living and learning: An action-packed holiday

Yesterday we got back from a fun, if rather tiring, holiday at Center Parcs Longleat. Last time we went to one, it was the local to us, Sherwood Forest, when the girls were really rather small. M was still a toddler then, so it was very different in terms of the activities that we did.

Last time we hired a bike with a trailer when we got there, this time we just about managed to take all of ours with us.

3 on the carrier and M's balanced on top of our stuff in the boot!

We stopped overnight at my parents' on the way down, so we arrived very soon after lunch on the Monday and unloaded the bikes. We had a bit of an explore on our bikes until we were allowed into the accommodation. Then we unpacked as much as we needed to and headed for the pool. We all enjoyed the various slides, with the 'wild water rapids' being by far the favourite. K & M are both pretty strong swimmers now (certainly better than me!), so they could disappear off and explore, once we'd established where to wait if they needed us.

On Tuesday morning we went out for another bike ride and discovered some very steep paths! K, M & A managed to cycle up most of them, but I must admit I got off and pushed occasionally. We headed back to our cabin when it started to rain a bit and played Rummikub before lunch.

One Tuesday afternoon M & A had booked to do the 'Leap of Faith', which involved climbing very high things. K & I followed a while later to watch them, we missed the first thing and M doing the actual leap, but saw A having his turn. They had to climb a pole of around 30 feet, get themselves onto the tiny platform on top, stand up and then leap and try to grab a trapeze.

The leap!

M had had a really good go at it, but her shorter arms meant that she didn't quite make it, but she did enjoy it. A managed it, despite finding it really rather scary! The final thing was another very tall pole, with a slightly bigger platform, which A climbed first and then, once he was standing on top, M followed.

They then had to hold hands and lean backwards, before each turning round (no mean feat on that tiny platform!) and then hold hands again and lean forward.

Like this!

Then they jumped off and were lowered to the ground.

That's usually all for that activity, but since there were only half a dozen of them taking part, they got through it much quicker than normal, so they had time to walk round the lake and have a go on the Aerial Adventure (something that all four of us had planned for another day).

M was completely unphased and made short work of it.

Waiting for Daddy to catch up!

It finished with a 200 meter long zip wire over the lake.

Afterwards we headed back and got out another of the games we'd taken with us, this time Monopoly.

Wednesday we had an awful lot packed in. First K, M & I did climbing and abseiling. In our group there was us and a group of about half a dozen children and teens from a special school. The range of ability in terms of the climbing was very big, but with a lot of encouragement (and in one case bribery using mints!) everybody had at least one go at abseiling, either by going up the climbing wall or by climbing the ladder inside.

M & me on the climbing wall.

K & M.

M went up the more difficult side first and got about 2/3 of the way up with no problem. She got a bit stuck at that point though and did want to come down, but with a bit of encouragement she made it to the top. K was on the easier side and made it up too. On the second go, they stuck to the same sides (mostly at K's insistence) and K got up again, but M cricked her ankle and had to come back down. She recovered pretty quickly though and made it up to the top on the easier side afterwards. K was, I think, a bit tired by her last attempt and came down after making it about half way up. I was very pleased with myself, managing to get up both sides, although I did find the first bit of the abseiling impossible to manage without squeaking rather loudly!

While we were climbing, A had gone for a massage and then joined us in time to take some photos, before we went to get ourselves some lunch. After lunch, K & I went to do field archery, while M & A went to the pool. We got chatting to another of the people doing the archery while we were waiting for it to start and had a small world moment, when we found out that he grew up in Stratford-on-Avon and his niece and nephew go to the school that I went to. When we found out that we were both going to be around there for Mothering Sunday, K suggested we could meet up, but agreed that we probably wouldn't have time, as we'd each be spending time with our own families! When we found out that the targets in the wood that we were to be shooting at were in the shape of animals, I should have predicted what happened next. It certainly didn't surprise me. K refused to shoot at the targets, but she was happy to aim for tree stumps instead and enjoyed herself anyway! The other folks were slightly bemused, but perfectly accepting of this decision of hers, which she was entirely comfortable with and confident in.

K in action.

A & M met us at the end of the archery and A whisked the girls off to the next activity, which was the three of them going horse-riding. Being extremely allergic to horses, I took the opportunity to go for a massage myself and made sure I didn't get back until the girls and A had had a chance to shower and change and pack away the clothes they'd worn for riding. By the time I got back A & M were having a game of Carcassonne, while K was playing a made up game of patience using Happy Families cards.

Our final full day there, we had booked K & M in for 'Canoe Capers' and it turned out that it was just the two of them. They got togged up in wetsuits and had the brief safety talk.

The instructor got them doing all sorts of things, such as sitting right at the front of the boat and paddling, then right at the back.

He also got them standing up, paddling standing up, swapping canoes, sharing a canoe for a while.

Swapping canoes.

They even occasionally paddled in time!

They were told that if they could stay upright, standing at the front of the canoe for five seconds, then they'd win a hot chocolate from the instructor, which they did. He told us afterwards that he hadn't expected them to manage that, as most people fall in! For the last 15 minutes or so, they swapped boats and all three of them went out in a 'katacanoe'. The girls really enjoyed it and apparently got the hang of it really quickly for a first attempt.

Coming back in to shore at the end.

We had planned to take the girls for a hot chocolate to warm up afterwards, but since they were each given one, we only had to buy them for A & me! Then the four of us got kitted up again to do what M & A had already had a go at the Aerial Adventure.

K & M clearly enjoyed it, but I don't think I'd use that word for myself. I'm really glad I did it and would probably have another go another time, but it's more a sense of achievement that enjoyment that I experienced. I really did not like the sensation of the trees we were up swaying in the wind. The final zip wire was fun though and not scary, unlike the abseiling, because you just sat down into the harness and at no point was there the brief feeling of falling.

We had our planned eating out meal after the Aerial Adventure, at the Pancake House, which was rather tasty. While there we watched the birds that came to the bird feeder that was just outside the window where we were sitting.

After lunch we went to the pool for the last time and saw some of the people we'd done the climbing and abseiling with and had a brief chat with one of the girls. Then it was time to head back and pack as much as we could, in order to get an early start in the morning.

Finally, some pictures of the local wildlife that we spotted.