuous military campaign of the Second World War.

One place we simply had to visit on our latest trip to Scilly was the Abbey Gardens at Tresco, an extensive sub-tropical garden set among the ruins of a Benedictine Priory. Despite the rather chilly winds this Easter, the gardens were very sheltered and on a south-facing slope, which made them something of a sun trap.

We are fortunate that James and Little Brother love going for a walk. We don’t always describe it as ‘a walk’, and we normally call it something which will spark their interest: ‘an adventure’, ‘a treasure hunt’, or something similar. This time it was about finding all the cannons.

Sofie (age 7) is fascinated by everything to do with Ancient Egypt at the moment. Her biggest wish is to visit Egypt, however for obvious reasons, it isn't our number one choice for a family holiday right now.

Forget spotting red squirrels out of our window in the evenings (although I’ll miss that!) after a hefty fell walk (more of in a later blog) we went to visit a place I’d read about a few years ago but had never managed to get to, until now.

My post about Burghead Bay back in January reminded me of the other Burghead thing that we introduced the minxes to: Clavie burning!

On our recent trip to Scotland we were treated to some typical west coast weather - rain, rain and a bit more rain for good measure. Some folks might have been disappointed with the forecast; we on the overhand donned our waterproofs and made the most of having the sights to ourselves whilst everyone else cowered indoors.

As we were driving through Oban, I noticed the Oban Chocolate Company overlooking the bay and knew that we just had to schedule a visit at some point during our holiday. If I was to have any chance of enjoying my longed for hot chocolate we would have to tire James out first.

Do your Little Trekkers ever ask you, “What was it like a long, long time ago?” Well, what better way to find out than at an Iron Age activity day?

We're lucky enough that when we visit my parents we have loads of amazing adventures on the doorstep. They live on the edge of the Peak District in Derbyshire, where I grew up. Apart from the hills and walks and the cycle trails, another of our best outside places to visit is the farmyard and play area at Chatsworth House.