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Our favourite Christmas days out in Staffordshire and Cheshire

Christmas

20 Nov

I wanted to sit down and put together a little list of our favourite Christmas days out in Staffordshire and Cheshire.  These are events that we as a family have enjoyed over the last two or three years.   Some of these events I have planned and booked very early on ..even before those beautiful summer evenings have ended.

I have always loved Christmas, and since we have had the little ones I find it even more magical.  There is something special about trotting off to find the perfect Christmas tree in a field of mud, breathing in that wonderful smell of a fir-tree, and then rushing home to dust the chosen one with baubles and glitter and twinkling lights, with the christmas tunes in the background and a glass of hot mulled wine staring at me on the sideboard.  OK….well our Christmas tree shopping normally ends with child A face down in the mud, and child B loosing a wellington boot in the mud, and Mr S’s enthusiasm fading fast as I ‘shun’ the twentieth tree in search for that picture ‘perfect’ shape! I think the thing that I love most about Christmas is the build up…the planning…the anticipation of what is to come.  I have always loved planning lots of special things to do trying  to make those wonderful lasting memories and watching the children  enjoy the excitement and magic, and just simply – believing. 

Here is a list of our favourite Christmas days out in Staffordshire and Cheshire to date.

 The Snowman Tour – Nationwide

  •  The Snowman Tour – Nationwide
  •  Santa Sleepover – Alton Towers, Staffordshire
  •  Keele Christmas Tree farm, Staffordshire.
  • Breakfast/tea with Santa- Bridgemere Garden Centre, Cheshire
  • Live Nativity – Glebe Farm and Astbury Church, Cheshire
  • Blithbury Reindeer Lodge, Staffordshire 

We have enjoyed The Snowman Tour for the last two years, and it has soon become our favourite day out to introduce us to the festive period.   This Christmas classic held in a number of Cathedrals across the Country, is shown on a large screen accompanied by a live orchestra. I have recently written about this gorgeous event and we are off to Liverpool Cathedral this year and I absolutely can’t wait.  I am letting you in on our little secret, as it is an event that is not well publicised and therefore seems to stay that little big magical.  The girls loved dancing away to the sound of the violins, and last year they all squealed with excitement when the big man himself (The Snowman) wobbled his way around the cathedral.  I would definitely recommend a visit – just remember this event is a sell out – so get those tickets early.

 Santa Sleepover – Alton Towers, Staffordshire

We visited Alton Towers for their Santa Sleepover a couple of years ago and it was great value for money. It involved a jam-packed weekend of visiting the theme park, staying in a themed room at the hotel and enjoying christmas dinner alongside a full itinerary of christmas activities. The following day we headed over the water park for more family fun before coming home.

 Keele Christmas Tree farm, Staffordshire.

This is somewhere we visit EVERY year. Before I married Mr S…I used to drag my beautiful exasperated dad around the farm, inspecting each and every tree in search of that perfect tree, of a perfect size…you see the perfection really does exist. 🙂  My dad quickly handed the baton over to Mr S and now we enjoy this annual tradition of donning the wellington boots and hats and scarves and getting lost in the field of trees at the Christmas tree farm. (Okay well maybe I enjoy it slightly more! ) We do always manage to plan the visit on a day when it is cold..wet and muddy.. which seems to make the kiddies love it even more…. (Mr S not so much 🙂 )

Breakfast/tea with Santa- Bridgemere Garden Centre, Cheshire

Breakfast or tea with Santa was something we did a couple of years back and it was magical. We couldn’t fit it into our schedule this year but I would definitely recommend a visit.  We chose the tea with santa, and the mini me’s enjoyed decorating gingerbread men, pulling a cracker, eating the food and ending the day with a ‘hello’ from the big man himself. It was also the day we snapped my most favourite ever festive family snap. see below…One that will make me smile for years to come.

Live Nativity – Glebe Farm and Astbury Church, Cheshire

We learned about this magical event just after we got married, and it has become a firm favourite in our family festive events. I don’t know about what the words ‘live nativity’ means to  you, but when we first booked this event I didn’t quite realise that Live nativity meant live nativity…as in outdoors on a farm (yes I know..the clue is in the title but my brain didn’t register!) so I dressed M in her best Sunday clothes, with her glittery white pumps, and we  joined the other totally prepared children in their snowsuits, wellies and  glow sticks.  We absolutely loved it, (despite sporting completely inappropriate clothing) and it is now an annual tradition of ours.  It involves acting out the Christmas story, stopping off at the local pub and being greeted by a grumpy innkeeper with no room in the inn, and following the star, passing the shepherds on our way, and ending in the barn to sing carols.  The Live Nativity is a wonderful evening for the children to understand the true meaning of Christmas.

Blithbury Reindeer Lodge, Staffordshire 

Last year we spent Christmas Eve at Blithbury reindeer lodge in the Staffordshire countryside. We are always on the look out for a memorable and special place to visit to add to our favourite Christmas days out. Blithbury reindeer lodge is in Rugeley, in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside. It is a working farm and home to England’s largest working reindeer herd.  The reindeer roam freely across the 30 acre site.  During the run up to Christmas it is transformed to a winter wonderland to sprinkle a little magic and festive cheer to everyone who visits,  before the big man himself sets off on his epic sleigh ride. It is such a lovely event with stories from Mrs Claus, a vast to Elf school and ending the day with a sleigh ride.

Christmas Days Out in Staffordshire and Cheshire

This year we are off to the National Adventure Farm, in Staffordshire for the North Pole adventure.… I don’t know who is more excited …the kids or the adults!

 

Do you have any favourite Christmas days out in Staffordshire and Cheshire? I would love to hear of any more  family days out to enjoy over the Christmas period.

Enjoy your magical adventures !

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2 Comments

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Comments

  1. Claire @ The ladybirds' adventures says

    November 21, 2017 at 10:43 pm

    We are going to the snowman live too, so excited. These other events soubd great too. We are local to Glebe farm but didn’t know about the live natvity. I’ll look in to this one.

    Reply
  2. Zena's Suitcase says

    December 1, 2017 at 1:06 pm

    There are some fantastic ideas here for the area. I love going to Breakfast with Santa with the kids and I think reindeers should always feature somewhere in the festivities

    Reply

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otisandus_

Vanlife • Camper Family • VWT5


Ad/ Oh the places we will go .......

I’m reall
Ad/ Oh the places we will go .......
 
I’m really hoping better days are coming for us all 🌈
 
Tonight I wanted to tell you about a wonderful campaign by @whsmithofficial and I’m honoured to have been asked to be a part of it. 

Their aim is to encourage people to try something new throughout 2021. @whsmithofficial have some wonderful products to help you plan your trips (products linked in stories).
 
I would really love you to join me on Friday at 6pm over on the @whsmithofficial account, chatting about why we love vanlife, our favourite road trips, and what vanlife means for us. Believe it or not before we purchased our camper, we had never camped before! 
 
If you have any questions for me, I would love you to send them my way via my stories and I will do my best to answer them on Friday. 
 
Look forward to seeing you over on the @whsmithofficial Instagram on Friday at 6pm! 

#bringiton2021 #vanlife #vanlifewithkids #vwt5


Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are y
Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are you all doing? How are you feeling about the announcements tomorrow?

I know so many are finding it all a bit ‘meh’ at the moment.

So this is a little Sunday reminder to keep doing what makes your soul a
smile, check in on each other often and look after yourselves..... and know that better days are coming 🌈🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 

(My usual Sunday campsite share will be a little late - I’ll post it tomorrow I promise - I’ve been painting the girls bedroom all weekend😆 )

🌈 💕

Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynn
Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynnfamily as part of her bongo convo series.

Did you catch it?

I think it is the first time I’ve ever chatted on a live, or chatted in front of a camera even 😆

Anyway I just wanted to say thank you  so much for all the messages and lovely comments after the live. I’ve had a few vanlife questions too so I will pop them in my stories for you.

Thank you  Jenny for inviting me to take part in your new live travel chat. Chatting about Van life and road trips .... It definitely made my soul smile :)

🏕Sunday share is back 🏕

My next campsite to
🏕Sunday share is back 🏕

My next campsite to share is a really lovely campsite in Llangollen. We were introduced to this lovely site by my beautiful friend @a_girl_on_the_crescent 

Abbey Farm Campsite

@abbeyfarmllangollen is a working farm set just outside the beautiful town of Llangollen in North Wales.

Suitable  for camping, touring caravans and motor homes and camping pods available.  There are three self-catering cottages to rent and also a static caravan site.

The camping fields are set next to the ruins of Valle Crusis Abbey, and what we loved the most - there is a small brook that runs across the bottom of the field that the kids absolutely loved.

Facilities

Hot showers/ toilets
Laundry room
Bistro/bar
Shop
Electric Hook Up
Dogs Welcome 

What we loved 💕

⭐️Family campsite 
⭐️The brook provided hours of fun
⭐️Picturesque Llangollen a walk away 
⭐️Beautiful location with lots of space and walks
⭐️An ideal base to explore North Wales 

Definitely one to bookmark 

🏡For now the message is to stay at home, but my Sunday share is to inspire and introduce you to new campsites for when the time is right xx


Camping with kids 🏕

I was going to share my ne
Camping with kids 🏕

I was going to share my next favourite campsite but thought I would mix it up a bit with a new topic. Campervan storage. So tell me... What is your favourite storage hack? 

As our Campervan conversion  isn’t quite fully finished we have had to be clever with storage. As a family of five in a T5 space is super tight! 

Our favourite hacks so far....

➡️ Using cushion covers / pillow cases to store items 

➡️ storage hooks on the back of the seats (I think I learned about this one from @daisy_thefamilycamper ) 

➡️ Using a pop up tent to store the large bulky items such as car seats and strollers etc 

➡️ Packing pods to organise the clothes!!! My absolutely favourite thing ever we have used them for years.

➡️ plastic storage bucket for the outside toys that we take to the beach (and can even double up as a baby/toddler bath 

 
 ➡️ Foldable items, folding table, folding scooters, folding chairs, the list goes on but helps with space 

➡️hamman towels. Absolutely wonderful. We were sent some towels to review a few years back and they are incredible. We haven’t looked back and we are fully converted. They don’t take up much space, dry really quickly, have multiple uses  and basically we just love them! 

🌈 I have linked my post in my stories - but would love to hear if you have any campervan storage ideas to share or add? 

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend whatever you have been up to ?


Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for
Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for the time when it is safe to travel again 😍🚐

 Sunnyside Croft Touring Site 

This is my next campsite to share... the beautiful Sunnyside Croft Touring Site - an award winning site located between the villages of Arisaig and Mallaig on the West Coast of the Scottish Highlands 

⭐️What we loved 🌈

Direct access to the most beautiful beach 
Family friendly, clean  and quiet 
Dogs allowed 
Eco friendly
Lovely touches - outside shower for wetsuits, infant and toddler washroom with a bath 
Pets allowed 

We loved staying here for two nights as part of our Scotland road trip with our beautiful friends. Mallaig is the nearest village  and we loved visiting Skye and Glenfinnan too. The campsite has direct access to the most spectacular beach - just a walk away along a dedicated path.  Definitely one to bookmark and a campsite we would definitely return to.

📸 Our first view of the beach from the campsite 
 
➡️ swipe for more photos of Arisaig and Mallaig

🌈 #stayathome and keep hoping for sunnier days☀️

#dreamingofvanlife #keepondreaming #arisaigbeach #scotlandphotography


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Ad/ Oh the places we will go ....... I’m reall Ad/ Oh the places we will go .......
 
I’m really hoping better days are coming for us all 🌈
 
Tonight I wanted to tell you about a wonderful campaign by @whsmithofficial and I’m honoured to have been asked to be a part of it. 

Their aim is to encourage people to try something new throughout 2021. @whsmithofficial have some wonderful products to help you plan your trips (products linked in stories).
 
I would really love you to join me on Friday at 6pm over on the @whsmithofficial account, chatting about why we love vanlife, our favourite road trips, and what vanlife means for us. Believe it or not before we purchased our camper, we had never camped before! 
 
If you have any questions for me, I would love you to send them my way via my stories and I will do my best to answer them on Friday. 
 
Look forward to seeing you over on the @whsmithofficial Instagram on Friday at 6pm! 

#bringiton2021 #vanlife #vanlifewithkids #vwt5
Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are y Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are you all doing? How are you feeling about the announcements tomorrow?

I know so many are finding it all a bit ‘meh’ at the moment.

So this is a little Sunday reminder to keep doing what makes your soul a
smile, check in on each other often and look after yourselves..... and know that better days are coming 🌈🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 

(My usual Sunday campsite share will be a little late - I’ll post it tomorrow I promise - I’ve been painting the girls bedroom all weekend😆 )

🌈 💕
Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynn Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynnfamily as part of her bongo convo series.

Did you catch it?

I think it is the first time I’ve ever chatted on a live, or chatted in front of a camera even 😆

Anyway I just wanted to say thank you  so much for all the messages and lovely comments after the live. I’ve had a few vanlife questions too so I will pop them in my stories for you.

Thank you  Jenny for inviting me to take part in your new live travel chat. Chatting about Van life and road trips .... It definitely made my soul smile :)
🏕Sunday share is back 🏕 My next campsite to 🏕Sunday share is back 🏕

My next campsite to share is a really lovely campsite in Llangollen. We were introduced to this lovely site by my beautiful friend @a_girl_on_the_crescent 

Abbey Farm Campsite

@abbeyfarmllangollen is a working farm set just outside the beautiful town of Llangollen in North Wales.

Suitable  for camping, touring caravans and motor homes and camping pods available.  There are three self-catering cottages to rent and also a static caravan site.

The camping fields are set next to the ruins of Valle Crusis Abbey, and what we loved the most - there is a small brook that runs across the bottom of the field that the kids absolutely loved.

Facilities

Hot showers/ toilets
Laundry room
Bistro/bar
Shop
Electric Hook Up
Dogs Welcome 

What we loved 💕

⭐️Family campsite 
⭐️The brook provided hours of fun
⭐️Picturesque Llangollen a walk away 
⭐️Beautiful location with lots of space and walks
⭐️An ideal base to explore North Wales 

Definitely one to bookmark 

🏡For now the message is to stay at home, but my Sunday share is to inspire and introduce you to new campsites for when the time is right xx
Camping with kids 🏕 I was going to share my ne Camping with kids 🏕

I was going to share my next favourite campsite but thought I would mix it up a bit with a new topic. Campervan storage. So tell me... What is your favourite storage hack? 

As our Campervan conversion  isn’t quite fully finished we have had to be clever with storage. As a family of five in a T5 space is super tight! 

Our favourite hacks so far....

➡️ Using cushion covers / pillow cases to store items 

➡️ storage hooks on the back of the seats (I think I learned about this one from @daisy_thefamilycamper ) 

➡️ Using a pop up tent to store the large bulky items such as car seats and strollers etc 

➡️ Packing pods to organise the clothes!!! My absolutely favourite thing ever we have used them for years.

➡️ plastic storage bucket for the outside toys that we take to the beach (and can even double up as a baby/toddler bath 

 
 ➡️ Foldable items, folding table, folding scooters, folding chairs, the list goes on but helps with space 

➡️hamman towels. Absolutely wonderful. We were sent some towels to review a few years back and they are incredible. We haven’t looked back and we are fully converted. They don’t take up much space, dry really quickly, have multiple uses  and basically we just love them! 

🌈 I have linked my post in my stories - but would love to hear if you have any campervan storage ideas to share or add? 

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend whatever you have been up to ?
Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for the time when it is safe to travel again 😍🚐

 Sunnyside Croft Touring Site 

This is my next campsite to share... the beautiful Sunnyside Croft Touring Site - an award winning site located between the villages of Arisaig and Mallaig on the West Coast of the Scottish Highlands 

⭐️What we loved 🌈

Direct access to the most beautiful beach 
Family friendly, clean  and quiet 
Dogs allowed 
Eco friendly
Lovely touches - outside shower for wetsuits, infant and toddler washroom with a bath 
Pets allowed 

We loved staying here for two nights as part of our Scotland road trip with our beautiful friends. Mallaig is the nearest village  and we loved visiting Skye and Glenfinnan too. The campsite has direct access to the most spectacular beach - just a walk away along a dedicated path.  Definitely one to bookmark and a campsite we would definitely return to.

📸 Our first view of the beach from the campsite 
 
➡️ swipe for more photos of Arisaig and Mallaig

🌈 #stayathome and keep hoping for sunnier days☀️

#dreamingofvanlife #keepondreaming #arisaigbeach #scotlandphotography
Happy Sunday!!! So I have decided on a Sunday fo Happy Sunday!!! 

So I have decided on a Sunday for the next few weeks I am going to do a little campsite share. Sharing our favourite campsites that we have stayed in our #t5camper over the last two or three years. I wanted to (hopefully) give you some inspiration for all those dreaming and planning for when we are able to hit the road in the future. 

My first campsite is @love2stay in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK. Set in 22 acres of grounds with touring and Glamping on-site. 

Love2stay is a beautiful resort and an absolute gem of a site. We have booked again for this year and have stayed more than once over the last two years.

Facilities

Love 2 Stay  has serviced pitches and a  glamping village. The toilet block is modern and clean.  There is so much to do on site you won’t want to venture far. 

➡️ swipe for pictures 

There is a natural swimming pool, restaurant and pizzeria, fitness suite and thermal bath, assault course, children’s adventure play zone, barefoot trails, mini and junior craft activities, cinedrome for movie nights, yoga and Pilates classes, paddle boarding and kayaking....... the list goes on 

What we loved 

⭐️So many activities on site for everyone 
⭐️restaurant/pizzeria on site 
⭐️Swimming pool 
⭐️Spa/gym on site 
⭐️Dogs allowed (with separate dog walking area and dog agility course )
⭐️Brilliant size serviced pitches
⭐️Glamping available 
⭐️Usually Open all year round (covid restriction dependent) 

Things to consider 
 
⭐️it gets booked up so book in advance 
⭐️No tents allowed 
⭐️No on-site grocery shop
⭐️it is the most expensive campsite we have ever stayed when you factor in all the additional activities that do -but it’s a wonderful experience and we absolutely love it here and it is a place that we will keep on returning to. 

Please do ask if you have any questions or if you have stayed here too? 

I’ll be back next Sunday with another gem !
Ad🌟Top Tip 🌟 Fairy lights dotted around a Ad🌟Top Tip 🌟

Fairy lights  dotted around a climbing frame
 
= A few more extra hours outside over the winter months 

Add in a flurry of snow ....

#1000hoursoutside 

#wickeyadventure #wickeyplaytime #lockdown3

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